It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Mountainair and even the Grinch will be celebrating. The town’s second annual Grinchmas event is set for Dec. 21 at the Dr. Saul Building following the Christmas parade, which begins at 5:30 p.m. This year, the parade and Grinchmas will honor local author Ben Steinlage, who […]

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.
Super rich appointees, politicos will set policy for ordinary Americans
Billionaires’ and multi-millionaires’ increasing presence in the Senate and in the Trump Administration? Yes, it’s true. First up is Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. Scott’s net worth is near $350 million, making him the richest U. S. senator. He made his money in for-profit healthcare when he was CEO of Columbia/HCA hospitals. Part of his […]
Torrance County Pharmacy Needs Community’s Help
The only local pharmacy and a beloved 100-year-old landmark in Mountainair needs the community’s help to keep its doors open and continue providing prescription drugs to a medically underserved area in Torrance County. A fundraising campaign organized by Maggi Arlet is accepting donations to help Mountainair Meds and More pay off around $20,000 of accumulated […]
Local kid makes good
Last Friday I was wrapping up my week, writing plans and reports for clients, finishing calls, when a missed call popped up from a familiar number – a friend I hadn’t spoken with for a while. I got through my virtual in-box and called my friend. We caught up for a few minutes and then […]
Election aftermath demands journalistic reset
Two words, “according to,” may be the most important words in any news story you read. Journalists are trained to seek out the best, most knowledgeable sources. As a business writer I had certain go-to people I could call who knew their stuff, had their fingers on good data, and could give me an accurate, […]
The illogic of asylum seeker detention
About once a month, several volunteers from Albuquerque and Santa Fe travel to one of New Mexico’s immigrant detention prisons. They are from VIDA, Volunteers for Immigrants in Detention Albuquerque (abqvida.org). They go to provide comfort and solace for incarcerated asylum seekers who are mostly abandoned in a prison where conditions are miserable. They are […]
The more things change, the more they stay the same
A divided country offered a huge surprise in national elections, delivering the White House, the Senate and possibly the House of Representatives to Donald Trump and the Republicans. A gerrymandered New Mexico delivered all three Congressional seats and one Senate seat to the Democrats, where just over two-fifths of voters are registered with that party. […]
Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump […]
Lord Keeps Her District 22 Seat
Republican Stefani Lord won the race for House District 22. According to unofficial results from the New Mexico secretary of state’s website, Lord had 56% of the vote, Democrat Fred Ponzlov trailed with 35% and independent Zack Withers had 9%. Lord, who lives in Sandia Park, has held the seat since she was elected in […]
Post election we still have to live with each other
Not long ago, I drove to Colorado and Wyoming to visit family members I hadn’t seen in a few years. It was mostly a social visit, although I’ve been working on the family history and genealogy and wanted to gather more information. I figured politics might come up. We may share genes, but we don’t […]