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Judge rules the redrawn NM congressional map stays in place — for now
The 2022 elections in New Mexico will move forward with the newly redrawn congressional map, but future elections could still see legal challenges from Republicans, a state judge ruled Tuesday. In two brief letters on Tuesday afternoon, Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Fred Van Soelen said he will allow New Mexico to conduct the elections […]
New Mexico extends COVID public health emergency through May 16 as positivity rate ticks up
New Mexico extended the statewide public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through May 16. Under the public health order, universal masking is required in health care facilities but not in most indoor public spaces any longer. Businesses and other public and private workplaces must continue to report positive cases of COVID-19 to the […]
CNM workers outraged by withheld raises
Ray Montoya is a maintenance electrician at Central New Mexico Community College. He’s also a steward for the union that represents about 25 custodians, groundskeepers and maintenance staff at the school. He said his fellow workers have been “courageous throughout this pandemic.” They show up even when it snows to make the campus safe for […]
Public asks college board to take trade programs off the chopping block
Students, graduates, faculty and staff gave passionate in-person testimony Tuesday night to fight for Central New Mexico Community College’s trade programs in trucking and jewelry. They argued that the programs helped change their lives and provide economic opportunities to students from marginalized backgrounds who might have difficulty finding education elsewhere. CNM administrators are trying to […]
Congressional elections panel hears from New Mexico voting rights advocates
Federal lawmakers in charge of overseeing elections are looking to New Mexico as a model for how to improve access to voting across the country, although they heard about the obstacles remaining between the state’s marginalized communities and the ballot box. The U.S. House Committee on House Administration held a hearing on Monday at the […]
Tickets to ride Rail Runner 75% cheaper through July
The price of riding New Mexico’s commuter rail line will drop by 75% on Monday, rail officials and New Mexico’s governor announced. All one-way, day pass, monthly passes and annual passes to ride the Rail Runner will be cheaper through the end of July. Buying the passes will be even cheaper online, according to a […]
Allegations of sexual humiliation at Los Lunas Prison echoes 2011 case
Guards accused of taking part in beating, terrorizing and sexually humiliating incarcerated people two years ago at the New Mexico state prison in Los Lunas were found to have committed similar abuses before, but have only risen in the ranks since. A new federal lawsuit alleges that New Mexico Corrections Department Assistant Warden Joe Lytle […]
Rail Runner in talks with governor to reduce ticket prices
Even without funding from the Legislature, New Mexico’s commuter rail line may lower ticket prices to help low-income people get around without having to pay rising fuel costs. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked lawmakers to set aside money to reduce ticket costs for the Rail Runner, to make it a more affordable commuting options as […]
Capitol rioter from Santa Fe acquitted on all counts
A federal judge acquitted a defense contractor from Santa Fe on Wednesday of all charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden held the bench trial for Matthew Martin over two days. The government brought three witnesses to testify and Martin himself also testified, […]
Lawmakers pass junior spending bill again
The New Mexico Legislature on Tuesday approved spending on projects and services previously vetoed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Senate Bill 1, commonly referred to as the “junior bill,” is nearly identical to Senate Bill 48, a spending bill lawmakers passed without any opposition during the 2022 regular session that ended Feb. 17. The Senate […]
Only some cities’ sewers are tested for COVID in N.M.
New Mexico health officials anticipate that more people are taking COVID tests at home, and that means the state knows less about those results. They also no longer recommend masking until we reach a point that hospitals start getting overwhelmed. With cases rising in Europe and Asia, that could leave New Mexicans without any clue […]
Report shows a ‘Poor People’s Pandemic’ in the U.S. and New Mexico
Eight counties in New Mexico are listed in a recent report as having the highest rates of poverty and COVID-19 deaths in the entire United States, a dire statistic as the report concludes that across the country people living in poorer counties have died at nearly two times the rate of people who lived in […]