New Mexico’s congressional delegation joined with Pueblo leaders Wednesday to demand the Trump administration maintain protections against oil and gas development on federal lands surrounding Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site threatened by potential drilling and extraction. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Gabe Vasquez stood with governors […]
Author Archives: 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.
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
Sen. Lujan assails feds for canceling funding for minority-serving institutions
New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan is decrying a decision by the U.S. Department of Education to terminate federal funding of grants for Minority Serving Institutions. “In New Mexico and across the country, Minority-Serving Institutions have long played a vital role in expanding access to education and creating pathways to economic opportunity. The Trump […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Albuquerque City Council candidates secure spots on the ballot after court challenge
Two Albuquerque City Council candidates will appear on the November ballot after a judge rejected legal challenges to their petition signatures, clearing the way for ballot printing to begin next week. District 1 candidate Stephanie Telles and District 3 candidate Teresa Garcia faced lawsuits claiming they failed to collect the required 500 valid signatures to […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Thanks to public financing, council candidates still have hundreds of thousands to spend
Campaign finance reports released last week show the fundraising landscape for Albuquerque City Council candidates as they enter the final stretch before the Nov. 4 municipal election, with significant disparities between publicly and privately financed campaigns across five contested districts. The latest reporting period, ending Sept. 8, reveals how candidates are positioning themselves financially with […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Santa Fe County
Santa Fe court launches mental health diversion program for arrestees
The First Judicial District Court has announced a new program designed to divert people with severe mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into treatment services. The competency diversion pilot program will serve individuals charged with misdemeanors, excluding DWI and nonviolent felony offenses. It marks the fourth such initiative established by New Mexico […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Rep. Vasquez cosponsors bill to reverse GOP health care cuts
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., cosponsored legislation Thursday aimed at reversing Republican health care cuts and permanently extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. The Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act, H.R. 4849, would repeal provisions in a Republican tax bill that Vasquez said would eliminate Medicaid coverage for 110,000 New Mexicans and reduce health care eligibility […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Patrick Sais disqualified from Albuquerque mayoral race over insufficient signatures
Albuquerque mayoral hopeful Patrick Sais, who some have called Albuquerque’s George Santos, will not be on the ballot this November. Sais has been disqualified from the Albuquerque mayoral race after failing to submit the required number of valid signatures on his nominating petition, according to the New Mexico Bureau of Elections. Sais submitted his declaration […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
New Mexico senators blast Republicans for blocking Epstein document release
New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan on Thursday denounced their Republican Senate colleagues for voting down an amendment that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to release all its files on alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 51-49 to table a proposed amendment to the […]
Posted inUncategorized
New Mexico leaders react as conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah University event
Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Kirk, 31, was struck by a single gunshot fired on campus shortly after noon while serving as a visiting speaker, the university said. He was immediately evacuated by his […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Albuquerque spends thousands in taxpayer funds to air mayor’s State of the City address on local TV
Albuquerque is spending at least $15,500 in taxpayer money to broadcast Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City address across five local television stations as paid advertisements, with the most expensive 30-minute slot costing $12,000. Keller is running for an unprecedented third term as Albuquerque mayor this year, with the election set for Nov. 4. […]