New Mexico
Abortion fund provider rebrands and holds open house – NM Political Report
An abortion fund provider unveiled a rebrand and offered an open house in Las Cruces to celebrate the organization’s new name, mission and values. Faith Roots Reproductive Action is the new name of the abortion fund provider previously known as the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Joan Lamunyon Sanford, executive director of FRRA, […]
An abortion fund provider unveiled a rebrand and offered an open house in Las Cruces to celebrate the organization’s new name, mission and values.
Faith Roots Reproductive Action is the new name of the abortion fund provider previously known as the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Joan Lamunyon Sanford, executive director of FRRA, said one of the primary reasons to change the organization’s name was because of the cognitive dissonance it caused.
“Mostly it was confusing,” Lamunyon Sanford said. “We found it was confusing and even frightening to many of our abortion clinic callers.”
FRRA offers practical support to individuals coming from out of state to seek an abortion in New Mexico. The nonprofit can help with food and travel, including plane or bus tickets or gas money. They can also help with lodging while the patient is in New Mexico. This past winter, FRRA began offering childcare stipends for parents as part of the assistance available to individuals seeking abortion.
“Nobody should have to leave their communities to get healthcare but if they do, we want to make that as simple as possible,” Lamunyon Sanford said.
Lamunyon Sanford, who has spoken of being called to help individuals who need an abortion, said the name Faith Roots feels inclusive to all religions, whether part of the Abrahamic traditions or other world religions.
“We know organized religion has caused a lot of people a lot of trauma. It brings good and bad and so Faith Roots is a more interfaith label for us and more inclusive,” she said.
During the open house, visitors mingled around the new office space. Catherine Massey, a Las Cruces resident, said she came to the open house to show support. She compared a lack of reproductive freedom to involuntary incarceration.
“Bodily autonomy is the most essential human right. Nothing else is more important to have for all people,” she said.
Elvira Masson, also a Las Cruces resident who came to the open house, said she has been volunteering for FRRA for two years and she said it was important that an abortion fund provider be local to Las Cruces.
“So many are driving in from Texas. They show up at 8 a.m. after driving all night. It’s a big deal. No one makes this decision lightly,” she said.
Ophra Leyser-Whalen, a volunteer from El Paso, said she came to the open house because she wanted to show that “people still care.”
“Since Dobbs, interest in abortion has faded. It’s not the soup d’jour. It’s important to maintain interest,” she said.
Leyser-Whalen said having FRRA in Las Cruces is important because there are now several clinics in the city and individuals seeking an abortion need practical support.
Monica Giron, case manager for FRRA, said 99 percent of abortion patients they provide with practical support are coming from Texas.
“Most want to drive,” she said.
She said that from the patients’ perspective, the mood is “pretty stressed.” She said one question from Texas callers FRRA hears constantly is why abortion medication can’t be mailed to them.
“We have to say it’s illegal [in Texas],” Giron said.
As part of the rebranding, FRRA has reorganized its internal policies and training, in part, to ensure that volunteers and staff hold compassion and safety for individuals seeking an abortion.
Lamunyon Stanford told NM Political Report that the amount of callers FRRA receives continues to increase but not at the same volume as when Texas’ six-week gestational ban on abortion went into effect in September of 2021.
“We would like to see [the number of callers] increase. We know there are a significant number of people in Texas and other states who are either led to believe that abortion is illegal everywhere or that leaving their state would get them in legal trouble. Or even with the support from ourselves and our partner abortion fund providers, they still have too many other responsibilities to even just leave for one day,” Lamunyon Sanford said.
Over the course of the last few years, to meet the increased need, FRRA has grown from a staff of two full-time and two part-time employees to 10 full-time and two part-time employees along with two interns.
Lamunyon Sanford said that the last few years have felt “like a natural disaster.”
“You know what’s coming and you try to prepare but you never really know what the impact and damage is going to be. And now we’re likely on the other side of that storm, and we’re just really grateful that the community is right there with us,” Lamunyon Sanford said.
FRRA will also holding an open house on May 1 in Albuquerque.
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
New Mexico
Landlord AC ordinance, Rio Grande water levels, Spotty rain, New legislative office, New Mexico Motorfest
Monday’s Top Stories
Monday’s Five Facts
[1] ABQ City Councilor aims to bolster protections for renters amid unseasonable warmth – Albuquerque city councilor is looking to make sure city landlords are not only providing cooling systems, but also ensuring they actually work when they’re needed. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn spearheaded an ordinance in December of 2024, requiring all Albuquerque rental properties to have a cooling system. Now, Fiebelkorn is taking it a step further, hoping to establish cooling system performance requirements. The ordinance is expected to be voted on in final action at Monday’s city council meeting.
[2] Rio Grande showing dry spots in Valencia County amid record-low snowpack – Portions of the Rio Grande are now seeing dry spots earlier than expected. Officials say the timing is not normal. In Valencia County, parts of the river are already running dry. Near the river crossing in Los Lunas, the river has open pockets. Further south, it is being reported as dry as well. There is a slight positive outlook for the monsoon season, with forecasters and officials predicting a strong season in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
[3] Very spotty rainfall, warmer, & mostly calm week – Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground. Temperatures will continue to increase through the middle of the week.
[4] NM representatives celebrate grand opening of new office with open house – A new state legislative office made its debut for representatives Eleanor Chavez and Yanira Gurrola. The new location is just one of the handful of new legislative offices now open across the state. They hosted a grand opening for the building that was open to the public. Representative Gurrola says it’s just one step towards modernizing the state’s legislature. The new office will allow residents to stay more connected to each representative.
[5] New Mexico Motorfest 2026 takes place in celebration of Route 66 Centennial – Another Route 66 celebration took place over the weekend and this one was all about cars. The New Mexico Motorfest happened at the Expo New Mexico racetrack. Over 300 vehicles from classic hot rods to lifted trucks were featured at the event. Some of the proceeds went to New Mexico veterans.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
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