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 […]

Kevin Hendricks, nm.news
Kevin Hendricks is a local news editor with nm.news. He is a two-decade veteran of local news as a sportswriter and assistant editor with the ABQ Journal and Rio Rancho Observer.
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 […]
The Hunter Biden Pardon: The Tip of the Iceberg
After stating over and over that this absolutely would not happen, President Biden pardoned his son Hunter this week. I think it’s kind of lousy. But against the landscape of the previous pardons, and the pardons likely to come from his predecessor who is about to be his successor, does Biden’s action send any sort […]
Post-election Rumination Finds Silver Linings
Now that the election is over, I see some silver linings, and have some observations a bit outside of the daily drumming of announcements and alarm bells. I recognize readers may disagree or have a different point of view. Silver lining: From the moment he is sworn in, Trump is a lame duck. The term […]
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 […]
The Climate Change Con
Submitted by Rep. Stefani Lord, District 22 Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart’s recent op-ed calling for the passage of three new “climate change” proposals during the upcoming 60-day session of the State Legislature may be one of worst examples of a delusion of grandeur ever published by the Santa Fe New Mexican. Not only is […]