‘The Boroughs’ cancellation delivers major blow to state’s struggling film industry - Kylie Garcia, Albuquerque Journal
The magical orange elixir in Netflix’s “The Boroughs” promises eternal life — but the high-profile production couldn’t promise the same for New Mexico’s struggling film industry.
The streaming company has canceled the supernatural mystery series, which follows a ragtag team of retirees fighting monsters, just weeks after its first season debuted in late May — dealing a major blow to New Mexico’s film industry.
“The Boroughs” and its big budget brought some relief, employing more than 300 local vendors during roughly six months of filming across the Land of Enchantment between 2024 and 2025. The show’s first season generated $156.8 million in economic impact for New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
The prospect of additional seasons and a steady stream of revenue for years had local businesses optimistic about a second season — one that now won’t happen.
The cancellation came as a shock to Mark Steinig, whose Albuquerque-based Maleko Grip & Rigging provided camera support, equipment and specialty rigging for the series.
“It’s devastating,” said Steinig, who previously told the Journal the massive production was a “godsend” for his business.
For Maleko Grip & Rigging, servicing a show the size of “The Boroughs” provides a significant revenue stream and supports at least nine to 12 employees. Without the show — and with little other major film activity underway — the staff has been reduced to three, and the company may have to downsize its physical operations.
“It would’ve been a lifeline,” Steinig said of a second season. “It would’ve been like getting a kidney transplant.”
New Mexico’s loss of “The Boroughs” comes as the state’s film industry continues to grapple with a prolonged production slowdown that is also affecting the industry nationally. Production boomed after the COVID-19 pandemic before slowing following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes and a shift of productions overseas.
In fiscal year 2025, the state saw a slight bump in productions filming in New Mexico, with 14 more projects than the 62 that came in fiscal year 2024 — a significant drop from 112 productions in fiscal year 2022.
Despite the production bump in fiscal year 2025, a multiyear decline in production spending continued, reflecting a lack of higher-budget projects like “The Boroughs.” Companies spent $740 million on projects in New Mexico in fiscal year 2024, compared to $323 million for fiscal year 2025.
The slowdown has felt especially acute this calendar year, according to Ryan Halsey, owner of Albuquerque’s Serious Grippage & Light Co., which also provided camera equipment to “The Boroughs.”
Halsey said his business will kick off July servicing zero major films across the state, marking a first in his nearly 20-year career in the local film industry.
“Even way back in 2008, 2009 — when work was more seasonal — during the summer, we’d always be busy. There’d always be something shooting, whether it was a small passion project, a little non-union feature or bigger Hollywood episodics,” Halsey said.
“It’s pretty disheartening and doesn’t forebode well for our industry (that) we’re here in peak season and we couldn’t be any more slow and nonexistent. … It’s just kind of mind-boggling and very depressing,” he added.
Halsey said the timing of the cancellation of “The Boroughs” was the cherry on top, describing it as “just one more kick in the teeth.” He said the news was not only disappointing but surprising, considering that the show ranked among Netflix’s top 10 television shows for several weeks and earned a 96% score from Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Jim Long — founder and CEO of Heritage Cos., which owns property that was heavily utilized and featured as a set in the show — agreed.
“As a top 10-rated show, it seemed like a sure thing to be picked up, but other issues may have been involved,” Long said.
It’s unclear why Netflix discontinued the show.
Some, including Steinig and reporting by the national outlet Deadline, speculate that the Duffer Brothers — who were executive producers for “The Boroughs” — signing a deal with Paramount may have played a role. Halsey said it could’ve been a combination of factors, including cost, feedback from market research groups and scheduling conflicts.
Viewership is also a major factor for Netflix when considering a series’ renewal, even more than cost.
Still, the cancellation came as a surprise to the show’s stars — including actress Geena Davis, who said the axing was unexpected — as well as local vendors who said they had already been hearing that filming of the show’s second season could have begun as early as this fall.
Steve Graham, director of the New Mexico Film Office, echoed vendors’ disappointment but said he remains optimistic about the state’s partnership with Netflix.
“We have been incredibly proud to see the amazing work by New Mexico film workers on screen in ‘The Boroughs,’” Graham said. “While we would have liked to see more of that story, we are looking forward to new projects from our film partner Netflix.”
He added that the office will continue to recruit projects that create jobs and opportunities for New Mexicans.
In addition to supporting more than 300 local vendors, “The Boroughs” employed more than 350 cast and crew members, including background actor Rodger Burt.
Burt, 79, has worked as a background actor on several major productions, including “Breaking Bad,” “Ransom Canyon” and “Oppenheimer.” He learned through a casting agency posting that “The Boroughs” was specifically seeking older background actors.
The opportunity came as a pleasant surprise, Burt said, because casting calls specifically seeking older background actors are rare.
The series paid Burt about $15 an hour to work several eight-hour days. He appears in scenes walking around the Heritage-owned Traditions film site in Algodones and participating in swimming exercises at the Sunport Pool in Albuquerque — the latter of which came with a small pay increase.
“It was a lot of fun. A lot of good people, and of course, being on the older side of things, there were mostly other people in the same age group, so we make friends,” Burt said.
Burt and many fellow background actors had been looking forward to more work on a second season, which he said appeared to be moving forward until it suddenly wasn't.
“We were all disappointed,” Burt said.
Now, Burt hopes another production fills the gap and that recurring shows filmed in New Mexico — including AMC’s “Dark Winds” and Apple TV’s “Pluribus” — return soon.
“We do have the infrastructure here, and good people who work hard,” Burt said. “Hopefully, it’s going to come back better than it has been. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
In the meantime, Steinig and Halsey are exploring other ways to keep their businesses afloat.
“The state has invested so much in this industry,” Halsey said. “It’d be a real shame to ignore the slowdown, watch it all trickle away and not fight to keep it.”
Former UNM law dean defends Carey amid calls for ouster - Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
Former University of New Mexico School of Law Dean Sergio Pareja is pushing back against criticism of current Dean Camille Carey, arguing that allegations about admissions, faculty turnover and campus culture are unsupported and misrepresented.
Several student and community organizations have spoken out against Carey as her contract renewal approaches at the end of this month.
The New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, alumnus and state Sen. Antonio Maestas, D-Albuquerque, and 14 student organizations have urged the university not to renew her contract. They allege Carey and her administration have not prioritized admitting New Mexico or Native American students, instead favoring applicants from out of state.
Pareja, who served as dean from 2015 to 2021 before Carey took office and now teaches at the law school, said her admissions priorities mirror his own: prioritize New Mexico residents while building a diverse incoming class.
"You want thoughtful, challenging discussions in class by people with different views, and we really try to balance all that kind of stuff in weighing our decisions," he said.
In 2021, the year before Carey became dean, nearly 85% of the incoming class were New Mexico residents, according to admissions data from UNM and the American Bar Association. By 2025, that figure was about 81%.
The percentage dipped to its lowest level in 14 years in 2023, when 61 of 92 first-year students — about 66% — were New Mexico residents. That year, about 37% of applicants were state residents.
UNM data show that roughly one-third or more of applicants each year are New Mexico residents, meaning most applicants come from other states. Students must live in New Mexico for 12 consecutive months before enrolling to qualify for in-state tuition.
Pareja argued in a March letter to the Board of Regents that the dean appoints members of the admissions committee and sets overall goals but does not make admissions decisions.
"Apart from that, I tried to stay out of admissions decisions," he wrote.
Sarah Gorman, president of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, disputed that characterization.
"To say that her objective and her priority is diversity — the numbers tell us something different," she said.
As of October 2025, the UNM School of Law student body was about 42% white, 40% Hispanic, 4% Native American, 4% Asian, 3% Black and 5% multiracial. About 3% of students identified their race as unknown.
A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barred colleges from considering race in admissions decisions, meaning admissions committees no longer have access to applicants' race or ethnicity during the admissions process.
"I actually think a piece of what's happening here is some people are lashing out at that Supreme Court decision, that they don't like it," Pareja said. "But they're lashing out at the wrong person."
At a news conference June 23, advocates and recent graduates also alleged that Carey's leadership fostered a retaliatory environment that contributed to the departure of several full-time faculty members and that her administration was slow to investigate sexual assault allegations.
Angélica Ortega, former president of the Latiné American Law Student Association and a recent graduate, said Carey was "not available to students" and "not receptive to feedback."
Alumni also alleged Carey fostered a culture of retaliation that led to the departure of at least five full-time faculty members and the retirement of four others. Pareja said the turnover was routine and that the retiring professors had long planned to leave.
"They had been planning to retire for years," he said. "It had nothing to do with Dean Carey."
Pareja said the criticism does not reflect the views of most faculty and students.
"In my over 20 years at the law school, now it feels like it's running marvelously, and most people seem happy," he said. "Everybody seems to have the same sense that it is really a small number of people just wreaking havoc right now."
Former Provost James Holloway appointed Carey dean in late 2021, and she began her tenure in July 2022. She taught at Yale University before joining the UNM law faculty in 2009 and earned her law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2001.
Gorman, an Albuquerque criminal defense attorney, said the number of people raising concerns about Carey's leadership should carry weight.
"When I have a client who has maybe one or two people who are going to testify against them and give a particular account of criminal activity, that's something I can deal with," Gorman said. "But when I have multiple witnesses, four or five, six, all saying something similar, then that causes me concern as an attorney for my client."
Newly appointed Provost Barbara Rodriguez, who will decide whether Carey’s contract is renewed, said in a statement the university will follow faculty handbook policy in evaluating law school leadership.
"Leadership appointments and reappointments are based on a comprehensive review of multiple factors, with no single criterion or predetermined timeline dictating the decision," Rodriguez said. "Having recently assumed the permanent role of provost, I intend to take the time necessary to conduct a thoughtful and thorough review before making any long-term decisions regarding academic leadership."
Rodriguez is expected to decide in the coming weeks. If she does not renew Carey's contract for another five-year term, the law school will conduct a national search for a new dean.
Gorman, who graduated from the UNM School of Law in 2005, said she hopes the next dean will strengthen ties with alumni.
"Those of us who went to UNM law — it has a place in our hearts," she said. "It was a really positive experience for us, so we want to maintain a connection and want to maintain an environment for incoming students where they feel that too."
3 firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires stoked by heat, wind rage across the West - By Ty Oneil, Michael R. Sisak and Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press
Blistering heat and strong winds Sunday stoked wildfires across the West after three firefighters were killed a day earlier in Colorado while battling a blaze along the state's border with Utah.
The National Weather Service said wildfire conditions "remain critical" across the Southwest, with risk high in the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah intersect. The agency warned of "extreme fire behavior" along the Utah-Colorado border, where "rapid fire growth is likely."
The firefighters were killed and two sustained burn injuries when they were overcome Saturday by flames from fast-moving fires. They deployed emergency protective shelters during the so-called burnover — which occurs when a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes — in Mesa County, the U.S. Interior Department said.
They worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which merged with other fires to form the Snyder Fire. So far, about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) have burned.
The Wildland Fire Service, created earlier this year to streamline firefighting on public lands, said in a statement that it "stands united" with the Forest Service in grief and "in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind."
The names of the firefighters were withheld pending notification to their loved ones, the Interior Department said.
Temperatures in Grand Junction — east of the fire — hit a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius) Saturday, with winds gusting to 44 mph (71 kph), according to the National Weather Service.
The Mesa County Sheriff's Office asked people to evacuate the potential path of the fire and to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The federal Bureau of Land Management on Saturday closed public access to lands it manages nearby.
On Sunday, strong winds pushed waves of thick, gray smoke from the fire as it burned through a desolate stretch of scrub and red mesa.
Hot, dry and windy conditions
Consecutive days of hot, dry and windy weather fueled fires in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and elsewhere. New fires popped up across the region.
The largest blaze, the Cottonwood Fire, burned out of control in rugged terrain in southwest Utah. It ballooned Sunday to more than 146 square miles (378 square kilometers) after marching through canyons and mountainsides, destroying part of a ski resort. The cause is under investigation.
Firefighters worked on multiple fronts, using bulldozers to scrape away brush and trees to starve the fire of fuel.
No estimates of damage were immediately available. Gov. Spencer Cox in a post on social media thanked crews for what he called "several miraculous stops and saves."
The danger is even higher this year because of Utah's record-low snowpack and its warmest winter on record. Much of the West is grappling with similar conditions, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some 12 fires were burning in Utah. None were contained by late afternoon Sunday.
Fires across the U.S. burn thousands of square miles this year
Nationally, nearly 4,688 square miles (12,142 square kilometers) have burned since Jan. 1. That is more than the 10-year average.
Fully or largely uncontained wildfires burned across the desert Southwest on Sunday, according to Forest Service data, including in Nevada and Arizona. Their area totaled nearly 469 square miles (1,214 square kilometers).
Emergencies declared in Utah and Colorado
Citing fire conditions, Cox declared an emergency last week and banned fireworks ahead of the July Fourth holiday. State officials said Utah has seen an increase in wildfire starts, with each fire showing unprecedented behavior and stretching wildland firefighting capabilities.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency on Saturday, authorizing the use of the National Guard to tackle the fires.
South of Grand Canyon National Park, authorities said a new wildfire was moving away from Grand Canyon Village on Saturday. But about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away, another fire prompted Coconino County officials to issue evacuation orders for those near Kendrick Mountain.
Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shut-off in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. On Sunday, officials said power had been restored to much of Grand Canyon National Park.
Power shutoffs have become more common in the West as wildfire risk has expanded. It is usually a last resort after utility forecasters weigh factors like sustained wind and gust speeds, available fuels and topography.
___
Smyth contributed from Columbus, Ohio. Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.
New Mexico opens criminal probe of DEA after agents allowed fentanyl shipments to hit streets - By Jim Mustian, Associated Press
New Mexico's attorney general on Friday opened a criminal investigation to determine whether U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law by allowing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets of Albuquerque.
The extraordinary inquiry comes less than a week after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored — but did not seize — shipments of the synthetic opioid in a bid to build bigger criminal cases between 2023 and 2025.
Current and former DEA agents, including whistleblower David Howell, told AP the strategy amounted to a gamble with public safety and may have violated U.S. Justice Department rules intended to safeguard the public.
The fentanyl went unseized amid the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history and as the DEA led a public awareness campaign — "One Pill Can Kill" — emphasizing that even a few milligrams of the substance can be lethal.
The criminal investigation turns a debate over enforcement tactics into a question of whether federal agents crossed legal lines while pursuing larger trafficking organizations.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, said federal agents "are not above the law," but they enjoy substantial legal protections when carrying out official duties.
Still, Torrez said he would start "demanding documents and information about the DEA's conduct, in New Mexico and nationally, to determine whether what occurred here reflects a broader pattern of reckless or unlawful behavior."
"If those allegations are accurate, the consequences for New Mexicans were not abstract. They were fatal," Torrez wrote in a letter to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who earlier this week called for the inquiry.
"New Mexico already ranks among the states hardest hit by fentanyl overdose deaths," he added, "and the families who have lost children, siblings and parents to this crisis deserve a full accounting of what the federal government knew, what it did and what it failed to do."
The DEA initially denied Howell's allegations in a statement to AP. But the agency later called upon the Justice Department's independent watchdog to conduct its own investigation.
"Should that review identify areas of improvement, the DEA will of course implement changes to better their practices," the Justice Department said in a statement. "We welcome a partnership with Governor Lujan Grisham, as well as New Mexico state and local leaders, to fight the scourge of fentanyl and keep her constituents safe."
A growing number of local and state leaders in New Mexico have expressed outrage in the wake of Howell's allegations. But those sentiments are not widely held by family members of overdose victims, said Paul E. Martin, founder of United Against Fentanyl, a nonprofit organization fighting the epidemic that represents 5,000 family members of victims.
"Law enforcement makes mistakes," Martin said. "But the DEA are the men and women putting their lives on the line. Their entire business is the removal of illegal and toxic drugs from our streets."
Dem NM governor nominee Deb Haaland endorses Land Commissioner Garcia Richard as running mate - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Deb Haaland, the former U.S. Interior secretary who soundly secured the Democratic nomination to be New Mexico’s next governor, on Friday endorsed Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard for lieutenant governor as state party officials prepare to select Haaland’s running mate.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver defeated state Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination in the June 2 primary election. However, Toulouse Oliver abruptly dropped out of the race last week, citing her health, which set in motion a statewide search for her replacement.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico on Thursday announced its State Central Committee will meet July 25 to vote on Toulouse Oliver’s replacement. Haaland, on Thursday, announced her five finalists, which included Garcia Richard and Pope, along with state Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española), lawyer Antonia Roybal-Mack and Sonya Smith, a former Department of Veterans Services cabinet secretary who also ran briefly in the Democratic primary for the secretary of state’s office.
Source NM reached out to all of the contenders. In a statement to Source NM, Roybal-Mack, an attorney who has represented hundreds of northern New Mexico wildfire victims, said she was “honored to be considered” and enjoyed speaking with Haaland.
“It was a whirlwind of a week and tonight I go back to supporting fire victims in Jemez,” she wrote.
Garcia Richard had initially sought to compete in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, but dropped out in October, citing her husband’s health. In a recent announcement, she said he had “greatly improved.”
In a video announcing her endorsement Friday, Haaland said, “the stakes of this race couldn’t be higher because of who is in the White House. Garcia Richard, she said, “sees the lieutenant governor’s office as an opportunity to build partnerships, solve problems and help deliver on the promises we’ve made to New Mexicans.”
In the video, Haaland thanked the Democrats who expressed interest in running as her lieutenant governor and said it was a difficult decision.
In a letter to State Central Committee members, Haaland, who previously served as chair of the state Democratic Party, wrote that she respects “the role the SCC plays in this selection” and hoped they would support Garcia Richard.
“While I was advancing our clean energy economy across the country, Stephanie was leading the same fight here at home. She has grown critical state funding for education, overseen job creation in our energy economy, and implemented policies that protect our air, land and water,” Haaland wrote. “Her roots stretch across New Mexico, from growing up in Southern New Mexico to raising her family in Northern New Mexico, giving her a deep understanding of the people, communities, and diversity that define our state.”
In a social media post, Garcia Richard wrote that she was “honored” by Haaland’s endorsement.
“I will be working diligently to gain the trust of the State Central Committee as we move forward in building the 2026 ticket for New Mexico,” she wrote.
Haaland is set to face Republican former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who is running alongside Republican lieutenant governor candidate Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice) in the Nov. 3 general election.
Regulating AI could threaten federal broadband funding – Bella Davis, New Mexico In Depth
New Mexico plans to connect the last households in the state that don’t have high-speed internet access, including tribal communities, which are among the hardest to connect, in part by using $675 million from the federal government.
But the state is still awaiting guidance on how a significant chunk of that money can be spent.
Another complication: If state lawmakers were to pass artificial intelligence regulations, they could put the funding at risk.
That’s according to Jeff Lopez, the director of the state’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, who spoke to lawmakers on the interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday in Crownpoint.
Since 2021, the percentage of New Mexico households with high-speed internet access has grown from 73% to 91%, according to Lopez. The state plans to close the remaining gap with help from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant program, established in 2021.
The Navajo Nation was allocated $111 million, the single largest project supported by the state office.
“I often say we have the most beautiful mountains, valleys, the bosques, the rivers and streams,” Lopez said at the committee hearing. “It makes visiting many of these locations and living in these many locations a distinct privilege, but it also makes broadband infrastructure very expensive when it comes to the topography of New Mexico, and many of our nations, Pueblos and tribes live in some of those hardest-to-connect rural areas.”
About 43% of total BEAD funding — $293 million — has yet to be released.
Lopez’s office in March called on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the federal bureau that administers the program, to disperse what are called non-deployment funds. The state plans to use the money for workforce development and to connect community institutions like schools and libraries, among other priorities.
Also on the state office’s radar is an executive order President Donald Trump issued last December directing his administration to identify “onerous” state laws regulating artificial intelligence. According to the order, states with such laws on their books will largely be ineligible for non-deployment funds.
Lopez said his office conducted a review and didn’t find any New Mexico laws that could conflict with the order. He added that his office can provide guidance on AI legislation during future sessions, as it did earlier this year.
Rep. Tara Lujan, D-Santa Fe, said continued feedback would be helpful because she expects the committee will be evaluating AI legislation ahead of next year’s legislative session.
“I don’t feel like we should have to curtail what we need to do for the state in a responsible way. However, I think that having more information is always the best way to go,” Lujan said.
The federal government taking back already-appropriated money is always a possibility, particularly under the Trump administration, Lopez said, but the BEAD program is likely at less risk because it was part of a bipartisan infrastructure law.