in the news

An effort led by New Mexico’s senior U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich to unlock federal funding to help recover endangered species in the state and across the country passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday and now awaits a vote on the Senate Floor. After passing both chambers of Congress, the Restoring America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)...

Compromise can be unpopular, but in a country where political differences are deep and often bitter, it is necessary. That’s why the announcement of a bipartisan agreement on federal legislation to pass gun safety laws is welcome. And yet, at the same time, it is unsatisfactory. On Sunday, the group of 10 Republican and 10 Democratic senators...

Support for states to enforce crisis intervention orders, an enhanced review process for gun buyers under 21 and funding for school safety measures are some of the provisions included in a compromise on gun-control measures reached between Democratic and Republican senators. The proposals were ironed out in negotiations that included Sen. Martin...

New Mexico's senior U.S. Senator, Martin Heinrich, praised a bipartisan agreement on new gun safety legislation during a news conference Monday afternoon, presenting the compromise as a crucial first step toward reducing gun violence in America. Heinrich was among 10 Democrats who reached a deal with 10 Republicans in the Senate on a package he...

During this graduation season, I am proud to recognize all the students in New Mexico, and their families, who have worked so hard to earn their diplomas. The financial rewards of finishing college are well documented. On average, students who complete a bachelor’s degree earn a million more dollars over the course of their lifetimes than...

Solar power in New Mexico continued to grow this year, supported by public and state policy seeking to diversify energy production throughout the state while addressing concerns for pollution. A Tuesday report from the Solar Energy Industries Association for the second quarter of 2022, showed New Mexico rising to 21st in the nation for solar power...

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told local reporters last week that even though Democrats won’t be able to get their wish list on gun control legislation in the wake of several recent and horrific mass shootings, they may be able to find common ground with Republicans on some issues. Heinrich is part of a bipartisan group of senators who have...

A bipartisan agreement has been announced in Congress that will deliver health care benefits to veterans exposed to dangerous toxins while in service of their country. The agreement was announced Tuesday in Washington. The bill is named the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. It’s named in honor of a veteran who...

The White House announced Monday morning that no new tariffs will be imposed on solar imports for at least two years, bringing immediate relief to solar developers in New Mexico and elsewhere. Domestic industry was thrown into crisis in April, after the U.S. Commerce Department began investigating solar manufacturing operations in some Asian...

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico’s ZiaMet MesoNet Weather Monitoring Network will be expanding significantly over the next year as $1.8 million in federal funds have recently been appropriated toward the effort. U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) was in Las Cruces Thursday at the Fabian Garcia Research Center following his support of the Fiscal Year...

A planned $15 million upgrade will allow a Forest Service facility at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque to serve the largest tanker aircraft used to fight U.S. wildfires. The larger tankers can hold about 5000 gallons of retardant, about three times as much as the aircraft that currently use the Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base at...

LAS CRUCES - Tucked into a closet-sized room deep inside the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office is one expensive piece of technology. With a new appropriation from the federal government, the sheriff said Thursday that the technology is now ready for action. The machine, just bigger than a shoebox, is a rapid DNA testing device. The product is...

Bigger air tankers could become a more regular tool in the fight against New Mexico wildfires. The Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base, located on Kirtland Air Force Base, is to receive $15.5 million for upgrades so the base can serve Very Large Air Tankers, or VLATS. That type of aircraft can hold about 9,000 gallons of fire retardant, about...

Engineering company BlueHalo has been awarded a $1.4 billion government contract from the U.S. Space Force for the satellite communication augmentation resource (SCAR) program. According to the Space Force, the SCAR program "will address the critical U.S. Space Command requirement to rapidly, responsively and affordably augment satellite control...

Picuris Pueblo welcomed U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich for a tour last Friday (May 13) of the tribe's buffalo program, which Picuris is working to expand by adding to its current herd of 50 bison in order to produce more products, as well as add more genetic diversity to its stock. The visit served as an opportunity for both parties to bring attention...

Glorieta Adventure Camps, just outside Santa Fe, are usually full of kids biking in the mountains or swimming in the lake. But now, the scenic retreat is swarming with Red Cross volunteers, FEMA officials and hundreds of evacuees from the worst fire anyone here can remember. “This is unimaginable,” says Raymond Sanchez, having lunch in...

The leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the case that appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade woke up many on Tuesday to a “shocking” reality which may be imminent. Politico released on Monday a leaked draft document, dated February from the Supreme Court. The document is a majority opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A local nonprofit recently received $1 million in federal funding to support formerly incarcerated women to get their lives back. The nonprofit is ‘Crossroads for Women’ and the funding comes at a good time as they’ve seen an increased need. "We saw an increase in behavioral health needs, an increase in...

Marlene Simon, one of scores of people who gathered to protest Tuesday evening outside the federal courthouse in Santa Fe, said she now worries other women will have to experience what she went through in 1969. Just 19 years old, she had an illegal abortion after she was raped. Simon said she was scared and ashamed and had no one to talk to about...

Several hundred people crowded outside Downtown Albuquerque courthouses Tuesday evening to rally for abortion rights. “We really need to act and not wait,” said Melissa Belfry, one of the demonstrators who gathered outside the state and federal courthouses, and marched in Downtown Albuquerque. “This is a good start, trying to get...