Author Archives: Kevin Hendricks

Oh, New Mexico. It seems like we can only have one nice thing at a time, when it comes to the Legislature. Or maybe two. Good progress is being made with good government bills and healthcare reform.  But then… There’s the economy. Three bills concern me greatly: a five-dollar minimum wage increase, which would make […]

By Nicole Maxwell A bill seeking to create a temporary cabinet department on the southern border failed in committee Wednesday morning. SB 257, which would have set up a Border Security Office, failed in the Senate Rules Committee. “The purpose of this legislation is to create a temporary, four-year Office of Border Security in the […]

By Independent Staff East Mountain High School was named a Building Hope IMPACT Awards finalist last week. According to a press release, the Building Hope Awards celebrate the transformative power of education through four award categories: Community Engagement, Educational Innovation, Student Empowerment and the S. Joseph Bruno Model Charter Award, which has East Mountain High […]

By Kevin Hendricks Despite fervent opposition from local residents, the Sandoval County Commission last week gave the green light to a controversial solar power and battery storage development in the East Mountains.  The 3-2 vote on Feb. 18 approved a zoning request that allows the Diamond Tail solar and storage project to proceed. The Diamond […]

By Rodd Cayton The New Mexico Supreme Court is pushing back against the Trump administration’s drive to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the country. The court Tuesday released an open letter to the public declaring its commitment to those values. The letter, signed by all five justices, notes that the words “Dedicated […]

By Nicole Maxwell Whether it is red, green or Christmas, New Mexican cuisine is known for its chile.  HB 172 seeks to establish August as Red and Green Chile Month and was passed unanimously in the House Government Elections and Indian Affairs Committee Feb. 14. “It’s an important issue for us to bring up, and it’s […]

By Matthew Reichbach New Mexico’s U.S. Senators have not voted against all of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees (see which they’ve voted for below), but they have voted against most of them. U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján both expressed particular concern over two nominees who won confirmation last week without any Democratic […]

By Julia Goldberg, Source NM The State of New Mexico is leading a new multi-state lawsuit against Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency and Donald Trump, claiming that the actions Trump has allowed Musk’s DOGE to take violate the U.S. Constitution. New Mexico did not join a separate lawsuit filed last week by a dozen state […]

By Andy Lyman An Albuquerque city councilor was in Santa Fe last week to help promote some of the state’s most notable icons: lowriders.  City Council Vice President Klarissa Peña, who has repeatedly championed lowrider culture in Albuquerque, was at the Roundhouse to promote a memorial that would make the lowrider the official state car.  […]