The Independent News

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Oh, New Mexico. It seems like we can only have one nice thing at a time, when it comes to the Legislature. Or maybe two....
02/27/2025

Oh, New Mexico. It seems like we can only have one nice thing at a time, when it comes to the Legislature. Or maybe two. Good progress is being made with good government bills and healthcare reform. But then… There’s the economy. Three bills concern me greatly: a five-dollar minimum wage increase, which would make us the most expensive state to create a job in the region and possibly the country; a proposal to require all public construction contractors to pay union wages regardless of whether they are unionized or not; and the freshly re-branded Paid Family and Medical Leave Act....

Oh, New Mexico. It seems like we can only have one nice thing at a time, when it comes to the Legislature. Or maybe two. Good progress is being made with good government bills and healthcare reform…

By Nicole Maxwell A bill seeking to create a temporary cabinet department on the southern border failed in committee Wed...
02/26/2025

By Nicole Maxwell A bill seeking to create a temporary cabinet department on the southern border failed in committee Wednesday morning. SB 257, which would have set up a Border Security Office, failed in the Senate Rules Committee. “The purpose of this legislation is to create a temporary, four-year Office of Border Security in the Governor's Office, staff it with the director selected by the governor and approved by the Senate, and to support border security activities by coordinating and integrating efforts between federal, state and local agencies,” bill sponsor Sen....

By Nicole Maxwell A bill seeking to create a temporary cabinet department on the southern border failed in committee Wednesday morning. SB 257, which would have set up a Border Security Office, fai…

By Andrea Vasquez From generation to generation, the RV Sales dealership has remained a family affair for almost 50 year...
02/26/2025

By Andrea Vasquez From generation to generation, the RV Sales dealership has remained a family affair for almost 50 years, standing and thriving as a testament to women in business in New Mexico for new and pre-owned recreational vehicles. Legacy owners Tony and Mildred Nanneman opened their RV dealership, Cavalier Campers, in 1967 in Albuquerque and sold it in 1977. …...

By Andrea Vasquez From generation to generation, the RV Sales dealership has remained a family affair for almost 50 years, standing and thriving as a testament to women in business in New Mexico fo…

By Andrea Vasquez A proposed bill, HB9, is currently facing opposition due to concerns about its negative impacts on loc...
02/26/2025

By Andrea Vasquez A proposed bill, HB9, is currently facing opposition due to concerns about its negative impacts on local communities, especially the Town of Estancia and elsewhere in Torrance County. The Immigrant Safety Act aims to prevent state and local governments from participating in detention agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill also wants to ensure that only the state can enter into these types of contracts, all to close private prisons due to alleged documented human rights violations....

By Andrea Vasquez A proposed bill, HB9, is currently facing opposition due to concerns about its negative impacts on local communities, especially the Town of Estancia and elsewhere in Torrance Cou…

By Independent Staff East Mountain High School was named a Building Hope IMPACT Awards finalist last week. According to ...
02/26/2025

By Independent Staff East Mountain High School was named a Building Hope IMPACT Awards finalist last week. According to a press release, the Building Hope Awards celebrate the transformative power of education through four award categories: Community Engagement, Educational Innovation, Student Empowerment and the S. Joseph Bruno Model Charter Award, which has East Mountain High School as one of five finalists....

By Independent Staff East Mountain High School was named a Building Hope IMPACT Awards finalist last week. According to a press release, the Building Hope Awards celebrate the transformative power …

By Kevin Hendricks Despite fervent opposition from local residents, the Sandoval County Commission last week gave the gr...
02/26/2025

By Kevin Hendricks Despite fervent opposition from local residents, the Sandoval County Commission last week gave the green light to a controversial solar power and battery storage development in the East Mountains. The 3-2 vote on Feb. 18 approved a zoning request that allows the Diamond Tail solar and storage project to proceed. The Diamond Tail project is located off of New Mexico Highway 14, which is a scenic byway known as the Turquoise Trail....

By Kevin Hendricks Despite fervent opposition from local residents, the Sandoval County Commission last week gave the green light to a controversial solar power and battery storage development in t…

By Hannah Grover Estancia Municipal and Mountainair Public school districts high school students may be required to lear...
02/19/2025

By Hannah Grover Estancia Municipal and Mountainair Public school districts high school students may be required to learn Torrance County history in the future. SB 314 would provide the school districts with $250,000 to develop a curriculum for Torrance County history. The curriculum would encompass history from pre-Colonial times through the modern era. Javier Sánchez, a resident of Torrance County, brought the proposal to lawmakers....

By Hannah Grover  Estancia Municipal and Mountainair Public school districts high school students may be required to learn Torrance County history in the future. SB 314 would provide the schoo…

Do you want there to be EMTs to answer the call when you dial 911 in a medical emergency? How about a nurse to perform t...
02/19/2025

Do you want there to be EMTs to answer the call when you dial 911 in a medical emergency? How about a nurse to perform triage when you arrive at the ER? Do you expect a doctor or physician assistant to treat you during your emergency episode? In New Mexico, this basic level of care is harder and harder for our hospitals to accomplish, especially outside of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces....

Do you want there to be EMTs to answer the call when you dial 911 in a medical emergency? How about a nurse to perform triage when you arrive at the ER? Do you expect a doctor or physician assistan…

By Rodd Cayton The New Mexico Supreme Court is pushing back against the Trump administration’s drive to curtail diversit...
02/18/2025

By Rodd Cayton The New Mexico Supreme Court is pushing back against the Trump administration’s drive to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the country. The court Tuesday released an open letter to the public declaring its commitment to those values. The letter, signed by all five justices, notes that the words “Dedicated to the Administration of Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in wood above their seats in the New Mexico Supreme Court Building....

By Rodd Cayton The New Mexico Supreme Court is pushing back against the Trump administration’s drive to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the country. The court Tuesday r…

By Nicole Maxwell Whether it is red, green or Christmas, New Mexican cuisine is known for its chile. HB 172 seeks to est...
02/18/2025

By Nicole Maxwell Whether it is red, green or Christmas, New Mexican cuisine is known for its chile. HB 172 seeks to establish August as Red and Green Chile Month and was passed unanimously in the House Government Elections and Indian Affairs Committee Feb. 14. “It’s an important issue for us to bring up, and it’s important for us to promote the culture and this crop,” Rep....

By Nicole Maxwell Whether it is red, green or Christmas, New Mexican cuisine is known for its chile.  HB 172 seeks to establish August as Red and Green Chile Month and was passed unanimously i…

By Matthew Reichbach New Mexico’s U.S. Senators have not voted against all of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees ...
02/18/2025

By Matthew Reichbach New Mexico’s U.S. Senators have not voted against all of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees (see which they’ve voted for below), but they have voted against most of them. U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján both expressed particular concern over two nominees who won confirmation last week without any Democratic votes. Heinrich sits on the U.S....

By Matthew Reichbach New Mexico’s U.S. Senators have not voted against all of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees (see which they’ve voted for below), but they have voted against most of them…

By Independent Staff As the cost of living in Santa Fe County rises, so are wages. Starting March 1, the minimum wage in...
02/17/2025

By Independent Staff As the cost of living in Santa Fe County rises, so are wages. Starting March 1, the minimum wage in the unincorporated areas of Santa Fe County will increase to $15 per hour and the base wage for tipped workers will rise to $4.50 hourly. Santa Fe County adopted its Living Wage Ordinance in 2014. Each year since, the living wage is “adjusted upward by an amount corresponding to the previous year's increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for the Western Region for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers,” according to the ordinance....

By Independent Staff As the cost of living in Santa Fe County rises, so are wages. Starting March 1, the minimum wage in the unincorporated areas of Santa Fe County will increase to $15 per hour an…

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