Public Safety

NMELC Files Lawsuit Against Doña Ana County Commission

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The Doña Ana County Commission held a hearing on funding for Project Jupiter on Sep.19, 2025. Photo by Leah Romero/Source NM

NMELC News:

LAS CRUCES — On Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed a second lawsuit against the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners in the Third Judicial District Court, for violating the New Mexico Open Meetings Act. 

On Sep. 19, 2025, during a regular open meeting and public hearing by the Doña

Ana County Board of Commissioners (Board), the Board moved into closed session without proper notice and reasonable specificity for the closed session, Read More

FBI: Arizona Man Sentenced For Sexual Abuse

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for engaging in sexual acts with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

In August of 2021, Fernando Yatsatie, Jr., 48, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, unlawfully engaged in a sexual act with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

Yatsatie pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. Upon his release from prison, Yatsatie will be subject to fifteen years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Read More

Update On 1,000 Acre Wildfire In Quay County

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New Mexico Forestry Division News:

The New Mexico Forestry Division has issued an update on a wildfire that is requiring the attention of suppression resources in New Mexico.

The 352 Fire was discovered at 12:30 p.m. today, Feb. 9, near I-40, mile marker 352, north of San Jon in Quay County.

The fire is wind-driven from the southwest and moving through grass and brush. Structures are threatened, and smoke is visible from Interstate 40 and the surrounding areas. 

State Road 469 is closed north of San Jon. Residents should take caution and avoid the area. 

The fire is estimated Read More

Denish: Why Local Journalism Is Worth A Tax Credit

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By DIANE D. DENISH
Corner To Corner
diane@dianedenish.com

As is usually the case in 30-day legislative sessions, far more bills are introduced than can realistically be read, debated in committee, and passed by two chambers. One estimate puts the combined total at roughly 600 bills between the House and Senate—excluding “dummy bills,” which are empty shells that can become substantive after the introduction deadline.

Relatively few of those bills will reach the governor’s desk, and some won’t even receive a committee hearing. That doesn’t mean they’re bad ideas; it simply means they aren’t Read More

New Mexico County Insurance Authority Board Of Directors Approves Addition Of Two Ex-Officio Positions

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Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza

NMCIA News:

SANTA FE — At their first regular Board meeting of the year Jan. 19, 2026, the New Mexico County Insurance Authority (NMCIA) Board of Directors approved the addition of two ex-officio, non-voting Directors on the Board, one to be nominated by the New Mexico Counties’ sheriff affiliate and one to be nominated by the detention administrator’s affiliate.

At their meetings in conjunction with the New Mexico Counties’ Legislative Conference Jan. 21-22, each affiliate nominated a member to serve on the NMCIA Board of Directors.

The NMCIA Board created Read More

Lawmakers Deal Blow To Governor’s Support For Fracking Water Reuse

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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

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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

McQuiston: How Insurance Decides Who’s At Fault

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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

Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Data Dashboard Now Online

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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