Author
Court of Appeals rules that landlords must wait three full days before bringing eviction cases to court
The New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled recently that lower courts erred when they allowed the eviction of a Las Cruces tenant in 2018, a ruling advocates say will help renters across the state resolve issues with landlords before they go before a judge. New Mexico Legal Aid represented the tenant in local court and […]
Congress passes law to crack down on exports of sacred Native American items
A cherished, century-old Acoma shield was stolen from the pueblo in the 1970s. Decades later, it showed up in a French auction catalog. Congress this week sent a bill to President Joe Biden’s desk that aims to crack down on the export of Native American patrimony, defined as objects with lasting historical or cultural significance. […]
What’s the deal with New Mexico’s PRC?
If you’ve never heard of the state’s Public Regulation Commission, you’ve likely still observed the consequences of its decisions in your daily life. On your electricity bill, for example. Or your gas bill. Your water bill. Commissioners also have a hand in broadband and telecommunications around the state, and field consumer complaints. Transportation, too. Staff […]
President Biden asks for almost $3 billion more for northern New Mexico wildfire victims
President Joe Biden has asked Congress for another $2.9 billion for New Mexico to recover from a wildfire ignited by the United States Forest Service, the largest in the state’s recorded history. If passed, victims would be in line to receive more than $5 billion total in federal compensation. Biden in late September signed a […]
Opiate addiction experts call on lawmakers to remove a barrier to rural methadone treatment
Advocates are optimistic the New Mexico Legislature will change a law during the upcoming legislative session to allow nurses to administer methadone, a barrier they say is making it harder to help those with opioid addictions, especially in rural areas. State law allows only pharmacists to dispense “take-home” doses of methadone or buprenorphine, commonly known […]
New map shows damage status of 50+ acequias in the northern NM burn scar
Many historic irrigation canals are still damaged in the 530-square-mile swath of charred land the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire. After the acequias were scorched by the largest fire in state history, ensuing floods forced debris and silt into the waterways. Members of the New Mexico Acequia Association are marking headgates and walking each mile of […]
FEMA explores outsourcing much of the $2.5B program for northern NM fire victims
A week before Congress approved spending $2.5 billion to fully compensate victims of botched prescribed burns that grew into New Mexico’s biggest-ever wildfire, the agency in charge of the paying victims started to explore hiring private companies to do a lot of the work. The “Request for Information” on Sept. 22 by the Federal Emergency […]
Draft FEMA rules give Northern NM fire victims only 25% of what their trees were worth
Those who lost acres of trees to the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire are asking the federal agency overseeing $2.5 billion in aid to change what they say is an improper cap on the amount they can receive for burned trees, which make up a significant amount of expected claims under the act. The Federal Emergency […]
FEMA opts not to hire a New Mexican to rule on claims for Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire
The Federal Emergency Management Agency held its first public meeting yesterday to accept comments for how it might tailor its $2.5 billion program to best help victims of the biggest fire in New Mexico history, one accidentally started by the United States Forest Service. But a FEMA official told Source New Mexico that the agency […]
Maestas appointed to state Senate following bitter debate and dark accusations
Longtime Westside Albuquerque Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas will serve two years in the New Mexico Senate, an appointment that came at the end of a Bernalillo County Commission meeting punctuated with accusations of “schemes” and “conspiracy theories.” The commission was tasked with appointing the replacement for former Sen. Jacob Candelaria, a longtime Democrat who recently […]
FEMA begins accepting applications from Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire victims for $2.5 billion in aid
Victims of the biggest fire in New Mexico history can today begin their applications to get some of the $2.5 billion made available by an act of Congress in late September. The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire grew out of control due to two errant prescribed burns ignited by the federal government that merged and then […]
A clean sweep for NM bonds and amendments: Here’s what voters said ‘yes’ to
All of the constitutional amendments and bonds that New Mexicans saw on their ballots this election passed by wide margins. But the language can be confusing, and they’re pretty far down on the ballot. Take a look at what each of those amendments and bonds will pay for or mean for New Mexicans. This election’s […]