Gov & Politics
NM lawmakers say they need better communication with state courts
In the first interim meeting of the year for the New Mexico Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee on Monday, lawmakers expressed a need for more regular contact between the Legislature and state courts so repetitive legal issues can be solved. When courts make decisions, justices sometimes pinpoint issues they want policymakers to consider during legislative […]
U.S. Forest Service says it’s not obligated to follow state law on prescribed burns
The U.S. Forest Service scheduled two prescribed burns last week in the southwest part of the state despite a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service. Ultimately the agency burned the day before, but not the day of the warning. However, officials also said a new state law banning burning during red flag […]
Decarbonization ambitions ignite debate over mining, permitting
The decarbonized, electrified future envisioned by the Biden administration, state governments, automakers, utility companies and corporate sustainability goals depends to a huge degree on minerals and metals. Lots more lithium will be needed for car and truck batteries, as well as the big banks of batteries that are increasingly popping onto the electric grid to […]
Are you hungry? Prove it.
I want to thank the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives for reminding us that we are, in fact, not a Christian nation. Even though some within their own party insist that the nation was founded by a bunch of holy-rolling churchgoers, the conservatives have demonstrated their secular bonafides by insisting that people who […]
ABQ’s Kirtland AFB may become Space Force training site
The Space Force’s STARCOM potentially coming to Albuquerque may sound like it would be set up on a film set, but in fact it would be housed at Kirtland Air Force Base. The U.S. Air Force has announced that the New Mexico base is the preferred site for one of three locations of the Space […]
Detroit post office named in Rosa Parks’ honor
Detroit’s long-standing Grand River postal station was designated as the “Rosa Louise McCauley Parks Post Office” during a dedication ceremony on Monday. A plaque commemorating Parks – a civil rights icon whose refusal to surrender her public bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 sparked one of the largest social movements in U.S. history, […]
Federal judge overturns Tennessee’s ban on drag shows
Late Friday, a federal judge overturned a new Tennessee law prohibiting drag performances in public spaces, ruling it unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled the Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) violates the separation-of-powers principle and chills speech protected through the First Amendment. In March, Friends of George’s, a Memphis theater company that raises funds for […]
Northern NM disaster victims can request repair estimates “at no cost” from federal agency
Many recovering from the enormous disasters that plagued northern New Mexico last year still haven’t received compensation for all of their losses. Dead trees, debris and erosion from the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire still clutter people’s land in northern New Mexico. And concerns remain that these things could turn into greater threats as more floods […]
Half a million people in 11 states have lost Medicaid coverage since April
More than 500,000 people across 11 states have lost their Medicaid coverage since the unwinding of a policy that allowed people to stay in the program throughout the pandemic. The data, reported by the states and tracked by health policy researcher KFF, shows that of the five states providing data on people who lost Medicaid […]
New Mexico temporarily bans new oil and gas leases near schools
Nearly a month ago, plaintiffs sued New Mexico regarding pollution caused by the state’s robust oil and gas production. On Thursday, the state put a temporary halt on granting new fossil fuel leases near places where children and students gather. New Mexico Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced the moratorium Thursday morning with an executive […]
NM public bank oversight panel sets agenda for the rest of 2023
A legislative panel overseeing New Mexico’s public bank set its agenda for the rest of the year. The 32-member New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) Oversight Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve its 2023 Work Plan, which will guide the topics it discusses leading up to the next legislative session in January 2024. NMFA is […]
Tribes call on Haaland to push increased protections for the Grand Canyon
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland met with tribal leaders representing a dozen Indigenous nations last weekend in a move that could expand protections for land around The Grand Canyon, permanently safeguarding the region from future uranium mining. The proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument would convert 1.1 million acres of public land surrounding […]