Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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New Mexico voters on Tuesday approved two proposed constitutional amendments intended to expand property tax exemptions for veterans, though the measures could increase tax rates for other homeowners. According to unofficial vote totals, four statewide bond questions also had strong voter support, along with proposed Constitutional Amendment 4. It would give county commissioners, and not the Legislature, the power to set salaries for county officials. Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3 — the most closely contested measure ...
Election Day didn’t change the political makeup of the Roundhouse much. But, for the first time ever, the Legislature is made up of a majority of women. Based on unofficial election results, women will hold 60 of the 112 seats in the Legislature come January. In state legislative election results, Republicans picked up three seats and Democrats picked up one, ever so slightly shifting party numbers in the Senate and House of Representatives. Democrats entered Election Day with a 27-15 majority in the Senate and a 45-25 m...
ALBUQUERQUE -- Thousands of Donald Trump supporters spent hours in traffic and waiting in line for a chance to see the presidential candidate in Albuquerque on Thursday. There were so many people eager to attend Trump's last-minute campaign visit to New Mexico that thousands were left outside of the rally, watching Trump's speech on a large screen that initially did not have sound. Down the road, a group of approximately 40 protesters chanted their objections to the former...
SANTA FE — In the run-up to every general election since 2016, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's office has sent out mailers to potentially eligible but unregistered voters in New Mexico. But this year's batch of 105,000 postcards generated particular alarm among some Republican legislators, who say ineligible voters in their districts were among those who received the mailers. "As trust in our institutions continues to worsen, it is unconscionable to think that our top election official may be advising n...
New Mexico voters will be able to decide on four general obligation bond questions in November's general election, including a $230.2 million higher education bond package. The bond questions include $30.7 million for senior centers; $19.3 million for libraries; $230.2 million for higher education; and $10 million for public safety. Most years New Mexico voters approve general obligation bonds. The last time New Mexicans voted down a higher education bond package was in 2010. That year, the $155 million bond package would...
Along with answering questions on the cost of living, energy and immigration policy, Senate candidates Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Nella Domenici had a few questions for each other during their only televised debate before the general election in three weeks. The debate aired at 4:30 p.m., earlier in the day than originally planned, because of Monday Night Football airing this week on KOAT, the ABC affiliate. The candidates are scheduled to debate again on Oct. 27...
Martin Heinrich, 53, is a Democratic New Mexico candidate for the U.S. Senate. He answered questions from the Albuquerque Journal: Family: Wife Julie; 2 Children Education: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia Occupation: U.S. Senator City of Residence: Albuquerque Relevant Experience: I grew up the son of an immigrant lineman and a factory worker. My parents taught me the value of hard work and giving back to the community. From the Albuquerque City Council to the U.S. House and U.S....
Nella Domenici, 64, is a Republican New Mexico candidate for the U.S. Senate. She answered questions from the Albuquerque Journal: Family: Husband, Patrick McDonough; 2 Children, 4 Stepchildren Education: BA, English Literature, Georgetown University, 1982 JD, Georgetown University Center, Law Night School, 1987 MBA Harvard Business School, High distinction, George F. Baker Scholar (top 5%) 1993 Occupation: Business executive City of Residence: Santa Fe Relevant Experience: Collaborative, common sense, bipartisan approach to...
SANTA FE — Former state senator John Arthur Smith, a conservative Democrat who carved out a reputation for bucking governors' spending plans, died early Monday, a caucus spokesman said. Smith, a Deming real estate appraiser, served in the Legislature from 1989 until 2020, when he was ousted by a primary opponent. News of his death prompted a moment of silence at Monday's annual meeting of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, who served with Smith in the Senate, said he felt heartbroken by Smith's p...
SANTA FE — Amid a dispute with lawmakers over high crime rates, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration is contesting the findings of a legislative report about unspent public safety appropriations. After a legislative report found about 56% of the roughly $424 million appropriated over the past five years for public safety initiatives had been spent, a state budget agency conducted its own review. Its analysis concluded about 72% of such one-time funding has been spent or is in the process of being spent. Wayne P...
ALBUQUERQUE — They thought the lapel camera was off. A group of Albuquerque police officers laughed as they threw around racial slurs — calling Native Americans "savages" — and disparaged the man they just killed as a "honky" with "a weird accent," expressing relief that the man wasn't Black "because of the optics." At one point, one officer tells the others: "I like violent encounters with violent people. That's why I became a cop. I didn't come to (expletive) help old ladies who can't cross the (expletive) road." He conti...
It's been a brutal summer for Ruidoso, which weathered devastating fires in June and has been hit with recurring flooding in recent weeks. But the repair of damaged bridges, roads and other public works, including 35-foot culverts that were ripped out in the Paradise Canyon area, is on the horizon after state lawmakers approved up to $70 million in zero-interest loans to fund such work during a special session last month. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said the money will help jumpstart recovery efforts as the community and...
It may be a little easier to file taxes next year. New Mexico announced Thursday it agreed to join the Internal Revenue Service's Direct File program, which allows taxpayers to file their taxes free and directly with the IRS online. The program is being expanded after a pilot program in 12 states and 140,000 taxpayers, who claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved $5.6 million in filing costs, according to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. "We're excited to start working with the IRS to make sure...
Mediation talks are underway in an effort to resolve a lawsuit filed by a coalition of school districts challenging a controversial scheduling rule requiring public schools to spend 180 days annually with students. State District Judge Dustin Hunter of Roswell last month rescheduled a hearing to Sept. 30 to allow the mediation to continue. The two-month pause comes in a lawsuit filed in April against the state Public Education Department by the New Mexico School Superintendents Association and about 55 of the state’s 89 s...
Tax-free weekend kicks off a three-day run Friday across New Mexico. It’s a welcome holiday for many New Mexicans, especially college-aged adults and parents with children heading back to school. The holiday, enacted in 2005, takes place the first weekend of August each year and allows people to purchase items including laptops, clothes and shoes without the addition of gross receipts tax. New Mexico is one of 18 states with a tax-free holiday, according to a 2023 New Mexico Tax Expenditure Report. And businesses don't have t... Full story
New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Patrick Allen understands the risks Texas providers now face in delivering care for pregnant women because of state laws restricting abortion access. The Health Department is referencing those risks as part of a multi-state campaign aimed at bringing health care professionals to New Mexico, a big need for a state that for years has faced a shortage of physicians, to nurses and other health care workers. “Every day we’re looking for ways to try to attract more people to New Mexico to m...
President Joe Biden announced Sunday he is dropping out of the presidential race after a poor debate performance in June. Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Here’s what some New Mexico officials had to say about it: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: “While President Biden is an indisputably great leader, his decision to withdraw from the presidential race at this fraught moment in U.S. history is in the best interest of the Democratic Party and the nation. “This decision will ensure President Biden’s rightfu...
SANTA FE — Five hours and no action on her crime-related agenda. The outcome of a special session prompted fiery criticism from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who called Thursday one of the most disappointing days of her career. “The Legislature as a body walked away from their most important responsibility: keeping New Mexicans safe,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “The Legislature should be embarrassed at their inability to summon even an ounce of courage to adopt common-sense legislation to make New Mexicans safer,...
Sly Quincy Jones has been confined in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque for 444 days while lawyers, judges and experts considered whether he is mentally competent to stand trial for intentionally setting fires that terrified a historic Downtown-area neighborhood. His criminal rap sheet shows 30 years of misdemeanors, felonies and failures to appear in court in New Mexico and Florida. Since 2012, his alleged conduct in Albuquerque has escalated from disorderly conduct to arson, aggravated assault and drug...
New Mexico is relying on a new Environmental Protection Agency rule to pursue the Department of Defense for the costs of cleaning up PFAS contamination near several military installations and for damages from contamination. The New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico Office of Natural Resources Trustee and the New Mexico Attorney General on Monday amended New Mexico’s lawsuit against the United States regarding per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) contamination present in and around military communities across t...
Monday was the start of a fresh fiscal year, meaning the state's new $10.21 billion budget is now in effect. And with the kickoff of fiscal year 2025, New Mexico officials should also be making some headway on crafting a new budget for the next fiscal year. The FY25 budget is set at $10.21 billion in recurring spending, a nearly 7% increase from the previous fiscal year. The fiscal year is from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The $10B breakdown Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las...
Domenici wants GOP voice back in New Mexico After almost 20 years in public office, including two terms as a senator, two terms in the U.S. House and a four-year term as an Albuquerque city councilor, Martin Heinrich is in his sixth political campaign, trying to keep the Senate seat he currently holds. “Right now, I believe it’s the place that I can be most helpful to the state of New Mexico, and I find enormous meaning in public service,” said Heinrich, 52. The Democratic incumbent faces political newcomer, Republican Nella...
The special legislative session is less than a month away, but lawmakers are still voicing the same sentiment: Nobody's on the same page. While policymakers generally agree that New Mexico has a crime problem, exactly how to address it is still up in the air. Sen. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, D-Albuquerque; and Reps. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque; Alan Martinez, R-Rio Rancho; and Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, came together on Tuesday for a town hall on crime, the second such forum hosted by...
SANTA FE — Policymakers are scattered around the state in their hometowns as they await a special session next month and the 60-day legislative session next year. But that doesn’t mean work isn’t being done. The lawmakers still meet on a regular basis during the interim, when a full legislative session isn’t ongoing. On Monday, legislative staff briefed the Legislative Council on what interim committee meetings have on their agendas. Staff quickly zipped through reports on 18 committees, touching on everything from public saf...
RUIDOSO — While the investigation into the South Fork and Salt fires’ origin continues, some full-time Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs residents came back on Monday to look at their properties. Don Spencer, however, said in a Monday phone interview that the search and rescue operations prevented his return. He already knows his house burned down. “This is at a disaster level most folks haven’t been around,” he said. Officials have said two people died in the fires that began June 17. As of Monday, 29 people were listed as missin...
