By Danielle Prokop The Navajo Nation president and leaders from Acoma, Ohkay Owingeh and Zuni Pueblos joined tribal leadership from across the nation on Capitol Hill, offering testimony about the benefits of $3.7 billion federal dollars in six proposed water rights settlements across New Mexico. The deals would settle tribes and Pueblos’ water rights in […]
■ Statewide News
Posted in■ New Mexico State Government, ■ Statewide News
NM governor says special session ‘was not fair,’ but she won’t punish wildfire survivors for it
By Austin Fisher More than a week after a contentious special legislative session, New Mexico’s governor still has not signed the single piece of legislation lawmakers sent to her desk. As part of a wide-ranging five-hour-long town hall meeting in Las Cruces on Thursday night, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham talked about House Bill 1, the only […]
Posted in■ Statewide News
Apache Christ icon controversy sparks debate over Indigenous Catholic faith practices
By DEEPA BHARATH MESCALERO, New Mexico (AP) — Anne Marie Brillante never imagined she would have to choose between being Apache and being Catholic. To her, and many others in the Mescalero Apache tribe in New Mexico who are members of St. Joseph Apache Mission, their Indigenous culture had always been intertwined with faith. Both […]
Posted in■ Statewide News
Job boom: New Mexico employers continue setting new records for job creation
New Mexico has totally wiped out — and exceeded — its COVID-era job losses and private employers are setting new records for job creation each quarter. New Mexico reported the loss of 104,000 jobs between March and April 2020 as pandemic-era closures forced many public and private employers deemed non-essential to close. But new data […]
Posted in■ Statewide News
Dozens of Doña Ana Co. residents speak up at late night public safety town hall
By Leah Romero, Source New Mexico LAS CRUCES – Hundreds of Southern New Mexicans packed into the Las Cruces Convention Center Thursday evening for over five hours of public discussion on public safety. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham held the first in a series of town halls to hear from community members that live […]
Posted in■ Jobs, Workers & Economy, ■ Statewide News
State Accepting Solar Tax Credit Applications
The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) is accepting applications for the state’s Supplemental New Solar Market Development Tax Credit program. The program is for New Mexico taxpayers who were denied a solar tax credit in the years 2020 through 2023 because the program’s funding was exhausted. “We stand ready to process those applications […]
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Bernalillo Public Schools Graduation Rates Surpass State Average for First Time
Bernalillo Public Schools (BPS) has outperformed state averages in graduation rates for the first time. That’s according to a news release from the school district citing the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED). The achievement marks a milestone in the district’s ongoing efforts to raise educational standards and student outcomes. According to the NMPED, improvement […]
Posted in■ Federal Government & Congress, ■ Statewide News
School districts, state negotiating over how many days kids spend in school
The Public Education Department (PED) and the school districts suing it over an expanded school year will now try to find a resolution through mediation, rather than taking it immediately to the courtroom. A judge agreed to allow them to continue mediation and a hearing set for Monday has been canceled. The purpose of that […]
Posted in■ Housing & Homelessness, ■ Statewide News
Homelessness has increased by 50%; affordable housing is scarce
There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people in New Mexico who experience homelessness each year; there is a shortage of 32,000 low-income rental housing units; and there are more than 40,000 housing units across the state in need of rehabilitation, such as a functioning kitchen or adequate plumbing. New Mexico’s urgent need for affordable […]
Posted in■ New Mexico State Government, ■ Statewide News
Who’s on New Mexico’s MMIP Advisory Council? It’s unclear.
By Bella Davis It is unclear who is on a state advisory council on missing and murdered Indigenous people announced nearly eight months ago by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham amid upset over her decision to disband a task force focused on the crisis. A story New Mexico In Depth published Friday about the council meeting behind closed […]