News

Navajo Nation Approves $2.4 Million For Veterans Facility – Associated Press

The Navajo Nation has given approval to help fund a veterans facility in New Mexico that will prevent patients from having to travel far for care.

Official Apologizes For Prescribed Burn That Start Wildfire – The Associated Press & The Gallup Independent

A Cibola National Forest official has apologized for approving a prescribed burn that started a wildfire that has burned 14.5 square miles (37.56 sq. kilometers) on a northwestern New Mexico mountain.

New Mexico Gubernatorial Candidate Calls For Legalizing Pot – The Associated Press

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jeff Apodaca is calling for the expansion of New Mexico's medical marijuana program and for legalization of recreational use.

Feud Erupts Between Utility, US States Over Colorado River – The Associated Press

Tension over the drought-stressed Colorado River escalated into a public feud when four U.S. states accused an Arizona utility of manipulating supply and demand, potentially threatening the river's future.

Tequila Bat Gets Off Endangered Species List – The Associated Press

Wildlife managers in the American Southwest say a once-rare bat important to the pollination of plants used to produce tequila has made a comeback and is being removed from the federal endangered species list.

Hispanic Catholics Protest Priest For Ending Spanish Mass – The Associated Press and KOB

Some Hispanic Catholics in a New Mexico town want a priest removed after he ended Spanish Mass and allegedly told one parishioner he needed to pray for what he did in the Vietnam War.

3 Finalists Named For Top Post At UNM Hospitals – Associated Press

A series of town halls are planned over the coming weeks as one of the state's largest hospital systems seeks a new chief executive officer.

As high winds whipped dust, Siberian elm seeds and recycling bins around Albuquerque Thursday afternoon, dozens of people filed into the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Albuquerque office to hear the agency’s 2018 forecast for the Rio Grande.

“I’ll be the bearer of bad news,” said Reclamation’s Albuquerque Area Manager Jennifer Faler. “This is the most extreme shift we’ve had from one operating plan meeting to another.”

Air Force Looking To Expand Airspace In New Mexico – The Associated Press & The Roswell Daily Record

U.S. Air Force officials continue trying to ease concerns over an idea to expand military training airspace in southeastern New Mexico.

In ABQ Small Amounts of Pot No Longer A Crime – The ABQ Journal

New Mexico’s largest city will be the next municipality where possession of small amounts of marijuana is no longer a crime.

Sessions Takes Fight On Border Enforcement To New Mexico – The Associated Press

As thousands of National Guard troops deploy to the Mexico border, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions brought his tough stance on immigration enforcement to New Mexico on Wednesday, telling border sheriffs that cracking down on illegal crossings and drug smuggling is necessary to build a lawful immigration system.

New Mexico May Execute 2 Long After Death-Penalty Repeal – The Associated Press

New Mexico's Supreme Court is weighing whether the state's two remaining death row inmates still can be executed after the state's abolition of capital punishment.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying on Capitol Hill to answer questions about protecting user data. The hearing held by the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees follows news that the data-mining and political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained personal information of up to 87 million Facebook users. The firm is accused of using that information to target Facebook users with political advertising in 2016. The two Senate committees are holding a joint hearing called "Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data."

Sessions To Visit New Mexico, Speak To Border Sheriffs – The Associated Press

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is slated to visit southern New Mexico as part of a three-day conference for sheriffs in border states.

Trump Move To End 'Catch-And-Release' Policy – Associated Press

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has approved using Defense Department money to pay for as many as 4,000 National Guard personnel to perform border security missions.

TAOS, NM – Molly Byrnes, 34, and Jesse Hofmann-Smith, 35, can’t reliably make phone calls on their cellular network from their cozy apartment on the outskirts of Taos, but they can host real-time webinars and build websites online for clients across the country.

Their casita is one of about 6,300 homes and businesses in northern New Mexico connected to a high-speed fiber-optic internet network run by an unlikely source: the local electric cooperative.

New Mexico Senators Join Call For EPA Chief To Resign – Associated Press

New Mexico's two U.S. senators have joined fellow Democrats and environmentalists in calling for the embattled chief of the Environmental Protection Agency to resign.