Vital worker protection or too rigid and burdensome? NM’s workplace heat protection rulemaking timeline extended

Cleveland Middle School teacher Sarah Hager isn’t the type of person to cry much. But as she faced five days without air conditioning in a sweltering classroom in August in Albuquerque, Hager broke down in tears. “I got in my car that afternoon and drove home crying the entire way,” Hager said during a press […]

Democrats looking to reclaim mojo amidst shifting political landscape, focus on local issues

Fresh off garnering some national acclaim, two local Democratic strategists delved into the challenges and strategies facing the Democratic Party.  Michelle Mayorga and Brad Elkins were big winners at the American Association of Political Consultants’ 25th Annual Pollies Conference in Colorado Springs last month. The New Mexico political consultants were awarded campaign excellence awards, the […]

Rep. Stansbury submits $158 million in Community Project Funding requests

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) has submitted 15 Congressionally funded community projects totaling $158,450,000 for communities across New Mexico in the upcoming 2026 budget process.  As the U.S. House of Representatives begins marking up appropriations bills this week, these proposals aim to address critical needs in public safety, housing, healthcare, education, and environmental protection. Stansbury’s funding […]

Op-ed: Public broadcasting funding cuts would be ‘catastrophic’ in New Mexico

For the cost of one cup of coffee per person, per year—that’s about $1.60—American taxpayers have generously and continuously supported public television and radio for communities across the nation. In New Mexico, this investment in public broadcasting allows 12 radio stations and 3 television stations to provide critical educational services, vital public safety partnerships, and […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, New Mexico Statewide News

Bloomfield officer dies after traffic stop shooting

Bloomfield Police Officer Timothy Ontiveros has died from gunshot wounds sustained during a traffic stop last week.  On May 26, Ontiveros and another officer stopped a driver who refused to cooperate. After an eight-minute negotiation, the officers attempted to arrest the individual, who then opened fire, hitting Officer Ontiveros. The second officer returned fire, killing […]

Pocket veto of promising wild horse bill leaves issues unresolved

Despite overwhelming bipartisan support and years of advocacy, New Mexico’s long-awaited free-roaming horse management bill has quietly died through a pocket veto, causing frustration among lawmakers, county officials and animal welfare advocates. House Bill 284, co-sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, and Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, passed 54-4 in the House and 38-0 in the […]

Protect the firefighters who protect our homes and forests

Riva Duncan is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is vice president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. By Riva Duncan, Guest columnist. You probably don’t see wildland firefighters on the job because they usually work in remote areas. But with wildfires moving […]

How reliable was your electric utility in 2024?

Officials from the Public Service Company of New Mexico say electricity was available for the average customer more than 99% of the time last year, however, there were outages, including ones in the East Mountains, Clayton, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Vegas. The three investor-owned electric utilities in New Mexico presented reliability metrics to the […]