New Mexico officials unveil first wave of improvements for Las Vegas water treatment facility
— Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Environment Department’s installation of new pre-treatment equipment for the City of Las Vegas’ drinking water supply should offer at least some reassurance to residents the next time they see storm clouds gather on the horizon, a department official told Source New Mexico this week.
The Environment Department recently took over almost all the Northern New Mexico town’s work to replace its water treatment facility, a necessity after the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in summer 2022.
During the fire, sediment turned the Gallinas River black as it flowed through town, and the city and other areas in and around the burn scar have seen repeated floods ever since the fire.
Because the United States Forest Service started the blaze, Congress approved more than $5 billion to compensate fire victims, and specifically included $140 million to the city for a brand new water treatment system. A year ago, the city received $98 million of that.
But repeated flood events last summer and earlier this year, as well as a complete water shutoff in the city this winter, prompted the city to enter into a “joint governmental agreement” with three state agencies in hopes of fast-tracking the new system.
The agreement, which all the parties signed off on early last month, empowers the state’s finance, disaster response and environmental departments to “plan, design, procure, construct, test, deliver, and close out a temporary water treatment facility and a permanent water treatment facility” in the city, according to a copy of the agreement.
The city keeps control of the $98 million it received, along with other federal and state grants and loans it has received as part of the replacement project. Its main job is to pay for all the work the state does, according to the agreement.
On Tuesday, state environment officials announced that they’d successfully completed a half-dozen projects that aim to improve the city’s water filtration system and ensure the public is kept in the loop on what they’re drinking.
One of the most important improvements is the installation of temporary “pre-treatment” equipment at the city’s water treatment plant, said Jonas Armstrong, director of NMED’s Water Protection Division, in an interview Tuesday afternoon with Source. The city procured the equipment, which removes extra sediment and debris in high-turbidity or runoff events, last year.
“[The city was] having some issues earlier this year with getting it connected and making sure it was operating correctly,” Armstrong said. “We’ve worked through that with them in the last couple months, and it’s connected now and ready to go. So that’s a big improvement.”
The state has also begun upgrades to filters at the existing facility; replaced a vacuum system that removes scum and floating debris from the Gallinas River; and built a sediment pond near a reservoir to reduce flooding and contamination risks, according to a news release Tuesday.
Armstrong deferred questions about the costs of the improvements to the city, including how much of the $98 million the city received last year has been spent. A spokesperson for the city*, in an email to Source on Wednesday, did not answer the question about the funds but noted that the city’s new manager, Robert Anaya, would be updating the City Council on numerous water-related matters at a meeting today at 5:30 p.m., including “an extensive discussion on current initiatives and updates related to the water treatment plant, water distribution and storage, and various concepts and recommendations under consideration.”
While the state does not expect to begin construction on the new facility until next year at the earliest, Armstrong said the changes should offer a measure of comfort to Las Vegas residents who’ve seen their drinking water supply repeatedly compromised due to floods and equipment failures.
“I think the pre-treatment system being brought online and ready to go at the flip of a switch is a big advancement, and an assurance that the shutdowns and the restrictions that have happened in the last couple of years should not happen again,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the joint agreement has been “really collaborative so far,” with the state drawing on local knowledge about how best to tailor the project to the city’s needs. When it’s finally built, the new water treatment system will be a “generational asset,” given the adequate funding and the state’s technical expertise, he said.
“This existing facility is 50-plus years old and needs to be replaced, and having the federal funds and the state funds to do it is a huge opportunity for the city and the people of Las Vegas,” he said.
DHS Secretary says entire southern border wall to be painted black to stop people from climbing it - By Rebecca Santana, Associated Press
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that the entire border wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal immigration — and she credited President Trump with the idea.
Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall in New Mexico, where she also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
"That is specifically at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb. So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally," Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
During Trump's first term, building the wall was a central focus of his hardline immigration policy. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of new funding passed by Congress this summer.
Noem said they have been building about a half mile of barrier every day.
"The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built," she said.
She said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited Tuesday, the department is also working on "water-borne infrastructure." Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with completing the wall at the same time that the number of people crossing the border illegally has plummeted.
US appeals court blocks New Mexico's 7-day waiting period on gun purchases - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
A panel of federal appellate judges ruled Tuesday that New Mexico's seven-day waiting period on gun purchases likely infringes on citizens' Second Amendment rights, putting the law on hold pending a legal challenge.
The ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the case back to a lower court. New Mexico's waiting period went into effect in May 2024, and does hold an exception for concealed permit holders.
"Cooling-off periods do not fit into any historically grounded exceptions to the right to keep and bear arms, and burden conduct within the Second Amendment's scope," wrote Judge Timothy Tymkovich in the split 2-1 ruling. "We conclude that New Mexico's Waiting Period Act is likely an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Scott Matheson said New Mexico's waiting period "establishes a condition or qualification on the commercial sale of arms that does not serve abusive ends."
The National Rifle Association and Mountain States Legal Foundation, an advocacy group for gun rights, filed the lawsuit on behalf of two New Mexico residents, citing concerns about delayed access to weapons for victims of domestic violence and others.
Democratic state lawmakers had enacted the restrictions in hopes of ensuring more time for the completion of federal background checks on gun buyers.
In a statement, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed "deep disappointment" and said Tuesday's ruling was likely to cost lives.
"New Mexico's waiting period law was carefully crafted to minimize gun violence while respecting Second Amendment rights," said Lujan Grisham, highlighting additional exceptions for gun purchases by law enforcement officers and transactions between immediate family members. "Waiting periods prevent impulsive acts of violence and suicide, giving people time to step back and reassess their emotions during moments of crisis."
It was unclear whether the governor and legislators would request a broader review by a majority of judges on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Only California, Hawaii and Washington, along with the District of Columbia — have longer waiting periods than New Mexico that range up to 14 days, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Rhode Island also has a seven-day wait.
Michael McCoy, director of the Mountain States Legal Foundation's Center to Keep and Bear Arms, applauded the ruling. The group is also challenging Colorado's minimum three-day waiting period for gun purchases, enacted in 2023.
"The court found that there was no analogous law from that era that would support the modern day law that's at issue," McCoy said. "For now, it means New Mexicans can go buy their firearms without an arbitrary delay imposed."
John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, said the appeals court decision "serves as a key piece in dismantling similar gun control laws across the country."
Since 2019, Lujan Grisham has signed a raft of legislation restricting access to guns, including a "red flag" law allowing a court to temporarily remove guns from people who might hurt themselves or others and restrictions on guns near polling places.
In 2023, Lujan Grisham suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque in response to a series of shootings around the state that left children dead.
In April, she declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque, saying that a significant increase in crime warranted the help of the New Mexico National Guard. And last week she declared a state of emergency in response to violent crime and drug trafficking across a swath of northern New Mexico in Rio Arriba County.
—-
This story has been updated to correct Judge Timothy Tymkovich's first name.
These security improvements could be coming to UNM on heels of July shooting - Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
The University of New Mexico Board of Regents approved over $2 million in security upgrades Tuesday, roughly three weeks after a 14-year-old boy was killed on campus, bringing the state’s flagship college national attention.
The upgrade would pay for an update to UNM’s campus-wide alarm system. It now goes to the state’s Higher Education Department and the Board of Finance for approval.
During the first Board of Regents meeting this school year, one day after classes resumed, UNM President Garnett Stokes used her president’s report portion of the meeting to discuss the need to improve safety on campus.
“How do we maintain campus life, maintain the life experience of being a college student or working on a college campus at the same time we deal with the very real fact that we have an issue with crime and drugs and guns?” Stokes said.
During the early hours of July 25, 14-year-old Michael Lamotte was fatally shot in a dorm room, allegedly by John Fuentes, who prosecutors said was high on LSD, cocaine, marijuana and under the influence of alcohol while hanging out with three other teenagers. Fuentes’ mother also made a frantic 911 call that morning, in which she states he is hallucinating.
Police arrived at the apartment hours later and discovered Lamotte’s body after being alerted to the shooting.
In addition to the security upgrades that the university’s governing board approved, Stokes said the university would ask the Legislature for $5 million to redesign high-traffic areas, introduce more key card entries and build security gates. Stokes also said that the university has been shutting down campus access from Central Avenue at the intersections of Princeton, Stanford and Yale each day from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
She said UNM is looking to crack down on non-students’ access to residence halls, possibly requiring students living on campus to fill out a form if they have guests.
The investment approved by the board on Tuesday marks the latest boost in security the urban campus has made in the last five years, totaling some $20 million, according to documents shared with the Journal. Among the upgrades were alarms, cameras and improved technology for the campus police department, including body cameras and officer training.
The recent July shooting is not the first high-profile one to happen on campus. In 2022, New Mexico State University basketball player Mike Peake fatally shot UNM student Brandon Travis outside the dorms after Travis and his friends attacked Peake.
“There is a need for educating our community members, and especially our students, to be speaking up,” Stokes said. “To not be apathetic about guns and drugs or other concerns on our campus.”
State economists predict $485 million in ‘new’ money for next year’s budget – Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Economists tasked with predicting New Mexico’s financial health said Tuesday the state will generate a little more than $14 billion in revenue in the upcoming fiscal year, a figure that means the state will have nearly half a billion dollars in “new” money to spend when they craft the budget early next year.
Lawmakers with the interim Legislative Finance Committee heard new projections Tuesday about how much the state is expected to generate in revenue via taxes, investment returns and oil and gas royalties over the next few years. One key estimate they provide is how much “new” money lawmakers will have for the upcoming fiscal year, which is the amount of projected revenue minus how much the state will spend this fiscal year.
Department of Finance and Administration Wayne Propst, whose agency is one of four that team up to develop statewide economic forecasts, said the forecast is just the latest positive sign for the state’s financial health after years of record growth and revenue.
“I keep thinking that one of these days I’m going to have to show up with some bad news,” he told lawmakers. “But fortunately, today is not that day. The fiscal position of the state of New Mexico remains strong.”
In total, the roughly $14.1 billion the state expects to generate in revenue in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 is about $485 million more than the total amount the state is currently spending this fiscal year, which is approximately $13.6 billion.
That $485 million in “new” money prompted celebratory news releases from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and fellow Democrats in charge of the Legislature, who said it will help soften the blow of expected federal spending cuts that could mean the state will have to step in to pay for low-income health insurance or food assistance.
“New Mexico’s strong revenue projection announced in Las Cruces today is good news at a time when the federal government is ruthlessly slashing revenues that states have historically relied on,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Today’s announcement that our state can expect nearly a half-billion dollars in additional revenue will help us protect the essential services for New Mexicans that Washington has abandoned.”
According to state House Democrats, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Congress and Trump enacted late last month will mean at least $305 million less in federal funding in the budget that lawmakers will craft during the legislative session beginning in January. The governor’s office put that figure at about $200 million each year for the next few years, primarily due to tax code changes.
In response to the new forecasts, House Democrats championed their approach of investing a glut of oil and gas royalty payments into revenue-generating reserve funds, saying that the investment strategy has removed volatility from the budgeting process and insulated essential services from price fluctuations in the oil and gas sector.
Oil and gas revenues are expected to contribute about one-third of the state’s general fund over the next few years, but that figure would have been close to 50% if the state hadn’t diverted excess oil and gas revenues into trust funds that fund early child education, behavioral health or other reserve funds, according to estimates forecasters released Tuesday.
“Despite the constant stream of chaos coming out of Washington, D.C., New Mexico’s economic outlook remains strong thanks to years of hard work and smart budgeting,” said House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), in a news release.
In addition to the federal cuts, forecasters have predicted a slowdown in oil and gas growth and prices in the next few years, a message they they repeated Tuesday. Ismael Torres, the LFC’s chief economist, said the slowdown and uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s economic policies should give lawmakers caution when crafting the state’s spending plan.
Along with unpredictable effects of federal policy on the global economy, Torres also mentioned that lawmakers have greatly increased the amount of money they’ve dedicated to non-recurring spending, including significant multi-year funding commitments.
He said continued growth in that type of spending is reducing the amount of funds lawmakers can put in reserves could end up hamstringing lawmakers if expected future revenues “don’t materialize.”
“As economists, you might hear us say that there’s a lot of uncertainty always,” he said. “But this time I really mean it.”
Inmate died hours after being booked into Bernalillo County jail - Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
A male inmate died a day after being booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.
“Despite rigorous life-saving efforts, an inmate died Sunday at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center,” MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins said in a news release.
MDC will not release the 62-year-old man’s name until his family has been notified, she said.
The man was booked into the jail around 7 a.m. Saturday. The next day, around 9 p.m., the man “experienced a medical emergency, prompting a code to be called,” Hopkins said.
MDC staff and University of New Mexico Hospital staff stabilized the man before taking him to a medical unit in the detention center.
Roughly 22 minutes later, the man had another medical emergency. An ambulance arrived around 10:08 p.m. to assist in life-saving measures, Hopkins said. At 10:26 p.m., UNMH staff pronounced the man dead.
The man is the sixth MDC inmate to die at the facility or die after falling ill at the facility this year.
Middle Mesa Fire that threatened oil and gas wells nears containment - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
A wildfire in Northern New Mexico near the Colorado border is almost completely contained, and the officials in charge of the fire reported this week that all oil and gas wells in the roughly 5,000-acre wildfire perimeter have been turned back on.
The Middle Mesa Fire, which lightning ignited Aug. 1, burned through an area of the Carson National Forest, coming within a mile of the Colorado border. By Aug. 8, the blaze threatened 45 oil wells, according to internal incident reports, including 34 with associated infrastructure.
Crews turned all of them off while firefighters fought the blaze and none were destroyed, according to Earl Hidayetoglu, a spokesperson for Carson National Forest. “
“Those were switched back on last week,” Hidayetoglu told Source on Monday regarding the wells. “And no infrastructure was damaged.”
The blaze is now 92% contained. As a result, a lower-capacity management team took control of the fire, with members undertaking repair and soil stabilization work, according to the latest update.
Another team will soon do burned-area analysis, as well, to analyze areas of high flood and erosion risk due to high wildfire intensity, according to the latest update.
A peak of more than 470 personnel from across the country was assigned to the blaze on Aug. 11. According to official estimates from the National Interagency Fire Center, fighting the fire is expected to cost taxpayers at least $10.5 million.