New Mexico
New Mexico bishops call on government to ‘rebuild the mental health system’
NEW YORK – Echoing recent calls to action from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the Catholic Bishops of New Mexico have spoken out on the need for the government, non-profits, and citizens, to all come together to address public safety challenges in the state.
In a July 29 joint statement, the bishops of New Mexico specifically highlighted the need for the state to address mental health issues and alcohol and drug addictions, which they argue are the main root causes of the public safety challenges in the state.
A place to start, the bishops said, is creating a public private campaign.
“We believe that state leaders, anchor organizations, and advocates can come together to find the funding sources for treatment of mental health, alcohol, and drug addictions,” the bishops said.
“This would be the correct order of placing the horse before the cart,” the bishops continued. “It is essential, in the efforts of tackling the epidemic of behavioral health issues in our state, that these resources be in place before we have the conversation about mandatory treatment by the courts. We may not know the full solution, but everyone recognizes the need.”
“If we can’t provide the services for voluntary treatment, how will we ever implement a system for mandatory treatment?” the bishops added. “This responsibility falls on the shoulders of the government, non-profits, and every citizen of the state. This crisis includes people suffering from mental health issues who many times turn to drugs for self-medication.”
Grishman has floated multiple proposals related to mandatory treatment by the courts – expanding court-supervised outpatient treatment for people with mental illness, and/or broadening eligibility for someone who could be ordered by a judge into involuntary mental health treatment – in recent months. Essentially, the bishops argue that before those kinds of proposals are discussed by lawmakers everyone needs to come together to increase the number of resources that are available.
The statement was signed by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, and Bishop James Wall of Gallup. The statement was also signed by Allen Sánchez, Deacon Steve Rangel, and Rebecca Lucero, who are the respective executive director, associate director and advocate of the New Mexico Conference of Bishops.
It comes amid a push by Grisham for legislative action.
Grisham, a Democrat, convened a special session of the New Mexico State Legislature on July 18 to address public safety concerns in the state. Specifically, she focused on the need to reform criminal competency and mental health treatment standards, as well as issues with inconsistent crime reporting, pedestrian safety, gun violence, organized crime, drug overdoses, and recent fires.
Out of that special session the only bill that was passed was HB 1, which appropriates $100 million to support recovery efforts following the South Fork and Salt fires, as well as ongoing flooding. None of the proposals related to other public safety concerns – including mental health and drug addictions – passed, reportedly as Democrats look to address those needs during the next regular session in January.
In a news release on July 31, Grisham said that “the legislature’s failure to prioritize public safety for New Mexicans during the special session is deeply disappointing.”
The bishops of New Mexico, meanwhile, kept the focus on the need for mental health resources in the state. They maintained that if all sides come together they can rebuild the state’s mental health system.
“Together, we can rebuild the mental health system of the state,” the bishops said. “We, the Catholic Bishops of New Mexico, remain hopeful that the task before us can be accomplished in the same magnificent ways of the Early Childhood campaign and with the hope that these challenges do not also take us a decade to resolve.”
Follow John Lavenburg on X: @johnlavenburg
A wild rat in New Mexico tested positive for the plague after four dogs were diagnosed with the troubling disease earlier this year, according to authorities.
A homeowner discovered the plague-ridden rodent dead on a private property in Santa Fe County and submitted it for testing, according to the New Mexico Health Department.
It is the first confirmed wild animal in Santa Fe County to test positive for the illness caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria in 2026, the health department said.
The case follows four other confirmed plague cases in dogs this year — including three pooches in Santa Fe County and one in Bernalillo County.
“While this is an animal case of plague, it’s important to remember humans can get plague from flea bites or direct contact with infected animals, including rodents, wildlife and even pets,” Dr. Chad Smelser, deputy state epidemiologist for NMDOH, said in a statement.
“Pets can be infected with plague if they eat an infected animal or are bitten by infected fleas,” Smelser said.
Although human cases of the plague are rare, roughly half of all cases in the US each year occur in New Mexico, according to the health department.
The disease can be life-threatening without proper treatment, but if it’s caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics, officials added.
Symptoms in humans include sudden high fever, chills, headache, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes.
Infected pets similarly suffer from fever, low energy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes, experts added.
The New Mexico Health Department cautioned residents to take several steps to prevent themselves and their contracting the plague — including cleaning up areas near homes such as woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned vehicles, where rodents could live.
Pet food and water should be kept away from where rodents and wildlife can get to them, and people should stay away from sick or dead rodents and rabbits.
Pets should use veterinarian-approved flea control products and be promptly taken to a veterinarian if they are sick.
Last year, a man in Arizona and a domestic cat in Colorado died of the bubonic plague.
A 43-year-old man from Valencia County in New Mexico was also hospitalized with the disease in 2025.
New Mexico
Ex-Barcelona defender takes over as new Mexico boss as Javier Aguirre leaves after England defeat | Goal.com US
.jpg?ssl=1 "Ex-Barcelona defender takes over as new Mexico boss as Javier Aguirre leaves after England defeat | Goal.com US")
The transition comes at a critical moment for Mexico. Marquez’s immediate priority is addressing the tactical shortcomings that proved costly against England. Defensive errors allowed players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to secure the victory.
To fix this, Marquez will rely on his recent coaching experience. During his two-year spell managing Barcelona Atletic, Marquez oversaw 82 matches, recording 40 wins, 21 draws and 21 losses. This period in Spain helped him develop a structured approach to the game, which the federation hopes will translate into a more robust defensive system for the national side.
A few more storms are possible Wednesday in New Mexico. See the latest conditions at KOB.com/Weather.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The monsoon high has shifted just slightly west and is now centered between Arizona and New Mexico for Wednesday.
We’ll still have a similar setup to the last couple of days. Scattered showers and storms will form off the high terrain between late morning and early afternoon, moving slowly off in a clockwise fashion into nearby highlands and valley areas by mid and late afternoon/early evening before mostly fizzling out after the sun sets.
The mid and upper level moisture draped across the state is slightly below climatological normals for early July. Slightly less moisture will limit rainfall but stronger cells could easily drop a good half-inch or more.
Additional rainfall on the burn scars may lead to flash flooding. Tuesday saw at least 1.5 inches of radar estimated rainfall fall near and on the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar.
Storms will produce strong outflow, with gusts likely ranging from 20-40 mph. That may either undercut existing storms or help produce new cells.
Temperatures this afternoon will either be near the same as Tuesday or about one-to-two degrees warmer statewide. Those that get to see the rain first will cool off the fastest.
Higher elevations in the mountains are looking at highs getting into the 70s and 80s. Valleys, low-lying areas and the highlands will heat up into the 90s, with several spots looking at highs near the triple digits this afternoon, such as the lower Rio Grande Valley, and a few southern locales.
Wildfire smoke will also stick around. Most of it will stay lofted into the upper levels of the atmosphere but some light concentrations of it may make it down to the ground and could impact the air quality on a very localized scale for those that do get to see that. Areas around the Sacaton Fire in the Gila’s may see a slightly heavier concentration that could get blown around due to outflow from nearby storms this afternoon.
Meteorologist Amanda Goluszka shares all the details in her full forecast in the video above.
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