Albuquerque Band Brings Blend of Traditional Irish Folk and Rock n’ Roll to East Mountains

This weekend, venues in the East Mountains and Torrance County will be getting a taste of “Celtic-flavored funky fusion” from an Irish Americana band composed of members who have been in the New Mexico music game a long time.  Dirty Old Town ABQ (DOTABQ) brings their diverse mix of Irish, Cajun, Norteño/Tex-Mex, country, rock, folk, […]

Otero County Commissioner Elected to Lead New Mexico Republican Party

Otero County commissioner elected to lead New Mexico Republican Party Members of the New Mexico Republican Party over the weekend elected Otero County commissioner Amy Barela as their statewide party chair. Barela got 157 votes in the party’s convention on Saturday in Truth or Consequences, more than all four of the other candidates combined. In an interview […]

Stansbury Announces Run for House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Position

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury officially announced Dec. 9 she will run for the congressional House Natural Resources (NHRC) ranking member seat. Stansbury, a Democrat who represents New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, was endorsed last week by the former NHRC Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, who announced in October his plans to step down following a […]

Letter to the Editor: Climate Change and Economic Challenges Need Leadership Not Rants

Submitted by Susan Smith, Tijeras Wow!  What a rant by Rep. Lord in the December 5 Independent.  It’s so tempting to respond in kind, but the deadly seriousness of climate change is too important for that. Fortunately, she doesn’t deny climate change, just our ability to fix it. It’s true that we don’t know how […]

Solar projects in Central New Mexico Face Opposition from Nearby Residents

Two central New Mexico solar projects are facing backlash from nearby residents amid concerns that battery storage may lead to devastating wildfires. Opponents are also concerned about impacts to limited water resources and increased traffic. The developers of the Diamond Tail solar and battery storage project in the East Mountains attempted to alleviate some of […]

Leadership Conference Helps High Schoolers Build Skills

Nearly 100 high school students from throughout New Mexico, including Mountainair High School, traveled to Albuquerque to participate in the GEAR UP New Mexico Student Leadership Conference last month to engage them as young leaders in their communities. GEAR UP New Mexico, a division of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, is a federally-funded program […]

Madrid is Turning up the Lights for the Holidays

Madrid is kicking off the Christmas season​ this weekend with its popular  Christmas Parade. The Christmas parade starts at 4 p.m. Saturday and will feature merrily costumed residents, festooned burros and outfitted dogs strolling through the historic mining town or riding in vintage cars. After the parade, the annual holiday house lighting throughout the town […]

State Canvass Board Certifies 2024 General Election Results, Orders Automatic Recounts

New Mexico’s State Canvass Board unanimously certified the results of the 2024 General Election at its Nov. 26 meeting in Santa Fe.  The State Canvass Board is composed of the Governor, Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.   “The 2024 General Election was run with efficiency and integrity by the […]