New Mexico

Pressure mounting for Lujan Grisham to cancel special session of New Mexico Legislature – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Published

2 years ago

July 10, 2024

Pressure mounting for Lujan Grisham to cancel special session of New Mexico Legislature – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus

A coalition of mental health groups sided with Republicans in opposing policy proposals by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a special session the governor planned for July 18.

The governor announced the session earlier this year as targeting “public safety” on the heels of the 2024 Legislative Session where several public safety bills failed to materialize by the February end date.

Two Democrat-backed gun bills passed both chambers after amendedments through negotiations with Republican lawmakers. Lawmakers passed a bill to institute a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases after shortening the period from 14 days and adding an exemption for concealed carry holders. Lawmakers also added the exemption to another bill to ban firearms at polling places before it passed.

GOP members were likely to strongly oppose any additional gun bills from Democrats during the special session, instead calling for tightened border security measures and enhanced crime penalties. Rep. Jim Townsend (R-55) of Artesia suggested a bill to fund businesses damaged by the South Fork and Salt fires in Ruidoso by. Lawmakers did not introduce such as bill as of Tuesday.

What did Republicans propose?

Ahead of the session, Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-32) announced a bill to increase penalties for looting, specifically from homes and businesses evacuated in areas where an emergency declaration is in place, as with the fires in Ruidoso.

The GOP also proposed expanding the list of crimes prosecuted under the state’s Racketeering Act to include human sex trafficking and “sexual exploitation of children.”

Lawmakers will “improve public safety” if the governor deems the GOP’s proposals germane, said Rep. Larry Scot (R-62). He also supported New Mexico tapping into a camera system at the U.S.-Mexico border already put in place by the State of Arizona,

“I’m not as optimistic about the governor’s bills,” Scott said. “If the GOP’s bills are deemed not germane, it will be a waste of time.”

Mental health groups want session halted

Despite the plans announced by legislators in the months ahead of the session, the ACLU and 40 other groups and nonprofits argued in a June 9 letter to Lujan Grisham that calling the session in less than two weeks would not allow enough time to develop policies adequately addressing New Mexico’s mental health issues.

The groups expressed concerns for several of the governor’s announced priorities for the session, including civil commitment legislation that would broaden the definition of “harm to self” or “harm to others,” effectively making it easier for the state to commit people to mental institutions or incarcerate repeat offenders for longer, the letter read.

Competency legislation could require involuntary commitment for those with mental health problems in criminal court, which the groups argued would remove authority from prosecutors and the courts themselves to make such decisions on a “case by case basis.”

And legislation framed as improving “median safety” could increase penalties to people who are unhoused, but would not address issues of homelessness in New Mexico, the letter read, or “meaningfully” mitigate danger to pedestrians. Such a bill could also lead to more criminal records and debt for the unhoused, read the letter, adding obstacles to them seeking work or shelter.

“As organizations who work for and with individuals and communities most impacted by these struggles, we share the urgent desire to bring these solutions to bear,” the letter read. “However, with less than two weeks to go before session is slated to begin and an obvious lack of consensus between lawmakers on the (continually shifting) legislative proposals, there is simply no way to achieve the solutions New Mexicans deserve.”

Scott said the state lacked the facilities and staff to hold repeat offenders or those with mental illness “against their will.”

“You order them into treatment, and what happens then?” Scott said. “What we are talking about is a statewide mental health hospital system. Absent a more comprehensive plan, we aren’t going to make any progress.”

Calling off session ‘not an option,’ governor says

Lujan Grisham said lawmakers needed the special session to add to public safety legislation passed during the regular 30-day session, arguing it would allow lawmakers to approve bills to make the state “safer.”

“The special session in July will enable us to deliver additional statutory changes that reduce the danger and risk New Mexico communities face every day,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “The best proposals for making our state safer will be under consideration, and I welcome input from my colleagues in the legislature.”

Press Secretary Michael Coleman said Tuesday New Mexico’s criminal justice system was in need of the reforms proposed by the governor. He said the governor also asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would increase penalties for convicted felons possessing guns.

Coleman said the median safety bill would address New Mexico’s status as having the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the U.S., and another proposal would call on law enforcement to collect better crime data to inform state-wide strategies.

“While the governor appreciates input from mental health and social justice advocates, calling off the special session and doing nothing is not an option,” Coleman said. “The status quo is not working in New Mexico, and every day that the root causes of crime and other public safety challenges go unaddressed is another day that New Mexicans are placed at risk.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 734-972-6855, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Source link

New Mexico

New Mexico State women’s basketball’s 3 best March Madness moments

Published

3 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico State women’s basketball’s 3 best March Madness moments

New Mexico State’s women’s basketball team has entered a new era with the hiring of Adeniyi Amadou as its new coach. He’ll try to take the Aggies back to the NCAA Tournament, where they appeared multiple times in the 1980s and 2010s.

NM State has six NCAA Tournaments, four conference tournament championships (all won as part of the Western Athletic Conference) and eight regular-season conference championships to its name in women’s basketball. The Aggies have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament once in 1988, although that was when teams could receive first-round byes if they were a high enough seed (they were a No. 6 seed then and lost to Washington in their first NCAA Tournament game).

Let’s look back on some of those seasons. Here are the three best March Madness moments in NM State’s women’s basketball history:

First conference tournament win (2015)

NM State began its WAC dynasty in 2015.

The Aggies won their first-ever conference tournament in women’s basketball in the 2015 WAC Tournament. NM State was the regular-season conference champion and earned the No. 1 seed and a bye to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament as a result. The Aggies went 2-0 to secure a conference tournament championship.

Bolstered by 22 points from Sasha Weber and 16 rebounds from Brianna Freeman, NM State pulled out a 79-75 overtime win in the semifinals over Seattle. Another 20 points from Weber helped the Aggies win the WAC Tournament championship game 70-52 over UT-Pan American (which has since merged with UT-Brownsville to form UTRGV) and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. Freeman was named the WAC Tournament MVP.

Three in a row (2017)

The Aggies would then make it three consecutive WAC Tournament championships two years later.

NM State entered the 2017 WAC Tournament with a perfect 14-0 conference record, and it kept that unbeaten run going. The Aggies defeated UMKC (now referred to as Kansas City) 71-63 in the semifinals thanks to four players scoring in double figures, including Moriah Mack’s 21 points in 40 minutes of action. NM State then took down Seattle 63-48 in the championship game off the back of a double-double from Tamera William at 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Mack won the WAC Tournament MVP that year. She scored 18 points against the Redhawks in the championship game. It was the third and final WAC Tournament championship for then-coach Mark Trakh before he joined USC.

Resilience in overtime (2019)

Another regular-season conference championship wasn’t enough in 2018, as the Aggies lost to Seattle in the semifinals. But NM State got back on its perch in the WAC in the following year.

Guided by second-year coach Brooke Atkinson, the Aggies needed two overtime victories to win the 2019 WAC Tournament after defeating Chicago State in the quarterfinals (the WAC Tournament went from seven to eight teams starting in 2018, with no byes to the semifinals). The first one came in a 91-80 win over UMKC after NM State allowed just five points in overtime. The Aggies were forced into double overtime during the championship game against UTRGV, which ended with a 76-73 win.

Gia Pack scored 86 points across the WAC Tournament, including 36 against UMKC, to win the tournament’s MVP. Brooke Salas scored a team-high 29 points in the championship game.

Source link

New Mexico

‘Just incredibly creative’: Tinkertown near Albuquerque prepares for the season

Published

15 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

‘Just incredibly creative’: Tinkertown near Albuquerque prepares for the season

BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — Wood carvings, glass bottles, and other odds and ends help make up an art museum tucked away on Sandia Crest Road. It all started over 40 years ago with a man aiming to be as creative, as curious, and as open to experience as possible – Ross Ward.

“I often describe a walk through the museum as kind of walking through the head and the heart of my dad… You begin to understand that this person was very passionate, very curious, very excited, and just incredibly creative,” said Ross’s daughter, Tanya Ward Goodman. “And it inspired you to do the same.”

Tinkertown is an artist-built environment that first opened its doors in 1983. There you can find animated miniature figures, various artifacts from Ross’s travels, and thousands of glass bottles, among much more. The spot has been around for quite a bit now, but they’ve recently made an exciting new change that’s been in the works for years.

“We have turned the entire museum into a 501(c)(3),” said Tanya. “And our mission is to preserve and protect the work and the artistic legacy of Ross Ward and translate his vision into a rousing call to live a more creative and colorful life.” Tanya added that it “has always been a little bit of a self-sustaining enterprise… the fact that all proceeds already went into the operation and management of the museum, it really isn’t a huge leap for us.”

Their main goal as a non-profit? To ramp up art and writing workshops while encouraging rural collaboration between New Mexico artists. It’s also a way to potentially bring more helping hands to the museum.

“My dad died in 2002. He had early onset Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed at 57, and he died at 62. And my stepmother, Carla Ward, has been running the museum since his death, and she’s getting to a place where she would like to retire or take some steps back,” said Tanya. “I think she’ll always be involved because she loves it and it’s been such a deep labor of love on her part… We had been sort of exploring different options and thinking about how to keep the museum open while also having some sort of retirement for her, and we would need to bring in extra people.”

The change comes in time for Tinkertown’s 2026 season opening on Friday, April 3, with a grand opening celebration on Sunday, April 5 – Ross’s birthday. There will be live music, cake, book signings, and more. “I wrote a memoir called ‘Leaving Tinkertown’ that was published by the University of New Mexico Press,” said Tanya. “I will be signing books. University of New Mexico Press will sell that book. We have other books about Tinkertown. Other authors will be there.”

As for the 2026 season overall, Tinkertown hopes to see more familiar faces and new faces alike come through the doors. “People come from not only all over New Mexico and the rest of the U.S., but all over the world,” said Tanya. “We have a huge map and there are, by the end of the season, there are colored pins in almost every continent and country in the world… I think what I hope that they learn is just that if you have an idea and an interest that you can follow that and wonderful things will happen.”

You can learn more about Tinkertown on their website.

Source link

New Mexico

Warm weather around New Mexico for now, but stormier & cooler tomorrow

Published

1 day ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Warm weather around New Mexico for now, but stormier & cooler tomorrow

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Mostly mild air has started off across the region with morning temperatures being warmer than average. Clouds are passing through with moisture aloft coming in from the Pacific. Despite the drop in the jet stream compared to last week, the southwesterly flow with mostly dry surface conditions will lead to very mild air this afternoon before rain chances increase.

Air temperatures in the north are starting off from around the high 20s to the 40s, while elsewhere to the southwest, air temperatures are ranging from around the upper 30s to near 60°.

Many areas from eastern New Mexico to the Pecos River Valley area will range from the high 60s to around 90°, from north-northwest to south-southeast from high to low elevation. Southwesterly winds are set to go up, over, and down more of the northeast-sloped mountain faces out west will contribute to warm surface air and some gusty surface conditions. The northern higher elevations will mostly range from the upper 30s to the 50s, while the northern valley floors to western and central areas will mostly range from the 60s to the 80s.

More clouds will move in on top of the very mild surface conditions, leading to more isolated pockets of rainfall, as dry thunderstorms may spark up more fires. Stronger winds from the approaching system will elevate the fire threat even more tomorrow in southeastern areas. However, the drop in the jet stream will bring in better rain chances late today into the first half of tomorrow, with mountain peak snow, as well as colder air.

Source link