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Evidence shows EchoMail involvement in Otero County ‘audit’ canvassing, congressional panel says
A congressional committee is accusing the head of a tech company of lying about his involvement in the so-called “audit” of the 2020 election results in Otero County. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform is investigating the rise of partisan audits of the 2020 election that representatives say “threaten to undermine the integrity […]
Northern New Mexico officials look to quickly build wireless network
ESPAÑOLA— When COVID-19 hit the world in March 2020, many people living in Santa Clara Pueblo were forced to work from home to avoid catching coronavirus or, if they did not have good connections to the internet, take leaves of absence from work. Geremy Yepa said these circumstances affected everyone’s income and student’s access to […]
New Mexico keeps its COVID-19 treatments despite federal sweeps
With congressional funding for COVID protections in jeopardy, the amount of COVID treatments the federal government is sending to state health departments is being reduced by 30%. The supply of antiviral drugs dwindles as New Mexico’s health authorities have all but abandoned policies to prevent infection, instead putting their hopes into having enough of those […]
Española veterans plead to keep the local VA clinic
ESPAÑOLA—Ben Pearce, a disabled veteran living in Española, said he feels blessed to have people in his life who help him figure out all the logistics of getting medical care. If a plan by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs goes through, he and his fellow veterans in rural parts of New Mexico will need […]
NM lawmaker says he hopes 2022 special session will be ‘surgical’
Two weeks from now, New Mexico lawmakers are scheduled to meet in a special session to again consider funding vetoed by the governor earlier this month — and a new proposal to try to help some New Mexicans deal with rising costs of living. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a $50 million spending bill a […]
Federal inspectors demand ICE relocate migrants detained in Torrance County
Federal oversight officials this week told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to move everyone out of Torrance County detention center in Estancia, N.M., until it can fix unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must take immediate steps to address the critical staffing shortages that have led to safety risks and unsanitary […]
Woman alleges medical neglect at San Juan County jail
A woman being held at the San Juan County jail says medical staff at the facility have repeatedly denied her requests for care and medicine to treat her chronic health conditions. In a tort claim notice filed on behalf of Aurelia Hernandez, she said staff at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center also attempted […]
How prepared is New Mexico for another wave?
A major part of New Mexico’s pandemic strategy moving forward is to widely distribute antiviral medication to every pharmacy in the state, and to some health care offices. The state’s plans are meant to make it possible for people who catch coronavirus to quickly get treatment, according to acting N.M. Health Secretary David Scrase. Paxlovid […]
Senators oppose plan to close four VA clinics
New Mexico’s U.S. senators are criticizing a report released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday, which recommends closing four clinics across the state in Gallup, Las Vegas, Raton and Española. The VA says once those community-based outpatient clinics close, health care in those areas would move to other community providers. Sens. Martin […]
NMSU graduate workers rally at regents’ meeting for tuition coverage
Graduate students often work for the university they attend, and in exchange, have their tuition covered. But not all grad workers get tuition coverage. That includes Paramveer Singh, a graduate assistant in the Environmental Department at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. On average, NMSU graduate employees pay $6,000 each year in tuition. That […]
Examining fatal social flaws as COVID protections evaporate
Though public health guidance and rules shifted quickly over the last two years, this has been consistent: People of color in the United States died from COVID-19 at higher rates than white people. That’s true here in New Mexico, too. Last year, Indigenous, Hispanic and Black people in the state were far more likely to […]
State pulls staff off compiling COVID numbers, plans to remove and obscure some info
Starting Monday, it will be more difficult to find daily data on the pandemic maintained by the New Mexico Department of Health. The daily COVID-19 updates will no longer be available broken down by county, officials said. A staple information source for two years now, the daily county-level updates have long been how the public […]