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NM parent of children under 5 frustrated with vaccine rollout so far
An independent advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize two vaccines for children younger than five years old. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s vote came as a relief for Justine Fox-Young, an Albuquerque-based attorney and mother of three children aged four, three and 15-months. “I’m […]
Citing dangerous conditions, public defenders pause visits with clients in New Mexico’s largest jail
The situation inside the Bernalillo County jail has become so unsafe that New Mexico’s public defenders have temporarily stopped going into the facility, the state’s chief public defender said Monday. The warden of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County outside Albuquerque, the largest jail in the state, on June 4 declared a state of […]
Biden: Feds will pay all costs from the massive wildfire in northern NM — for now
President Joe Biden on Saturday said the federal government would pay the whole bill for the ongoing Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire, including repairs to homes, farms and businesses damaged by fires, and temporary housing. “I’m thinking about what you’re thinking,” he said. “We have a responsibility to help this state recover, to help the families […]
People in the disaster zone have words for Biden ahead of his NM visit
Voters who may have lost homes or just returned to scorched properties in northern New Mexico went to the polls anyway this week to cast ballots for the next round of local leaders who will help shape the rebuilding process. As they did, Source New Mexico reporters spread out up north and stayed most of […]
Most incumbent lawmakers held onto their seats in the primaries
Almost all of the lawmakers in the New Mexico House of Representatives running for re-election emerged victorious in the primary on Tuesday, except for one prominent upset in northern New Mexico. Joseph Sanchez defeated incumbent Roger Montoya for the Democratic nomination to represent House District 40, which includes much of the area affected by the […]
Scrase: ‘I don’t think anybody’s even talking about’ mask mandates anymore
Despite rising COVID cases and hospitalizations, New Mexico public health officials are not considering re-implementing public health measures like requiring masks in public places. In the first Department of Health news conference about COVID in months, Acting Health Secretary David Scrase on Wednesday afternoon dismissed a question about whether the surge in cases is cause […]
When campaigning means delivering food behind the fire lines
MORA, N.M. — For both of the men who vied to represent the area hit by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire in the New Mexico House of Representatives, the race became less about traditional campaigning and more about responding to the needs of local residents. There has been disregard for the victims of the fire […]
NM Primary Preview 2022
As Primary Election Day dawned, firefighting crews battle historic blazes around the state. Many people haven’t voted yet in the primary, and early turnout’s been fairly low statewide. But the people who are elected this cycle will have a lot to do with recovery efforts as whole regions of New Mexico rebuild in the coming […]
Wildfire caused air pollution in Las Vegas to reach nine times the healthy limit
As harsh winds spread the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire across more than 100,000 acres and authorities ordered residents to evacuate at the beginning of May, wildfire smoke filled the air with pollution that went far beyond healthy limits for 10 straight days. A consumer-grade air quality monitor installed on 8th Street in Las Vegas, New […]
COVID cases and hospitalizations rise, while NM health officials remain mostly quiet
As the third year of the COVID pandemic drags on, it’s more difficult to get timely, reliable information about viral spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Mexico Department of Health are still using the new pastel green “community level” map, which does not recommend universal masking anywhere in New Mexico. […]
State launches infant formula website and crowdsourcing campaign
As the United States continues to experience a shortage of infant formula, New Mexico officials on Friday launched a new website where parents and caregivers of infants can find infant formula supplies. NMformula.com is meant to provide medically reliable information for families with questions about how to ensure their children receive proper nutrition, acting Department […]
Calf Canyon wildfire also caused by a prescribed burn, investigators say
A federal forestry agency is claiming responsibility for igniting both of the blazes that merged to become the historic wildfire burning in northern New Mexico today. The cause of the Calf Canyon wildfire in April was a prescribed pile burn the U.S. Forest Service lit in January, the agency’s own investigators announced Friday morning. They […]