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Mediation starts in Rio Grande legal fight  among New Mexico, Texas and Colorado  • Source New Mexico

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Mediation starts in Rio Grande legal fight  among New Mexico, Texas and Colorado  • Source New Mexico


A new chapter in the decade-long lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court over Rio Grande water is set to begin.

After a close, 5-4 ruling from the Supreme Court dashed a proposed deal to end the litigation, the federal government and states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas have been ordered back to mediation, which begins Tuesday in Washington D.C.

In addition to the parties, there will be attorneys for groups including farming interests, the cities of Albuquerque and Las Cruces, water utilities and irrigation districts, joining the talks.

In 2013, Texas sued New Mexico, alleging that groundwater pumping in southern New Mexico diverted water out of the Rio Grande owed to Texas violating the 86-year old agreement called the Rio Grande Compact. Signed in 1938, the compact divided use of the Rio Grande between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

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Only the Supreme Court has the power to rule on disputes between states.

A dispute over baselines for groundwater

One of the core disagreements between the federal government and the three states is determining how much groundwater pumping needs to be cut along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico. In the arid region, water is crucial for growing crops like chile and pecans, and both groundwater and water from the Rio Grande are used for irrigation.

In the rejected settlement agreement, the states requested a baseline adjusted to more groundwater pumping and drought conditions determined by an equation called the “D2 curve.”

The D2 curve was used as part of a 2008 settlement ending a fight between the irrigation districts and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation over drought concerns.

Alternately, the federal government has previously asked for the states to adopt restrictions from when the compact was first signed.

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The states will continue to argue for the D2 curve baseline, said James Grayson, the chief deputy for the New Mexico Department of Justice.

“In 1938, there was essentially no groundwater being used, and so the United States is essentially advocating to go back to that time and that way of using only surface water,” Grayson said.

The City of Las Cruces and the New Mexico Attorney General have urged federal officials in recent months to make a deal with the states before the start of Donald Trump’s presidency in January and compromise on its position to drastically limit groundwater pumping in southern New Mexico.

New Mexico’s congressional delegation asks feds to wrap up Rio Grande lawsuit

In a Nov. 14 letter, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, appealed to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Halaand to drop the objections.

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“Time is running out,” Torrez wrote. “And I am pleading with you to resolve this issue for the benefit of all parties, but especially for the people of southern New Mexico, rather than leaving the matter to become a political bargaining chip for the next administration.”

In an October letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the City of Las Cruces stated that cutting pumping to a 1938 level would reduce the city’s groundwater use by 93%.

This action “would cripple farmers, families and communities in southern New Mexico,” and would require the state’s second-largest city to find a new source of water, requiring a $1 billion investment and take about 15 years to put into place.

In 2023 testimony before lawmakers, state officials said New Mexico would need to cut groundwater use in southern New Mexico by at least 17,000 acre-feet to meet the deal set by the D2 curve baseline, by reducing pecan and chile fields. If the 1938 standard was required, cuts would need to be in the hundreds of thousands of acre-feet.

How we got here

The contours of the dispute have changed since the case was first brought in 2013. Drought conditions in the early 2000s sparked a protracted series of water lawsuits in lower courts between the federal government, states, cities and counties and irrigation districts along the Rio Grande.

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In 2019, the high court unanimously allowed the U.S. federal government to intervene as a party in the case, arguing that a series of federal dams, irrigation canals and ditches were threatened by New Mexico’s groundwater pumping. That federal infrastructure is used to deliver Rio Grande water to Mexico under a 1906 treaty and also meets agreements with two regional irrigation districts.

While the federal government initially sided with Texas in the lawsuit, a series of compromises eventually put the states in one camp and the federal government (and the regional irrigation districts) in another.

Colorado, New Mexico and Texas came to an eleventh-hour settlement in 2022, but the federal government objected and said that the deal couldn’t be made without their agreement.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the federal government’s objections, rejecting the proposed deal.

Earlier this year, justices appointed a new special master, who oversees the progress of the case.

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After an October hearing, Judge D. Brooks Smith ordered the parties into mediation, which starts Tuesday and will end Thursday, but could continue to be extended. If mediation talks break down entirely, the parties will resume going to trial.



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New Mexico

Woman arrested, accused of throwing knife and harassing neighbors

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Woman arrested, accused of throwing knife and harassing neighbors


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Southwest Albuquerque neighbors claim a woman targeted them for at least a year, throwing items into their yard, and leading one family to spend more than $1,000 on security.

Neighbors said they kept contacting Albuquerque police, the city and the state after the most recent encounter left a father with a cut on his face. They said Sunday’s arrest helped some, but they still do not feel safe.

Richard and Lindsey Boldin said they have dealt with harassment from Andrea Padilla-Garcia for at least a year. They said she has thrown broken glass, frozen food, a MacBook, metal poles and wood over their fence and dumped nail polish on it.

They said the incident with the glass resulted in a cut to Richard’s face.

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“She can’t come back to where she lives. I won’t feel safe. There’s no way,” Lindsey Boldin said.

The Boldins said they spent more than a thousand dollars on security cameras, motion-sensor lights and other steps to protect their property. They also blocked the view into their yard, but said they still do not feel safe.

“It hurts the whole family. We’ve got to watch animals going outside. We have to watch when we go outside. You know, when can we go outside?” Richard Boldin said. “She kept coming to the fence and attacking the fence and shaking it and yelling at the fence at the children, you know, giving them inappropriate, you know, telling them inappropriate things.”

Neighbor Lawrence Lovato said he has lived in the neighborhood for about a year and what he has seen stands out from anything he has experienced before. He said he has called police multiple times.

“Never in my life have I have I seen something as horrible that I’ve seen here,” Lawrence Lovato said.

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Lovato said he worries about his own safety and his daughter’s safety. Neighbors said they plan to keep looking out for one another and hope the latest arrest leads to help for Padilla-Garcia. She remains in jail and faced charges of battery and aggravated assault.



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Retirement reality check: Is it too late to start saving?

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Retirement reality check: Is it too late to start saving?


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Americans now say they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably, up $200,000 from last year, according to a study discussed by Oakmont Advisory Group.

David Hicks of Oakmont Advisory Group said the number can feel overwhelming, but he said people should focus on starting and adjusting a plan instead of panicking.

“The average retiree actually has less than $300,000 saved for retirement, so that’s about a $1 million gap there,” Hicks said.

Hicks said the $1.46 million figure reflects what people think they need, but he said retirement planning depends on each person’s savings, income and timeline.

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He said longer life spans now mean many people need to plan for 20, 25 or even 30 years in retirement.

“When you start saving when you’re younger, it makes a lot of difference in the future,” Hicks said.

Hicks said 57% of people do not start saving until after age 30, and he said about a third do not start until their 40s.

Hicks pointed to Fidelity benchmarks that suggest workers should aim to save one times their salary in their 30s, three times in their 40s, six times in their 50s and 10 times by retirement.

“Don’t wait another year. Don’t wait another month. Just start that process of saving,” Hicks said.

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Hicks also said the study found people who work with a financial adviser improve their chances of retirement success by about 50% and report more confidence about their plans.



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Stables at Tamaya kick-off annual rodeo season featuring rescue horses

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Stables at Tamaya kick-off annual rodeo season featuring rescue horses


NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A New Mexico rodeo tradition is changing lives one horse at a time. For years, the Stables at Tamaya have kept old western traditions alive at Santa Ana Pueblo, and they’re also giving dozens of rescue horses a second chance at life.

Every Thursday night under the stable lights at Tamaya, folks from all over gather for a one-of-a-kind rodeo.

Head Wrangler at the Stables at Tamaya, Dominic Duran says, “Our rodeos are so special because they really show the growth of all of our horses out here.”

From team roping to barrel racing and steer stopping the stunts are all performed by none other than rescue horses. “The main thing to know is it’s not a regular rodeo. It’s not about the competition. It’s about the growth of the horses,” explained founder and owner of Tamaya Horse Rehab Connie Collis.

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Collis founded Tamaya Horse Rehab 14 years ago, saving horses from across the state and country, providing them with much-needed TLC to get them back on their hooves.

“These horses are all rescued from various situations. We have a lot of owner surrenders. We have horses that we get through the livestock board, neglect cases, abuse cases, as well as some Mustangs,” explained Duran.

The rodeo started shortly after the horse rehabilitation program was launched to generate funding to pay for everything from the alfalfa they eat, to the costly treatments for the dozens of horses in their care.

“Our goal is to make them the best versions of themselves. And so when we take them in, we want to analyze what we have and our goal is to get them as far as we can,” emphasized head wrangler Duran. “Horses are just like people. They need a job and they start to love what they do, just like we do out here.”

Duran says every horse has a different story and journey, but over the years, they’ve helped hundreds, offering them a full and enriching life through riding and activities like the rodeo.

“It is an amazing journey to get one, especially a skinny one or one that has really bad behavioral problems, and turn it around,” shared Collis.

Collis says the rodeo has grown in size every year and has quickly become a beloved tradition at the stables and across the equestrian community, becoming one of their larger fundraisers throughout the year. And with 126 horses in their care right now, they hope more people will make their way out to the stables this summer.

“Whether you’ve been here one time or 10 times, you should definitely come on out and come love on your favorite horses and see what progress they made over the last couple years,” said Duran.

The Stables at Tamaya will continue to run their rodeo season every Thursday from 7 to 9 through the third week of August.

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