By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. In a Monday opinion piece in the The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young […]
Congress & Federal Gov.
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
Rage rooms, escape rooms as addiction treatment
A nonprofit that operates intensive outpatient counseling and a methadone clinic for people experiencing homelessness and those with addiction and mental health disorders is expanding in Albuquerque’s International District. On July 1, State of the Heart Recovery is set to add a barber school and rooms for “experiential experiences” — like an escape room, paint […]
Posted inLocal Government
Bernalillo County commission broke transparency law
State investigators determined Bernalillo County commissioners violated the open meetings law when they established a process for choosing a new county manager. This means the commission will have to meet again to re-do their deliberations in public. The New Mexico Department of Justice notified county officials in a letter Thursday that it found the commission […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
New Mexico a leader in chronic absenteeism in public schools according to state reports
By LEAH ROMERO Public school students in New Mexico experienced the highest increase in chronic absenteeism between 2019 and 2023 in the country, according to a recent Legislative Finance Committee report. State lawmakers were clued in on student attendance this week by LFC analysts and New Mexico Public Education Department representatives. The major takeaway: New Mexico […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Local Government
What to expect: councilors expected to vote on city charter, zoning changes
Controversial city charter amendments, zoning changes and legislation to create a commission for the Route 66 Visitors Center — which was built in 2022 but has yet to open — will be debated at the Albuquerque City Council meeting on Monday. City charter changes After postponing them twice, city councilors are expected to vote on […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks, reopening political fight
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, in a ruling that threw firearms back into the nation’s political spotlight. The high court’s conservative majority found that the Trump administration overstepped when it changed course from predecessors and banned bump […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Local Government
How to beat the heat in Albuquerque
Summer has arrived and the heat has returned to New Mexico. In Albuquerque, the temperature reached over 100 degrees Thursday. Temperatures across the state are expected to reach triple digits this summer as well. Because of that, the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) announced a heat advisory suggesting people take extra precautions when they […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Another Non Event High-Profile Felony Conviction
The President’s son, Hunter Biden, was convicted this week on three federal charges stemming from a 2018 handgun purchase where he was found to have lied on his application to purchase the firearm. Pretty much what we learned from the trial and speedy verdict is that Hunter Biden is a mess. There was very little […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Keeping Affordable Housing Affordable
I’m haunted by an online post I saw recently. A young woman said she’d been homeless for months and living in her car. She had lost her apartment because she couldn’t afford it. “Yes, I’m working,” she informed readers. A Good Samaritan had given her a camper shell, and she found a place to park […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Half Truths, Outright Lies and Gas Stoves
In a campaign season filled with distortions, half truths and outright lies, the least I can do is correct my own mistake. I made a factual error in my last column by writing that state House District 31 had three Republican candidates and no Democrat. I missed Vicky Estrada-Bustillo, Democratic candidate for that seat. The […]