State canvassing board orders vote recounts in 34 tight races around New Mexico - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
For most cities and towns around New Mexico, the winners of local races were unofficially decided on Election Day this month.
But the votes will be retallied in 34 different races around the state that featured narrow vote margins, after the State Canvassing Board signed off Tuesday on automatic recounts.
The races heading to automatic recount include mayoral, city council, municipal judge and school board contests around New Mexico.
Specifically, mayoral races in Des Moines, Maxwell, Tatum, Jal and Estancia all fell within the vote margin needed to trigger an automatic recount under state law. For local elections, that margin is either less than 1 percentage point between the two top vote-getters, or five or fewer votes separating the candidates.
The recounts in 34 races will be conducted by county clerks starting next week. The state canvassing board will then meet again Dec. 11 to certify results.
If any races are tied after the recount, they will be decided by “lot,” per state statute. That could mean drawing cards, a coin toss or another tie-breaking method.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said Tuesday this year’s election featured the highest-ever turnout for a regular local election, as 25.3% of registered voters statewide cast ballots.
That includes more than 6,000 voters who took advantage of a same-day voter registration option that allows eligible voters to register to vote and then cast their ballot on Election Day, said Toulouse Oliver.
Voter turnout rates are typically higher in statewide elections, and particularly in presidential election years. For instance, last year’s New Mexico general election had a 69.1% turnout rate.
Increasing turnout and reducing administrative costs were the primary goals of the Local Election Act, which was approved by state lawmakers in 2018. Before that law passed, elections for municipal offices, school boards and other local bodies used to be held on different dates around New Mexico.
However, some New Mexico municipalities have declined to opt into the consolidated local election act, a list that includes Rio Rancho, Clovis, Artesia, Santa Rosa and Española.
“We have increased the turnout,” Toulouse Oliver said, referring to voter participation in this year’s local election.
Meanwhile, some New Mexico municipalities use runoff elections to determine the winner of races in which no candidate receives a majority of votes cast.
Three races will be decided in Albuquerque’s runoff election on Dec. 9, including a high-profile mayoral race featuring incumbent Tim Keller and challenger Darren White.
FBI surge leads to charges in 2020 killing in Native American community - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Unconditional love. That's what Vangie Randall-Shorty felt the moment she first held her son. She still feels it — even though Zachariah Shorty is now gone.
"I carry him in my heart every day," she said, while trying to find the words to describe the wave of emotions that washed over her Monday when she learned that federal authorities had charged three people in connection with her son's killing on the Navajo Nation in 2020.
She had waited so long for answers, telling herself with each new year that she would finally see justice for her 23-year-old son. Her wait ended as the U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of the latest deployment under Operation Not Forgotten.
Under the operation this year, more than 60 extra FBI agents, analysts and other personnel were temporarily assigned to field offices in 10 states, ranging from Albuquerque and Phoenix to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Minneapolis and Jackson, Mississippi. Over six months, they investigated unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country with the goal of addressing a crisis of disappearances and killings that have left Native American communities frustrated and heartbroken.
Federal statistics show that Native Americans experience some of the highest per capita rates of violent victimization of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. At the beginning of the 2025 fiscal year, the FBI's Indian Country program had about 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
As part of its intensified operations this year, the FBI's Indian Country initiatives netted 1,123 arrests, along with the recovery of over 300 weapons. More than 450 children who were victims of crimes were identified or located.
FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledged Monday that the challenge of covering such large jurisdictions is complicated by a lack of resources. He described Operation Not Forgotten as "a major step forward" in giving tribal communities the justice that they deserve.
Work to bring more attention to the crisis has spanned decades. President Donald Trump was the first president to formally recognize the issue when he signed an executive order during his first term, establishing a task force to tackle the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during her tenure created a national commission to explore ways to bridge jurisdictional gaps and other challenges to curbing crime in tribal communities.
Officials said this year's operation marked the longest and most intense deployment of FBI resources to date to address Indian Country crime.
Advocates say the investment should be made permanent. They fear now that cases will continue to sit on the back burner with fewer federal resources in the field.
Randall-Shorty believes the extra resources helped in her son's case.
She can't help but wonder what her son could have accomplished had his life not been taken. A father himself, Zachariah Shorty loved art and music and aspired to be a tattoo artist. She showed off some of his work, pointing to the inked treble clef on her left hand.
Shorty was last seen at the Journey Inn Motel in the northwestern New Mexico city of Farmington, where he was out with friends to make music, his mom said. He was found days later in a field near the Navajo community of Nenahnezad. He had been shot multiple times.
The indictments provide no details about what might have let to the shooting or how Shorty was connected to the people charged in his death. Defense attorneys say they have yet to be provided with any discovery related to the case.
Austin Begay, 31, is charged with first-degree murder, while Jaymes Fage, 38, is accused of aiding and abetting. Both Navajo men and a third defendant, 40-year-old Joshua Watkins, also face charges for lying to investigators to conceal the killing.
Shorty's mom has spent the last five years attending town halls, task force meetings, prayer circles and community marches to keep the case in the spotlight and to advocate for other families. While she's pleased that charges have been brought, she knows the next step will stir more emotions because she still misses her son.
"My heart is heavy," she said. "But I will continue advocating for Zach and continue being his voice."
Shopping holidays take over this week – Mia Casas, KUNM News
Black Friday gets people out of their homes and into stores to take advantage of deals for their holiday shopping. Cyber Monday has gotten more popular in the digital age – no massive crowds or pushing people in line while shopping from the comfort of your laptop. There is one other shopping holiday coming up this week.
Small Business Saturday isn’t necessarily new, it started in 2010, but shopping local has become more trendy. More than half of Gen Z shoppers are predicted to buy from independent businesses this season.
The holiday is celebrated the day after Black Friday in attempts to take the spotlight off of large chains and boost shopping locally.
Small businesses tend to be more engaged in their communities, so folks see shopping small as supporting their neighborhoods.
When people spend locally, the money circulates within the community. Dollars spent at a local business are reinvested in other local businesses, through a process called the multiplier effect.
Many small businesses will have sales similar to those of Black Friday, but money spent there will go back into the local economy.
There are many gift shops with local goods in Old Town Albuquerque, the Plaza in Santa Fe, and more across the state.
New Mexico lawmakers Pope, McQueen raise questions about New Mexico Gas Company sale - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
A pair of New Mexico lawmakers joined a small group of clean energy advocates and residents Tuesday morning in urging state utility regulators to demand greater transparency in the pending sale of New Mexico Gas Company.
The gas company in late 2024 filed an application to be sold to Bernhard Capital Partners, a New Orleans-based private equity firm, for nearly $1.3 billion. The companies initially had an early November deadline to finalize a sale agreement, but they recently agreed to extend that into early 2026.
A half-dozen people spoke Tuesday morning at a Public Regulation Commission meeting to urge greater transparency surrounding the deal. One, a Santa Fe psychologist named Patricia Brown, said she was alarmed to learn that Bernhard Capital’s founder previously ran a firm named the Shaw Group that FEMA awarded no-bid disaster response contracts 20 years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General determined that FEMA wasted millions of dollars by awarding the no-bid contracts to Shaw and others. A 2011 report commissioned by the state of Louisiana alleged that Shaw appeared to overbill the state by nearly $500,000 for constructing sand berms along the coastline to prevent oil from the BP oil spill from washing onto land.
Brown and others who spoke said it’s troubling that details like these, which the news media reported years ago, had not been introduced into the official record regarding New Mexico Gas Company’s proposed sale.
“We cannot protect the public interest without full transparency,” Sen. Harold Pope Jr. (D-Albuquerque), a 2026 candidate for lieutenant governor, told commissioners Tuesday morning. “That is impossible when critical information is hidden from view. Right now, central evidence about Bernhard Capital Partners’ regulatory compliance history including violations, fines, audits and settlements involving their affiliates and formerly owned companies has been withheld from the record. You can not reliably weigh benefits against risk when the most relevant facts are kept from the public.”
Similarly, state Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo), who chairs the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and is running to be state land commissioner, told commissioners that they should implement a “robust discovery process” and a record that details all of the concerns surrounding companies related to Bernhard Capital.
New Mexico Gas Company referred comment to Bernhard Capital. A company spokesperson replied via email to Source NM’s inquiry and wrote:
“Bernhard Capital Partners has no comment on any allegations and/or statements made related to The Shaw Group, as BCP does not and has never owned The Shaw Group. Information on BCP portfolio companies that is relevant to the proposed NMGC acquisition has already been provided and included in the docket, which can be accessed via the NM PRC website.”
Energy advocates have characterized Bernhard Capital’s response to the scrutiny as “a hand in the face.”
New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe nonprofit that advocates for clean energy legislation, in a statement called Bernhard Capital’s track record cast doubt on whether it “can be trusted to provide reliable, safe and cost effective service.” Among other elements, the group noted that companies owned by the private equity firm have faced allegations of failing “to properly operate and maintain” a Louisiana water treatment facility where inspectors found bloodworms in sludge; mishandling hazardous waste such as asbestos; and failing to pay dozens of workers overtime wages.
“You want to come in and buy our essential utility service and we’re not allowed to know about your background?” Mariel Nanasi, New Energy Economy’s executive director, said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s like applying to be a school bus driver and the public school would say, ‘Let me see your accident history,’ and the bus driver says, ‘Oh, no, that’s irrelevant.’ What are you talking about?”
This story was updated following publication to include a comment from a Bernhard Capital spokesperson.
Bernalillo County OKs funding to install new Tijeras pedestrian bridge - Gregory Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
Bernalillo County will be pouring out over $1.5 million toward replacing a Tijeras bridge and working on a watershed restoration project damaged by flooding earlier in the year.
“The county is committed to quickly rebuilding the pedestrian bridge and the surrounding Tijeras Creek to be more resilient for future storms,” Bernalillo County Commission Chairman Eric Olivas said in an email.
In July, a rainstorm caused flooding and damage to the bridge connecting the Los Vecinos Community Center to A. Montoya Elementary and Roosevelt Middle schools, which is used daily by students accessing programs at Los Vecinos, the Journal reported. Structural engineers determined the bridge needed to be demolished and replaced, according to the county.
The cost to tear down and construct another bridge is about $1.68 million. Of which, $386,000 went toward demolishing the old bridge and designing the new one. The remaining $1.29 million the county commissioners approved at their Nov. 18 meeting will go toward the bridge’s construction, which is expected to be done in summer 2026, according to the county.
“The county acted with haste to assess the site and the damaged bridge and its components ... ,” Olivas said. “I am working to ensure safe and open access between the newly renovated Los Vecinos Community Center and A. Montoya Elementary and Roosevelt Middle schools. Getting the bridge replaced is critical to this mission.”
The old bridge was taken down in October. Design on the new one is expected to be completed in February with construction taking place next summer, Bernalillo County spokesperson Melissa Smith said.
Along with funding the bridge construction, the county agreed to allocate $799,656 for repairs on the Tijeras Creek Watershed Restoration Project, which was damaged by floods in July and September.
The goal of the project is to restore natural drainage by reconnecting the creek with the floodplain and reducing flood risks for downstream residents, Smith said.
Work, which resumed in October, she said, is about 80% complete and expected to be finished by March 2026.
Corrales Christmas parade canceled due to equine virus outbreak - Gregory Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
Three cases of equine herpes (EHV-1) have surfaced in New Mexico, putting metro area horse and stable owners on guard and prompting the village of Corrales to cancel its annual Christmas de los Caballos Parade.
"This is for the best interest of all of our animals, even if they have not traveled out of state or been in contact with an animal, or human, that has traveled to infected premises," the village announced in a Facebook post Monday.
EHV-1 is a common, highly contagious virus that affects horses, donkeys and mules. Humans cannot get infected, New Mexico Department of Agriculture spokesperson Jenny Green said.
Equine herpes spreads through respiratory secretions, shared equipment, trailers and contaminated areas. Symptoms could include: fever, nasal discharge, cough, lethargy, hindlimb weakness, difficulty rising, urinary retention and, in severe cases, an inability to stand, she said.
Dr. Mark Meddleton, with Meddleton Equine Clinic in Corrales, said he recommended the parade's cancellation because of the severity of equine herpes and "the fact there are horses that come from various places" that may spread the virus.
"We felt out of an abundance of caution that we should cancel our event," said Janet Blair, Corrales Equestrian Advisory Commission member.
The village's decision came on the heels of horses testing positive for equine herpes in several states, including Oklahoma and Texas, where two horses died, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
In New Mexico, three horses — two in Eddy County and one in Doña Ana County — tested positive for the virus. Two of the horses were affected after attending the 2025 Women's Professional Rodeo Association and Elite Barrel Race in Waco, Texas, that took place Nov. 5-9. The third horse was exposed to the virus at a property in Carlsbad, according to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.
The horses are "improving with supportive care," Green said.
The Department of Agriculture and New Mexico Livestock Board are urging horse owners to "take immediate preventative measures," she said.
Aside from the cancellation of Corrales' holiday parade, metro area residents have been taking steps to ensure their horses do not catch the virus. Silverberry Farm owner Connie Grindatto, for example, said she turned down out-of-state horses from boarding at her establishment.
"In the next couple of weeks, we will have a good idea of how fast it's going to spread," Grindatto said. "People need to be careful, use good biosecurity measures and keep their horses on the properties. It is containable."