By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief |
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Morning, folks. Happy Thursday. Today also happens to be the inaugural Local News Day, a new nationwide day dedicated to connecting folks with trusted local news. Check out this tool to type in your ZIP code and find more local news outlets in New Mexico.
To help us celebrate the day, consider forwarding this email to at least two friends and asking them to subscribe to our free newsletter. Source New Mexico's mission is to ensure all New Mexicans can stay informed, and you can help us reach more of them. Speaking of news, let's get to it.
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New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez appeared at a news conference on Wednesday with Carla Garcia, the surviving aunt of Jaydun Garcia, a 16-year-old who died by suicide in 2025 while in state custody. (Photo by Danielle Prokop/Source NM) |
New Mexico AG releases blistering report, announces lawsuit against child welfare agency |
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Wednesday excoriated the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department for prioritizing “family reunification” over the safety of the children in its care, and said his office will be suing the agency over allegations it misused state confidentiality laws to hide systemic failures. Source's Danielle Prokop reports on the New Mexico Department of Justice's investigation and allegations. |
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Over the objections of local and federal officials, two federal agencies on April 6, 2026, officially announced the reversal of a mining ban on nearly 165,000 federal acres in the Upper Pecos watershed. (Photo courtesy of Ralph Vigil) |
Federal reversal on Pecos mining protections prompts outcry from federal officials, advocates |
Two federal agencies issued a notice this week to formally reverse efforts to ban mining in the Upper Pecos, potentially opening up nearly 165,000 acres for mineral extraction. All five members of New Mexico’s all-Democratic congressional delegation in a joint statement decried the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management's plans.
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New Mexico state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Elephant Butte), center, announced on April 8, 2026, that she planned to appeal a court ruling that removed her from the June 2 primary ballot. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM) |
Judge disqualifies Republican NM Rep. Rebecca Dow from June primary ballot |
New Mexico state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Elephant Butte) announced on Wednesday morning that she had lost a legal challenge to her re-election campaign’s legitimacy and won’t appear on the June 2 primary ballot, Source senior reporter Joshua Bowling writes. Dow intends to appeal.
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A lone voter inside the Central Mercado Vote Center casts a ballot early on Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Danielle Prokop/Source NM) |
Legal challenges still pending for some New Mexico legislative races |
New Mexico state Rep. Rebecca Dow is not the only June 2 primary election candidate whose race remains in legal limbo. Source senior reporter Joshua Bowling examines several others also awaiting judicial decisions. The Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives 2nd Congressional District seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, however, seems kaput. Sort of. Jose Orozco of Albuquerque dropped out of the race yesterday and threw his support behind the only remaining candidate: Greg Cunningham. However, Orozco did not inform the Secretary of State's Office in time, the office says, so his name will still appear on the ballot.
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