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Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.

Heinrich, Luján stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government

New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico’s two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

The runoff strategy: Keller plans bipartisan outreach in runoff — while linking White to Trump

Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. On Thursday, we shared responses from Darren White. Today, we feature Mayor […]

Posted inNM State Gov.

New Mexico lawmakers call for commission to probe alleged Epstein crimes at Zorro Ranch 

New Mexicans may soon learn more about the alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, even as efforts to get additional information about the disgraced financier and convicted sex abuser have stalled at the federal level.  On Thursday, state lawmakers presented a proposal to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Interim Committee to create a commission to probe […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Aztec state senator joins gubernatorial race, focuses on education, rural New Mexico

Sen. Steve Lainier (R-Aztec) on Thursday became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy for governor.  Lanier, a retired educator and coach, and a first-term state senator from Aztec, announced his candidacy in a press release posted on Facebook.  “As someone who spent my life serving this community – in the classroom, on the […]

Posted inNM Legislature

Governor calls special session to extend food benefits amid federal shutdown

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday she will call the New Mexico Legislature into special session Monday to extend state-funded food benefits as a federal government shutdown continues, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The one-day session comes 10 days after Lujan Grisham released $30 million in emergency state funds to provide benefits […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.

Sunport isn’t on FAA’s list for “radical” service reductions, but many popular connections are

New Mexicans planning to travel through Albuquerque’s Sunport anytime soon will be relieved to know that the FAA’s plan to reduce services at airports just before the holiday travel season starts won’t impact the Sunport — but it does impact ABQ’s most popular connections. President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced last week that the […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.

Trump nominates former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead Bureau of Land Management

President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated former New Mexico Congressman and former Republican Party Chair Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, selecting a longtime public lands critic to oversee 245 million acres of federal property. Pearce, 78, who last held public office in 2018, has opposed expanding national monuments and has advocated […]

Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg

Chaves County commissioners unanimously endorse Wilson for open State Senate seat 

Reporting from Roswell, NM — Former Lincoln County Commissioner Rex Wilson could soon be representing three southeastern New Mexico counties in the Legislature after officials in Chaves County recommended him as their choice to fill an open state Senate seat.  On Wednesday, the Chaves County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to send the name of […]