New Mexico

NM governor shares draft proposal for forced mental health treatment • Source New Mexico

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2024

NM governor shares draft proposal for forced mental health treatment • Source New Mexico

More details are emerging about the changes to state law being proposed by New Mexico’s governor for a special legislative session planned in July.

Two high-ranking members of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s staff discussed five legislative proposals with a panel of lawmakers from the House of Representative and the Senate on Wednesday afternoon.

“What the governor is looking to do with the bills I’m going to discuss, first, is to really take some small, necessary steps to really help those people who are either an extreme danger to themselves, or an extreme danger to others,” the governor’s general counsel Holly Agajanian said.

Agajanian and Benjamin Baker, the governor’s senior public safety advisor, presented the discussion drafts to the legislative Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee.

The final proposals could significantly change between now and when the special session begins on July 18 in Santa Fe.

One of the proposals would require judges to advise a local district attorney in New Mexico to consider starting the process of involuntary commitment in a locked mental health facility.

Under the nine-page draft shared with the committee, the court could confine someone for up to a week whenever they determine that person is not competent to participate in their own legal defense, they aren’t dangerous, and the judge dismisses the criminal case.

The draft also proposes that if any of the criminal charges are a serious violent offense, or involve a gun, or if the defendant has been found incompetent to stand trial at least twice in the past year, a judge could put that person into a locked mental health facility for up to a week.

Agajanian said the draft bill is trying to solve the problem of cases getting dismissed due to defendants being incompetent to stand trial.

“You have certain people who cycle through, and through, and through, who are very likely either going to get worse and harm themselves in one way or another, or harm someone else,” she said.

The proposed changes to the state law are meant to allow for the assessment of those people “to see whether or not they do need to be committed for separate mental health treatment,” she said.

“Because obviously there is something going on, and the crimes they’re committing aren’t violent enough or dangerous enough to keep them in a facility until they can establish competency,” Agajanian said.

Another related proposal would change the legal definitions of “harm to self” and “harm to others” in the state law that governs commitment in a locked mental health facility.

Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Albuquerque) said she read the proposed definitions and thought, “Boy, this would apply to half the legislators I know.”

“This is really, really broad language,” she said. “It’s going to sweep up so many people who I don’t think it would be appropriate for them to get swept up in this.”

Duhigg asked about the meaning of the term “extreme destruction of property” used in the draft, and pointed out it doesn’t specify property of others.

Agajanian said “that’s a great distinction that we could certainly add.”

“Historically, this language is meant to pull in people like arsonists,” Agajanian said. “You could set your own house on fire. Narrowing it to the destruction of property of another might fix one problem and cause another, but I’m certainly open to conversation about that.”

Winter Torres, CEO and founder of the New Mexico Eviction Prevention and Diversion Program, attended most of Wednesday’s hearing in person and gave public comment at the end of the day.

“I don’t think this session is about public safety, I think it’s about criminalizing homelessness,” Torres said. “That is the primary target of the majority of the bills that are introduced.”

There hasn’t been community interaction or public consultation about that, Torres said.

“We know the answer to folks who churn: it’s permanent supportive housing,” she said. “We know what the evidence is: we know criminalizing doesn’t work.”

Instead, state officials should be using Medicaid funding to pay for housing, she said.

“Housing is a primary social determinant of health, and locking folks up is not a treatment modality,” she said.

Peter Cubra, a retired attorney who helped dismantle the state-run institutions that held people with developmental disabilities in New Mexico, also gave public comment via Zoom. He asked the committee to “please slow this down.”

“What I heard today, in terms of changing the entire civil commitment statute, is more controversial and more impactful than things we have spent literally eight sessions trying to sort out with respect to forced treatment,” Cubra said. “It really would disserve every person with a disability in New Mexico for you to act, under these circumstances, so swiftly.”

In addition to harming people with disabilities who aren’t eagerly seeking treatment, if lawmakers were to enact the administration’s proposal, “there are hundreds of people begging for treatment who would not have access to the beds that they’re begging to get into.”

“Instead, we would be holding people against their will in a form of involuntary treatment which is almost never effective,” Cubra said. “Please slow this down and let the regular session address these issues.”

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New Mexico

Flooding threat looms over New Mexico burn scar areas

Published

38 mins ago

June 29, 2024

Press Room

Flooding threat looms over New Mexico burn scar areas

New evacuations were ordered Saturday with the possibility of flooding near the burn scar.

RUIDOSO, N.M. – New evacuations were ordered Saturday with the possibility of flooding near New Mexico burn scars.

Ruidoso Emergency Management has issued a critical evacuation notice for the Upper Canyon Area due to the heightened risk of unstable soil conditions and life-threatening floodwaters. Residents and visitors are urged to seek higher ground immediately.

Video showed flooding near Ruidoso, near the Gavilan Canyon Softball Field. Video also showed a steady stream of black sludge making its way through town.

Two years later, and communities in that part of the state are still dealing with the fallout of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak burn scar. It was already hit hard by floodwaters last weekend.

Sandbags are being handed out in preparation for more monsoon storms.

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New Mexico

8 of the Most Walkable Towns in New Mexico

Published

8 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Press Room

8 of the Most Walkable Towns in New Mexico

It might be easier to picture a tourist on horseback than one simply walking through wild and wide New Mexico. However, protruding from its deserts and mashed into its mountains are cozy communities that are certifiably walkable. Their stroll-worthy spectacles range from an ancient Indigenous pueblo or a historic opera house to a macabre spa and a Wild West-style jail. See where to find these features and how to get to them on foot in the Land of Enchantment.

Las Vegas

The historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Image credit Underawesternsky via Shutterstock.com

The other walkable Vegas, Las Vegas, New Mexico, pleases pedestrians not with casinos and resorts but antique stores and colonial abodes. The former sites can be reached in the Old Town, Las Vegas Plaza and Bridge Street Historic Districts, while the latter sites populate El Distrito de Las Escuelas.

Those districts plus three others are explorable via the Historic Walking Tour, whose online guidebook describes the history of the districts and their contributing buildings, such as Our Lady of Sorrows Church (a sandstone Catholic church built circa 1852 to replace the old church, whose adobe nave still stands) and the Rheua Pearce Houses (adobe rowhomes built circa 1846 and later inhabited by the titular town icon). As a bonus, many of the structures on the tour house modern businesses. Catch a new release at the Indigo Theatre in an architectural relic of pre-statehood New Mexico.

Silver City

As a place alternately occupied by Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonists, and modern Americans, Silver City has an array of landmarks that can be explored on foot. A perfect starting point is the Murray Ryan Visitor Center, which provides brochures for self-guided tours of downtown murals and historic sites.

While touring, guests can rehydrate at the Jalisco Cafe or refuel at the Corner Kitchen. Then, although it is about 45 miles away, many head to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a walkable wonderland of ancient Indigenous dwellings. Self-guided tours are offered year-round, while guided tours are available in spring, summer, and fall.

Taos

Another New Mexico community steeped in diverse history, Taos offers an array of tours by car, trolley, raft, and foot. These include Historic Taos Trolley Tours, Creative Soul Scavenger Hunts, Moonfire Tours, the Ghost Tour of Taos, and Historic Taos: A Self-Guided Walking Tour, the last of which takes pedestrians to 22 different landmarks from the Taos Plaza to the Victor Higgins House.

Like Silver City, Taos is home to an ancient Indigenous village. Unlike Silver City, Taos’s pueblo is still occupied and has been for several hundred years. Despite its continuous habitation, the Taos Pueblo hosts guided walking tours that start at 9:00 AM and run every 20 to 30 minutes until roughly 4:00 PM.

Socorro

Socorro is a city of about 8,700 people in the Rio Grande Valley, about 75 miles south of the largest city in the state, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although grande in scenery, Socorro proper is intimate enough to offer a walking tour of dozens of historic sites. The City of Socorro Historic Walking Tour divides Socorro into three districts.

Highlights include the Garcia Opera House (c. 1886) in the San Miguel Church District, the Captain Michael Cooney House (c. 1889) in the Church-McCutcheon District, and the Loma Cinema building (c. 1885) in the Kittrel Park-Manzanares District.

Magdalena

Located just 27 miles west of Socorro, Magdalena is a much smaller community with an equally rich history. Among the sites to explore in mini Magdalena are the Santa Fe Depot, which was built circa 1915 as a train station and is now paired with the Box Car Museum as a historic attraction; Bank of Magdalena, which was erected in the early 20th century and recently served coffee and ice cream as Evett’s Cafe; and Old Jail House, which detained Magdalena’s “rowdies” in a rowdier era.

You can jump from the past to the future by visiting the Very Large Array, a sprawling outdoor astronomy observatory situated west of town. Guided and self-guided walking tours of the 27 82-foot radio telescopes are available year-round, weather permitting.

Aztec

Let the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village be your starting point for a tremendous tour of this northwestern New Mexico community. The museum offers sights of the Old City Hall since it is housed in the same building, and booklets for Historic Aztec Self-Guided Walking & Biking Tours, which take you to the Jarvis Hotel, Aztec Theater, and a number of other landmarks.

But you cannot end your tour of Aztec without visiting its namesake Aztec Ruins National Monument, a preserve of Ancestral Puebloan structures once misattributed to the Aztecs. Tours are mostly self-guided and cover a three-story, half-mile area for typically one to two hours.

Deming

For a New Mexico community, Deming has a rather large population of nearly 15,000. Yet Deming began with a quaint and walkable downtown that was well-preserved in the modern age. Many of its oldest buildings, such as the Luna County Courthouse and Seaman Field House, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and can be seen during the Historic Downtown Walking Tour.

This tour begins at the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and passes more than a dozen landmarks before ending at the courthouse. If you get tired during your trip, stop for refreshment at Sounds Good Café or nourishment at Irma’s Restaurant.

Truth or Consequences

Truth or Consequences is an apt name for a city that gives truth-bending tours with tales of historical consequences. “Salacious stories about prostitution, Apache attacks, crimes, and ghosts” accompany Macabre Tours of Truth or Consequences, hosted by a local folklorist inside the Hot Springs Bathhouse and Commercial Historic District. Truth or Consequences was built on hot springs and was called Hot Springs until a contest held by the radio show Truth or Consequences permanently altered its identity. T-or-C is still fueled by the springs, which funnel through supposedly haunted spas.

If you would rather not mix spooks with soaks, you can forge a cozier path in town. Test the warm waters of the Riverbend Hot Springs, Fire Water Lodge, and/or Blackstone Hotsprings, along with the warm food of the Sidekixx Bar & Kitchen and the Pacific Grill.

Pedestrian-friendly but not pedestrian in style, Las Vegas, Silver City, Taos, Socorro, Magdalena, Aztec, Deming, and Truth or Consequences have glorious landmarks that can be visited on foot. Whether it is a Spanish Colonial church or an Ancestral Puebloan village or a futuristic observatory, you do not need a vehicle to enjoy such small-town New Mexico wonders. There are also several nearby must-visit attractions you may need wheels to get to, but shoes will suffice when exploring these walkable towns.

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New Mexico

Animal Humane of New Mexico opening pet resource center and closing dog boarding center

Published

15 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Press Room

Animal Humane of New Mexico opening pet resource center and closing dog boarding center

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Animal Humane New Mexico announced they are shifting their focus to open a pet resource center and closing their dog boarding school. Animal Humane’s Board of Directors said they voted unanimously to reimagine the boarding center to better support pet owners and pets who are at risk of being surrendered.

Officials said the center will expand current services like the pet food pantry, behavior helpline, and pet health training. “We are here to serve the people and save pets… and that’s what Animal Humane’s mission of making sure we’re improving the lives of New Mexico’s cats and dogs, and that’s what we are trying to honor with this new shift in focus,” said Executive Director Val Wilson, Animal Humane of New Mexico.

The final day of doggie daycare will be July 31.

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