AP New Mexico

By CEDAR ATTANASIO and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — Residents of a northern New Mexico city tried to recapture a sense of normalcy as their rural neighbors hunkered down amid predictions of extreme fire conditions. The threat to Las Vegas, a city of 13,000, was reduced after containment lines were built.

HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — A woman who reportedly stole a police vehicle after the man she was with engaged in a shootout with Hobbs police in February has been arrested. Police looking for 28-year-old  Janessa Perez went to a Hobbs home Friday afternoon and saw her peeking out the back door. Officers surrounded the house

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press As the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. marches across northern New Mexico, residents have been guided by their faith and their connection to each other and the land. They’ve pleaded with God for intervention in the form of rain and calm winds, and protection for their neighbors they see

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — The Roswell Police Department said one of its officers was pinned against another vehicle before being dragged through an intersection Friday. A police statement said the incident occurred  when the officer checked on an unresponsive driver of a car stopped in an intersection. The statement said the driver suddenly accelerated the

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland wants to do more than just put a bandage on a crisis that she says has been decades in the making. Haaland on Thursday announced the members of a commission that will craft recommendations on how the

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is highlighting its support for proposals to route an international rail line through its Santa Teresa border crossing, capitalizing on Mexico’s unease with disruptions along the Texas portion of the U.S. border. Mexico had considered a route through Texas, but in recent days

By CEDAR ATTANASIO and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the U.S. as heavy winds relented. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of northern New Mexico devastated by fire. Fire

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal water officials have announced they’ll keep hundreds of billions of gallons of Colorado River water inside Lake Powell instead of letting it flow downstream to southwestern states and Mexico. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Water and Science Tanya Trujillo said Tuesday the move will allow

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government is snubbing Texas and moving a proposed border rail link to New Mexico, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backed up border crossings with state truck inspections in April. Mexican diplomats met Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and touted a rail

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in 18 states are following California’s lead in seeking to offer legal refuge to displaced transgender youth and their families. The coordinated effort being announced Tuesday by the LGBTQ Victory Institute and other advocates comes in response to conservative states like Texas, where state

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in Albuquerque are dealing with three difference homicide scenes that occurred over the weekend. Albuquerque police say on Sunday officers responded to a single-vehicle car crash. One person died at a hospital. But the victim had suffered a gunshot wound. Earlier in the day around 4 a.m., a woman asked

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Ferocious winds that sent what was a small wildfire racing toward homes on the outskirts of a northern Arizona city presented a dilemma. Most residents in the “Girls Ranch” neighborhood north of Flagstaff, Arizona, fled the flames. One couple stood their ground. Another raced to save

By PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press Calmer weather conditions in northern New Mexico have helped over 1,000 firefighters battling the nation’s largest active wildfire. But fire managers warn of windy conditions expected in the coming days, and officials urged residents to remain vigilant for further possible evacuation orders. A fire operations official says the fire’s rapid

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The water supply for Las Vegas has marked a milestone, with a water intake breaking the surface of drought-depleted Lake Mead and the activation of a new pumping facility to draw water from deeper in the crucial Colorado River reservoir. The Southern Nevada Water Authority released photos this week of the

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and ANNIE MA Associated Press MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Funding for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed them to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the

By PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press Calmer weather conditions in northern New Mexico are helping over 1,000 firefighters battling the nation’s largest active wildfire. Strong winds had pushed the fire Friday across some containment lines and toward the city of Las Vegas, which has about 13,000 residents. A fire operations official says the fire’s rapid growth

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — What is billed by organizers as the world’s largest powwow is being held in person in Albuquerque for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The Gathering of Nations is returning following all-virtual powwows in 2020 and 2021. Friday’s festivities included a grand entrance, with hundreds of dancers

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico state representative has agreed to pay a $250 fine under a settlement with the State Ethics Commission stemming from a drunken driving arrest. The commission said Albuquerque Democrat Georgene Louis violated the state Governmental Conduct Act by seeking favorable treatment from police during her Feb. 13 arrest

By MORGAN LEE AND CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of firefighters are battling destructive wildfires in the Southwest as more residents are preparing to evacuate into the weekend in northern New Mexico. Strong winds in bone-dry conditions have made the blazes especially difficult to contain. The biggest fire in the

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is increasing child care subsidies that are already the most generous and broadly available in the U.S. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state will start waiving child care copays to middle-income families starting May 1. Child care

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A legal battle aimed at providing adequate services to people with developmental disabilities in New Mexico has come to a close after more than three decades. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday that a final court order recognizes the state’s establishment of a community-based system that protects the