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NM Transportation Department is sitting on millions of unspent breathalyzer funds
As much as $2.1 million meant to help people pay for interlock devices is sitting in Santa Fe unspent. Word of the fund isn’t always getting out, officials say, and the application process may be hindering those who most need the financial help. The fund comes from an annual $100 fee tacked onto the cost […]
Sexual assault and harassment linked to higher long-term heart attack risk in women
Women who have experienced sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment are at higher long-term risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease, a new study shows. The study, published last month in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed data from one of the largest investigations into risk factors for major chronic disease […]
New Mexico gets rid of the ‘tampon tax’
People in New Mexico will no longer have to pay taxes on menstrual pads, tampons and cups as of July 1 — a victory for advocates who’ve been working on the issue for years. A provision to allow for a deduction on retailers’ gross receipts taxes was included in the omnibus tax reform bill that […]
N.M. residents may soon be able to sign up for health coverage while they file their taxes
Figuring out your health insurance could become as easy as checking a box on your tax return if a bill the Legislature passed is signed by the governor. Set to take effect next year, New Mexico would be the fifth state in the nation to streamline the process this way. House Bill 95 — dubbed […]
Rise in newborn syphilis cases prompts DOH intervention
More babies in the U.S. are being born with syphilis than at any time in the last 20 years, and CDC research indicates that the trend is growing exponentially worse. The latest data show New Mexico has the second-highest rate in the country. The infection is curable. And it’s alarming rise led the New Mexico […]
New DWI-detection tech might alter the law’s disproportionate impacts
A mandate for technology in new vehicles that can pull over if the driver is impaired by alcohol was rolled into the infrastructure bill on its way to President Joe Biden. That means once the U.S. National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration figures out the regulations in the next couple of years, all new cars […]
Anti-drunk driving tech to be installed in all new vehicles
The infrastructure bill, passed on Friday by the U.S. House includes a provision that mandates new passenger vehicles be equipped with tech to stop drinking and driving. The end goal, supporters say, is to achieve what decades of varied — and often harsh — drunk-driving laws have failed to do: eliminate driving while intoxicated completely. […]
State and city officials aren’t mandating vaccines for first responders
New Mexico still hasn’t issued a vaccine requirement for firefighters, emergency medical technicians or paramedics, despite the state recognizing that they are health care workers and, as a matter of their employment, are required to provide direct patient care and enter hospital emergency rooms. In September, Dr. David Scrase, New Mexico’s acting Department of Health […]
Most NM restaurants not applying for alcohol delivery permits
New Mexico joined nearly every other state in the nation in legalizing alcohol delivery to homes a couple of weeks ago, but few restaurants have applied for permits so far. Since March 2020 and the pandemic lockdowns, all but seven states have legalized the home delivery of alcohol. Twenty states did so via executive order, […]
‘It’s your gun. It’s your responsibility.’
Experts and community members gathered to talk solutions to gun violence in schools and community safety in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque. In August, 13-year-old Bennie Hargrove was fatally shot by a fellow 8th-grade student at Downtown Albuquerque’s Washington Middle School. Newly appointed Rep. Pamelya Herndon said if the parent of the shooter had kept […]
New Mexico begins alcohol deliveries despite public health concerns
Lawrence Medina was 12 years old when he started to drink alcohol, and he drank heavily throughout his adolescence. He didn’t keep track of how much he drank, he said, just that he did it everyday. “When it came to drinking beer and liquor,” he said, “I drank to oblivion. You know what I mean? […]
New Mexico EMTs and firefighters still not required to get vaxed
Keith Morris had to call 911 for his adolescent son, who was having a mental health emergency. A team of medical personnel arrived quickly on scene, conducted an assessment and decided to transport the boy to a hospital. Morris’ call to emergency services was just a couple of months into the pandemic — June 2020 […]