State

Heinrich Calls For Consideration Of Conservation Bills, Bipartisan Cooperation On ENR Legislation

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks at a hearing to consider pending legislation before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, June 10, 2026. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a business meeting on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to consider pending legislation, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, criticized Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) for continuing to advance Republican priorities while leaving bipartisan and Democratic conservation, public lands, and Read More

Fort Stanton Receives Recognition For Ongoing Investment In Preserving New Mexico’s History

Fort Stanton Historic Site. Courtesy photo

NMDCA News:

FORT STANTON — Fort Stanton Historic Site, one of eight New Mexico Historic Sites, earned recognition with an Architectural Heritage Preservation Award for rehabilitating four significant historic structures on the site: the Visitor Center (1855), Laundress Quarters (1876), Hospital (1936), and Nurses’ Quarters (1941).

The award, presented by the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee on May 29, 2026, in Albuquerque, recognizes major preservation work that protects and revitalizes significant historic buildings Read More

Sen. Luján Presses Agriculture Secretary Rollins On New World Screwworm At Senate Agriculture Hearing

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján

U.S. SENATE News: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, pressed Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on the New World screwworm that has now been detected in Lea County, New Mexico. At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Sen. Luján questioned Secretary Rollins on the impacts of staffing cuts on the response to the spread, the federal government’s response, and USDA’s commitment to prioritizing impacted states.

A full video of the exchange is available here.

Senator Luján’s Read More

Work To Resume On U.S. 285 In Tres Piedras June 15

NMDOT News:

TRES PIEDRAS — Work is scheduled to resume from mile post 384 to mile post 392.5 north of Tres Piedras on June 15.

The final phases of this project include the application of an Open Graded Friction Course to improve drainage, striping of the roadway, slope work on the shoulders of the roadway and the completion of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

The contractor will be working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and some weekends as needed. One lane will be closed during working hours, and flagging operation will be in place to allow motorists to pass through the Read More

Heinrich, Luján Introduce Legislation To Help New Mexico Farmers & Ranchers Access Virtual Fencing

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the introduction of the Fencing Eligibility for New Conservation Equipment (FENCE) Act, legislation cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), to allow farmers and ranchers to access U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for virtual fencing.

Virtual fencing technology allows for the controlled movement and grazing of livestock through GPS-enabled collars that deliver audio cues and electrical pulses; replacing physical infrastructure that often interferes Read More

Coronado Historic Site To Host Plein Air Sketching Classes

NMDCA News:

Artists are invited to test their skills in an outdoor en plein air sketching workshop held at Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo. Taught by local artist Mary Beth Woiccak, each 90-minute session will have a different subject for participants to draw. Students will receive a small sketch pad, drawing pencil, and kneaded eraser to use and take home.

Workshop sessions:

  • 9:30–11 a.m., Saturday, June 27: Learn how to draw the site’s historic structures.
  • 9:30–11 a.m., Saturday, July 25, 2026: Learn how to draw the river and mountains.

The workshop is $25/session for FCJHS and MNMF Members, Read More

Luján, Heinrich Introduce Legislation To Boost Funding For Indian Water Rights Settlements

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026, legislation to ensure the federal government fulfills its trust responsibilities by providing dedicated, mandatory funding for Indian water rights settlements through the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund, first authorized in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

As of May 2026, there are 39 enacted Indian Read More

FBI: Three New Mexico Men Charged With Conspiracy To Transport Aliens And Conspiracy To Kill A Witness

FBI News:

A federal grand jury in the District of New Mexico returned a superseding indictment charging Wilfrido Saenz, 29; Ignacio Jaramillo, 22; and his brother, Ismael Jaramillo, 35, all of New Mexico, for their roles in a scheme to transport aliens and later murder a witness to that crime.

According to court documents, between June 2021 and April 2024, Saenz, Ignacio Jaramillo, and Ismael Jaramillo conspired to transport illegal aliens. Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo are also charged with conspiracy to kill a witness in April 2024 in retaliation for providing law enforcement information Read More

‘1947 Roswell UFO Incident Revisited: Constitutional and Legal Issues’ June 25

NMDCA News:

New Mexico State Library, New Mexico Museum of Space History, and the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Political Science are pleased to announce a special, free online presentation, “The 1947 Roswell UFO Incident Revisited: Constitutional and Legal Issues.”

Join a free online panel discussion 4–6 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2026, featuring a legal examination of the legendary Roswell flying saucer crash of 1947. The program, one week before with the 79th anniversary of the Roswell crash, will be presented online by a panel of four high-achieving University Read More

NMRA CEO Carol Wight Announces Retirement After More Than 20 Years Of Hospitality Industry Leadership

NMRA News:

ALBUQUERQUE — June 10, 2026 After 25 years championing New Mexico’s restaurant community, New Mexico Restaurant Association CEO Carol Wight will retire at the end of the year, bringing to a close a career defined by advocacy, resilience, and heart.

Wight, a former restaurateur who stepped into the CEO role in 2002, has been one of New Mexico’s most influential voices for restaurants. Her tenure spanned economic swings, regulatory battles, workforce challenges, and the unprecedented disruption of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through it all, she became known for her clarity, tenacity, Read More