in the news

SANTA FE – With schools around the nation returning to a new normal after two years of disruptions and distance learning, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona got a first-hand glimpse Thursday of how some New Mexico schools are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic fallout. The nation’s top education official talked with Santa Fe...

More than a month after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recommended closing down four New Mexico VA clinics, including the one in Las Vegas, Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, as well as Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, were in town to speak to local veterans as they fight to keep them open. On March 14, the VA announced...

Since going operational in 1980, the Very Large Array in Socorro County has seen continual upgrades and additions, a recently announced planned project would expand and enhance learning opportunities for STEM students. To that end, a press release from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory stated that Associated Universities, Inc. which operates...

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Barbara Perea Casey told the assembly she did not want her husband, a U.S. Army veteran, to be on the next list of veteran suicide statistics. Speaking before U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján and a panel of military veterans discussing a recent report recommending the closure of four VA medical clinics in the northern half of...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In 2021, the Violence Intervention Program was introduced as a way to try and prevent gun violence by reaching out to victims with the help necessary to break the cycle of violence – now, the program is receiving a boost as it has proved to be successful. The program has a 93% success rate and, thanks to new funding,...

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Bob Phillips said he’s been in pain since he was 19. That’s how old he was when he was badly injured while serving in the Air Force. Now, at age 66, he has two prosthetic knees, several rods, screws and pins in his legs, back and feet. He lives in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and sees a health care professional several...

New Mexico’s U.S. senators are holding discussions with veterans this week on a recent recommendation to shut down smaller Department of Veterans Affairs’ health clinics in four New Mexico towns. Sen. Martin Heinrich, an Albuquerque Democrat, will be at the VFW San Juan Argonne Post 1547 in Las Vegas, N.M., Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.,...

A bill aimed at supporting some of the America’s most imperiled plant and animal species passed a Senate committee last week after it was introduced by New Mexico U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was also sponsored by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and was passed April 7 by the U.S. Senate Committee on...

The federal Recovering America’s Wildlife Act cleared the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on a 15-5 vote Thursday, advancing what proponents call the “most significant wildlife conservation bill in half a century.” This bill, which is sponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, and Roy...

New Mexico is in the running to be the home of two parts of the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Training Readiness Command Headquarters, or STARCOM. The U.S. Air Force this week announced that Kirtland Air Force Base is a finalist to be the home of two of five space deltas – which are essentially a specific mission or area of focus –...

Homes throughout New Mexico could become more energy efficient during extreme weather events as the state will receive up to $22 million in federal grant dollars to do so via the infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill earmarked the federal dollars for New Mexico through the U.S. Department of Energy’s...

Climate hawks in Congress had mixed reactions yesterday to the Biden administration’s expected effort to expand domestic production of critical minerals by invoking the Defense Production Act. Some were cautiously optimistic. Others downright apprehensive. Still others were looking for more action on other priorities. Taken together, those...

A $1.5 trillion federal spending plan included dollars for local projects throughout eastern New Mexico supporting services like public safety, water infrastructure and the military. President Joe Biden signed the bill, known as the “omnibus bill” into law earlier this month after it passed the U.S. House and Senate. The...

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) joined with four other senators in urging the administration of President Joe Biden, via a recent letter, to support the nation’s shift away from fossil fuels in light of the recent energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After the events in Ukraine, world leaders -- including...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico will be the new location for training pilots and other crew members to operate a type of large attack planes flown by the Air Force Special Operations Command, a member of the state’s congressional delegation announced Friday. The establishment of...

SOCORRO – After years of community advocacy, the Eagle Picher Battery Superfund site is set to receive $19 million in federal funds to clean it up, with the money split into $3 million for soil excavation and building demolition, and $16 million for a pump-and-treat remedy for the contaminated groundwater. The New Mexico Environment...

The Electrifying America’s Future Resolution (S. Res. 224) addresses the renewable energy on the demand side of the United States energy economy. This piece of legislation works to incentivize the electrification of homes, businesses and buildings while creating jobs and modernizing the grid. POW Alliance Members Caroline...

A privately managed migrant detention facility in Estancia, N.M. was drubbed for unsanitary living conditions and poor staffing in a newly released report by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The Torrance County Detention Facility houses detainees in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as...

Santa Fe braces for evictions A statewide prohibition on evictions—enacted by New Mexico’s Supreme Court two years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—will end soon and, alongside it, the City of Santa Fe’s moratorium also will cease. Local housing advocates foresee a coming wave of evictions as a result,...

Some of New Mexico’s political leaders voiced opposition Monday to a new federal report’s recommendation for future closure of several veterans health clinics in the state where enrollment has declined. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Asset and Infrastructure Review, released Monday, said the agency should centralize services...