Public Safety

Reasonable Malpractice Reform Benefits Every New Mexican

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By DAYMON ELY
Attorney
Former New Mexico Representative

At its heart, the debate over medical malpractice reform is not about trial lawyers or corporate profits – it is about our most basic values. Every New Mexican deserves access to quality health care. And every New Mexican deserves justice when that care falls tragically short.

Medical malpractice is rare. Fewer than 1% of medical providers are responsible for the vast majority of malpractice claims, but when tragedy strikes and a patient is harmed or killed, that patient or their family needs to know that they can get justice in a Read More

A Year Of Impact: DEA Recognizes Success In Combatting Drug Cartels And Saving Lives

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DEA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 2025 was a year of historic achievements for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration highlighted by significant drug seizures, the capture of high-profile targets, and the confirmation of DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole.

Appointed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 11, 2025, and sworn in on July 23, 2025, Administrator Cole became only the third Senate-confirmed DEA Special Agent to lead the agency. Administrator Cole is a career law enforcement officer who spent 22 years with DEA fighting the drug cartels and dismantling transnational criminal organizations. Read More

NMDOT Scam Alert: New Mexico Has No Toll Roads

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NMDOT News:

SANTA FE —New Mexico has no toll roads, any message claiming you owe toll fees in our state is 100 percent fraudulent.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) officials emphasize that New Mexico does not operate any toll roads within state boundaries and will never request toll payments from residents or visitors.

Current scam details:

  • Scammers are sending urgent messages claiming that “enforcement action” will begin after Feb. 4, 2026. These sophisticated scams attempt to steal personal and financial information by:
  • Sending text messages or emails demanding
Read More

County Employee Charged In Death Of Taos Man

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Staff Report

Los Alamos County Facilities Manager Vicente Martinez, date of birth (DOB) 1980, has been charged with five criminal counts in an incident in Ranchos De Taos that resulted in great bodily injury to Adelio Issac Fernandez, DOB 1970, and the death of his brother Abraham Fernandez, DOB 1972.

Martinez is facing the following:

  • Count #1 – Murder in the 1st degree (willful and deliberate);
  • Count #2 – Aggravated battery (use of a deadly weapon);
  • Count #3 – Aggravated battery (use of a deadly weapon);
  • Count #4 – Aggravated assault (use of a deadly weapon); and
  • Count #5 – Aggravated assault (use
Read More

Dannemann: Immigrant Prisons Are Immoral

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By Merilee Dannemann
Triple Spaced Again
© 2026 by Merilee Dannemann

Some things simply should not be done by a for profit business. It’s inconsistent. It’s illogical.

One of those things is running a prison. If you are in business for profit, your job is making money for the owners of the business. If you are running a prison, the people you work with are not customers – they are prisoners. So it is only logical that you will save money by providing no more service than you have to. Another way of saying that is that you will do whatever you can get away with. If that means providing spoiled food or no food Read More

Only Bail Proposal Of Session Shot Down In ‘Kill Committee’

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A view of the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo

By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A proposal to overhaul pretrial release in New Mexico—the only such measure introduced so far in the 30-day session, despite it being a much-discussed topic—is being held captive in committee.

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, known as the “kill committee” due to its reputation for voting down Republican bills, tabled a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday to ask voters whether judges should be given more leeway in deciding if a criminal defendant needs to be held behind bars. Read More

Bill To Ban ICE Detention Contracts In New Mexico Passes House, Heads To Senate

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By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A lengthy debate over a proposal to get rid of New Mexico’s immigration detention centers pitted rural conservatives who fear lost jobs and empty main streets against Democrats who view it as a moral imperative to stop aiding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“On principle and on the values of the state of New Mexico we no longer want to have this practice done in our state,” co-sponsor Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said Friday afternoon on the House floor.

Romero condemned what she called “gross violations of human rights” Read More

Sen. David Gallegos Introduces Critical ‘Safe Haven Baby Box’ Legislation, Requests Message From Governor

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Sen. David Gallegos with the Martinez Family and baby Michael, who was placed in a Safe Haven Baby Box in Belen in 2024 and adopted by the Martinez family in 2025. Courtesy photo

New Mexico Senate Republicans News:

SANTA FE — Senate Republican Caucus Chair David Gallegos (R-Eunice) introduced necessary legislation (SB 206) on Jan. 30 to ensure the protection of women who may elect to anonymously place their newborn child in a ‘Safe Haven Baby Box’.

If passed, this legislation would alleviate potential legal exposure that local communities throughout New Mexico have cited as the primary reason Read More

New Mexico’s $1.5 Billion Road Bonding Bill Passes House

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From the Office of the Governor:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s $1.5 billion transportation bonding package cleared the New Mexico House of Representatives on Friday, sending the measure to the governor’s desk and positioning the state to tackle a massive backlog of road and bridge projects.

The bonding package creates a stable, predictable funding source for state road construction for years to come and frees up general fund money to support local road construction and maintenance. The package also positions the state to better match federal infrastructure funding, which can Read More

Unsafe Ice Conditions Close Monastery Lake To Fishing

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NMDGF News:

PECOS — The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) announces that Monastery Lake has been closed to fishing until further notice due to unsafe ice conditions.

Ice fishing is not allowed at Monastery Lake. The lake, which is leased through the Department’s Open Gate program, is located at the Benedictine Monastery just north of Pecos. A layer of ice has formed on the lake, prompting the closure.

The closure will be lifted when there are sufficient open areas of water available to allow fishing from the bank.

Anglers can find good winter trout fishing in the Albuquerque area drains, Read More