In secretly recorded meeting, tech CEO and investor push officials on spaceport data center - Algernon D’Ammassa, Albuquerque Journal
A recording of a private meeting in August reveals behind-the-scenes discussions of Sierra County’s recent data center moratorium and an effort to modify it so a proposed data center at Spaceport America can move forward after all.
The 80-minute audio file was released by the city of Elephant Butte as part of its response to a public records request, which also included a handwritten list of attendees and notes about the discussion retrieved by the city’s records custodian.
The candid discussion turned to political strategy, managing public reaction and ways to change the moratorium without triggering New Mexico’s open meetings law.
The recording also offers a rare glimpse into discussions among private capital and public officials about advancing a potentially controversial industrial development, including marketing and political strategy. Some speakers expressed hostility toward community opponents. At one point an unidentified speaker referred to them as “CAVE people,” a pejorative acronym for “Citizens Against Virtually Everything.”
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
New Mexico lawmaker criticizes state insurance superintendent for approving premium increase - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee Chair Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) on Wednesday criticized the state’s insurance regulator for approving a steep premium hike for New Mexicans who purchase health coverage on the state’s exchange.
The Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, which is tasked with vetting and approving proposed rate increases, announced Tuesday that it had approved a 24.4% average increase for roughly 80,000 New Mexicans who receive coverage through BeWell, the state’s insurance marketplace. The increases will take effect in January.
In a statement alongside the announcement, OSI Superintendent Alice Kane attributed the increase in premiums to inflation, rising healthcare costs and other factors. She also said that while the new increase was above the national average of 15%, New Mexico’s average premium costs remain in line with other states.
But Small, in a statement Wednesday, criticized Kane’s office for not consulting lawmakers before approving the change and also for not negotiating a better price. He said the state has more leverage than the office brought to bear in negotiations because of how much state funding subsidizes healthcare premiums.
“The state is a major purchaser and funder of healthcare, which gives us a strong voice and negotiating power to demand reasonable rates, transparency, and accountability,” he said. “This approval is shocking and deeply disappointing, since our investments were intended to help families afford care, not increase profit margins for insurance companies.”
A spokesperson for the OSI did not immediately provide a response to Small’s criticism Wednesday.
In recent legislative sessions, the Legislature established a fund to fully replace the federal Enhanced Premium Tax Credit, which expired at the end of 2025, in addition to other existing state subsidies for BeWell customers. Those subsidies regularly reduce premiums of $845 or more to as low as $10 for lowest-income patients, according to a recent Legislative Finance Committee report.
Small said the OSI needs to give a clear explanation to both the Legislature and the public about what is driving the premium increases and whether the office considered alternatives to such a large rate hike. He also said the office needs to provide a fuller accounting of how the Legislature’s “affordability investments are being utilized to keep costs down for families”
Top-level Albuquerque leaders deleted text evidence in encampment suit, motion states - Matthew Resien, Albuquerque Journal
Attorneys representing the homeless in an ongoing lawsuit over the legality of encampment sweeps have filed a motion to enact sanctions for evidence destruction after top-level officials in Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s administration admitted to deleting text messages and other communications.
Among those who told attorneys that they had deleted “texts, emails, photos and other documents” were Chief Operations Officer Matthew Whelan — who said he erased thousands of messages with Keller regarding encampments and the unhoused — and Gilbert Ramirez, director of the Health, Housing and Homelessness department.
“The City’s widespread failure to preserve potentially relevant evidence plainly violates New Mexico law and has significantly prejudiced Plaintiffs,” the Aug. 19 motion reads. “The violation is exacerbated by the City's failure to advise key employees of their duty to preserve evidence.”
A screenshot shows a deposition with Gilbert Ramirez, director of Health, Housing & Homelessness, in which he discusses deleting text messages "every couple of weeks" amid a yearslong lawsuit centered around encampment sweeps. Source: 2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office
The depositions of trial witnesses Whelan, the former director of Solid Waste; Ramirez; Eric Gonzalez, the former Gateway West facilities manager; Denise Rodriguez, head of HHH’s encampment outreach team; and Charlie Verploegh, a senior HHH official, took place from March through June.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
Enchanted Forest ski area will not open this winter - Taos News
The Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area will not be open for the 2026 season.
The Taos News reports that the ski area’s owners say the decision to remain closed was the result of low snowfall and warm winters in recent years, along with a proposed sale of the business that recently fell through.
Enchanted Forest is located outside Red River on high country overlooking Bobcat Pass. It opened in 1985. Enchanted Forest does not make its own snow and relies exclusively on natural snowfall.
Last season, a lack of snow prevented Enchanted Forest from offering cross-country skiing, though the area did offer visitors guided snowshoe trips and overnight lodging.
The Taos News reports that the property remains for sale.
Santa Fe's speed cameras take bullets on first day of operation - Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe’s brand new speed cameras took a few bullets during their first week of active service.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that three of the five sets of new speed cameras that were activated on Monday were shot repeatedly within hours of being turned on.
Santa Fe police interim Chief Ben Valdez told the New Mexican that despite being shot, all of the cameras remained operational.
The cameras monitoring eastbound traffic on Rodeo Road and two sets of cameras along Zia Road were the ones on the receiving end of gunfire.
Police collected some shell casings near one of the cameras, and Valdez told the New Mexican that police are hoping to identify the shooter or shooters of the cameras.
Federal agents in New Mexico seize $2M in cryptocurrency as part of money laundering investigation - Santa Fe New Mexican
Federal agents in New Mexico have seized more than $2 million in cryptocurrency.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the seizure was part of an investigation of a suspected money laundering network involving drug traffickers from the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel.
FBI investigators say the cryptocurrency is tied to laundered cash from cocaine sales made in the United States.
The funds were seized from the cryptocurrency known as Tether, which is a type of cryptocurrency called “stablecoin.”
That means the currency is intended to hold a stable value relative to the U.S. dollar.
Mountainair EMS Chief charged in rape of 15-year-old girl - Gillian Barkhurst, Albuquerque Journal
The chief of Mountainair's Emergency Medical Services Department was put on administrative leave last month following allegations that he raped a 15-year-old.
Josh Lewis, 39, is charged with second-degree criminal sexual penetration, fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration and aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm.
According to documents filed in Torrance County Magistrate Court, Lewis worked in information technology at the Estancia Municipal School District in 2022 when he allegedly groomed and raped a 15-year-old girl who was a student there.
The girl frequently babysat his children and was an employee at a restaurant he owned, called Alpine Alley Cafe, the documents detail.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
