New Mexico

Teen agrees to plea deal in death of 13-year-old girl

Published

1 year ago

August 15, 2024

Teen agrees to plea deal in death of 13-year-old girl

Then 14-year-old Porfirio Brown is accused of shooting and killing a 13-year-old girl at his dad’s home last year in Questa. A key case in testing Bennie’s Law, it ended with a hung jury.

QUESTA, N.M. — The teen accused of shooting and killing a 13-year-old girl in Questa is expected to take a plea deal Thursday.

Then-14-year-old Porfirio Brown is accused of shooting and killing Amber Archuleta at his father’s home last year.

According to court documents, the shooting happened while Brown was showing a group of friends a collection of guns that his father – William Brown – kept in the home.

The teen already went on trial for murder earlier this year. However, it ended in a hung jury.

Porfirio Brown was supposed to go back on trial next week. According to his attorney, though, he is taking a plea deal.

Prosecutors have agreed to drop the murder charge against him. He is expected to serve a year of probation for tampering with evidence.

His father, William Brown, was also charged in this case under Bennie’s Law. The law holds people accountable if they don’t properly store their firearms in a safe space away from children. A jury wasn’t able to convict him in June.

The hearing for Porfirio Brown will take place at 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

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New Mexico

New Mexico Public Education Department faces $35 million shortfall

Published

43 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

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New Mexico Public Education Department faces million shortfall

The New Mexico Public Education Department is facing a $35 million deficit, which it attributes to overpayments made to Gallup-McKinley County Schools, a claim the district disputes, arguing they are being wrongly blamed for the state’s funding mismanagement.

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New Mexico

New Mexico deserves speedier game commission appointments

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

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New Mexico deserves speedier game commission appointments

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New Mexico

What bills have been filed for New Mexico’s 2026 legislative session?

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

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What bills have been filed for New Mexico’s 2026 legislative session?

The governor sets the agenda for the session, including for the budget, so here is what they are looking at so far.

SANTA FE, N.M. — As the regular session of the New Mexico Legislature is set to begin Jan. 20, lawmakers have already filed dozens of bills.

Bills include prohibiting book bans at public libraries and protections against AI, specifically the distribution of sensitive and “Deepfake” images

Juvenile justice reform is, again, a hot topic. House Bill 25 would allow access to someone’s juvenile records during a background check if they’re trying to buy a gun.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sets the agenda and puts forth the proposed budget lawmakers will address during the session. The governor is calling for lawmakers to take up an $11.3 billion budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which is up 4.6% from current spending levels.

Where would that money go? More than $600 million would go to universal free child care. Meanwhile, more than $200 million would go to health care and to protect against federal funding cuts.

There is also $65 million for statewide affordable housing initiatives and $19 million for public safety.

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