New Mexico

New Mexico mother forced to Texas for son’s treatment

Published

2 months ago

January 31, 2026

New Mexico mother forced to Texas for son’s treatment

A Portales mother shares her son’s medical journey, highlighting the challenges of healthcare in rural New Mexico.

PORTALES, N.M. – A Portales mother shares her son’s medical journey, highlighting the challenges of healthcare in rural New Mexico.

In April 2025, April Fleming took her son Owen to Roosevelt General Hospital after he collapsed during a baseball game. Despite a negative test, doctors diagnosed him with strep throat.

“He is bouncing off the walls he’s so hyper, and he’s a sweetheart,” said April Fleming.

When Owen couldn’t turn his head, April questioned the diagnosis and sought a second opinion. Another doctor suggested it might be meningitis.

“In the emergency room, they tell me that they’re going to do a spinal tap on him, which is how they test for meningitis. They ended up not doing that, and they just did another swab test on him,” said April.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics for adenovirus, rhinovirus, and strep. Despite treatment, Owen’s condition worsened, and a lump on his neck grew.

“Fast forward another day. Owen is still getting more sick. Now he can’t walk, he will not eat, he will not drink, and he now has a, the lump is even bigger on his neck,” said April.

April took Owen to the Clovis ER, where her concerns were dismissed again.

“The Clovis doctor told me, ‘I think that you care a lot about your son, but I think that you are a young, paranoid mom who just needs to take a breath,’” said April.

Desperate, April drove Owen to Lubbock, Texas, through a hailstorm as his condition continued to deteriorate.

“He went unconscious. And it’s really hard for me to talk about it, because it was, it was hard to watch his body attack itself and not be able to do anything,” said April.

Six specialists worked to find answers as the abscess on Owen’s neck caused spinal misalignment.

“They were telling me that I should probably start preparing myself, because they didn’t know what was going on and why he kept getting worse,” said April.

Finally, Owen was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease.

“He was able to get the IVIG treatment. And then within 45 minutes, his fever broke, and his rash on his body went away, and his eyes cleared up, and he was able to sit up. It was just, it was like a miracle cure,” said April.

Owen is now 4 years old and doing well. April emphasized the need for accountability and resources in New Mexico’s healthcare system to prevent similar situations.

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New Mexico

Gas prices rose this week in New Mexico. Here’s why

Published

7 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Gas prices rose this week in New Mexico. Here’s why

Regional gas prices rose for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $3.60 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week’s price of $3.41 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Gas prices are jumping around because traders are trying to price in how long the Iran war will disrupt oil flows from the Middle East, on top of the usual spring run‑up in demand as driving season approaches. Markets are baking in higher risk and “additional volatility” but not a long-term shutdown, and prices could retreat if it becomes clear the tensions are short-lived, petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said.

Analysts say another 20 to 30 cents a gallon is still likely in the weeks ahead.

The average fuel price in the Gulf Coast region rose about 107 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the region in the last year have been as low as $2.37 on Jan. 5, 2026, and as high as $3.60 on March 23, 2026.

A year ago, the average gas price in the Gulf Coast region was 31% lower at $2.74 per gallon.

>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at data.lcsun-news.com.

The average gas price in the United States last week was $3.96, making prices in the Gulf Coast region about 9.0% lower than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is higher than last week’s average of $3.72 per gallon.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s tally of prices in the Gulf Coast states includes Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu.

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New Mexico

Grass fire burning thousands of acres in Quay County

Published

20 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Grass fire burning thousands of acres in Quay County

QUAY COUNTY, N.M. – A grass fire has burned an estimated 1,000-2,000 acres near San Jon in Quay County.

Emergency crews say the Old 66 Fire is threatening structures, and remains 0% contained.

The New Mexico Forestry Division said crews discovered the fire at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 27 east of San Jon, north of Interstate 40 in Quay County.

Smoke is visible from Interstate 40 and surrounding areas.

The fire is on private land and the cause remains under investigation.

State Road 469 is closed at Main Avenue. Officials said local residents should use caution and avoid the area.

Structures threatened include a wind farm to the southwest.

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