Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, NM State Gov.

Pretrial detention bill favored by the gov won’t move forward

By Robert Knott/ Santa Fe New Mexican A “tougher on crime” bill championed by the governor that supporters say would address the perception of violent criminals moving through a judicial revolving door went through something of a revolving door itself Monday. Members of the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committed voted 5-4 to table Senate […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections, Sandoval County

Political conflict simmers after failed attempt to oust commissioner

The conflict between members of an extreme right-wing group who regularly speak at Sandoval County Commission meetings and Democrats is still simmering following a failed effort to oust Commissioner Katherine Bruch, D-Placitas, by the group’s leader last month. A message attributed to the Democratic Party of Sandoval County posted on its website Dec. 31 addressed […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, NM State Gov.

Lawmakers want attorney general to create new task force on missing and murdered Indigenous people

By Bella Davis/NM In Depth Five New Mexico lawmakers want the state attorney general to establish a task force focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people.  They’ve made the request via Senate Joint Memorial 2, which they introduced this week. The memorial puts on display the disagreement some lawmakers have with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s quiet shuttering last year of […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections, Sandoval County

Lawmakers will Again Push for More Tribal Control Over How Indigenous Children are Educated 

A proposal to create a trust fund that would give tribes in New Mexico more money and control to run their own education programs is back for the 2024 legislative session. Supporters are optimistic about their chances this year after last year’s unsuccessful attempt to include it in the state budget. There are reasons for […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety, Housing & Homelessness, NM State Gov.

Advocates say housing, not harsher criminal penalties, will reduce crime

Albuquerque’s crime problems improve when affordable housing is addressed, not by instituting more severe penalties and longer jail sentences for offenders. That was the message a coalition of community advocates delivered to lawmakers during a virtual news conference held ahead of the New Mexico Legislature’s 30-day session which convened in Santa Fe today. Members of […]