Some Systems Don’t Need To Be Fixed In New Mexico Education
Julia Burrola – Middle School Principal in Residence and Teach Plus Alumna and Hope Morales – Executive Director for Teach Plus NM. Courtesy photo
By HOPE MORALES
Executive Director
Teach Plus, New Mexico
During a recent visit to Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School, I watched Elizabeth Leung, kindergarten teacher at the school and a Teach Plus New Mexico Policy Fellow, seamlessly guide a cluster of her young students in practicing sounds. In a different part of the classroom, Elizabeth’s co-teacher worked with a group on verbalizing words, while other kids interacted with Read More
Skolnik: Stop The Destruction Of USAID And Save Lives!
By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock
I am a White Rock resident and longstanding global health specialist, I have prepared a brief YouTube video to comment on the efforts by the US Administration to freeze foreign assistance for health.
Video: Councilor Hand’s Briefing On Feb. 11 Work Session
Los Alamos County Councilor Melanee Hand gives a briefing on Tuesday’s work session. Video by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com Read More
Fiercely Contested Measure To Raise Minimum Wage To $17 Per Hour Advances
By MIKE EASTERLING
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A controversial pitch to raise New Mexico’s minimum wage to $17 an hour and do away with the much lower rate employers are currently allowed to pay tipped workers has ignited fierce opposition from business advocates.
House Bill 246, which passed through the Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee Thursday, calls for a $5 bump to the current $12 per hour minimum wage rate starting in 2026. It would also require employers to pay tipped workers $17 an hour as well, up from $3 per hour currently required in state law. The measure would also provide for Read More
Soules’ Proposed ‘Moonshot For Math’ Moves Forward
Rep. Bill Soules
Chair
Senate Education Committee
By ANDRÉ SALKIN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico long has had lousy results in math.
The state’s investments in math programs, meanwhile, have lagged behind spending increases in other areas of education.
Senate Education Committee Chair Bill Soules has stood by, he said, while math education has been “pushed aside”. Now he’s pushing for big changes.
“We worked on structured literacy within our schools, a very important area,” said Soules, a Las Cruces Democrat. “But it’s now time that we start talking about math and the very low performance Read More
Governor Says Crime Package Falls Short, New Mexicans Demand More
Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos chairs the House Judiciary Committee. She is shown here on the House Floor at the opening of the 60-Day Session, Jan. 21 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
As the state House of Representatives prepares to take up a crime package as early as Saturday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expressing her support but calling on lawmakers to do more to improve public safety in New Mexico.
The crime package, after all, consists of only six bills.
“I support these bills and appreciate the House’s Read More
NMFOG Opposes Anti-Transparency House Bill 283
NMFOG News:
SANTA FE — Every New Mexican is guaranteed timely and easy access to public records. House Bill 283 would take that away.
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) is standing up against HB 283 because it would make it harder for New Mexicans to get important government records such as birth certificates, property tax info, and car accident reports needed for insurance.
If HB 283 is signed into law:
- There would be a committee to determine punishments for members of the public deemed bothersome by records departments;
- People would have to certify how they plan to use the records
Billion Dollar Behavioral Health Trust Fund Passes Senate
By ALAINA MENCINGER
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A massive investment in the state’s behavioral health care system swept through the New Mexico Senate on Friday — and, with five weeks to go in the legislative session, in record time.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth in January promised to turbo-charge the process and get a package of public safety-related legislation to the governor’s desk as soon as possible.
If the bill numbers were any indication, the plan’s working so far. With almost 400 bills filed in the Senate alone, the trio of bills — SB1, SB2 and SB3 — was first in line.
The bipartisan Read More
Legislative Roundup: 35 Days Remaining In Session
Audrey Carter, chaplain of the National Council of Negro Women, celebrates Black History Month in the Rotunda of the state Capitol in Santa Fe Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
Pink speckles the floor of the House of Representatives to recognize this year’s largest female legislative majority in U.S. history at the state Capitol in Santa Fe Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Session changes advance: The House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted Friday afternoon to advance a proposed constitutional Read More
Art In Public Places Advisory Board January Meeting Update
Courtesy/LAC
By STEPHANIE HAASER
Chair
Art in Public Places Advisory Board
This is an update from the Jan. 23 meeting of the Art in Public Places Advisory Board.
Art in public places helps to create beautiful public spaces and the Art in Public Places Advisory Board values community input.
The latest ongoing work being pursued by the Board includes:
- The Board is accepting applications for new members;
- The Board is continuing to assess remaining indoor art and working toward identifying indoor artwork in need of repair;
- Finalized request for artwork proposals from J. Muzacz for south facing
Think New Mexico: Healthcare Compact Bills HB 79, 81, 82 To Be Heard 11 AM Saturday In House Judiciary Committee
Los Alamos County Council Unanimously Appoints Eric Martinez As New Public Works Director
New Public Works Director Eric Martinez
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Council unanimously affirmed the appointment of Eric Martinez as the new Los Alamos County Public Works Director during Tuesday’s Council meeting.
Martinez, who has served in various leadership roles within the County since 2015, brings extensive technical expertise and leadership to this important position.
The Public Works Department encompasses a wide range of County services, including the Airport, Engineering, Capital Projects and Facilities, Custodial, Environmental Services, Fleet, Traffic & Read More
New Mexico Press Association Members And Others Provide Public Testimony In Support Of Senate Bills 110 & 111
Several members of the New Mexico Press Association spent time Thursday at the Roundhouse providing public testimony in support of Senate Bills 110 and 111 to the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. These bills are sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, and deal with a tax credit for news organizations in addition to a proposal to update protections for reporters’ sources and communications. Briefing the Senate Committee are Senate Majority Leader Wirth, left, and Santa Fe New Mexican Publisher Patrick Dorsey, right. Others providing supportive public Read More
Legislative Roundup: 37 Days Remaining In Session
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Special ed office clears committee: A bill to formally create an Office of Special Education under the Public Education Department made it out of the Senate Education Committee with two “no” votes Wednesday.
The office had existed prior, thanks to a 2023 executive order from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, but Senate Bill 38, which is being sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would codify it within state law and expand its duties.
While no funding request is included in the bill, the expansion Read More
Republicans’ Bills Get Hearings But Little Love From Dems
Payton McNabb, 19, of North Carolina, who was injured during a high school volleyball game by a transgender teen on the opposing team, speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Santa Fe during a news conference held today by Republican lawmakers backing a bill that would prohibit transgender athletes from competing against girls. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at schools.
A bill that would get rid of the requirement for concealed carry licenses. Read More
Heinrich Delivers Floor Speech Opposing Nomination Of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For Health Secretary
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This afternoon, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services.
“I hope all of my colleagues take seriously what it would mean to confirm this anti-vaccine, anti-science snake oil salesman as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Heinrich.
Heinrich began his remarks by recounting how Mr. Kennedy’s 2019 trip to the Pacific island of Samoa intensified vaccine skepticism Read More
New Public Safety Package Mingles Competency And Crime, Drawing Concerns On Both Sides
By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
What’s the difference between going to trial and taking a plea deal?
What does the prosecutor do? And who’s that sitting at the head of the courtroom, wearing the black robe?
These are some of the questions defense attorneys use to gauge a client’s competency — a legal term referring to a defendant’s mental capacity to understand the charges they face and to help in their own defense.
Second Judicial District Defender Dennica Torres said defense attorneys raise competency concerns when their clients “don’t understand that they’re Read More
Los Alamos Little Theatre Seeks Clarity On Renovations
Los Alamos Little Theatre Board President Seona Zimmermann stands outside the Performing Arts Center Wednesday morning at 1670 Nectar St. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
It is understood that the Performing Arts Center, 1670 Nectar St., needs work but that is where the general understanding ends.
The Los Alamos Little Theatre (LALT) Board, which operates the center, has a different view of a project than what Los Alamos County Public Works intends.
LALT Board Members shared their interpretation of the project and Read More
SFWAF Annual Symposium—’Democracy In The Time Of Autocrats’ April 10-11
SFWAF News:
Registration is now open for “Democracy in the Time of Autocrats”, the Santa Fe World Affairs Forum’s annual symposium held April 10-11.
We live in stormy times. The heyday following Communism’s end in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is a faded memory. History has not ended as once prophesized – it has instead moved on to the rise of populist leaders and their autocratic control domestically and internationally. The democratic model which promised so much is under challenge throughout the globe.
Can democracy survive the onslaught of autocrats? Can civil society institutions Read More
Publishers Sound Off On Journalism Measures Proposed In NM Legislative Session
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By Cormac Dodd
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Since the 1930s, Barbara Beck’s family has owned the Roswell Daily Record in Southern New Mexico, best known for meticulously chronicling the UFO fever that first swept the region and then the nation as a whole in 1947.
But she knows the challenges facing the print news industry today.
“It’s important that we protect and that we pay journalists a fair salary,” said Beck, publisher of the Record. “It’s kind of a struggle to be honest as a small, daily newspaper. But it’s Read More
