New Mexico
Arkansas search and rescue teams assist with New Mexico floods • Arkansas Advocate
Nearly 30 Arkansans from various fire departments and emergency teams across the state helped with search and rescue efforts in New Mexico, where deadly wildfires exacerbated the flood risk for communities.
Danny Akines, a training and logistics officer from the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management, was one of those deployed to monitor Las Vegas, a town of about 13,000 near Sante Fe, and Ruidoso, a small mountain village about 200 miles south of Albuquerque.
From June 29 to July 13, Akines traveled with the Arkansas team back and forth from Las Vegas to Ruidoso monitoring potential flash floods and training for swift water rescue. Their skills were put to the test during two days of major flooding in Ruidoso where they rescued 21 people and three dogs, evacuated 14 people and reported 15 more who remained in place.
“We get called to go right around the corner, out of sight of where we’re at, and there’s a newborn baby and two women trapped in a car,” Akines recalled of his first water rescue. “They’ve been kind of washed sideways…and the current is taking them off.”
Over the two most intensive days of the two-week trip, the Arkansas team spent eight hours responding to assistance calls of people trapped in their homes or cars. The water, which traveled down a nearby mountain faster than anything Akines said he’s ever seen in Arkansas, carried logs, boulders and debris from homes destroyed in the wildfires.
“It goes fast, but that’s what we went for,” Akines said. “We hate that this type of event is happening to those people, but we’re there to help. We’re glad we’re there when it happens.”
FEMA trailers on their way to Ruidoso; at least 856 homes lost
No flood-related fatalities have been reported, though two people were reported dead from the wildfires that destroyed at least 850 houses in New Mexico, according to a report from Source NM. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently approved the state’s request for temporary housing, which should provide relief for people who are couch surfing or staying in hotels.
“We’ve got them spread out,” Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford told Source NM. “We’re trying not to lose them forever, because we need them to work and live here.”
After the Arkansas rescue team safely made contact with people in need, they transported them to higher ground or to a shelter managed by the local community. Akines said local officials and community members expressed their appreciation throughout their presence in the area.
“We’re just glad that we’re able to help people,” Akines said. “Whether it’s here, there or wherever. All the guys are very professional, no matter where we go, and they’re very dedicated.”
The New Mexico project marked Akines’ third deployment with the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management, where he has volunteered since 2009 and worked full time for two years. His other trips included providing aid in Texas and Florida as hurricanes threatened the states.
The Arkansas agencies footed the initial bills for the emergency deployment, though the state is expected to provide a reimbursement, Akines said. New Mexico officials will then reimburse the state of Arkansas for its services.
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New Mexico
Grants cancels Christmas parade due to shootings
GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants is canceling this year’s annual Christmas light parade, citing the safety of the public and their own officers.
Dozens of floats were supposed to roll down Santa Fe Avenue on Saturday night, but Grants police are holding off until next year after three incidents where someone shot at law enforcement officers.
“It was definitely a difficult decision, but due to the incident that took place on December 8, where law enforcement was shot at in the area of Santa Fe Avenue, we made that decision to protect the citizens of Grants,” says Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte.
She says a New Mexico State Police officer was shot at while making a traffic stop. The officer walked away uninjured, but this was too much for the chief.
“We’ve had three different incidents where law enforcement was shot at. One was May of 2025, the other one was August of 2025, and then the recent event of December 8 of 2025,” says Monte.
It’s not a risk the chief wants to take, and points out people would be standing exactly where the last shooting happened.
“We have a lot of citizens that attend our parade, and our main concern was that they were out in the open in the middle of the night, and in the same area that our latest shooting took place.”
Grant residents will be able to see the floats during the day on Saturday. But even some daylight isn’t convincing some residents.
“I’ll be staying home,” said Amy Brigdon. “There’s too many people in the world that want to see bad things happen to other people. I’m not one of them.”
Police still don’t have a suspect for this week’s attempted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with the Grants Police Department.
New Mexico
Colorado wolf rereleased in Grand County after crossing into New Mexico
Colorado Parks and Wildlife rereleased a wolf into Grand County this week after it had traveled into New Mexico, according to a news release.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish captured gray wolf 2403 and returned the animal to Colorado.
Colorado wildlife officials decided to release the wolf in Grand County yesterday because of the proximity to “an unpaired female gray wolf,” nearby prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the release.
“Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts,” said acting director of CPW Laura Clellan, according to the release.
The wolf was once a member of the Copper Creek pack but departed from it this fall.
A memorandum of understanding between Colorado and Arizona, New Mexico and Utah requires that any gray wolves that leave Colorado and enter those states be returned. That was created in part to maintain the integrity of a Mexican wolf recovery program.
“We recognized during the planning process that we would need to have consideration and plans to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program, while also establishing a gray wolf population in Colorado,” said CPW’s Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell, according to the release.
New Mexico
New Mexico man sentenced to nearly 20 years for distributing meth
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A judge sentenced a New Mexico man to nearly 20 years in prison for distributing meth and having guns in his possession to use while doing so.
Court records indicate 43-year-old David Amaya sold meth from a trailer on his parents’ property in Anthony throughout July and August 2024. Agents executed a search warrant Aug. 22 and found 1.18 kilograms of meth, two firearms and ammunition in the trailer and a makeshift bathroom.
Amaya pleaded guilty to possession of meth with intent to distribute it. A judge sentenced him to 235 months in prison.
Once he is out, Amaya will face five years of supervised release.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted it.
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