PNM, NM Gas Co. offer payment assistance to customers affected by government shutdown
New Mexico's two largest utilities are offering payment support to federal employees affected by the ongoing government shutdown.
Hannah Garcia of the Albuquerque Journal reports Public Service Company of New Mexico is suspending disconnections and offering payment assistance to affected customers. Impacted federal workers who receive a disconnect notice can submit a special form for payment extensions on its website.
Similarly, New Mexico Gas Co. customers, whether furloughed or unpaid, will not face disconnections or late fees during the winter heating season. Assistance is planned through mid-March or until the shutdown is resolved.
The Journal reports New Mexico Gas says assistance does not save customers money, but will allow them to reorganize or spread out payments.
Neither of the utilities have an estimate of how many of its customers are impacted. But, considering each serves several communities housing federal facilities, the assistance is expected to reach a large portion of these employees in New Mexico. The state has about 22,000 federal civilian employees and another 22,000 active duty and reserve military personnel.
Albuquerque students make gains in reading, math, backslide in science
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New Mexico public schools received results from the state鈥檚 standardized testing system this week. The New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement tests were administered this past spring.
The Albuquerque Journal鈥檚 Noah Alcala Bach reports statewide results generally showed some notable improvement in students鈥� reading scores, with more modest increases in math scores. In Albuquerque, results followed the statewide pattern of more progress in reading than in math.
New Mexico third through eighth graders read at a 44 percent proficiency rate. That鈥檚 up 10 points from the previous year鈥檚 scores.
The Journal reports Public Education Department Secretary Mariana Padilla says those reading improvements reflect the state鈥檚 investments in early literacy and the science of reading. Math scores held close to steady and science proficiency scores dropped slightly.
Santa Fe County officially buys 2,700-acre open space north of Eldorado
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Santa Fe County has taken a step to mitigate suburban sprawl south of Interstate 25.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the county has purchased about 2,700 acres of land north of Eldorado. Bobcat Crossing Ranch is costing the county about $3.7 million to acquire.
The New Mexican describes the land as including pi帽on-juniper woodland, rolling hills and grasslands. In a statement, the county's Open Lands, Trails and Parks Advisory Committee describes the purchase as 鈥渁 big win for wildlife, water resources, and the people of Santa Fe County."
The county acquired the property on Oct. 9. The county will now develop a property management plan and master plan to develop trails on the tract.
The New Mexican reports the land was purchased from the Rancho Viejo Partnership, which owns the ranch and is also behind the controversial proposed Rancho Viejo Solar project near Eldorado.
State health department renews public health order on testing for congenital syphilis - 九色网 News
The New Mexico Department of Health has renewed its public health order to continue expanded statewide syphilis testing.
comes after significant progress in 2024 that saw drops in rates of primary and secondary syphilis in New Mexico, as well as congenital syphilis, which is when a mother passes the disease to her child.
However, primary and secondary syphilis rates are still twice the national average, despite the fact that sexually transmitted infections have been on the ,
DOH sexually transmitted disease program manager Janine Waters says congenital syphilis is entirely preventable and the continued focus on testing and treatment is saving the lives of babies while protecting families.
The order directs medical professionals to continue syphilis testing for all people ages 18 to 50 across the state. It also includes testing pregnant people during the first and third trimester and at delivery.
Syphilis can lead to significant health problems. Those can include an enlarged liver and/or spleen, skeletal abnormalities, low weight and premature birth, or even miscarriage, stillbirth or death shortly after birth.
The public health order takes effect immediately and will remain in force for one year or until the Health Secretary rescinds it.
Providers and members of the public who have questions can contact NMDOH Helpline at: 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773).
Governor candidates rake in hefty campaign finance hauls as 2026 approaches - Dan Boyd,
With the race to determine New Mexico鈥檚 next governor starting to heat up, several candidates are amassing formidable campaign accounts.
Democrat Deb Haaland, the former U.S. interior secretary, reported Tuesday having raised more than $4 million over the last six months, bringing her total fundraising haul to nearly $7 million since announcing her campaign in February.
She has spent roughly $4.1 million to date, leaving about $2.8 million in her campaign account.
鈥淚 look forward to continuing to travel the state, hearing directly from New Mexicans about their struggles, and what they want to see in plans for affordability, healthcare, education, and public safety,鈥� Haaland said in a statement.
Sam Bregman, the Bernalillo County district attorney who is also seeking the Democratic nomination in next year鈥檚 race, reported taking in nearly $2.5 million during the same time period. He launched his campaign in April, about two months after Haaland, and has about $1.5 million in his campaign war chest.
鈥淎s the outsider in this race, nobody expected us to raise this kind of money,鈥� Bregman said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e never been one to shy away from hard work. This incredible show of support proves folks are ready for something new.鈥�
Bregman鈥檚 donations include maximum $12,400 contributions from Alex Bregman and his wife, Reegan. Alex Bregman, who plays , is Sam Bregman鈥檚 son but has not been previously been actively involved in his father鈥檚 political campaign.
Both Haaland and Bregman are former Democratic Party chairs who have also held elected office, as Haaland was elected to two terms representing an Albuquerque-based congressional seat, while Bregman was an Albuquerque city councilor in the 1990s, in addition to his current job as district attorney.
As the two highest-profile candidates in the race, they have sparred in recent weeks about policy plans, debate challenges and .
However, while they have raised the most money and generated most of the attention so far, Bregman and Haaland are not the only candidates in the governor鈥檚 race.
Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, the third Democrat in the race, said he has not accepted donations from political committees, special interest groups or businesses with state contracts.
Miyagishima, who works in the insurance industry, did report loaning $50,000 to his own campaign. That loan made up more than half of his $69,152 in total contributions.
鈥淚t is all too common to see significant donations from businesses that later become vendors for candidates who win office,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淚 am determined to break this cycle.鈥�
On the Republican side, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull reported raising about $123,000 for his campaign, including contributions from Clovis Mayor Mike Morris. He has a balance of roughly $200,000 in his campaign account.
Hull confirmed his plans to run for governor earlier this year but did not until Tuesday, after postponing a planned June campaign launch.
Several other Republicans have also acknowledged interest in the race, including cannabis industry entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez, but have not yet announced their candidacies.
Next year鈥檚 race for governor is an open contest, since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office.
It鈥檚 also expected to be an expensive one, as the 2022 race between Lujan Grisham and Republican Mark Ronchetti was one of the most expensive in state history. Lujan Grisham spent roughly $13 million during that year鈥檚 race, while Ronchetti ended up spending more than $9 million. Those figures do not include hefty spending on the race by outside groups.
While next year鈥檚 race will not feature an incumbent, the winner of the Democratic primary contest in June 2026 will likely enter the general election cycle as the odds-on favorite. That鈥檚 because no Republican has won election to a statewide office in New Mexico since former Gov. Susana Martinez left office at the end of 2018.
The reports filed Tuesday with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver鈥檚 office cover money raised and spent from April 8 through Oct. 6. The next round of mandatory reports will not have to be filed by candidates until next year.
Ethics commission: Lawmakers and campaigns allowed to spend funds for security - Danielle Prokop,
In the wake of against New Mexico lawmakers, two Democratic state legislators asked state ethics officials to weigh in on whether lawmakers and political candidates are allowed to use campaign funds for 鈥渟ecurity expenses.鈥�
The short answer, according to the New Mexico Ethics Commission, is yes. In an advisory opinion released Tuesday, the agency said candidates seeking public office can use campaign funds on security and, once elected, state legislators can as well, as long as in both cases the expenses were incurred as a direct result of campaign activity or holding public office.
New Mexico state Sen. Heather Berghmans (Albuquerque) and House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski of Santa Fe鈥攖he latter one of the targets of the recent bomb threats鈥攕ought the opinion jointly.
鈥淲e wanted the extra clarification to know that if a legislator does feel the need to enhance security for their own houses or their personal situations, or if we need security at any events we鈥檙e holding, that we have the funds to pay for that type of enhancement in today鈥檚 political climate,鈥� Berghmans told Source NM in a phone interview.
Szczepanski, who did not return messages to Source, was unavailable Tuesday to speak about the opinion, according to a spokesperson for New Mexico House Democrats.
The rests on an analysis that began by considering state campaign laws and Secretary of State鈥檚 campaign regulations 鈥渢o determine whether certain expenditures are expressly permitted or prohibited,鈥� a statement provided to Source by the agency notes.
鈥淗ere, as with other expenditures the Commission has considered, 鈥榮ecurity expenses鈥� are not identified specifically as either. The Commission determined therefore that a candidate or legislator is not prohibited from using campaign funds for security expenses in the circumstances where the expenses are reasonably attributable to a campaign or, for legislators, to the performance of legislative duties, provided that the candidate or legislator would not have otherwise incurred the same security expenses even in the absence of the campaign or legislative office.鈥�
The statement notes that the Commission also considered 鈥渃omparable federal provisions that distinguish between legitimate campaign or legislative expenses and personal use鈥� in its analysis.
As such, the opinion concludes that under those criteria, candidates and state lawmakers can use campaign funds for security purposes鈥攔anging from hardware such as alarm systems to cybersecurity software to professional security personnel.
If candidates or lawmakers already have a security system in place prior to the campaign or holding office, paying for those with campaign funds would not be allowed, according to the opinion.
The opinion only applies to candidates and elected state legislators and not other public officials, which follows the same criteria as the state Campaign Reporting Act, which permits the use of campaign funds for 鈥渆xpenditures of the campaign鈥� and 鈥渆xpenditures of legislators that are reasonably related to performing the duties of the office held.鈥� The opinion notes that 鈥渢his distinction is a policy decision made by the Legislature and arises perhaps because legislators receive no compensation beyond per diem and mileage whereas other public officeholders receive salaries.鈥�
Berghmans said the inquiry about whether security costs were permissible was driven in part by recent threats against Szczepanski and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe, both of whom received emailed bomb threats on Sept. 11. While no explosives were found, the threats remain under investigation by local and national authorities.
The bomb threats, two of which came from an followed a spate of political violence this year, including the and the and her husband.
Berghmans said that despite recent political violence, she believes New Mexico鈥檚 senators cultivate an atmosphere of 鈥渄isagreeing without being super disagreeable,鈥� pointing to recent bipartisan efforts to .
鈥淚 have never felt afraid to be running for public office or to be serving in it, but I know that鈥檚 changing for people, which is really unfortunate, in the United States,鈥� Berghmans said. 鈥淓very step we can take additionally to make sure people feel safe and supported is what鈥檚 important.鈥�
The Vote Mama Lobby, a national political action committee seeking to put more Democratic women with children into office, noted New Mexico is the 15th state to . The PAC has previously endorsed both Berghmans and Szczepanski.
Vote Mama Lobby officials celebrated the opinion, calling it a 鈥渂ipartisan acknowledgement of rising threats against public officials,鈥� in a statement.
鈥淧olitical violence is a direct threat to our democracy, and campaign funds for security is an important tool to counteract this growing problem. No one should ever have to choose between their safety and running for office,鈥� CEO Liuba Grechen Shirley said in a statement.
US rejects bid to buy 167 million tons of coal on public lands for less than a penny per ton - By Matthew Brown, Associated Press
Federal officials rejected a company's bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade.
The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity. Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.
President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump's attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.
The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week's $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.
Agency representatives did not provide further details, and it's unclear if they will attempt to hold the sale again.
The leasing act requires bids to be at or above fair market value. At the last successful government lease sale in the region, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy paid $793 million, or $1.10 per ton, for 721 million tons of coal in Wyoming.
President Joe Biden's administration sought to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, citing climate change.
A second proposed lease sale under Trump 鈥� 440 million tons of coal near an NTEC mine in central Wyoming 鈥� was postponed last week following the low bid received in the Montana sale. Interior Department officials have not said when the Wyoming sale will be rescheduled.
NTEC is owned by the Navajo Nation of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
In documents submitted in the run-up to the Montana sale, NTEC indicated the coal had little value because of declining demand for the fuel. The Associated Press emailed a company representative regarding the rejected bid.
Most power plants using fuel from NTEC's Spring Creek mine in Montana and Antelope mine in Wyoming are scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
Spring Creek also ships coal overseas to customers in Asia. Increasing those shipments could help it offset lessening domestic demand, but a shortage of port capacity has hobbled prior industry aspirations to boost coal exports.
Citing health, NM GOP senator resigns after less than a year in office - Patrick Lohmann,
A Republican state senator representing a Southeast New Mexico district announced Tuesday he was resigning immediately from his seat early in his first term, citing recent health concerns.
Sen. Nicolas Paul (R-Alamogordo) represented District 33, which contains parts of Chaves, Lincoln and Otero counties, beginning in January.
鈥淪erving the people of District 33 has been one of the greatest honors of my life,鈥� Paul said in a statement. 鈥淚鈥檓 deeply grateful to the citizens of Otero, Lincoln and Chaves Counties for their trust and support. Together, we鈥檝e worked hard to make our communities stronger, and I will always remain committed to the success of the district and New Mexico.鈥�
Paul did not respond to Source New Mexico鈥檚 phone call, and a Senate GOP spokesperson said Paul would not be commenting further about his departure.
During the 60-day legislative session, Paul sponsored or co-sponsored 14 pieces of legislation, most of them regarding crime, gambling and border security. Two of the related to were pocket-vetoed. One that he co-sponsored with Democrats regarding state support of infrastructure projects
Paul did not attend the recent special legislative session.
To represent District 33, he won a three-way Republican primary in the 2024 election before running unopposed in the general election.
Because Paul鈥檚 district spans three counties, commissions in all three counties will meet soon to send a list of one or more proposed replacements to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has the final say.
Senate GOP spokesperson Brandon Harris told Source on Tuesday that that process 鈥渉as already begun,鈥� given the short amount of time between now and the 30-day legislative session that starts on Jan. 20.
Paul served on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. He also served on the interim Courts and Criminal Justice Committee, Republican members of which recently
Harris said his caucus would keep the public updated on the process to replace Paul.
First atomic bomb test site, Trinity Site, open house canceled amid government shutdown - Cathy Cook,
In the shadow of a federal government shutdown, the site where the first atomic bomb was tested will not be open to the public this year.
Located on White Sands Missile Range, the Trinity Site is where the U.S. Army detonated the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945. This year is the 80th anniversary of the test.
In the past, the site was open to visitors twice a year. Last year, White Sands Missile Range transitioned to one open house per year. But this year, the site will not open at all.
The open house was scheduled for Saturday, but White Sands Missile Range announced last week it would be canceled. According to Aerospace PR consultant Anne Marie Chadima, the government shutdown is the reason for the cancellation.
The Trinity Site was declared a national historic landmark in 1975 and includes the location where the bomb was detonated, the base camp where scientists lived and the McDonald ranch house, where the bomb鈥檚 plutonium core was assembled.
The first Trinity Site open house in 1953 attracted 650 people, according to a U.S. Army site history. For the 70th Trinity anniversary in 2015, more than 5,500 visitors attended the April open house, according to an Army news release.
During the federal government shutdown, the missile range will still have available: emergency services; child and youth services programs; family, morale, welfare and recreation programs; Army and Air Force Exchange Service; commissary; and the Family Advocacy Program under Army Community Service, according to a missile range announcement.
The Army Community Services programs are limited and the White Sands Missile Range Museum will be closed.