Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., National, Syndicated

Members of the U.S. Senate face a vote on whether they support contraception access

BY JENNIFER SHUTT / Source NM WASHINGTON — U.S. senators will go on record next month with whether they support legislation from Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception — a right currently upheld by two Supreme Court cases, but one that has been singled out by a conservative justice. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a […]

Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy, Syndicated

Sites with radioactive material more vulnerable as climate change increases wildfire, flood risks

By TAMMY WEBBER / Associated Press As Texas wildfires burned toward the nation’s primary nuclear weapons facility, workers hurried to ensure nothing flammable was around buildings and storage areas. When the fires showed no sign of slowing, Pantex Plant officials urgently called on local contractors, who arrived within minutes with bulldozers to dig trenches and […]

Posted inNational, Syndicated

Spain, Ireland and Norway say they will recognize a Palestinian state. Why does that matter?

By The Associated Press Spain, Ireland and Norway said Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came amid international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive. The almost simultaneous decisions by two European Union countries, and Norway, […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., National, Syndicated

Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden’s push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and JIM MUSTIAN / Associated Press In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Over the next half hour, she […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections, Syndicated, Westside

The Hot Ticket Seat

By Tierna Unruh-Enos / The Paper. In Senate District 9, four candidates are looking to replace the current-sitting Democratic state Senator Brenda McKenna. Democrats Heather Balas and Cindy Nava filed to run, as did Republicans Frida “Susana” Vasquez and Audrey Trujillo. District 9 encompasses two counties and part of the Sandia Pueblo. The district spans […]

Posted inEnvironment & Climate, Jobs, Workers & Economy, New Mexico, Syndicated

New endangered listing for rare lizard could slow oil and gas drilling in New Mexico and West Texas

By SCOTT SONNER / Associated Press Federal wildlife officials declared a rare lizard in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas an endangered species Friday, citing future energy development, sand mining and climate change as the biggest threats to its survival in one of the world’s most lucrative oil and natural gas basins. “We have determined […]

Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy, New Mexico, Syndicated

Federal agency takes control of investigation of fiery train derailment in New Mexico

ASSOCIATED PRESS The Federal Railroad Administration is now leading the investigation of last month’s fiery train derailment in New Mexico. National Transportation Safety Board officials said Thursday that the FRA will determine the probable cause of the April 26 derailment. NTSB investigators have examined the track and derailed tank cars and will focus on the […]