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People held in NM women’s prison never notified about bacteria found in drinking water
People incarcerated at a state prison in northeastern New Mexico were never officially notified about dangerous bacteria found in their drinking water, according to court records and emails obtained by Source NM. Springer Correctional Center officials have since fixed the water problem first reported in June, and the water is safe to drink, according to […]
Rep. Leger Fernández to push for financial relief for Cerro Pelado Fire victims
The U.S. Forest Service has taken responsibility for igniting a third wildfire in New Mexico in 2022, and a federal lawmaker says she will advocate for disaster relief similar to what Congress did after the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire. On Monday, the Forest Service released a report showing the Cerro Pelado Fire was started by […]
To become social workers, students in NM expected to work for free
College students in New Mexico studying to become licensed social workers are required to conduct hundreds of hours of field work in places like schools, prisons, hospitals and clinics. That requirement is often unpaid labor. For the estimated 1,500 students enrolled in social work programs at universities across New Mexico, that volunteer time cuts into […]
Statehouse leaders to assert ‘legislative privilege’ in redistricting lawsuit
As a state district court judge decides whether New Mexico’s congressional map signed into law in 2021 is a partisan gerrymander, he will have to figure out a way to properly question the lawmakers who drew it. Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Fred Van Soelen met by phone on Monday morning with attorneys representing the […]
As many as 20,000 New Mexicans experience homelessness over the course of the year
The most commonly cited data point for tracking how many New Mexicans do not have homes is underestimating the actual number of unhoused people in the state. By a lot. At the beginning of 2023, there were an estimated 3,842 unhoused people in the state, according to a point-in-time count conducted each year by the […]
Nearly 60,000 New Mexicans purged from the Medicaid rolls (so far)
In the first two months since New Mexico started disenrolling people from the state’s safety-net health insurance program for the very poor, nearly 60,000 New Mexicans lost their health insurance. And almost every one of them lost their only way to afford health care, not because their income changed and they became ineligible, but because […]
(De)serving Life: A community led parole preparation project for New Mexico
Juvenile parole reform is now law in New Mexico and the work is just beginning. The same community of people who fought for the change in parole law are coming together to make sure those impacted have the support they need when they go in front of the New Mexico Parole Board, and as they […]
Addiction medication scripts going unfilled in northern New Mexico
ESPAÑOLA—Ronnie Flores feels more comfortable on the streets talking to people who are using drugs than he does talking to the people in the hospital who are treating substance use disorder. As a peer support specialist at Presbyterian Española Hospital, Flores helps people suffering from substance use disorders relating to opioids, stimulants and alcohol. Flores, […]
‘Safe staffing saves lives’: UNM Hospital workers protest understaffing and unfair wages
Unionized health care workers at the largest hospital system in New Mexico have been in contract negotiations with their bosses since December, with little to show for it. On Thursday, they protested unsafe working conditions and unfair wages outside the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, hoping to pressure management to come to the […]
SCOTUS ruling on ICWA a victory for welfare of Native American children
Native people in New Mexico and legal experts applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday leaving intact the civil rights law called the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which they see as a victory for the welfare of Native American children by bolstering their connections to tribes and their land. The case centers on […]
NM Law Enforcement Academy Board holds final meeting
The board that has overseen New Mexico’s police training and certification agency since 1969 held its last meeting ever on Wednesday, and will split in two as a result of a new state law going into effect this summer. The seven-member New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board will be bifurcated into the Law Enforcement Standards […]
Legislature’s health panel picks top three topics for the rest of 2023
The panel in charge of health issues at the New Mexico Legislature set its agenda for the rest of 2023, with an emphasis on child abuse and neglect, substance use disorder, and the health care workforce. At its first meeting between legislative sessions on Monday, the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee sorted through input […]