Legislative Roundup: 12 Days Left In Session
The Roundup in Santa Fe. Post file photo
The Santa Fe New Mexican:
House passed ed bills: The state House passed three major education-related measures Friday, two of them unanimously.
House Bill 30, which has sponsors from both parties, would raise the minimum stipends for aspiring teacher residents to $35,000 for undergrads and $44,000 for those who have bachelor’s degrees, according to a news release from House Democrats.
House Joint Resolution 1, which also advanced unanimously, will, if it passes the Senate, put a question on the November ballot asking if voters want to “create Read More
Lawmakers Deal Blow To Governor’s Support For Fracking Water Reuse
Bill Co-sponsor Rep. Joseph Sanchez, D-Alcalde
By NICHOLAS GILMORE
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Advocates for the reuse of so-called “produced water” — a group that includes the governor — have been handed a big loss with not much time left in the legislative session.
After more than four and a half hours of testimony and debate, a House committee voted 5-4 Saturday afternoon to table a bill that would set a quick timeline for new statewide regulations allowing the reuse and discharge of fracking wastewater, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has for several years expressed Read More
New Mexico Senators, Public Square Off On Safety Versus Freedom In Gun Debate
State Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, right, joins a pro-Second Amendment rally Saturday outside the Capitol. Sponsored by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association and the New Mexico Firearms Industry Association, demonstrators, a number of them armed, voiced their opposition to Senate Bill 17, a gun control bill moving through the Legislature. Nathan Burton/The New Mexican
Bethany Padilla, center, a member of UNM’s Students Demand Action chapter, wipes tears from her eyes as she listens to speakers share their experiences of gun violence during a rally in support of Senate Bill 17 on Read More
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Bill To Ban Some Guns In New Mexico, Crack Down On Dealers Heads To Senate Floor
Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asks a question of First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A controversial bill that would ban certain “extremely dangerous weapons” and add various regulations on firearms dealers is headed to the state Senate floor.
The sale of certain semi-automatic rifles — including AK-47s and AR-15s — would be banned under Senate Bill 17, which passed out of the Senate Judiciary Read More
McQuiston: How Insurance Decides Who’s At Fault
By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963
After a car accident, most people assume there’s going to be a clear answer. Someone ran the red light. Someone rear-ended someone. Someone was texting. Someone wasn’t paying attention.
But when insurance gets involved, the question isn’t just what happened. It’s who can be proven responsible, and how much.
And that process is more structured—and more frustrating—than most people realize.
First, “fault” is not a feeling. It’s a legal decision. Insurance companies don’t decide fault based on who seems nicer, who’s
New Mexico Supreme Court Data Dashboard Now Online
Courtesy/New Mexico Supreme Court
NMSC News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court has published a new data dashboard for the public to get information about the Court’s performance measures that focus on case management.
“The Judiciary dashboard identifies what the Supreme Court has been doing throughout the year and demonstrates a transparent way to show our accountability to New Mexicans,” Chief Justice David K. Thomson said.
The dashboard provides information about the number and types of cases opened, the number of cases closed, and the average number of days to resolve cases from Read More
Early Childhood Workers In New Mexico Laud Proposed $60 Million Wage And Career Ladder
Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky
Early Childhood Education and Care Department
By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
MJ Lord, a teaching assistant at an Albuquerque preschool, works three jobs just to make ends meet.
The 25-year-old wants to be an early childhood educator — she’s completing a bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences and has plans to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood as well — but said her pay at the preschool alone is not enough to sustain her goals.
“I would love to stay in this career field, because it is my passion,” she said. “I think Read More
Wondering What To Do This Weekend? Ski At Pajarito!
Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open through Sunday with 20 trails ready to explore. Courtesy/Pajarito
PAJARITO News:
Looking for a local adventure? Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open through Sunday with 20 trails ready to explore.
And here’s something sweet: every lift ticket comes with $10 in Bird Bucks—free daily resort credit to fuel up at the cafe or grab something from the store.
Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project Update
In more good news, the Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project hit a major milestone ahead of schedule. As of Jan. 29, Camp May Road and all trails accessible via Read More
Community Steps Up To Support Vulnerable Neighbors
ICOH News:
The Interfaith Coalition on Homelessness (ICOH), a Los Alamos-based organization, has successfully sponsored a community-wide winter collection drive to support unhoused and at-risk neighbors in the Española Valley.
ICOH is a coalition of 14 congregations from Los Alamos County and Española and works in partnership with organizations already serving the Valley.
The winter drive, which began on Nov. 29 and continues through Sunday, March 1, mobilized local community members and congregations throughout the area.
Donors so far have contributed 81 boxes of food, toiletries, Read More
Piñon Elementary School Hosts National History Day Contest
Forty-four Piñon Elementary School 6th graders participated in National History Day contest. Courtesy/LAPS
Sixth grader Olivia Conner-Lee’s project garnered 1st place – individual performance category. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Piñon Elementary School hosted its first National History Day (NHD) school contest last month. Forty-four 6th graders participated in five project categories: performance, documentary, website, paper and exhibit.
Students were also able to gain some pointers during workshops led by NHD students from Los Alamos Middle School.
Parent volunteers Read More
Bill Would Overhaul Virtual Education In New Mexico … And Its Funding
Bill Sponsor Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Bernalillo
By ANDRÉ SALKIN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Supporters of virtual education, many wearing shirts reading “Save Our Virtual Schools,” packed into a room at the state Capitol on Friday to push back against a bill that would overhaul New Mexico’s online learning regulations for the first time in nearly two decades.
The changes include a slash in funding for schools that serve distance learning students to fix a crisis: a $35 million hole in the roughly $4.5 billion pool of per-student funding.
The provision also would prevent nearly $40 million in state Read More
County: Dinosaur & Grand Canyon Playlot Surveys Open
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Community Services Department (CSD), in partnership with Groundwork Studio, has completed the first listening sessions for both Dinosaur Park on Barranca Mesa and Grand Canyon Playground in White Rock.
The purpose of the listening sessions was to hear from the community as to what they would love about the parks, things to keep in mind throughout the project, and any ideas on what they would like to see.
The purpose of these projects is to design, develop construction documents, and provide construction administration services for the renovation of Dinosaur Read More
This Week In Sports: Feb. 9-14, 2026
SPORTS News:
This week the Los Alamos High School Hilltopper girls have basketball games at home and away, and the boys have a basketball game at home and wrestling matches away.
The Topper sports games are covered by the Los Alamos Daily Post sports team, which includes John McHale, Mike Cote and Nate Limback.
This Week’s Hilltopper Sports Schedule:
Feb. 9 Monday
- Girls Basketball vs Valencia Home – 7 p.m.
Feb. 13 Friday
- Boys Wrestling at Regional Qualifier Tucumcari – TBD
- Girls Basketball vs Española Away – 6 p.m.
Feb. 14 Saturday
- Boys Wrestling at Regional Qualifier Tucumcari – TBD
- Boys Basketball
Results From 2026 Los Alamos County Science Fair; 52 Students Qualify For Northeastern New Mexico Regional
Los Alamos County Science Fair participants in the junior division gather for a photo. Courtesy/LAPS
Los Alamos High School students Linus Plohr, Lilia Viteva and Tate Plohr are among 52 LAPS students who qualified to participate in the Feb. 28 Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science Fair. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
More than 122 projects were on display as students from elementary, middle and high school participated in the 2026 Los Alamos County Science Fair last weekend at Piñon Elementary School.
Fifty-two students qualified for the 2026 Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science Fair, Read More
Bill Co-Sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler Hopes To Turn Down Temperature On Medical Malpractice Debate
Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up a high-profile bill Monday to change New Mexico’s medical malpractice law, after a presentation Friday, the chairwoman said was designed to inoculate the discussion from the divisive rhetoric that has marked the debate.
With less than two weeks left in the 30-day session, Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, who is a co-sponsor of House Bill 99, emphasized the urgency of getting the legislation — which she noted has bipartisan support — passed.
“There has Read More
County To Host First Community Engagement Session For Bayo Canyon Trailhead Improvements
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County invites community members to participate in the first community engagement session for the Bayo Canyon Trailhead Improvement Project, an initiative focused on creating a safer, more accessible, and welcoming trailhead for users of all abilities.
The first in-person community engagement session is 5:30 p.m., Feb. 11 at Fuller Lodge. Community members are encouraged to attend to learn more about the project, review early concepts, and share input that will help guide the design process.
Besides in-person meetings, the County is offering other ways for the Read More
Catch Of The Week: Apple Pay Scams
By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post
Congratulations. You made it through another week on the Hill, but a scammer still thinks you are going to panic over a fake Apple Pay charge. Hard pass. This week’s scam is aimed at people who use Apple Pay, which in this town is basically everyone who has ever stood in line at Starbucks behind someone paying with their watch like a pro.
Here is how the scam works. You get an email or text that looks like it came from Apple. The notification says there was a suspicious Apple Pay purchase, usually for an alarming amount of money. The message helpfully Read More
Daily Postcard: View Of Valle Grande From Entrance Plaza
Daily Postcard: View of Valle Grande on Tuesday from the entrance plaza at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Photo by Corey Lycopolus/NPS Read More
Luján, Morelle, Gluesenkamp Perez Continue Fight For Consumers’ Right To Repair
Congressional News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Congressman Joe Morelle (D-NY-25), and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03), introduced the Fair Repair Act, legislation to guarantee consumers and small businesses a right to repair their own products by requiring manufacturers to make diagnostic repair information, parts, and tools readily available.
“For far too long, the wealthiest individuals and largest corporations have made it more difficult for Americans to repair the products they own,” Luján said. “The costs of these barriers can Read More
