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Cerro Grande fire expert: Feds doing a prescribed burn in spring ‘extremely risky’
The guy who literally wrote the book on the destructive Cerro Grande fire in New Mexico said federal officials ignored the notorious blaze’s lessons when they decided to ignite a prescribed burn on a windy April day this year, sparking what’s now known as the Hermits Peak fire. “It’s clear that it was an extremely […]
NM governor to the feds: Stop igniting prescribed burns in windy, dry conditions
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling on the federal government to change its rules around prescribed burns after one such blaze grew out of control in early April. It’s contributed to one of the biggest fires in state history that today is threatening homes, farms, villages and cities. What’s now known as the […]
With 20 active fires in a single April day, N.M. braces for longer, more dangerous season
Caught between three wildfires, Adam Torres and his mother, Josephine, sped east on an empty northern New Mexico highway on Saturday afternoon, allowing themselves a breather only when towering pillars of smoke were finally in their rearview mirrors. They stopped their caravan of trucks and a trailer carrying four horses, 20 chickens and a cat, […]
Weather service warns of ‘dire’ fire risk today, citing high winds and drought
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a special warning Friday and through the weekend about fire risk, citing a perfect storm of weather conditions amid a climate-change-caused drought. “We have a dire and very dangerous weather situation on our hands today,” said Todd Shoemake, an NWS meteorologist, during a briefing Friday morning. Winds across […]
Candidate fundraising reports show competitive primary races ahead
Recently released campaign finance reports show several close primaries shaping up across New Mexico later this summer, and a battle is already playing out between Democrats campaigning as either moderate or progressive, and vying for certain seats. A review of Secretary of State records shows candidates are competing in primaries in at least 29 of […]
Where’s my rebate? NM tax department provides more details on payments
New Mexicans can expect their first rebate payments sometime in June, according to new details on a recently enacted program to offset high gas prices and other rising living costs. The state’s Taxation and Revenue Department specified earlier this week that the first of two rebate payments will arrive sometime in June. (May was previously […]
Two years into the pandemic, a chance for collective grief at Chimayó
Pilgrims returned to El Santuario de Chimayó by the thousands on Good Friday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The pilgrimage to a small chapel in Northern New Mexico resumes a 200-year-old tradition and, for some, it was a chance to collectively walk through some of the grief they’ve deferred over the […]
Navajo same-sex marriage bill voted down at first of several hearings
A Navajo Nation committee voted Wednesday against legislation that would permit same-sex marriages, though the bill is far from dead. The Navajo Nation, the largest reservation within the United States, banned same-sex marriage as part of the Diné Marriage Act in 2005. As a result, same-sex couples cannot get married on the Nation, and Navajo […]
Albuquerque could ban tenant income discrimination
Lawmakers for New Mexico’s biggest city are anticipating a heated debate and controversial vote on a new housing policy, one that would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants who carry Section 8 vouchers or other subsidies. At an Albuquerque City Council committee meeting Monday night, councilors voted to postpone a vote on the […]
Navajo Nation lawmaker seeks to legalize gay marriage, igniting new debate
A Navajo Nation lawmaker recently introduced legislation to recognize gay and lesbian marriages on the Navajo Nation, potentially legalizing same-sex marriage in one of the nation’s last, biggest holdouts. Navajo Council Delegate Eugene Tso sponsored a bill in late March that would repeal or make gender-neutral sections of the Diné Marriage Act, which passed in […]
Special relief: Lawmakers approve $500 payments to New Mexicans
A bill passed Tuesday by the New Mexico Legislature will give New Mexico residents $500 apiece in two payments in the coming months, an effort to soothe the pain of record-high gas prices. The increase in gas prices globally has been bittersweet for New Mexico. Average gas prices here are $4.14 a gallon, an increase […]
Refugees and advocates say Temporary Protected Status doesn’t go far enough for Afghans
The news made its way from Washington, D.C. to Las Cruces a few weeks ago, carried via phone call or WhatsApp message, prompting a sigh of relief. Afghans being resettled in the United States needn’t fear imminent deportation to the country they fled last year, thanks to a federal order granting them Temporary Protected Status, […]