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Interior Secretary Haaland announces $60 million to help water conservation along the Rio Grande • Source New Mexico

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Interior Secretary Haaland announces  million to help water conservation along the Rio Grande • Source New Mexico


On Friday Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, announced a $60 million investment from the Biden administration for water conservation and drought resilience along the Rio Grande.

The federal funding will improve water protections in the lower Rio Grande Basin between Elephant Butte and El Paso, which has had issues with water loss and legal battles in recent years.

The $60 million that the Bureau of Reclamation has invested is a part of the $500 million dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act for water management outside the Colorado River Basin.

Haaland said the bureau will work through existing agreements with local irrigation districts on projects that have the potential to save millions of gallons of water per year.

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U.S. Supreme Court questions both positions in Rio Grande water case

“When drought conditions like this strike, we know it doesn’t just impact one community. It affects all of us,” she said. “We all have a role and an obligation to use water wisely, manage our resources with every community in mind, work collaboratively and respect each other during this challenging time.”

Rebecca Roose, Infrastructure advisor for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, said a recently published Water Action Plan predicts over the next 50 years New Mexico will have 25% less water than today.

“How are we going to ensure that our cultural resources and our cultural opportunities, that families are able to thrive, that we have a vibrant economy that meets the needs of our state,” she said.

The additional funds will go towards infrastructure repairs to improve water supplies and water delivery systems around the region. They will also help build increased storage for existing dams and stormwater capture systems.

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This water will be used to revitalize aquifers, reduce irrigation demands and improve wildlife habitat for endangered species.

The Rio Grande provides water for agricultural food production and drinking water to New Mexico and Texas. The 23-year drought has plagued the region with record low water levels throughout the basin.

Haaland said additional funding for other basins will be announced later this summer or fall.

Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation. KUNM first republished this article. It is republished here with permission.

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Grants cancels Christmas parade due to shootings

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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.

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“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.”

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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.



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Colorado wolf rereleased in Grand County after crossing into New Mexico

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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.

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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.



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New Mexico man sentenced to nearly 20 years for distributing meth

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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.

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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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