AP New Mexico

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press As drought and climate change tighten their grip on the American West, the sight of fountains, swimming pools, gardens and golf courses in cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Boise, and Albuquerque can be jarring at first glance. Western water experts, however, say they aren’t necessarily

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The largest wildfire in North America slowed to a near standstill in northern New Mexico Tuesday amid light rain and a bit of snow in the mountains as nearly 3,000 firefighters scrambled to get ahead of a worsening fire forecast in the days ahead. The Memorial Day weekend historically marks

DEMING, N.M. (AP) — Three West Texas residents were killed when the SUV they were riding in while it was being towed on a New Mexico highway rolled and they were ejected, state police announced Monday. Eight people in all were in two SUVs headed east on Interstate 10 outside the small southern New Mexico

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Minneapolis Police Department will face the intense scrutiny of a federal program after a state investigation spurred by the killing of George Floyd concluded that the city’s officers stop and arrest Black people more than white people, use force more often on people of color

MORA, N.M. (AP) — As more than 2,700 firefighters in northern New Mexico continue to battle the nation’s largest active wildfire, many evacuees are worried about their future. Hundreds have been away from their homes for more than a month now due to the biggest fire in the state’s recorded history, and some say their

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press A New Mexico facility where researchers work to restore forests devastated by fires faced an almost cruelly ironic threat: The largest wildfire burning in the U.S. was fast approaching. Owen Burney and his team knew they had to save what they could. Atop their list was a priceless bank

By PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press Improved weather conditions are helping firefighters battling several large wildfires in New Mexico, including the largest active one in the nation. High winds challenged crews on Friday but officials said Saturday that a cold front lowered temperatures, raised humidity levels and provided cloud cover that helped slow spread of the

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates are weighing in on Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s plan to address an ongoing lawsuit that highlights shortcomings of the state’s education system. The plaintiffs in the case represent around 70% of all K-12 students. They say the governor’s effort

By SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — For some female incumbents running for reelection in Congress this year, holding their seats comes with a new challenge. Because of redistricting, some of those congressional districts will be tougher to win. It’s too early to know how many female representatives were hurt by the once-a-decade process

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Forest Service is suspending planned burning operations to clear out brush and small trees at all national forests while his agency conducts a 90-day review of protocols and practices. Forest Chief Randy Moore made the announcement Friday. He cited the

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The Mountain West Conference will eliminate its two-division format in football for the 2023 season. The conference has announced that the two teams with the highest winning percentage will compete in the league championship game. The decision came two days after the NCAA threw out requirements dictating how conferences can

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two tribes in northern New Mexico are closer to having recreational cannabis sales after signing taxation agreements with the state last week. State officials are announcing the agreement this week saying they’re formally recognizing the authority of the Pojoaque and Picuris

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS and RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Reproductive rights advocates are planning to open new abortion clinics or expand the capacity of existing ones in states without restrictive abortion laws. This comes as a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion says justices could overturn the landmark

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is delivering the first in a series of direct payments to the state’s adult residents to offset higher consumer costs brought on by inflation. Individual taxpayers who receive direct deposit rebates are scheduled to receive $250 as early as Thursday and couples are set to get $500. Checks

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — The U.S. government is asking the appeals court overseeing four western and two midwestern states to recognize that the First Amendment guarantee of free speech gives people the right to film police as they do their work in public. If the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals agrees,

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the Trump administration acted illegally in 2020 when it withdrew an earlier proposal to list as threatened a hen-sized bird found only in the high desert along the California-Nevada line. It’s the latest development in the on-again, off-again protection of the

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 2,000 firefighters battling the largest U.S. wildfire are digging back-up fire lines and rearranging fire engines around homes in northeast New Mexico. Fire officials say they expedited efforts Wednesday to get ahead of the flames in anticipation of a return to windy, dangerous

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A conservative-backed foundation that posts voting registration records online is urging a federal judge to override objections by New Mexico election regulators who say the initiative violates state law and would discourage voter participation. At a hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Browning peppered attorneys

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — One of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the United States has announced a settlement agreement to resolve a bankruptcy case in New Mexico that resulted from a clergy sex abuse scandal. The tentative deal announced Tuesday totals $121.5 million and would involve about 375 claimants. The chairman of a creditors

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three of New Mexico’s five national forests will be off limits to the public starting this week due to active wildfires and extreme fire danger. The announcement came Tuesday as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the damage from a record-setting fire burning in northern New

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting of a Santa Fe High School basketball star nearly two years ago. A jury on Tuesday returned the verdict against Estevan Montoya in the August 2020 shooting of Fedonta “JB” White.  Prosecutors say Montoya was 16 at the time

By JAY REEVES Associated Press THOMASVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A handful of U.S. hospitals are facing a financial crisis that officials say was caused by the federal government’s rules for pandemic relief money. A trio of hospitals in Alabama, Kansas and New Mexico say they’re not getting as much assistance as other hospitals because they’re

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors in Texas say they will seek the death penalty for a man who authorities have said confessed to killing five people, including three whose dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster last year. The Tarrant County district attorney’s office said Monday that they’ve filed the paperwork to seek