Javier Martínez

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is taking outgoing Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard and all five members of the Board of Regents to court over a $1.9 million buyout payment they awarded to Shepard, who state investigators say has routinely engaged in “wasteful” and “improper” spending of taxpayer dollars.

Following internal elections over the weekend, the leadership of the New Mexico House come January is mostly set. While some leaders are returning to their posts on both sides of the aisle, most will be new to their roles.

With President-elect Trump set to take office in January, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called his state’s Legislature into a special session to protect its policies against Trump’s agenda. New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez says his state is already “Trump-proof.”

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez is the only Democratic leader facing a challenge this election. Republican Bart Kinney is running a longshot campaign to oust the five-term lawmaker in a heavily Democratic district.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called a special legislative session on matters of public safety that’s set to begin Thursday, July 18. Legislative leadership from her own party Monday announced they are not in agreement on the proposed legislation and are concerned the session could cause more harm than good.

In the Democratic primary race for House District 69, incumbent Harry Garcia faces Navajo attorney Michelle Pauline Abeyta and miner Stanley Michael. With no Republican running, whoever wins this race on June 4th will most likely go to the state Legislature in January.

The House Taxation and Revenue committee has been hearing tax proposals for 48 days and, on Monday, it passed a bill that compiles around 20 of them into a comprehensive package. It includes a significant reduction of direct payments called for by the governor in order to make room for other reforms.

The 60-day state legislative session has just begun and already there are surprises. As the Speaker’s gavel changes hands, the longtime chair of an influential budgeting committee is out in the House of Representatives, replaced by a more progressive Democrat. Dan Boyd, capitol bureau chief for the Albuquerque Journal, reported on the day-one shake-up and spoke with KUNM about what it could mean.

After years of debate, legislation and preparation, people over 21 can walk into a store in New Mexico and buy recreational cannabis products. As the recreational industry gears up, many are trying to ensure that the benefits will be shared equally.

Tuesday, 11/24, 8a: The push for the legalization of recreational cannabis has really picked up in recent years in the New Mexico legislature. In this…