Author
Leger Fernandez: Forest Service ‘undervalued’ NM region where prescribed burn was ignited
The Forest Service’s first big error when it came to a recent escaped prescribed burn in Northern New Mexico was deeming the area where the agency ignited the fire to have only “moderate” value, U.S. Rep Teresa Leger Fernandez told Source New Mexico. The detail was included in an 85-page report released Tuesday, a review […]
NM reaches $32M settlement for 2015 Gold King Mine spill that turned the Animas River yellow
State officials on Thursday gathered in Farmington to announce a $32 million settlement with the federal government after its contractors caused nearly 1 million pounds of heavy metals to flood into the watershed serving parts of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation seven years ago. On Aug. 5, 2015, contractors for the Environmental Protection Agency […]
30% of New Mexicans seeking FEMA help got denial letters, but they can still get aid
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far deemed 740 applicants ineligible for federal aid for damages caused by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire, though an official stressed Monday that the door is still wide open for those people to get FEMA help. Spokesperson Angela Byrd provided new numbers to Source New Mexico about applications […]
People in the disaster zone have words for Biden ahead of his NM visit
Voters who may have lost homes or just returned to scorched properties in northern New Mexico went to the polls anyway this week to cast ballots for the next round of local leaders who will help shape the rebuilding process. As they did, Source New Mexico reporters spread out up north and stayed most of […]
FEMA provides millions to those affected by wildfire, but real cash help is still pending
MORA, N.M — Diana Trujillo stepped out of a single-story VFW hall on Tuesday afternoon, just after the Federal Emergency Management Agency deposited $37,000 into her bank account. That’s the maximum amount the agency provides to people who lost their homes to the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon megafire in northern New Mexico, the biggest in the […]
New Mexico Primary Election Results 2022
After winning the GOP primary for governor by a long shot on Tuesday, Republican Mark Ronchetti will take on Democratic incumbent Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November’s general election. “We have a governor that has decided that she will look out for the best interests of the elites in Santa Fe instead of you,” Ronchetti […]
Albuquerque City Council votes to ban Section 8 discrimination
Albuquerque landlords will no longer be able to turn someone away solely because that person is using a Section 8 voucher or other public subsidy, after a 5-4 City Council vote Monday evening. The measure, banning what advocates call “source-of-income discrimination,” seeks to help tenants with low incomes find safe and stable housing wherever they […]
Election observers to fan out across NM. Here’s who to call if you have a problem.
A group of election observers will be stationed at polling places in eight New Mexico counties tomorrow to help voters cast their ballots successfully. The 2022 primary election takes place tomorrow, featuring federal, state and local races. The 40 nonpartisan volunteers are from the state’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter, the Native American Voters Alliance […]
Forest Service barely, sorta met burn requirements before Hermits Peak fire, plan shows
The Santa Fe National Forest burn boss who greenlit a prescribed burn that spun out of control in early April did so within the conditions set in a plan created four years prior – but only barely, and only sort of, according to a copy of the plan reviewed by Source New Mexico. The burn […]
As Albuquerque nears banning Section 8 discrimination, landlords raise concerns about inspections
As the city of Albuquerque mulls requiring landlords to accept tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers, property owners are raising concerns about housing agencies’ capacity to conduct inspections in a timely manner. A clean inspection is required by the Housing and Urban Development before anyone using Section 8 can move in. People with Section 8 […]
Beauty and terror: See photos of the Albuquerque Bosque fire
Photographer Bright Quashie was heading back to Albuquerque from Rio Rancho when he heard news of a fire erupting in the Bosque along either side of the Rio Grande. Around 6 p.m., he drove around the perimeter of the fire, trying to capture photos from closeup. “I just tried to capture the beauty of Albuquerque, […]
New Mexicans affected by wildfire get tax return extension
Residents of the five counties in New Mexico most affected by this year’s wildfires can wait until late August to file their personal or corporate income tax returns, the state’s Taxation and Revenue Department announced Thursday. Residents of Colfax, Lincoln, Mora, San Miguel and Valencia counties are covered under the extensions. They are eligible if […]