Senate Unanimously Confirms W. Troy Weisler As New Mexico State Police Chief
Chief W. Troy Weisler
STATE News:
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Senate on Saturday unanimously confirmed W. Troy Weisler as the 23rd New Mexico State Police Chief.
“Chief Weisler has already demonstrated incredible leadership, and public safety will continue to be positively impacted with him at the helm,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.
“Chief Weisler started as a recruit here in New Mexico in 2002 and worked his way up the ranks of the New Mexico State Police until his appointment last June. In the time I have gotten to work with him, I have found him to be incredibly open, and even in times when we may Read More
Roundhouse Roundup: Days Remaining In Session – 3
Roundhouse Roundup
By The Santa Fe New Mexican staff
Budget headed to Senate floor: The 2024 legislative session took a big step closer to ending Sunday afternoon with Senate Finance Committee approval of a budget for the next fiscal year.
The committee voted unanimously to advance House Bill 2 to the Senate floor. If it passes there, it will have to head back to the House for a vote on the Senate’s amendments before going to the governor’s desk.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said the chamber will take up both the state budget and the tax bill, which also cleared committee Sunday, Read More
Luján, Casey Reintroduce Legislation To Invest In Preventing And Treating Child Abuse And Neglect
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Bob Casey (D-Penn.) reintroduced on Thursday the Family Strengthening Infrastructure Act to increase federal funding under Title I and Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
This is to ensure adequate support for state Child Protective Services (CPS) and community-based prevention services.
The Family Strengthening Infrastructure Act of 2024:
- Authorizes an additional $250 million in mandatory funding for Title I for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2034 to improve response to child
Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill Passes New Mexico House
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
STATE News:
- New program would raise awareness for healthcare resources and programs
available to veterans and service members
SANTA FE – The New Mexico House of Representatives on Saturday passed House Bill 298, which would establish the Service Members and Veterans Suicide Prevention Program.
This new program would aim to reduce suicide deaths among New Mexico’s service members and veterans by raising awareness of the issue and improving access to suicide prevention, behavioral health, and mental health resources.
“New Mexico tragically Read More
Health Of New Mexicans To Be Center Stage At Roundhouse
NMDOH News:
SANTA FE — Efficient and innovative ways to improve the health of all New Mexicans will be highlighted at the New Mexico Legislature at the 9th Annual Public Health Day at the State Capitol 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 12.
Threads of Wellness: A Tapestry of Public Health is this year’s theme to highlight the intricate fabric of public health, enriched by the wisdom of the Indigenous perspective. Public Health Day will showcase DOH’s programs and services and the efforts of community organizations statewide to better provide broad health care opportunities for all people statewide. Read More
Heinrich Leads Bipartisan Letter To FDA Urging Agency To Take Necessary Steps To Tackle Opioid Epidemic
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friday, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, along with Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Angus King (I-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), led a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to include Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), specifically buprenorphine and methadone, in its List of Essential Medicines, an action that would significantly help health care providers Read More
Waiting Periods For Gun Sales Passes New Mexico Senate
State Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, watches as Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, speaks in support of Romero’s bill, House Bill 129, which would put a seven-day waiting period on gun sales in New Mexico, on the Senate floor on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, left, and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, chat on the Senate floor Saturday. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
By NATHAN BROWN and MAYA HILTY
The Santa Fe New Mexican
One of the more significant and controversial gun bills to be introduced during this Read More
Video: County PIO Highlights Of Feb. 6 Council Meeting
Los Alamos County Public Information Officer Julie Williams Hill shares highlights from the Feb. 6 Council meeting. Video by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com Read More
Wednesday Is ‘Los Alamos Day’ At The Legislature
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County officials have announced that Wednesday, Feb. 14, is “Los Alamos Day” at the Legislature. The event will be held 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Roundhouse at 490 Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe.
This special event is an open invitation to the public to join in the festivities and engage with local organizations for a day of discovery, learning and celebration of what makes Los Alamos unique. Attendees will have an opportunity to connect with Los Alamos history, culture and various outdoor adventure activities.
The day will also feature special guest artists during the noon Read More
Roundhouse Roundup: Days Remaining In Session – 4
Roundhouse Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff
Budget awaits final committee vote: The state budget bill — the only thing lawmakers truly have to pass before the session ends on Thursday — is moving along but still needs to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee before it reaches the Senate floor.
The committee voted unanimously Saturday afternoon to make some amendments to House Bill 2. Chairman Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, said the panel may hear the bill on Sunday; as of Saturday evening it was on the committee’s Sunday agenda.
The only debate focused on the Environment Department’s Read More
Op/Ed: Age ‘N’ Biden, Indeed
By JAMES RICKMAN
Los Alamos
My father died at Joe Biden’s age. The end came astonishingly quickly: a cancer diagnosis, several second opinions, a funeral nine months later. My mother was five years older than my father when she died, but I didn’t envy those extra years; dementia is a cruel thief that steals a person’s judgement, abilities and, eventually, their dignity.
I still recall when I noticed the weird change in Mom’s eyes that came before the dementia diagnosis, but after the onset of the relentlessly intensifying confusion that was so frustrating for her. I see the same subtle shift in Read More
New Mexico State Election Director Mandy Vigil Elected President Of National Association Of Election Directors
New Mexico State Election Director Mandy Vigil, left, and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Courtesy photo
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thursday, New Mexico’s State Election Director Mandy Vigil was elected President of the Executive Board of the National Association of Election Directors (NASED) during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
NASED is a non-partisan, non-profit professional organization that disseminates election administration best practices and information across the states and territories, and is the only professional organization for state election Read More
Amid New Graduation Requirements, What Do High Schoolers Want To Learn?
Monte del Sol Charter School student Brayan Chavez joins his physical education class in a yoga session the school on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. After graduating from Monte del Sol in May, Chavez plans to pursue a degree in education and become a teacher himself. Jim Weber/The New Mexican
By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with his teachers.
The teachers are his mentors, Chave\z said. After he graduates from Santa Fe’s Monte del Sol Charter School in May, he plans to pursue a degree in education and Read More
All County Facilities Closing At 2 P.M. Today
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Manager Steven Lynne has ordered the closure of all open County government facilities at 2 p.m. today, Feb. 10 due to hazardous weather conditions.
Officials advise this includes both libraries, the Aquatic Center, Ice Rink, Los Alamos Eco Station and White Rock Convenience Center.
County Traffic and Street crews will continue to clear the major roads and streets according to the FY24 Snow and Ice Control Plan. The community can help facilitate snow removal by parking vehicles off the street.
The County’s MyDrive site allows individuals to view the conditions Read More
Governor Signs Bill Modernizing Graduation Requirements
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Friday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed HB 171 into law, a bill that updates high school graduation requirements in New Mexico for the first time in over a decade.
“High school should be about preparing students for the real world while providing more opportunities to pursue their unique interests and future careers,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “These changes will lead to more young New Mexicans staying engaged in school, graduating, and continuing that success in their adult lives.”
The requirements outlined in HB 171 will impact Read More
Op/Ed: Age N Biden
By GEORGE CHANDLER
Los Alamos
I love Paul Krugman.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/06/opinion/thepoint/krugman-biden-age?smid=url-share
I am two years older than Joe Biden. Like my hero Paul Krugman, I am disgusted by the tactics of the Republicans, who can’t find anything convincingly wrong with Biden’s performance (sterling in my view) so like everything else they do, they make stuff up by creating misinformation about his age.
Actually, I’ve become sensitized to discriminatory baseless BS about age. Political rhetoric now routinely calls on the old generation to make Read More
Scenes: Chamisa Global Warming Express & Los Alamos High School EcoClub At Environment Day At Roundhouse
Chamisa’s GWE and members of LAHS EcoClub join together at the Roundhouse for the annual Environmental Day. Members participated in a climate march, mock committee, lobbying and listened to a few speeches from GWE members. Members include Susan Hettinga (GWE Sponsor), Charlotte Butcher, Samuel Carmer, Araba Atta-Fynn, Dorian Finn, Zain Shrader, Addy Coggeshall, Amara Viramontes, Hazel Brookshir, Sophie Stewart, Austin Watkins, Avelina Gallegos and Meredith Clayton. Courtesy/Charlotte Butcher
Two elementary schoolers, Addy Coggeshall and Sophie Stewart, presented a speech on Read More
Sponsor Says CYFD Overhaul Headed Nowhere
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Voters are unlikely to decide this year whether the state’s troubled child welfare agency should be removed from the executive branch and placed under the oversight of an independent commission.
The proposed constitutional amendment “is basically dead at this point,” Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat who is the lead sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 6, said Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee was originally scheduled to hear his measure on Wednesday but pushed it off.
“I think the governor’s opposition just scared away all Read More
Roundhouse Roundup: Days Remaining In Session – 5
Roundhouse Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Neville won’t seek reelection: State Sen. Steven Neville, R-Aztec, announced in a news release Friday he is not seeking reelection this year.
First elected in 2004, Neville, a savvy source for education and finance issues, has served as a ranking member of both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Finance Committee and was the Senate Republican Caucus chair at one time.
“It is with deep gratitude to my community and the State of New Mexico that I announce my time in the Legislature is drawing to a close,” Neville said in a statement. “I am eager Read More
Expect ‘Orange Barrels And Cones’ If Massive Road Bill Reaches Finish Line
Sen. George Muñoz
Chair
Senate Finance Committee
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico drivers who have long been agitated, annoyed and just downright angry over the poor condition of the state’s roads can expect a smoother ride in the future.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a massive transportation package that, coupled with money in the proposed state budget, will inject a combined $747.8 million into fixing New Mexico’s bumpy roads.
“This new road capacity is the largest capacity [the state Department of Transportation] has seen in the last 20 Read More
