NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Very windy weather is the big weather story this morning in the Land of Enchantment, but the Four Corners communities, accompanied with some fast-moving passing clouds with the less pesky westerly winds than the Northeast Highlands, are still experiencing some snow, as with the westerly winds mixing the air around before two fronts move completely through, morning low temperatures are much higher compared to yesterday morning, mostly above freezing for most, starting off in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s from northwest to southeast in lower elevation.

Afternoon temperatures will be mostly higher than yesterday in southern areas, except for the northern two-thirds of the region because of chilly rain activity moving southeast with mountain snow following suit while piling up. Cold front number one, the Pacific Front from the Northwest that’s responsible for the damaging down-sloping westerly winds causing power outages along the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, will pick up to the southeast, with the movement of the first front dropping afternoon temperatures with strong-enough winds for more-widespread blowing dust and some blowing snow in the higher terrain with the elevated fire risk, also because of the still low humidity south of the precipitation field. Then, cold front number two, a backdoor front from the northeast, the tail-end of the departing storm system moving eastward, will bring in a reinforcing shot of colder air, pushing the precipitation field even farther to the southeast in the south-central higher elevations especially.

As the Jet Stream to the north moves southward in the northern tier of the region, more clouds with chilly rain showers in the valley floors, as well as some heavier mountain snow, will ensue today before Thanksgiving, as colder air with even lower humidity will return will much lighter winds.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Cars without drivers are making their way to New Mexico roads. But some advocates want to ensure people are safe.

“None of us are against the driverless ‘tech’; we just want to make sure it’s done right,” said Mike Sievers, a local attorney with experience in motor vehicle safety.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, there have been 130 crashes from 2021 to 2022 involving driverless cars. In 2021, New Mexico lawmakers passed a statute allowing self-driving vehicles to be tested on public roads, but with few requirements. One of those requirements is letting the NMDOT know about the testing just five days beforehand. Advocates told lawmakers they’d like to see a new bill passed with more teeth to it.

“There’s no doubt that that technology will advance someday, but as of right now, that technology isn’t at a point to where it’s safe for New Mexico highways,” they told lawmakers.

Some companies like Torc Robotics in Albuquerque are testing self-driving semi trucks on I-40 and I-25. Advocates want stronger regulation to include having a human on board to monitor the self-driving technology, requiring proof of risk minimization to the public, and the submission of safety data to the state. However, some are still skeptical about that data.

“Some of the data that these companies are going to present aren’t necessarily accurate to the fact of the real-world situation,” said one advocate. “They test these on sunny days; they don’t test them during snowstorms.”

Advocates also touched on the impact the growth of autonomous vehicles can have on the New Mexico workforce. “The job impact for this state, this is a poor state, and these are high-paying jobs,” said Tracy McCarty, a former long-haul driver whose family also owned a local trucking company here.

They also suggested lawmakers create separate legislation to support the changes in the workforce. They suggested creating a workforce recovery fund that would provide financial support and job training opportunities to workers who lose their jobs to driverless vehicles. They also suggest creating a driver displacement severance clause requiring companies to provide resources for displaced workers due to the changing technology.

“These are jobs that cover families with insurance, and just a standard of living, a lot of people in this state don’t have pensions for life. These are things the state can’t afford to lose,” said McCarty.

A New Mexico-based credit union is bulking up in its home town, acquiring two branches from the $20.3 billion-asset Mountain America Credit Union in Sandy, Utah. 

Members of Mountain America’s two branches in Albuquerque, New Mexico, approved the transaction earlier this month, paving the way for their acquisition by Sunward Credit Union. Expected to close early next year, the deal will result in Mountain America’s exit from New Mexico. No terms were disclosed. 

Mountain West said in a press release it entered into the agreement with Sunward to focus on other geographies. Mountain West operates more than 100 branches in Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho. A spokesperson had not responded to a request for comment at deadline. 

For the $4.2 billion-asset Sunward, founded in 1948 by employees of Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque is a core market. Sunward’s presence includes its headquarters and six other branches. “This addition will strengthen our position and ability to deliver on our goal of making banking better in the Southwest, and in New Mexico specifically,” Sunward CEO Steph Sherrodd said in a press release. 

Albuquerque credit unions have been active acquirers in 2024. The most prominent deals, however, involved banks. In March, the $4.9 billion-asset Nusenda Credit Union completed a deal to acquire the $327 million-asset Western Heritage Bank in Las Cruces. In August, the $1.5 billion-asset U.S. Eagle Credit Union said it planned to acquire the $475 million-asset, Albuquerque-based Southwest Capital Bank. No terms were announced in either instance. 

Branch sales between credit unions are relatively infrequent events, with about five taking place in any given year, Michael Bell, a partner with the Honigman law firm who specializes in credit union deals, said Tuesday in an interview. Like Mountain America’s agreement with Sunward, most involve one institution seeking to “right-size its footprint,” Bell said. 

While credit union branch deals typically involve cash consideration for property, as well as a deposit premium, “I do believe there is an altruistic motive as well,” with sellers often concluding the buyers can better serve their members, Bell said. 

Bell expects branch sales to occur more frequently, with credit unions that have shifted from  employment-based fields of membership to ones that are geographically-oriented moving to exit markets that made sense once but are now distant from the core service area. 

“Many credit unions do have odd footprints based on their historical genesis,” Bell said.

Sunward underwent a name change, from Sandia Laboratories Federal Credit Union, earlier this month.