Power restored to many New Mexico homes, but warmer temperatures may cause flooding - By Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico
Electricity had been restored to many homes in New Mexico by Friday after heavy snow in northern stretches of the state, and temperatures were forecast to climb above freezing heading into the weekend.
Sunny and warmer weather might be welcome news for some, but emergency management officials urged caution with the potential for flooding from the resulting snow melt. Some areas near Rociada got up to 3 feet of snow in the past three days, while places like Eagle Nest and Clayton received nearly 2 feet of snow in that time period, according to the National Weather Service.
Power line crews restored electricity to about 37,000 homes in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas that are hooked up to Public Service Company of New Mexico, the state’s largest utility. Nearly 9,000 people remained without electricity midday Friday, according to the company’s outage map.
Just under 50 additional homes in counties outside of Albuquerque were without power, according to the outage map maintained by the Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative. Crews also got juice running back into just over 6,000 homes in tribal and rural communities north of the state’s capital that buy power from Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative. Nearly 2,500 of those homes remained without electricity on Friday morning, according to the cooperative’s outage map.
The city of Las Vegas and the counties of Mora and San Miguel are within the burn scar of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire, where the soil is particularly vulnerable to flooding, state emergency management officials have said.
The snow may be stopping in Las Vegas, but the danger isn’t over yet, Mayor David Romero said in a news release.
“As temperatures rise, we expect significant snowmelt, which could lead to flooding in low-lying areas and near waterways,” Romero wrote.
Retired research chimps to be moved from New Mexico to a Louisiana sanctuary - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
The National Institutes of Health decided to relocate nearly two dozen retired research chimpanzees from a facility in New Mexico to a sanctuary in Louisiana, a move celebrated Friday by animal advocates who have been fighting for years to get the animals moved.
NIH representatives confirmed in an email that the transfer of the 23 chimps from the Alamogordo Primate Facility at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico will happen in the coming months.
Staffing issues, namely the planned retirement of the chimps' caretakers, prompted the decision to move the chimps, the agency stated. The animals have not been used as test subjects since 2015, when the NIH retired chimpanzees — humans' closest relatives — from invasive research.
More than 200 were previously moved to the federally supported sanctuary, but the NIH said it was decided in 2019 that some were too frail to be relocated due to their health conditions. They remained at the base under the care of contracted veterinarians and caregivers.
The contractor informed the NIH that a significant number of staff were expected to retire by July 2025.
"Recruitment and training of new staff has proven difficult due to the specialized nature of the work and APF's remote location," the NIH statement said. "Given this uncertainty, NIH has determined that the best course of action for the welfare of all these chimpanzees is to relocate them to the federal sanctuary at Chimp Haven."
Agency spokesperson Amanda Fine said relocating chimpanzees is a complex, time-consuming process and that Chimp Haven will work with the NIH and the facility in Alamogordo to ensure the health and safety of each animal during the move.
The Humane Society of the United States is among the groups that have been sending letters to and petitioning the NIH over the years to relocate the last of the Alamogordo chimps.
The Humane Society of the United States, Animal Protection New Mexico, Humane Society Legislative Fund and three individual plaintiffs sued the NIH in 2021. A federal judge issued a ruling the next year, finding that the NIH could not legally refuse sanctuary retirement for the chimpanzees because of their chronic health conditions.
"We believe that the extraordinary amount of pressure that has been put on NIH to move them to Chimp Haven -- including the engagement of thousands of our supporters who demanded that the chimps be moved and our winning lawsuit — played a major role in the decision to finally move them to sanctuary," the group said.
The chimps — which range in age from 34 to 62 years old — could have years ahead of them to enjoy life at the sanctuary, advocates said. The sanctuary has cared for hundreds of chimps since the first two animals arrived there in 2005. That includes 214 that were sent there from NIH-supported facilities following the agency's 2015 decision.
Chimp Haven President and CEO Rana Smith said in a statement issued Friday that the sanctuary is prepared to welcome the first arrivals from New Mexico in early 2025. With Chimp Haven close to capacity, Smith said it will have to build additional living spaces to accommodate the group.
The expansion is expected to cost at least $4 million, which will have to be raised from private supporters.
"There are many details to be determined in the weeks to come, but for now, we celebrate this wonderful news for the APF chimps," Smith said. "They are on their way to a well-deserved retirement at sanctuary, and we cannot wait to welcome them home."
Just 1 ‘bellwether’ precinct remains in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District after election - By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Heading into the 2024 General Election, three precincts across the vast 2nd Congressional District had the unusual distinction of voting for the eventual winner of the hotly contested seat every election for the last decade.
Now that the dust has settled and a winner declared, only one such precinct remains: Valencia County’s Precinct 39, which went for Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat who was reelected this week.
Of 548 precincts that stayed in CD2 through redistricting in 2021, three of them voted for the winning candidate in each election since 2014. They did so even though CD2 has flipped parties four times in the last five elections.
Since 2014, CD2 has gone from Republican Steve Pearce, who was re-elected in 2016, to Democrat Xochitl Torres-Small in 2018, to Republican Yvette Herrell in 2020, to Vasquez, the Democrat elected in 2022 and this year.
Source New Mexico published a story last week about the history and political attitudes of one such “bellwether” precinct, which was Lea County’s Precinct 53. According to Secretary of State unofficial election returns, Precinct 53 voted for Herrell by a tiny margin: 139 to 137.
Herrell’s victory was unexpected, given the precinct’s political composition after redistricting. Redistricting cut out the rural area in Precinct 53 outside the Hobbs city limits, excising 33 square miles of the precinct and removing 300 registered voters.
The precinct’s political makeup went from 36% Democrat and 29% Republican in January 2021 to 41% Democrat and 22% Republican in January 2022, which was after redistricting went into effect.
Socorro County’s Precinct 24, another “bellwether,” went for Herrell, as well, after she got 113 votes compared with Vasquez’s 100.
Valencia’s Precinct 39 had much higher turnout than the other two “bellwethers,” where 464 voters went for Vasquez compared to 388 who went for Herrell.
Valencia County as a whole is a nationally recognized “bellwether” county, though it voted for President Donald Trump in 2020, which ended its streak since at least 1980 of voting alongside the national presidential election winner every year.
Michael Rocca, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico, cautioned that “bellwethers” are not “crystal balls” that can predict winners or contain especially open-minded voters. Instead, “bellwethers” just occur randomly and reflect how competitive races are.
See a map below of how the 548 precincts that have stayed in CD2 for since 2014 voted between 2014 and 2022:
How the 2nd Congressional District has voted over the last decade
PRC nominating committee sends names to governor - By Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission nominating committee is submitting four names to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider for appointment to the regulatory body. The committee is required by law to submit at least two names to the governor.
The PRC rules on utility rate increases, electrical generation resources, broadband infrastructure and other important topics.
The names include current Commissioner James Ellison, state Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, Debra Hicks and Blessing Chukwu.
In October, the committee interviewed six candidates. Originally, it was set to interview seven candidates; however, one of them did not show up to the interview.
Committee Member Cydney Beadles made the motion to send Ellison’s name to the governor.
“Not only is he currently serving as commissioner, his background includes 10 years at Sandia National Labs, where his work includes integrating battery storage and renewable energy into the grid, and before that, eight years at a power company where he worked on coal and nuclear issues, other work includes gas,” Beadles said. “He brings to the commission this intellectual capital that the jewels of New Mexico, our national labs, represent. His working familiarity with advanced technology is critical to maintaining reliability as New Mexico’s grid moves into the future. His work on the commission also demonstrates that he watches the impact on ratepayers of utility projects and programs, realizing that you shouldn’t approve everything all at once, but must prioritize.”
Additionally, Beadles said Ellison would bring continuity to the commission.
Committee Member Denise Ramonas said that Ellison has spearheaded valuable initiatives during his two years on the PRC. She highlighted his work on an electric distribution system reliability rulemaking.
Ellison received unanimous support from the committee.
Committee Secretary Alonzo Baldonado made the motion to send Nibert’s name to the governor.
“Senator Nibert has served in the legislature for pretty close to 10 years. He has a really strong background in his legal practice and brings a lot of things to the table that should be up for consideration when the governor gets to nominate a new commissioner or or move forward with the current commissioner,” Baldonado said.
Ramonas said Nibert’s experience as a lawyer could benefit the PRC. She said that while the two commissioners whose seats are not up for appointment this year have “a great deal of expertise,” neither of them are attorneys.
“I think that having a lawyer as a commissioner would be a complementary skill set,” she said.
Nibert also received unanimous support from the committee.
Committee Member William Brancard said he wanted to have more than two names submitted to the governor. He recommended Hicks and Chukwu.
“Miss Hicks not only has enormous experience as an engineer in projects, but she has an obviously tremendous resume of public service, having served on various commissions. I think that would be helpful if the governor thinks that’s a good choice,” he said. “Obviously, Miss Chukwu has tremendous experience working in the public regulatory field, both in Arizona and Oklahoma, and I think she’s a very qualified choice. I’m not telling the governor who to vote for, but I think the governor should have a variety of choices.”
The committee voted 4-3 to send Hicks’ name to the governor and 5-2 to send Chukwu’s name to the governor.
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico is set to reopen - Associated Press
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico, which closed in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is reopening later this month.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Cochiti Pueblo announced Thursday the monument will reopen Nov. 21. Visitors will be required to make reservations online.
The tribe will be taking on day-to-day operations of the monument, a popular geologic hiking spot midway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The bureau and Cochiti Pueblo jointly agreed to maintain the closure after pandemic restrictions were lifted to renegotiate operations of the monument.
The monument was created in 2001 with a provision that said it will be managed by the federal government in close cooperation with Cochiti Pueblo.
The agreement comes as the federal government looks for more opportunities to work with tribes to co-manage public lands and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into planning and management of these spaces.
New Mexico governor declares emergency as western winter storm leaves thousands without power - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico's governor declared an emergency Thursday after a powerful winter storm left tens of thousands of people without power as heavy snow, fierce winds and freezing temperatures marched across the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado.
Dozens of crews with Public Service Co. of New Mexico were mobilized to address widespread outages that had been reported overnight and in the early morning hours from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond as the snow brought tree branches crashing down onto power lines.
The utility acknowledged frustrations and urged residents to be patient, saying there were about 19,000 people still affected by the outages Thursday evening. That was down from 50,000 earlier in the day.
"This really is an unprecedented storm in the fact that it came so earlier and so heavily while leaves were still on the trees. That has caused limbs to be much heavier that they would normally be," PNM spokesman Jeff Buell said, adding that crews were dealing with hundreds of separate repair jobs in Albuquerque alone.
With more snow in the forecast, Buell said there could be additional outages into Friday.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's declaration unlocks state funding for emergency response efforts. Funding also will be funneled to the New Mexico National Guard, which has been helping to clear roads.
Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and elsewhere across northern New Mexico canceled classes, while authorities warned people to stay off the roads. Plows were busy trying to keep major highways clear, but state police announced midday that Interstate 25 just south of the Colorado border was closed in both directions.
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a blizzard warning for parts of the state and reported that more than 100 vehicles were stranded on highways in the state's northeast corner. Forecasters warned of "very dangerous driving conditions" that were made worse by low visibility because of blowing snow.
Interstate 70 across Colorado's Eastern Plains also was closed, as residents in that state braced for what some said could be the biggest snowstorm to hit the Denver area in November in years. Some people reported Thursday that they already had more than 14 inches of snow on the ground.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said extensive and widespread disruptions could be expected as the storm moves through New Mexico and Colorado, dropping between 1 and 2 inches of snow within an hour in some spots.
Tonja Goode Ross said she would be staying home and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate instead of trying to brave what was the "first real snow" of the season for Corona. This rural part of central New Mexico was turned into a winter wonderland, its pastures covered by a thick blanket of snow and its tree branches bowing from the weight of fresh powder.
Almost a foot of snow had fallen by early morning and another 2.5 inches fell within a 2-hour period.
"Moisture is always a blessing here — no matter the form it comes in," she said.
The weather service warned that the storm could bring historic amounts of snow through Friday. More than 4 feet was expected in some parts. Snow drifts could top 6 feet, making some travel impossible — potentially for days, forecasters said.
In Albuquerque, city officials said the frigid temperatures and snowfall resulted in about 120 traffic crashes while the fire department answered more than 100 calls related to downed power lines and fallen trees.
HopeWorks expands into $1.7M behavioral health center - Damon Scott, City Desk ABQ
One of Albuquerque’s largest homelessness service providers — HopeWorks — is expected to welcome clients into a freshly built-out behavioral health center as early as next week. The $1.7 million project that was six years in the making received funding through a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city is also a partner on the project.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled to take place Thursday morning was canceled due to winter weather conditions.
HopeWorks Interim CEO Vicky Palmer said the motivation behind the center was to expand urgently needed behavioral health services for those experiencing homelessness and to consolidate case managers, therapists and other staff into one building.
“We’ve been doing behavioral health all along, but it’s just been scattered,” she said. “This is also a trauma-informed building.”
Trauma-informed design includes more open and bright spaces with vibrant colors. It’s built out with fewer sharp corners and more cozy, quiet, secure and relaxing features.
“When somebody’s had trauma and they walk around a corner and someone jumps out at them it can really be a major thing,” Palmer said. “So we made sure hallways are wide.”
Those receiving behavioral health services are often dealing with substance use disorders and/or psychiatric disorders. HopeWorks enrolls them into a therapy program and provides case management and housing services.
The one-story behavioral health center is located in the former Lilly Barrack jewelry warehouse at 1216 4th St. NW. It features renovated offices, a group therapy room, conference room, training space, family support room, kids playroom, nursing office and small medical clinic.
Officials said onsite neuropsychiatric assessments for clients with traumatic brain injuries will also be available in partnership with University of New Mexico Hospital.
Palmer, who’s been with HopeWorks for 17 years, said the center will allow staff to serve an additional 244 people a year. About 800 clients are currently seen annually, she said.
“We’re going to be getting in touch with folks and trying to draw them into the day shelter and offer these services,” Palmer said.
Access to behavioral health therapy is a personal issue for Palmer. She said a member of her family who previously experienced homelessness and also had substance abuse and mental health disorders eventually got help.
“I think behavioral health is the key; he’s now housed,” Palmer said. “He’s worked with an ACT team in the city and he hasn’t been hospitalized in probably five years, which is incredible for the level of his acuteness.”
ACT stands for assertive community treatment, Palmer said — “like a hospital without walls.”
“You’ve got a peer worker, a case worker, psychiatrist, a nurse, counselor — every person sees every person — and every morning they meet and they talk about the client,” she said. “It’s a really great wraparound and it reaches people that just don’t do well in hospital settings.”
The behavioral health center increases the nonprofit’s footprint in Albuquerque’s Wells Park neighborhood near Downtown. HopeWorks also operates the 42-unit Hope Village apartment complex, the day shelter formerly known as the St. Martin’s Hospitality Center and Hope Center, where its administrative offices are located.
“The key to trauma-informed care is not saying: What did you do? It’s saying: What happened to you? It’s as simple as that,” Palmer said. “Because at the end of the day it’s a person without a house, it’s a woman having to go to the bathroom outside, it’s a child without warm clothes.”
First time in history NM gets female-majority Legislature - Megan Gleason, Albuquerque Journal
After this week's election, for the first time ever, New Mexico's Legislature will be made up of a majority of women.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that based on unofficial election results, women will hold 60 of the 112 seats in the Legislature come January.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth pointed out in a statement to the Journal that all Democratic Senate incumbents won their races and the chamber got six new women.
One is Angel Charley, who is Native American from Laguna and Zuni Pueblos and the Navajo Nation. She was the only senator who flipped a district from red to blue. She has been the director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, and told the Journal New Mexico is a great place for leading and championing change.
Only one seat flipped in the House of Representatives, where Democratic incumbent Tara Jaramillo lost her reelection bid to Republican Rebecca Dow in District 38. Dow previously held the seat but had stepped down to run for governor, without success.
Female lawmakers will make up 44 of the 70 members in the state House of Representatives and 16 of the 42 seats in the Senate.
46 of the women are Democrats and 14 are Republicans.
Entering this year's election cycle the only other state in which women made up a majority of the legislature was Nevada.