LAPS News:
The deadline for nominations for this year’s New Mexico School Board Association’s (NMSBA) Excellence in Student Achievement Award is fast approaching.
Los Alamos Public Schools is accepting nominations through this Friday, Feb. 20.
This award recognizes school leaders, staff and other individuals who have played an important role in improving student achievement.
Submit nominations using the form that may be found at https://forms.gle/c9WXNyT2Uu2Eu1DW9. Read More
By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill to fund New Mexico’s lofty goal of extending free child care to all families appears to be on the fast track to the governor’s desk after the House amended and signed off on the bill.
The chamber passed Senate Bill 241 on a 37-19 vote Tuesday evening after the key House Appropriations and Finance Committee voted overnight to cut the amount the state could pull in coming years from the roughly $11 billion early child trust fund to $700 million from an originally proposed $1 billion. That move was lauded by supporters as a way of ensuring the permanent Read More
John SwiftBird and a group of local drummers sing and drum for the Environmental justice rally at the Roundhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2025. The event was organized by New Mexico No False Solutions (NM NFS) in partnership with grassroots organizations statewide to call upon lawmakers to reject false climate solutions and advance policies that protect our communities, land, water, and public health. Photo by Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff Report:
Regents commission: New Mexico voters will decide in November whether to create a nominating committee to vet Read More
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN AND CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
After being riddled with a slew of proposed amendments in a late-night committee hearing, the most contentious gun control bill of New Mexico’s 30-day session is all but dead.
One of the lead sponsors of Senate Bill 17, Sen. Debbie O’Malley, D-Albuquerque, said Tuesday the measure is unlikely to get another hearing after the House Judiciary Committee delayed a vote early Tuesday morning.
“There’s not enough time to hear it again,” she said.
“Of course, it’s disappointing that we won’t hear that bill,” O’Malley added. “But we’re going Read More
By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
As public speakers go, the late Jesse Louis Jackson was the best I ever heard. State Sen. George Muñoz might be the worst.
These two men from different worlds of politics intersected in the news this week.
Let’s start with Jackson. I once covered a crowd of 3,000 waiting outdoors on a cold, blustery day in Colorado to hear from him. It was 1988. Jackson was running late as he ran for president.
The audience shivered for 40 minutes without complaint. Secret Service agents assessed the scene and positioned themselves to protect the candidate. They referred Read More
STATE News:
SANTA FE – It’s no surprise that accessing healthcare in New Mexico’s sparsely populated and geographically isolated communities is difficult. There is a vast health and broadband “desert” in this state and New Mexico State Library, together with The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, is working hard to solve this issue through telehealth booths at public libraries.
Designed to fit within a public library space, these 7 x 7 x 10-foot standalone booths are soundproof, private, ADA compliant, and equipped with a computer connected to high-speed internet. Community Read More
FBI News:
ALBUQUERQUE — After one day of trial testimony, an Albuquerque woman pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, May 18, 2023, the FBI Violent Gang Task Force executed a search warrant at the northeast Albuquerque residence of Nora Baca, 67. During the search, agents located approximately three pounds of methamphetamine in the bedroom of Baca’s housemate and codefendant.
Sept. 10, 2024, following an investigation into a significant intergang drug trafficking conspiracy involving both incarcerated and non-incarcerated Read More
Bill Sponsor Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma
By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill that would remove the statute of limitations for some of the most serious acts of child sex abuse passed the state Senate overwhelmingly Friday, with some recent events providing fodder for supporters’ arguments.
“The last time we looked at this law, we didn’t know what was happening at Zorro Ranch,” said Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma, who sponsored the bill, referring to the southern Santa Fe County property once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. “The last time we looked at this law, we didn’t know what we know now.” Read More
Rep. Cristina Parajón, D-Albuquerque, center, speaks with Rep. Mark Duncan, R-Farmington, left, and House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, during the House floor session on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff Report
Budget battle: The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to take up New Mexico’s $11.1 billion spending plan Saturday.
Sen. George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat who chairs the committee, said the panel made some 356 changes to the version of House Bill 2 passed by the House.
The revised spending plan proposes a 2.65% increase Read More
Bill Sponsor Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup
STATE News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Senate voted Thursday to pass legislation establishing universal child care while protecting the program’s accessibility for working families across the state.
Senate Bill 241, sponsored by Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) and approved on a 25-15 vote, would provide child care to New Mexico families without mandatory co-pays except under specific economic conditions such as inflation or declining oil revenues. If economic triggers are met, co-pays would begin only for families earning above 600% of the Read More