Politics

Op-Ed: Energy And Health – Building A Stronger Future For New Mexico

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By Sen. Pete Campos
District  8
Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel & Taos

New Mexico stands at a pivotal moment. As we work toward a healthier future for every resident, we must recognize the essential role that our energy sector—particularly oil and gas—plays in making that vision possible.

Oil and gas revenues are not just numbers on a ledger; they are the backbone of our state budget. In Fiscal Year 2024, these revenues contributed nearly half of the General Fund and supported over $1.2 billion in health programs, including Medicaid, which is matched three-to-one by federal Read More

NMED And NMDOH Report Increased Levels Of Metals In Mora County’s Groundwater

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NMDOH News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) are urging Mora County residents to test their private wells after high levels of metals were found in the county’s groundwater.

Three metals — antimony, arsenic and uranium — exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safe drinking water limits. The independent geologic study focused on Mora County also found elevated levels of manganese over EPA guidelines.

Seven other metals — barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, thallium and vanadium — were also found Read More

Public Education Department Announces Nineteen New Mexico Schools Show Major Academic Improvement

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NMPED News:

SANTA FE — Nineteen New Mexico schools have dramatically improved student achievement, with two reaching the state’s highest performance tier after previously ranking among the lowest-performing schools in the state. 

The encouraging findings are contained in the New Mexico Public Education Department’s (NMPPED) new school designations for the 2024–25 school year, highlighting schools that have exited Comprehensive Support & Improvement (CSI) designation—the state’s category for schools identified as lowest-performing.  

“These 19 schools prove that with Read More

Republicans Implement Audit Of New Mexico SNAP Program, Make Recommendations To Eliminate Waste, Fraud & Abuse

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Republican Legislators News:

SANTA FE — This week, Republican legislators were successful in their attempt to incorporate an in-depth audit of New Mexico’s administration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

This was accomplished by amending House Bill 1 in the 2nd special legislative session to include the funding and directives to the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse of the program. 

Furthermore, House and Senate Republican Leadership issued guidance and recommendations to strengthen LFC’s audit in the form of Read More

Los Alamos County Council To Consider Ordinance For Up To $40 Million In GRT Revenue Bonds

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County Administrative Services Director Helen Perraglio

COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos County Council will hold a public hearing on Ordinance No. 750 as part of its Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, 1000 Central Ave.

The ordinance, if adopted, would authorize the issuance of up to $40 million in Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) Improvement Revenue Bonds to help fund the Community Broadband Network and other public facility improvements.

The bonds would be repaid entirely from existing gross receipts tax revenues already distributed to the County. No new tax would be Read More

New Mexico Environment Department Announces That Chromium Plume From Los Alamos National Laboratory Migrates Onto Pueblo De San Ildefonso Land

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NMED News:

A toxic chromium plume from Los Alamos National Laboratory has spread beyond lab boundaries onto Pueblo de San Ildefonso land for the first time, with contamination levels exceeding state groundwater standards, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announced today.

Recent groundwater sampling conducted by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) found hexavalent chromium, a toxic and carcinogenic substance, at levels ranging from 53 to 72.9 micrograms per liter (ug/l), depending on the depth sampled. The ground water Read More

NM Higher Education Dept.: Student Debt Relief Granted To Nearly 400 Teachers Working In New Mexico Classrooms 

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New Mexico Higher Education Department News: 

SANTA FE – Nearly 400 teachers will be receiving student loan forgiveness this year through the state’s Teacher Loan Repayment Program, part of New Mexico’s ongoing effort to build and strengthen the teacher pipeline. 

The agency awarded funding to 387 new teachers, adding to the 529 teachers who were already receiving benefits through the loan forgiveness program. The program launched in 2013 as an effort to draw more teachers to New Mexico’s classrooms.  

The program offers licensed New Mexico teachers up to $6,000 a year in student loan repayment Read More

Senator Heinrich Secures Over $207 Million For New Mexico

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NATIONAL News:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, announced that the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), Legislative Branch, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Bills passed into law include $207.5 million Heinrich secured for New Mexico, including Congressionally Directed Spending for 19 local projects.

“I’ve spent months fighting to secure funding for critical investments Read More

Gessing: Shutdown Highlights New Mexico Dependence

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By PAUL J. GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation

Among other things, the recent federal shutdown highlighted just how dependent New Mexico is on the federal government. According to the website Virtual Capitalist New Mexico is the most dependent state in the nation on federal dollars.

There are some good reasons for this. Our state has three major Air Force bases plus White Sands testing range. We also have two major national nuclear labs, Los Alamos and Sandia.

Forty one percent of our state is managed by the federal government and a significant portion of that includes tribal lands.

But, Read More

County Has Plan For Improving Athletic Ball Fields

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These images show how the North Mesa and White Rock athletic fields look now versus how an artificial turf feasibility study proposes they could look in the future. Click here for more detailed images. Courtesy/LAC

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post 
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Turf that is neatly trimmed, perfectly leveled and colored a single shade of green could be in the future for several athletic fields on North Mesa and in Overlook Park. Not because of some breakthrough in sod botany but because Los Alamos County installs artificial turf.

If the County follows through on this project, Read More