Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Pueblos

Federal budget proposal could eliminate key Native American workforce programs

The Trump Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 federal budget has sparked fierce opposition from Native American advocacy groups, who warn that planned cuts could effectively eliminate critical workforce development programs serving Indigenous communities nationwide. At the center of the controversy is the proposed elimination of the Native American Employment and Training Program under the Workforce […]

NMED fines Utility Block Co. $41K for safety lapses

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) recently cited an Albuquerque-based concrete masonry manufacturer for multiple serious workplace safety violations that exposed employees to potential injury or worse. According to state records, Utility Block Company Inc. was fined a total of $41,384 for the violations by NMED’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB). In December 2024, […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness

Local businesses team up to support New Mexicans with disabilities through beer campaign

New Mexico families facing decade-long waits for state disability services are getting help this month through an unusual partnership between two popular local businesses and a South Valley nonprofit. Steel Bender Brewyard and M’tucci’s Restaurants are donating 100% of proceeds from sales of Policy IPA throughout July to benefit Mandy’s Farm, an Albuquerque organization serving […]

Albuquerque research facility found monkey alive in body bag after botched euthanasia

A major Albuquerque research facility that employs more than 500 people has been cited by federal inspectors for two critical violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including an incident where a monkey was found alive in a plastic bag in a refrigerator after a botched euthanasia procedure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Lovelace Biomedical […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque

Award-winning Rio Rancho photojournalist to showcase career at Los Lunas Museum

Rio Rancho resident and five-time White House News Photographers Association award winner Richard Kozak will display decades of international photojournalism at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Arts this fall. The exhibition, titled “ART of PHOTOJOURNALISM,” will run from Aug. 23 through Oct. 11, featuring photographs from Kozak’s 30-year career documenting wars, politics and […]

New Mexico could lose $177 million under trump plan to transfer national parks to states

New Mexico stands to lose at least $177 million in economic output under the Trump Administration’s plan to transfer national park units to state control, according to a new report that has prompted sharp criticism from the state’s senior senator. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, […]

Sen. Luján introduces $30 billion bill to address infrastructure crisis at New Mexico’s national labs

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján introduced legislation last week that could bring billions in infrastructure improvements to New Mexico’s two national laboratories, which employ more than 33,000 workers and contribute over $8 billion annually to the state’s economy. The Restore and Modernize Our National Labs Act of 2025 would authorize $30 billion in federal funding […]

Work comp law changes increase attorney fees

Triple Spaced Again Merilee Dannemann is a longtime New Mexico journalist. She has written freelance for many local newsrooms and served as the Taos correspondent for the Albuquerque Journal. Find her online at triplespacedagain.com It has been quite a while since New Mexico has done anything substantive to make life better for injured workers covered […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Pueblos

Good Trouble Lives On: New Mexico communities join national civil rights protests

This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy. Reported by: Kevin Hendricks Photos by: Roberto Rosales This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors. Communities across New Mexico took part […]