THURS: More leaders at New Mexico Highlands are placed on leave, + More
By KUNM News
May 7, 2026 at 7:15 AM MDT
New Mexico Highlands shakeup expands beyond president - Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
The New Mexico Highlands University administrative shakeup reached further than President Neil Woolf, who was placed on paid leave by the Board of Regents Friday.
On Wednesday, NMHU’s general counsel Doajo Hicks confirmed Provost Dann Brown and men’s basketball coach Zach Settembre were placed on administrative leave as well.
Hicks also confirmed that administrators Paul Grindstaff, David Lepre and Johnny Montoya have been terminated.
Kimberly Blea, who most recently served as vice president for student affairs, is interim president and Ian Williamson, associate vice president for academic affairs, will be interim provost, Hicks said.
Settembre told the Journal late Wednesday that he was still unsure of his job status.
“Late (Tuesday) night, I received multiple calls from colleagues, friends, family, and the families of players asking about termination,” Settembre said in a text. “After a sleepless night, I asked our HR department first thing this morning if I had been terminated, and our head of HR told me unequivocally that I had not been terminated. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career.”
Settembre was hired at NMHU last year from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
“I still have not heard one word on termination from our athletic director or our new interim president,” he said. “It is heartbreaking to witness the professional and personal lives that have been altered and permanently damaged with recent developments at our amazing university.”
Settembre, in his first season at NMHU, led the Cowboys to a 13-19 record and 11-9 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
The school announced a three-year contract extension for Settembre just last week, but the news release has since been taken down from the school's website.
“I’m saddened for our current student athletes, including the eight graduating this Saturday (a single-season program record), as well as those currently signed for next season, as they are caught in the middle of what appears to be a political coup at our university,” Settembre said.
Officials from the New Mexico chapters of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, along with the NMHU Faculty and Staff Association, said in a statement that Woolf’s dismissal came after “months of documented concerns.”
“After collective bargaining agreement violations, attempts to fire and privatize essential positions of our university staff, and the gross mismanagement of worker safety issues at the Ivan Hilton Science Building, we are not surprised by the actions of the Board of Regents,” the union officials said in a joint statement.
The group said Blea had an opportunity to “reset the University’s course and work to heal divisions and restore the mutual respect between administration and faculty and staff that make our university community strong.”
NMHU faculty union President Kathy Jenkins told the Journal that discontent worsened after faculty and staff raised workplace safety issues at the university’s Ivan Hilton Science Building, which closed for several months starting Sept. 3, 2024, after reports of a chemical spill, the Las Vegas Optic reported.
Marty Lujan, a custodian at NMHU who worked in the building, died 11 days later. An autopsy report obtained by the Optic found Lujan died of complications from diabetes, though union officials said he showed signs of chemical exposure.
In a Facebook post, Woolf said the board provided no explanation for the decision and he hadn’t heard any indications that there were concerns.
“Since day one, my focus has been clear: strengthening Highlands for the students and communities we serve,” Woolf wrote. “Together, we have made measurable progress — improving the university’s financial position, achieving record fundraising, launching new academic programs aligned with regional workforce needs, increasing enrollment, and building meaningful partnerships across New Mexico.
“I remain committed to that work. I welcome the opportunity to address this situation directly and to continue moving Highlands forward.”
Woolf was appointed to the presidency in 2024 after a national search. He most recently served as the executive vice president at Southern Oregon University.
BLM fast-tracks ‘Green Chile’ pipeline construction review for NM data center Project Jupiter - by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The Bureau of Land Management announced this week it had granted expedited permission to build a pipeline on New Mexico public lands to fuel the controversial Project Jupiter data center, but environmental groups say state and federal regulators will slow down construction plans.
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The BLM Las Cruces district office said Wednesday it had accelerated reviews to allow for the construction of a 16 mile-portion of pipeline proposed by Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer, which owns Transwestern Pipeline Company.
Transwestern has proposed a nearly 18-mile pipeline crossing mostly federal, but some private and state trust lands, dubbed the “Green Chile Project.” The $60 million lateral would pipe 400 million cubic feet of gas per day from El Paso daily to the private power plants for the Project Jupiter data center for companies such as OpenAI and Oracle. That amount of gas used daily would supply winter heating in Española — home to more than 10,000 people — for one year, experts previously told Source NM.
The BLM said it circumvented lengthy reviews citing emergency permitting powers the U.S. Department of Interior adopted in 2025, shortening a federal environment review from a year to 14 days. The right of way allows Transwestern to have permission to construct, restore and operate most of the length of the pipeline.
The project already faced potential roadblocks when the New Mexico State Land Office denied the rights for construction on state trust land last month.
The project still requires approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is still considering a January application from Transwestern to approve the pipeline immediately.
Several New Mexico environmental groups filed formal challenges against the project in April, as did FERC staff, noting the application was incomplete. The FERC staff protest required Transwestern to submit a missing review from the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office within 30 days, or face a much longer review for the project.
In more recent filings to FERC, Transwestern and a Project Jupiter customer, Oracle Corporation, urged regulators to extend the 30-day deadline to submit the documentation, writing that “time is of the essence” and are seeking regulator’s approval immediately to ensure the pipeline is constructed by August.
Attorneys for Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity opposing the project said FERC has no procedure allowing a deadline extension and said the project must now undergo a more lengthy review process.
Additionally, attorneys said that New Mexico environmental regulators still have not weighed in on Project Jupiters’ power generation plans, which changed last week from solely using gas pipelines to incorporate fuel cells.
“This development reiterates that any potential need for the Project is uncertain at best,” the document stated.
New Mexico AG seeks judge to fine, possibly jail landowner over threats to Pecos access - by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
New Mexico state prosecutors are seeking a judge to fine and possibly even jail a San Miguel County landowner on the Pecos River alleging he repeatedly threatened fishermen with a shotgun and has created “barriers” and “traps” in the river.
In an emergency motion filed Wednesday, the New Mexico Department of Justice alleged Erik Briones, a Terrero resident, violated a March 2025 court order and threatened waders’ and fishermen’s constitutional right to recreate in the Pecos River. Briones was one among several land owners ordered to remove fencing and “no trespassing” signs.
A 2022 ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court found the public has the constitutional right to access streams for paddling, fishing and wading, including the right to walk on privately owned land beneath waters. Any use of the beds and banks must have minimal impact, according to the court.
Now, state prosecutors said new evidence shows Briones used heavy equipment in March to dig holes in the riverbed under the water line, which “deepens the river to between six and ten feet, making it difficult or impossible to safely wade across,” the emergency motion states.
Additionally, the motion shows pictures of barbed wire along the bank and riverbed, which the motion said “funnels” waders to the deeper portions of the river.
When reached by phone Thursday, Briones told Source NM “I really have no comment,” and declined to say if he had an attorney.
“This is not just noncompliance, it is a blatant disregard for the law, the court’s authority, and the safety of New Mexicans,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement Thursday. “We secured a clear victory to protect the public’s constitutional right to access our rivers. We will not hesitate to return to court to enforce that ruling and hold bad actors accountable.”
The emergency motion requested a 4th Judicial District Court judge hold a hearing to find Briones in contempt. State prosecutors requested a fine of $1,000 per day for non-compliance, and escalate that to $5,000 per day fines if it continues, in addition to paying to put the river into its original state.
State prosecutors also asked a judge to consider jailing Briones in San Miguel County if he does not remove the physical hazards within 14 days.
New Mexico conservationists, elected officials mourn ‘conservation icon’ Ted Turner - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
New Mexico conservationists and elected officials on Wednesday issued statements celebrating the conservation legacy of Ted Turner, who was once New Mexico’s largest landowner and made the state a model of private land conservation.
Turner, 87, died early Wednesday morning, according to a statement from his family. Turner’s estate owns more than 1 million acres across four sprawling ranches in northern and southern New Mexico. His purchase of the Vermejo Ranch in 1996 established a precedent for how private benefactors can be conservation leaders and save endangered species, said Garrett VeneKlasen, director of New Mexico Wild, in a phone interview with Source NM on Wednesday.
“He was a New Mexico conservation icon,” VeneKlasen said. “As a landowner, he was one of the most exemplary landowners in terms of stewarding big landscapes and big chunks of habitat.”
VeneKlasen said Turner was instrumental in protecting species including the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the Mexican gray wolf, the Bolson tortoise and the Chiricahua leopard frog. Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy, also said Turner’s efforts helped save the bighorn sheep, as well as the bats that used his Armendaris Ranch as a stop on their migratory path.
“All the bison reintroduction, too,” Hayden told Source NM on Wednesday. “That has been a huge kind of catalyst for thinking about how to reintroduce native species to an eco-region that was kind of long overlooked.”
New Mexico elected officials also publicly praised Turner’s impact and offered condolences to his family.
“His Vermejo Ranch became one of the great conservation success stories in American history: half a million acres restored from coal mining and industry back to thriving wilderness, with bison, pronghorn, and clean streams to prove it,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a post to social media Wednesday. “New Mexico is better for what Ted left behind.”
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called Turner the “real-life Captain Planet” in a statement to social media on Wednesday. “I will miss his leadership, and my thoughts are with his family and friends,” he wrote.
Turner founded the news network CNN and, later in life, turned his attention to philanthropy and conservation. After Vermejo, Turner increased his holdings across the West, becoming one of the country’s biggest landowners with more than 2 million acres across eight Western states.
“He was also a man known for his no-holds-barred delivery, endearing sense of humor, and undying loyalty to those around him,” according to the statement from his family Wednesday.
Governor not planning to pick sides in primary race to choose her successor — at least for now - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t planning to endorse either of the two candidates in the increasingly pugnacious Democratic primary race for the office she currently holds — at least not for now.
The outgoing governor said in an interview this week she’s closely following the contest between Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman and has areas of agreement — and disagreement — with both candidates.
“I feel like putting my foot on the scale isn’t really fair to a democratic process,” Lujan Grisham told the Journal.
She also pointed out she has connections to both candidates, including appointing Bregman to be Bernalillo County district attorney in 2023 and working with Haaland’s transition team after Haaland was elected in 2018 to the congressional seat Lujan Grisham had previously held.
“I’m close to both of them in a number of ways,” the governor said. “I disagree with both of them on some things, and they disagree with me on some things.”
With early voting underway, Bregman and Haaland are locked in an expensive and increasingly contentious primary race. The victor of the June 2 primary will face the winner of a three-way GOP primary, and independent candidate Ken Miyagishima, in the November general election. Lujan Grisham is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office and will step down at the end of this year.
Trailing in the polls, Bregman has criticized Haaland for turning down invitations to participate in several televised debates.
He also recently said he would not support Haaland if she ends up being the Democratic nominee, after her campaign posted information to her website about several properties owned by Bregman’s family.
“That is such an epic failure of judgement on her part that I don't believe she has the judgement to lead this great state in the future,” Bregman said during a televised interview with KOAT-TV.
For her part, Haaland’s campaign has accused Bregman of leveling “false attacks” in a TV ad he aired linking her to the Epstein files. The former U.S. Interior secretary’s campaign has also said Bregman has received campaign contributions from individuals who also financially supported President Donald Trump.
It’s unclear how big an impact an endorsement from Lujan Grisham might carry in the Democratic primary race, as political experts have said such endorsements typically have limited sway on voters’ decisions.
But some endorsements carry more weight than others, as shown by the victory of five Trump-backed challengers in Indiana state Senate primary races this week.
Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham has issued an endorsement in at least one contested Democratic primary race in this year’s election cycle, as she announced her backing this week of Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin’s bid to be New Mexico’s next secretary of state.
Downtown Albuquerque’s Silver Street Market in search of new operator - Kylie Garcia, Albuquerque Journal
After years watching her father run John Brooks Supermarket stores across New Mexico, Albuquerque native Kelly Brooks said starting her own Downtown grocery store felt right.
“It just felt like a good opportunity for Albuquerque and to service all those people Downtown who did not have a convenient grocery store,” said Brooks, who runs Silver Street Market with her ex-husband Rob Ortmon. “It felt like something that we were supposed to do.”
Nearly a decade after opening the market — one of Downtown’s only grocery stores — in August 2016, the business is now for sale.
Sergio Castillo, an associate broker with Allen Sigmon Real Estate Group, officially listed the roughly 11,500-square-foot market space, along with the business itself, in March. Brooks is ready to pass the reins to a new operator and focus on a role she has with John Brooks Supermarket.
“I had hoped that by the 10-year mark, the neighborhood would have changed significantly for the better,” Brooks said. “Now that it’s here, those things have not happened. I think that the neighborhood, at times, is more challenging than it was in 2016 when we first opened.”
Unhoused people frequently hanging out in front of the market — situated inside what’s known as the Imperial Building at 205 Silver SW — have been one of the most persistent challenges, Brooks said.
“It’s really a handful of people. We know them by name, and we know that most of these people are harmless, but the general public doesn’t know that, and so those are the people that are keeping customers from coming,” Brooks said.
Other factors that have contributed to Brooks’ decision to move on from the business include her divorce from her co-owner, rising costs for products and insurance, and what she said feels like a lack of support from the city. The store’s 10-year lease is also up at the end of this year.
Because Silver Street Market is one of few grocers in the area, Brooks said keeping that service there is a priority for both her and the property’s owner, Geltmore LLC — whether someone takes over Silver Street Market or launches a new grocery store in the space.
“Closure is the last option,” Brooks said. “We really want to be able to find someone to take it over, doing exactly this or close to this. That’s why we’re keeping our options open. The last thing I want to do is close.”
City Councilor Joaquín Baca, who represents the Downtown area, echoed the importance of keeping a grocery store in the space, estimating Silver Street Market regularly serves about 7,000 people in Downtown and surrounding areas.
“To lose it would be much more than just creating a food desert,” Baca said, saying that grocery stores create healthy communities and are also a vital part of recruiting people to an area. “Having a grocery store nearby is a game changer for quality of life.”
Baca said he recognizes the challenges Silver Street Market faces being Downtown and agrees that Brooks hasn’t “gotten the support she needs, or even deserves,” from the city.
The city councilor said he thinks a future market owner could find support in the ongoing effort to launch a Downtown Business Improvement District, as well as a recent ordinance the council passed this week to ban sitting and sleeping on sidewalks.
If someone decides to purchase the existing business — for a price which Brooks said is negotiable — a transferable liquor license and store equipment are also up for grabs.
While Brooks and Geltmore are hoping to make a deal by the end of the year, David Silverman, principal of Geltmore, said the two are willing to work together to keep the market open beyond that timeline and continue the search for an operator.
“They put in so much blood, sweat and tears,” Silverman said. “But they don’t want to leave the community high and dry, so we are hopeful that there is someone that has grocery experience and has the wherewithal to operate a store at that location.”
Brooks has informally searched for a new operator over the past two years. She received some interest, but none had the grocery store experience she is looking for. The ideal buyer, she added, is someone who “would take an active interest in running the store” and has energy to give, not just to the store, but to getting to know the people Downtown.
While the store has come with challenges, Brooks said it also comes with the reward of offering a needed resource to an entire community. She said meeting and serving them was her favorite part of the venture.
“Downtown is just a really cool mix of people, and they all look out for each other, whether they know anybody personally or not,” Brooks said. “I think some of those people are probably the most generous that I’ve seen. Sometimes the people that have the least give the most.”
Amid extreme drought, New Mexico launches new water dashboard - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
As New Mexico faces extreme drought, the state has launched a new website to track the water goals the governor set two years ago.
Extremely low snowpack levels threaten the state’s rivers and aquifers this year, a trend that’s expected to continue, with a recent report from water experts across the state projecting that changing climate patterns and groundwater overuse could reduce water supplies by 25% in coming decades. The remaining waters are more vulnerable to pollution concerns from wildfires and other contaminants.
The dashboard includes data on water conservation, development of new water resources and protection of existing water resources, the three elements detailed in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 50-year Water Action Plan.
For instance, in the conservation category, the dashboard displays progress on efforts to curb municipal and agricultural demand by 10%. In the expansion arena, it tracks progress on expanding treatment of brackish water to use for non-potable purposes. Lastly, the dashboard sets timelines for protecting existing water supplies through efforts such as restoring watersheds.
“This dashboard is a promise to every New Mexican that we will manage this challenge with the best science available now and well into the future,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Tricia Snyder, the rivers and waters program director for conservation group New Mexico Wild, said the data offers the public more transparency on how the state is going to meet its water goals, by providing information on topics such as aquifer mapping programs, watershed protections and the state’s efforts to take over pollution oversight in its rivers.
“I hope it will be a tool that folks will use as we’re navigating this really tough water year,” Snyder said. “There’s a lot more opportunity to add data points or mapping to it, and I’m excited to work with the governor’s office on how to improve this tool.”
Clovis skunk tests positive for rabies - Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal
A skunk caught in Clovis on Friday has tested positive for rabies, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
The skunk had not bitten anyone and was “safely captured and submitted for testing,” Clovis Police Chief Trevor Thron said in a news release Wednesday.
The skunk was the second confirmed rabies case in Curry County this year and brought the statewide total to four cases. Rabies was also found in a bat, bobcat and dog.
The number of annual rabies cases in the state has fluctuated between 11 and 19 since 2020. In 2019, the state recorded 27 cases, which included a sheep in San Miguel County.
Bites are fairly uncommon but late last year a hiker was bitten by a coyote with rabies in the Gila National Forest near Silver City.
The majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention occur in wild animals, with only 10% of cases found in domestic animals, according to NMDOH. The virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death, which occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
The symptoms of rabies start with fever, headache and general malaise but, untreated, can escalate to partial paralysis, hallucinations, hypersalivation and hydrophobia (fear of water), among others.
Clovis Animal Control received a call Friday about “a skunk exhibiting abnormal behavior in the 2300 block of East 14th Street.”
Capt. Roman Romero of the Clovis Police Department said a resident reported that the skunk was in their yard and “they were able to approach it and move it out of their yard.”
“Since skunks are usually nocturnal, not easily approachable, and when typically encountered may ‘spray,’ the Animal Control Officers believed the wild animal to have some ailment,” Romero said. “The animal was not aggressive.”
Romero said because of its behavior and another recent rabies case reported in the county, animal control “believed it necessary to euthanize and forward the animal for testing.”
NMDOH confirmed the skunk had rabies.
David Morgan, state DOH spokesperson, said rabies testing is only performed after death and is done using brain tissue — by detecting virus proteins — at a state laboratory in Albuquerque.
“The Clovis Police Department will continue to work closely with the New Mexico Department of Health to monitor the situation and ensure public safety,” Thron said.
Thron asked residents to ensure their pets are up to date on vaccinations, avoid contact with wild or “unfamiliar” animals, report animal bites immediately, and stay away from “animals that appear sick or behave abnormally.”
Thron said any residents who encounter a sick or suspicious animal can contact Clovis Animal Control.
Anyone who is bitten or believes they have been exposed to rabies should seek medical attention and call the state Department of Health Helpline at 833-796-8773.
Taos schools audit leads to civil charges — Olivia Lewis, Taos News
A former director for Taos Municipal Schools is facing civil charges for allegedly using his position at the school to benefit his business.
As the Taos News reports, the state Ethics Commission filed a complaint in early April against Robert Valencia, the former facilities and maintenance director for the district.
A larger forensic audit of the district issued late last year details an alleged fraud scheme in which Valencia received almost $245,000 through procurement misconduct, kickbacks and bribes.
According to the audit, Valencia self-awarded contracts and subcontracts that he facilitated between different district vendors and his company, All Around Fence.
The audit states that “rather than bid for work directly for the district, the vendor, [All Around Fence], often received payment indirectly as a subcontractor through vendors such as Phoenix Mechanical and La Tierra Landscaping. These vendors would include materials and labor from the Vendor in their project proposals without disclosing the affiliation.”
His wife also formerly worked for the district as assistant finance office and chief procurement officer.
The audit alleges she modified tax documents to conceal her husband’s involvement with All Around Fence.
New Mexico residents oppose proposed data center at Socorro town hall - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico More than a dozen residents spoke out at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening against a massive proposed data center in Socorro.
Residents first caught wind of a proposed data center in March, when Green Data CEO Jason Bak spoke at a Socorro Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees meeting and proposed building “the largest data center in the state,” and one that would be the largest one “in the world” that relied on alternative energy sources.
Bak said his company would build the data center in collaboration with New Mexico Tech on 10,000 acres of land. At the March meeting, Bak said that “small modular reactors” could power the data center with nuclear energy, but noted that if the community opposes Green Data developments, “we’re out.”
“We don’t enter into a community unless we’re wanted,” Bak said during the March meeting. “If the community says no, we’re out. If the community says no to nuclear, we’re not in.”
That appeared to be the consensus at the Socorro City Council’s Tuesday town hall meeting as residents spent nearly an hour sounding off on the proposal before the mayor gave the mic to city council members.
“[Bak] has provided no track record in developing a project such as the one he’s proposing to build in our community,” Jan Gribble of Socorro said during the town hall’s public comment period. “Since he has refused to provide any data to support his pretty ponies and rainbow claims about this project, the community has no way to evaluate whether his proposal has any merit at all.”
Green Data did not respond to Source NM’s request for comment.
Val Thomas, whose online petition against the proposal has garnered more than 4,000 signatures, said she was concerned by the potential water use and “feckless profit-mongering at the expense of our way of life.”
“My guess is when Mr. Bak came here, he was hoping to find ignorant ranchers who would give up their land in exchange for short-term gain,” she said. “Simple lives do not mean simple minds.”
After several residents in a row took the podium to oppose Bak’s proposal, Mayor Ravi Bhasker interjected with a question.
“Excuse me just a second. Is there anybody that’s for the data center who wants to speak?” he asked, to laughter. “In fairness, I have to say that.”
Some residents took aim at New Mexico Tech, in particular, and said they were outraged that university leaders would consider the partnership.
“How can a town with a prestigious university support AI without extensive research on how it might limit the critical thinking skills of the growing minds in our community?” Elizabeth Smoake, a local teacher, asked during the meeting.
Michael Jackson, New Mexico Tech’s recently appointed president, shot back and said university officials haven’t made a decision on whether to partner with Green Data. Jackson acknowledged that he has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Green Data, but said that does not indicate a done deal.
“I am somewhat indifferent as to whether or not we move forward on this,” Jackson said. “My job in leading an institution is to look for opportunities that will go ahead and provide resources, access to research or education for our students, faculty and staff…Whether or not we move forward, in the end, isn’t even my decision.”
Jackson said the university will hold a town hall on the subject May 19, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Residents across the state have increasingly mobilized against data center proposals.
The Gallup City Council last week delayed a decision on signing into a wastewater agreement with a data center developer after residents voiced concerns that it could imperil the town’s already “unclear future concerning water rights.”
In Doña Ana County, residents have accused the Board of Commissioners of rushing their vote to approve the project. The New Mexico State Ethics Commission recently filed a lawsuit against a secretive out-of-state group that urged New Mexicans to support the project’s previous plans to build natural gas plants.
The New Mexico Highlands University administrative shakeup reached further than President Neil Woolf, who was placed on paid leave by the Board of Regents Friday.
On Wednesday, NMHU’s general counsel Doajo Hicks confirmed Provost Dann Brown and men’s basketball coach Zach Settembre were placed on administrative leave as well.
Hicks also confirmed that administrators Paul Grindstaff, David Lepre and Johnny Montoya have been terminated.
Kimberly Blea, who most recently served as vice president for student affairs, is interim president and Ian Williamson, associate vice president for academic affairs, will be interim provost, Hicks said.
Settembre told the Journal late Wednesday that he was still unsure of his job status.
“Late (Tuesday) night, I received multiple calls from colleagues, friends, family, and the families of players asking about termination,” Settembre said in a text. “After a sleepless night, I asked our HR department first thing this morning if I had been terminated, and our head of HR told me unequivocally that I had not been terminated. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career.”
Settembre was hired at NMHU last year from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
“I still have not heard one word on termination from our athletic director or our new interim president,” he said. “It is heartbreaking to witness the professional and personal lives that have been altered and permanently damaged with recent developments at our amazing university.”
Settembre, in his first season at NMHU, led the Cowboys to a 13-19 record and 11-9 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
The school announced a three-year contract extension for Settembre just last week, but the news release has since been taken down from the school's website.
“I’m saddened for our current student athletes, including the eight graduating this Saturday (a single-season program record), as well as those currently signed for next season, as they are caught in the middle of what appears to be a political coup at our university,” Settembre said.
Officials from the New Mexico chapters of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, along with the NMHU Faculty and Staff Association, said in a statement that Woolf’s dismissal came after “months of documented concerns.”
“After collective bargaining agreement violations, attempts to fire and privatize essential positions of our university staff, and the gross mismanagement of worker safety issues at the Ivan Hilton Science Building, we are not surprised by the actions of the Board of Regents,” the union officials said in a joint statement.
The group said Blea had an opportunity to “reset the University’s course and work to heal divisions and restore the mutual respect between administration and faculty and staff that make our university community strong.”
NMHU faculty union President Kathy Jenkins told the Journal that discontent worsened after faculty and staff raised workplace safety issues at the university’s Ivan Hilton Science Building, which closed for several months starting Sept. 3, 2024, after reports of a chemical spill, the Las Vegas Optic reported.
Marty Lujan, a custodian at NMHU who worked in the building, died 11 days later. An autopsy report obtained by the Optic found Lujan died of complications from diabetes, though union officials said he showed signs of chemical exposure.
In a Facebook post, Woolf said the board provided no explanation for the decision and he hadn’t heard any indications that there were concerns.
“Since day one, my focus has been clear: strengthening Highlands for the students and communities we serve,” Woolf wrote. “Together, we have made measurable progress — improving the university’s financial position, achieving record fundraising, launching new academic programs aligned with regional workforce needs, increasing enrollment, and building meaningful partnerships across New Mexico.
“I remain committed to that work. I welcome the opportunity to address this situation directly and to continue moving Highlands forward.”
Woolf was appointed to the presidency in 2024 after a national search. He most recently served as the executive vice president at Southern Oregon University.
BLM fast-tracks ‘Green Chile’ pipeline construction review for NM data center Project Jupiter - by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The Bureau of Land Management announced this week it had granted expedited permission to build a pipeline on New Mexico public lands to fuel the controversial Project Jupiter data center, but environmental groups say state and federal regulators will slow down construction plans.
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The BLM Las Cruces district office said Wednesday it had accelerated reviews to allow for the construction of a 16 mile-portion of pipeline proposed by Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer, which owns Transwestern Pipeline Company.
Transwestern has proposed a nearly 18-mile pipeline crossing mostly federal, but some private and state trust lands, dubbed the “Green Chile Project.” The $60 million lateral would pipe 400 million cubic feet of gas per day from El Paso daily to the private power plants for the Project Jupiter data center for companies such as OpenAI and Oracle. That amount of gas used daily would supply winter heating in Española — home to more than 10,000 people — for one year, experts previously told Source NM.
The BLM said it circumvented lengthy reviews citing emergency permitting powers the U.S. Department of Interior adopted in 2025, shortening a federal environment review from a year to 14 days. The right of way allows Transwestern to have permission to construct, restore and operate most of the length of the pipeline.
The project already faced potential roadblocks when the New Mexico State Land Office denied the rights for construction on state trust land last month.
The project still requires approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is still considering a January application from Transwestern to approve the pipeline immediately.
Several New Mexico environmental groups filed formal challenges against the project in April, as did FERC staff, noting the application was incomplete. The FERC staff protest required Transwestern to submit a missing review from the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office within 30 days, or face a much longer review for the project.
In more recent filings to FERC, Transwestern and a Project Jupiter customer, Oracle Corporation, urged regulators to extend the 30-day deadline to submit the documentation, writing that “time is of the essence” and are seeking regulator’s approval immediately to ensure the pipeline is constructed by August.
Attorneys for Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity opposing the project said FERC has no procedure allowing a deadline extension and said the project must now undergo a more lengthy review process.
Additionally, attorneys said that New Mexico environmental regulators still have not weighed in on Project Jupiters’ power generation plans, which changed last week from solely using gas pipelines to incorporate fuel cells.
“This development reiterates that any potential need for the Project is uncertain at best,” the document stated.
New Mexico AG seeks judge to fine, possibly jail landowner over threats to Pecos access - by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
New Mexico state prosecutors are seeking a judge to fine and possibly even jail a San Miguel County landowner on the Pecos River alleging he repeatedly threatened fishermen with a shotgun and has created “barriers” and “traps” in the river.
In an emergency motion filed Wednesday, the New Mexico Department of Justice alleged Erik Briones, a Terrero resident, violated a March 2025 court order and threatened waders’ and fishermen’s constitutional right to recreate in the Pecos River. Briones was one among several land owners ordered to remove fencing and “no trespassing” signs.
A 2022 ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court found the public has the constitutional right to access streams for paddling, fishing and wading, including the right to walk on privately owned land beneath waters. Any use of the beds and banks must have minimal impact, according to the court.
Now, state prosecutors said new evidence shows Briones used heavy equipment in March to dig holes in the riverbed under the water line, which “deepens the river to between six and ten feet, making it difficult or impossible to safely wade across,” the emergency motion states.
Additionally, the motion shows pictures of barbed wire along the bank and riverbed, which the motion said “funnels” waders to the deeper portions of the river.
When reached by phone Thursday, Briones told Source NM “I really have no comment,” and declined to say if he had an attorney.
“This is not just noncompliance, it is a blatant disregard for the law, the court’s authority, and the safety of New Mexicans,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement Thursday. “We secured a clear victory to protect the public’s constitutional right to access our rivers. We will not hesitate to return to court to enforce that ruling and hold bad actors accountable.”
The emergency motion requested a 4th Judicial District Court judge hold a hearing to find Briones in contempt. State prosecutors requested a fine of $1,000 per day for non-compliance, and escalate that to $5,000 per day fines if it continues, in addition to paying to put the river into its original state.
State prosecutors also asked a judge to consider jailing Briones in San Miguel County if he does not remove the physical hazards within 14 days.
New Mexico conservationists, elected officials mourn ‘conservation icon’ Ted Turner - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
New Mexico conservationists and elected officials on Wednesday issued statements celebrating the conservation legacy of Ted Turner, who was once New Mexico’s largest landowner and made the state a model of private land conservation.
Turner, 87, died early Wednesday morning, according to a statement from his family. Turner’s estate owns more than 1 million acres across four sprawling ranches in northern and southern New Mexico. His purchase of the Vermejo Ranch in 1996 established a precedent for how private benefactors can be conservation leaders and save endangered species, said Garrett VeneKlasen, director of New Mexico Wild, in a phone interview with Source NM on Wednesday.
“He was a New Mexico conservation icon,” VeneKlasen said. “As a landowner, he was one of the most exemplary landowners in terms of stewarding big landscapes and big chunks of habitat.”
VeneKlasen said Turner was instrumental in protecting species including the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the Mexican gray wolf, the Bolson tortoise and the Chiricahua leopard frog. Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy, also said Turner’s efforts helped save the bighorn sheep, as well as the bats that used his Armendaris Ranch as a stop on their migratory path.
“All the bison reintroduction, too,” Hayden told Source NM on Wednesday. “That has been a huge kind of catalyst for thinking about how to reintroduce native species to an eco-region that was kind of long overlooked.”
New Mexico elected officials also publicly praised Turner’s impact and offered condolences to his family.
“His Vermejo Ranch became one of the great conservation success stories in American history: half a million acres restored from coal mining and industry back to thriving wilderness, with bison, pronghorn, and clean streams to prove it,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a post to social media Wednesday. “New Mexico is better for what Ted left behind.”
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called Turner the “real-life Captain Planet” in a statement to social media on Wednesday. “I will miss his leadership, and my thoughts are with his family and friends,” he wrote.
Turner founded the news network CNN and, later in life, turned his attention to philanthropy and conservation. After Vermejo, Turner increased his holdings across the West, becoming one of the country’s biggest landowners with more than 2 million acres across eight Western states.
“He was also a man known for his no-holds-barred delivery, endearing sense of humor, and undying loyalty to those around him,” according to the statement from his family Wednesday.
Governor not planning to pick sides in primary race to choose her successor — at least for now - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t planning to endorse either of the two candidates in the increasingly pugnacious Democratic primary race for the office she currently holds — at least not for now.
The outgoing governor said in an interview this week she’s closely following the contest between Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman and has areas of agreement — and disagreement — with both candidates.
“I feel like putting my foot on the scale isn’t really fair to a democratic process,” Lujan Grisham told the Journal.
She also pointed out she has connections to both candidates, including appointing Bregman to be Bernalillo County district attorney in 2023 and working with Haaland’s transition team after Haaland was elected in 2018 to the congressional seat Lujan Grisham had previously held.
“I’m close to both of them in a number of ways,” the governor said. “I disagree with both of them on some things, and they disagree with me on some things.”
With early voting underway, Bregman and Haaland are locked in an expensive and increasingly contentious primary race. The victor of the June 2 primary will face the winner of a three-way GOP primary, and independent candidate Ken Miyagishima, in the November general election. Lujan Grisham is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office and will step down at the end of this year.
Trailing in the polls, Bregman has criticized Haaland for turning down invitations to participate in several televised debates.
He also recently said he would not support Haaland if she ends up being the Democratic nominee, after her campaign posted information to her website about several properties owned by Bregman’s family.
“That is such an epic failure of judgement on her part that I don't believe she has the judgement to lead this great state in the future,” Bregman said during a televised interview with KOAT-TV.
For her part, Haaland’s campaign has accused Bregman of leveling “false attacks” in a TV ad he aired linking her to the Epstein files. The former U.S. Interior secretary’s campaign has also said Bregman has received campaign contributions from individuals who also financially supported President Donald Trump.
It’s unclear how big an impact an endorsement from Lujan Grisham might carry in the Democratic primary race, as political experts have said such endorsements typically have limited sway on voters’ decisions.
But some endorsements carry more weight than others, as shown by the victory of five Trump-backed challengers in Indiana state Senate primary races this week.
Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham has issued an endorsement in at least one contested Democratic primary race in this year’s election cycle, as she announced her backing this week of Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin’s bid to be New Mexico’s next secretary of state.
Downtown Albuquerque’s Silver Street Market in search of new operator - Kylie Garcia, Albuquerque Journal
After years watching her father run John Brooks Supermarket stores across New Mexico, Albuquerque native Kelly Brooks said starting her own Downtown grocery store felt right.
“It just felt like a good opportunity for Albuquerque and to service all those people Downtown who did not have a convenient grocery store,” said Brooks, who runs Silver Street Market with her ex-husband Rob Ortmon. “It felt like something that we were supposed to do.”
Nearly a decade after opening the market — one of Downtown’s only grocery stores — in August 2016, the business is now for sale.
Sergio Castillo, an associate broker with Allen Sigmon Real Estate Group, officially listed the roughly 11,500-square-foot market space, along with the business itself, in March. Brooks is ready to pass the reins to a new operator and focus on a role she has with John Brooks Supermarket.
“I had hoped that by the 10-year mark, the neighborhood would have changed significantly for the better,” Brooks said. “Now that it’s here, those things have not happened. I think that the neighborhood, at times, is more challenging than it was in 2016 when we first opened.”
Unhoused people frequently hanging out in front of the market — situated inside what’s known as the Imperial Building at 205 Silver SW — have been one of the most persistent challenges, Brooks said.
“It’s really a handful of people. We know them by name, and we know that most of these people are harmless, but the general public doesn’t know that, and so those are the people that are keeping customers from coming,” Brooks said.
Other factors that have contributed to Brooks’ decision to move on from the business include her divorce from her co-owner, rising costs for products and insurance, and what she said feels like a lack of support from the city. The store’s 10-year lease is also up at the end of this year.
Because Silver Street Market is one of few grocers in the area, Brooks said keeping that service there is a priority for both her and the property’s owner, Geltmore LLC — whether someone takes over Silver Street Market or launches a new grocery store in the space.
“Closure is the last option,” Brooks said. “We really want to be able to find someone to take it over, doing exactly this or close to this. That’s why we’re keeping our options open. The last thing I want to do is close.”
City Councilor Joaquín Baca, who represents the Downtown area, echoed the importance of keeping a grocery store in the space, estimating Silver Street Market regularly serves about 7,000 people in Downtown and surrounding areas.
“To lose it would be much more than just creating a food desert,” Baca said, saying that grocery stores create healthy communities and are also a vital part of recruiting people to an area. “Having a grocery store nearby is a game changer for quality of life.”
Baca said he recognizes the challenges Silver Street Market faces being Downtown and agrees that Brooks hasn’t “gotten the support she needs, or even deserves,” from the city.
The city councilor said he thinks a future market owner could find support in the ongoing effort to launch a Downtown Business Improvement District, as well as a recent ordinance the council passed this week to ban sitting and sleeping on sidewalks.
If someone decides to purchase the existing business — for a price which Brooks said is negotiable — a transferable liquor license and store equipment are also up for grabs.
While Brooks and Geltmore are hoping to make a deal by the end of the year, David Silverman, principal of Geltmore, said the two are willing to work together to keep the market open beyond that timeline and continue the search for an operator.
“They put in so much blood, sweat and tears,” Silverman said. “But they don’t want to leave the community high and dry, so we are hopeful that there is someone that has grocery experience and has the wherewithal to operate a store at that location.”
Brooks has informally searched for a new operator over the past two years. She received some interest, but none had the grocery store experience she is looking for. The ideal buyer, she added, is someone who “would take an active interest in running the store” and has energy to give, not just to the store, but to getting to know the people Downtown.
While the store has come with challenges, Brooks said it also comes with the reward of offering a needed resource to an entire community. She said meeting and serving them was her favorite part of the venture.
“Downtown is just a really cool mix of people, and they all look out for each other, whether they know anybody personally or not,” Brooks said. “I think some of those people are probably the most generous that I’ve seen. Sometimes the people that have the least give the most.”
Amid extreme drought, New Mexico launches new water dashboard - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
As New Mexico faces extreme drought, the state has launched a new website to track the water goals the governor set two years ago.
Extremely low snowpack levels threaten the state’s rivers and aquifers this year, a trend that’s expected to continue, with a recent report from water experts across the state projecting that changing climate patterns and groundwater overuse could reduce water supplies by 25% in coming decades. The remaining waters are more vulnerable to pollution concerns from wildfires and other contaminants.
The dashboard includes data on water conservation, development of new water resources and protection of existing water resources, the three elements detailed in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 50-year Water Action Plan.
For instance, in the conservation category, the dashboard displays progress on efforts to curb municipal and agricultural demand by 10%. In the expansion arena, it tracks progress on expanding treatment of brackish water to use for non-potable purposes. Lastly, the dashboard sets timelines for protecting existing water supplies through efforts such as restoring watersheds.
“This dashboard is a promise to every New Mexican that we will manage this challenge with the best science available now and well into the future,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Tricia Snyder, the rivers and waters program director for conservation group New Mexico Wild, said the data offers the public more transparency on how the state is going to meet its water goals, by providing information on topics such as aquifer mapping programs, watershed protections and the state’s efforts to take over pollution oversight in its rivers.
“I hope it will be a tool that folks will use as we’re navigating this really tough water year,” Snyder said. “There’s a lot more opportunity to add data points or mapping to it, and I’m excited to work with the governor’s office on how to improve this tool.”
Clovis skunk tests positive for rabies - Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal
A skunk caught in Clovis on Friday has tested positive for rabies, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
The skunk had not bitten anyone and was “safely captured and submitted for testing,” Clovis Police Chief Trevor Thron said in a news release Wednesday.
The skunk was the second confirmed rabies case in Curry County this year and brought the statewide total to four cases. Rabies was also found in a bat, bobcat and dog.
The number of annual rabies cases in the state has fluctuated between 11 and 19 since 2020. In 2019, the state recorded 27 cases, which included a sheep in San Miguel County.
Bites are fairly uncommon but late last year a hiker was bitten by a coyote with rabies in the Gila National Forest near Silver City.
The majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention occur in wild animals, with only 10% of cases found in domestic animals, according to NMDOH. The virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death, which occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
The symptoms of rabies start with fever, headache and general malaise but, untreated, can escalate to partial paralysis, hallucinations, hypersalivation and hydrophobia (fear of water), among others.
Clovis Animal Control received a call Friday about “a skunk exhibiting abnormal behavior in the 2300 block of East 14th Street.”
Capt. Roman Romero of the Clovis Police Department said a resident reported that the skunk was in their yard and “they were able to approach it and move it out of their yard.”
“Since skunks are usually nocturnal, not easily approachable, and when typically encountered may ‘spray,’ the Animal Control Officers believed the wild animal to have some ailment,” Romero said. “The animal was not aggressive.”
Romero said because of its behavior and another recent rabies case reported in the county, animal control “believed it necessary to euthanize and forward the animal for testing.”
NMDOH confirmed the skunk had rabies.
David Morgan, state DOH spokesperson, said rabies testing is only performed after death and is done using brain tissue — by detecting virus proteins — at a state laboratory in Albuquerque.
“The Clovis Police Department will continue to work closely with the New Mexico Department of Health to monitor the situation and ensure public safety,” Thron said.
Thron asked residents to ensure their pets are up to date on vaccinations, avoid contact with wild or “unfamiliar” animals, report animal bites immediately, and stay away from “animals that appear sick or behave abnormally.”
Thron said any residents who encounter a sick or suspicious animal can contact Clovis Animal Control.
Anyone who is bitten or believes they have been exposed to rabies should seek medical attention and call the state Department of Health Helpline at 833-796-8773.
Taos schools audit leads to civil charges — Olivia Lewis, Taos News
A former director for Taos Municipal Schools is facing civil charges for allegedly using his position at the school to benefit his business.
As the Taos News reports, the state Ethics Commission filed a complaint in early April against Robert Valencia, the former facilities and maintenance director for the district.
A larger forensic audit of the district issued late last year details an alleged fraud scheme in which Valencia received almost $245,000 through procurement misconduct, kickbacks and bribes.
According to the audit, Valencia self-awarded contracts and subcontracts that he facilitated between different district vendors and his company, All Around Fence.
The audit states that “rather than bid for work directly for the district, the vendor, [All Around Fence], often received payment indirectly as a subcontractor through vendors such as Phoenix Mechanical and La Tierra Landscaping. These vendors would include materials and labor from the Vendor in their project proposals without disclosing the affiliation.”
His wife also formerly worked for the district as assistant finance office and chief procurement officer.
The audit alleges she modified tax documents to conceal her husband’s involvement with All Around Fence.
New Mexico residents oppose proposed data center at Socorro town hall - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico More than a dozen residents spoke out at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening against a massive proposed data center in Socorro.
Residents first caught wind of a proposed data center in March, when Green Data CEO Jason Bak spoke at a Socorro Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees meeting and proposed building “the largest data center in the state,” and one that would be the largest one “in the world” that relied on alternative energy sources.
Bak said his company would build the data center in collaboration with New Mexico Tech on 10,000 acres of land. At the March meeting, Bak said that “small modular reactors” could power the data center with nuclear energy, but noted that if the community opposes Green Data developments, “we’re out.”
“We don’t enter into a community unless we’re wanted,” Bak said during the March meeting. “If the community says no, we’re out. If the community says no to nuclear, we’re not in.”
That appeared to be the consensus at the Socorro City Council’s Tuesday town hall meeting as residents spent nearly an hour sounding off on the proposal before the mayor gave the mic to city council members.
“[Bak] has provided no track record in developing a project such as the one he’s proposing to build in our community,” Jan Gribble of Socorro said during the town hall’s public comment period. “Since he has refused to provide any data to support his pretty ponies and rainbow claims about this project, the community has no way to evaluate whether his proposal has any merit at all.”
Green Data did not respond to Source NM’s request for comment.
Val Thomas, whose online petition against the proposal has garnered more than 4,000 signatures, said she was concerned by the potential water use and “feckless profit-mongering at the expense of our way of life.”
“My guess is when Mr. Bak came here, he was hoping to find ignorant ranchers who would give up their land in exchange for short-term gain,” she said. “Simple lives do not mean simple minds.”
After several residents in a row took the podium to oppose Bak’s proposal, Mayor Ravi Bhasker interjected with a question.
“Excuse me just a second. Is there anybody that’s for the data center who wants to speak?” he asked, to laughter. “In fairness, I have to say that.”
Some residents took aim at New Mexico Tech, in particular, and said they were outraged that university leaders would consider the partnership.
“How can a town with a prestigious university support AI without extensive research on how it might limit the critical thinking skills of the growing minds in our community?” Elizabeth Smoake, a local teacher, asked during the meeting.
Michael Jackson, New Mexico Tech’s recently appointed president, shot back and said university officials haven’t made a decision on whether to partner with Green Data. Jackson acknowledged that he has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Green Data, but said that does not indicate a done deal.
“I am somewhat indifferent as to whether or not we move forward on this,” Jackson said. “My job in leading an institution is to look for opportunities that will go ahead and provide resources, access to research or education for our students, faculty and staff…Whether or not we move forward, in the end, isn’t even my decision.”
Jackson said the university will hold a town hall on the subject May 19, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Residents across the state have increasingly mobilized against data center proposals.
The Gallup City Council last week delayed a decision on signing into a wastewater agreement with a data center developer after residents voiced concerns that it could imperil the town’s already “unclear future concerning water rights.”
In Doña Ana County, residents have accused the Board of Commissioners of rushing their vote to approve the project. The New Mexico State Ethics Commission recently filed a lawsuit against a secretive out-of-state group that urged New Mexicans to support the project’s previous plans to build natural gas plants.