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Tag: New Mexico

  • Pig caught on busy interstate after police foot chase

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    A unique suspect was taken into custody after showing off impressive speed on Interstate 40.On Tuesday, Nov. 11, officers were called to the area of I-40 and the Louisiana offramp in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a pig on the loose.”It was odd, but most of the time, we get stuff like that, and we get there and there’s nothing there,” said Lt. Ramon Candelaria with the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department. “I didn’t think much of it until I was getting there and I seen the traffic start backing up.”As Candelaria showed up, ready to lasso the pig, he spotted Albuquerque police officers chasing him.”I seen the pig running and then I seen officers right behind it,” Candelaria said.After a short foot pursuit, the culprit was in custody.”Pretty soon, I seen them all start high-fiving each other,” Candelaria said. “They had the pig in the back of a unit. I give it to the APD officers. They were hustling to catch this little guy and they were moving.”APD shared this video on its social media pages.Albuquerque Animal Welfare believes the pig is about a year old and roughly 50 pounds. They suspect he’s domesticated and that he fell out of someone’s truck.”He grabbed it, handled it and put it in the back of a unit. If that would have been any kind of a wild animal, it would have definitely bit him,” Candelaria said. “Then his colors. His colors were not normal for a pig if it was wild.”Staff did scan him for a microchip, but didn’t find one. The pig is at the Westside Shelter waiting for its owners to claim him. Hearst sister station KOAT visited the shelter Thursday and learned the pig loved attention and being pet.It’s not uncommon for Albuquerque Animal Welfare to rescue animals on the interstate.”We’ve gotten porcupines on the freeway. I’ve gotten a badger on the freeway, you name it. We’re in New Mexico, so it’s expected. But I didn’t expect a pig,” Candelaria said. But Candelaria does ask drivers to slow down when flashing lights are present. Video shows the pig almost being clipped by a car driving by.”We’re out there trying to save the animal and watch out for ourselves. It gets dangerous out there, and some people just do not respect the lights,” Candelaria said.The pig is being held at the Westside Shelter. For details on adopting him, click here.

    A unique suspect was taken into custody after showing off impressive speed on Interstate 40.

    On Tuesday, Nov. 11, officers were called to the area of I-40 and the Louisiana offramp in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a pig on the loose.

    “It was odd, but most of the time, we get stuff like that, and we get there and there’s nothing there,” said Lt. Ramon Candelaria with the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department. “I didn’t think much of it until I was getting there and I seen the traffic start backing up.”

    As Candelaria showed up, ready to lasso the pig, he spotted Albuquerque police officers chasing him.

    “I seen the pig running and then I seen officers right behind it,” Candelaria said.

    After a short foot pursuit, the culprit was in custody.

    “Pretty soon, I seen them all start high-fiving each other,” Candelaria said. “They had the pig in the back of a unit. I give it to the APD officers. They were hustling to catch this little guy and they were moving.”

    APD shared this video on its social media pages.

    Albuquerque Animal Welfare believes the pig is about a year old and roughly 50 pounds. They suspect he’s domesticated and that he fell out of someone’s truck.

    “He grabbed it, handled it and put it in the back of a unit. If that would have been any kind of a wild animal, it would have definitely bit him,” Candelaria said. “Then his colors. His colors were not normal for a pig if it was wild.”

    Staff did scan him for a microchip, but didn’t find one. The pig is at the Westside Shelter waiting for its owners to claim him. Hearst sister station KOAT visited the shelter Thursday and learned the pig loved attention and being pet.

    It’s not uncommon for Albuquerque Animal Welfare to rescue animals on the interstate.

    “We’ve gotten porcupines on the freeway. I’ve gotten a badger on the freeway, you name it. We’re in New Mexico, so it’s expected. But I didn’t expect a pig,” Candelaria said.

    But Candelaria does ask drivers to slow down when flashing lights are present. Video shows the pig almost being clipped by a car driving by.

    “We’re out there trying to save the animal and watch out for ourselves. It gets dangerous out there, and some people just do not respect the lights,” Candelaria said.

    The pig is being held at the Westside Shelter. For details on adopting him, click here.

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  • What to Stream: ‘Freakier Friday,’ NF, ‘Landman,’ ‘Palm Royale’ and Black Ops 7

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    Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-teaming as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday” and albums from 5 Seconds of Summer and the rapper NF are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys team up for the new limited-series thriller “The Beast in Me,” gamers get Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back.

    New movies to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — Richard Linklater’s love letter to the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” “Nouvelle Vague,” will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 14. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle writes that, “To a remarkable degree, Linklater’s film, in French and boxed into the Academy ratio, black-and-white style of ‘Breathless,’ has fully imbibed that spirit, resurrecting one of the most hallowed eras of movies to capture an iconoclast in the making. The result is something endlessly stylish and almost absurdly uncanny.”

    — Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-team as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to their 2003 movie, streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck writes, “The chief weakness of ‘Freakier Friday’ — an amiable, often joyful and certainly chaotic reunion — is that while it hews overly closely to the structure, storyline and even dialogue of the original, it tries too hard to up the ante. The comedy is thus a bit more manic, and the plot machinations more overwrought (or sometimes distractingly silly).”

    — Ari Aster’s latest nightmare “Eddington” is set in a small, fictional New Mexico town during the coronavirus pandemic, which becomes a kind of microcosm for our polarized society at large with Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff and Pedro Pascal as its mayor. In my review, I wrote that, “it is an anti-escapist symphony of masking debates, conspiracy theories, YouTube prophets, TikTok trends and third-rail topics in which no side is spared.”

    — An incurable cancer diagnoses might not be the most obvious starting place for a funny and affirming film, but that is the magic of Ryan White’s documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” about two poets, Andrea Gibson, who died in July, and Megan Falley, facing a difficult reality together. It will be on Apple TV on Friday, Nov. 14.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    New music to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — There’s nothing worse than a band without a sense of humor. Thankfully 5 Seconds of Summer are in on the joke. Their sixth studio album, “Everyone’s a Star!,” sounds like the Australian pop-rock band are having fun again, from The Prodigy-esq. “Not OK” to the self-referential and effacing “Boy Band.” Candor is their provocation now, and it sounds good — particularly after the band has spent the last few years exploring solo projects.

    — The R&B and neo soul powerhouse Summer Walker has returned with her third studio album and first in four years. “Finally Over It,” out Friday, Nov. 14, is the final chapter of her “Over It” trilogy; a release centered on transformation and autonomy. That’s evident from the dreamy throwback single, “Heart of A Woman,” in which the song’s protagonist is disappointed with her partner — but with striking self-awareness. “In love with you but can’t stand your ways,” she sings. “And I try to be strong/But how much can I take?”

    — Consider him one of the biggest artists on the planet that you may not be familiar with. NF, the musical moniker of Nate Feuerstein, emerged from the Christian rap world a modern answer to Eminem only to top the mainstream, all-genre Billboard 200 chart twice, with 2017’s “Perception” and 2019’s “The Search.” On Friday, Nov. 14, he’ll release “Fear,” a new six-track EP featuring mgk (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) and the English singer James Arthur.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    New series to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back just in time for a new social season. Starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Kaia Gerber, Ricky Martin AND Carol Burnett, the show is campy, colorful and fun, plus it has great costumes. Wiig plays Maxine, a woman desperate to be accepted into high society in Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1960s. The first episode streams Wednesday and one will follow weekly into January.

    — “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Heather Gay has written a book called “Bad Mormon” about how she went from a devout Mormon to leaving the church. Next, she’s fronting a new docuseries that delves into that too called “Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay.” The reality TV star also speaks to others who have left the religion. All three episodes drop Wednesday on Peacock.

    — Thanks to “Homeland” and “The Americans,” Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys helped put the prestige in the term prestige TV. They grace the screen together in a new limited-series for Netflix called “The Beast in Me.” Danes plays a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who finds a new subject in her next door neighbor, a real estate tycoon who also may or may not have killed his first wife. Howard Gordon, who worked with Danes on “Homeland,” is also the showrunner and an executive producer of “The Beast in Me.” It premieres Thursday.

    — David Duchovny and Jack Whitehall star in a new thriller on Prime Video called “Malice.” Duchovny plays Jamie, a wealthy man vacationing with his family in Greece. He hires a tutor (played by Whitehall) named Adam to work with the kids who seems likable, personable and they invite him into their world. Soon it becomes apparent that Adam’s charm is actually creepy. Something is up. As these stories go, getting rid of an interloper is never easy. All six episodes drop Friday, Nov. 14.

    — “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” returns to Fox Nation on Sunday, Nov. 16 for a second season. The premiere details the story of Saint Patrick. The show is a passion project for Scorsese who executive produces, hosts, and narrates the episodes.

    — Billy Bob Thornton has struck oil in the second season of “Landman” on Paramount+. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the show is set in modern day Texas in the world of Big Oil. Sam Elliott and Andy Garcia have joined the cast and Demi Moore also returns. The show returns Sunday, Nov. 16.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    New video games to play from Nov. 10-16

    — The Call of Duty team behind the Black Ops subseries delivered a chapter last year — but they’re already back with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The new installment of the bestselling first-person shooter franchise moves to 2035 and a world “on the brink of chaos.” (What else is new?) Publisher Activision is promising a “reality-shattering” experience that dives into “into the deepest corners of the human psyche.” Beyond that storyline there are also 16 multiplayer maps and the ever-popular zombie mode, in which you and your friends get to blast away at relentless hordes of the undead. Lock and load Friday, Nov. 14, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.

    — Lumines Arise is the latest head trip from Enhance Games, the studio behind puzzlers like Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite and Humanity. The basic challenge is simple enough: Multicolored 2×2 blocks drift down the screen, and you need to arrange them to form single-color squares. Completed squares vanish unless you apply the “burst” mechanic, which lets you build ever-larger squares and rack up bigger scores. It’s all accompanied by hallucinatory graphics and thumping electronic music, and you can plug in a virtual reality headset if you really want to feel like you’re at a rave. Pick up the groove Tuesday on PlayStation 5 or PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • New Mexico Lawmakers Propose a Jeffrey Epstein Probe of Activity at Secluded Desert Ranch

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    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests is coming under new scrutiny in New Mexico, where two state legislators are proposing an investigative “truth commission” to guard against sex trafficking in the future.

    Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe said several survivors of Epstein’s abuse have signaled that sex trafficking activity extended to Zorro Ranch, a sprawling property with a hilltop mansion and private runway about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the state’s capital city. Yet not enough is known about what went on there for the state to take precautions against abuse in the future, she said.

    “This commission will specifically seek the truth about what officials knew, how crimes were unreported or reported, and how the state can ensure that this essentially never happens again,” Romero told a panel of legislators on Thursday. “There’s no complete record of what occurred.”

    The investigation, with a proposed $2.5 million budget, would thrust New Mexico into an international array of probes into Epstein’s associations that is roiling the U.S. Congress and prompted King Charles III on Thursday to formally strip brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of the title of prince.

    Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.

    The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.

    Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a 26,700-square-foot (2,480-square-meter) mansion. The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors.

    While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch.

    In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an investigation into financial businesses utilized by Epstein and their legal obligations, said agency spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez. That resulted in agreements with two banks that dedicates $17 million to the prevention of human trafficking, she said.

    On Thursday, Democratic and Republican legislators expressed guarded support for a new probe, amid concern that New Mexico laws allowed Epstein to avoid registering locally as a sex offender long after he was required to register in Florida.

    In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution under an agreement that required him to spend 13 months in jail and register as a sex offender — an agreement widely criticized for secretly ending a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls.

    “I do feel like this is a unique opportunity to help victims,” said Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb, a former district attorney from Clovis. ”I do believe New Mexicans do have a right to know what happened at this ranch. And I didn’t get the impression it was gonna be a big political thing.”

    But another Republican legislator demanded, “Why now?” — noting tensions related to President Donald Trump and his vow to release documents related to the late sex trafficker.

    “Why not a long time ago?” said Rep. Stafani Lord of Sandia Park. “Every time I ride my motorcycle past there (Zorro Ranch), I get sick to my stomach.”

    Results are at least two years away. To move forward with a truth commission, approval first is needed from the state House when the Legislature convenes in January to create a bipartisan oversight committee of four legislators, said Democratic state Rep. Marianna Anaya, a cosponsor of the initiative.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • In U.S. First, New Mexico Launches Free Child Care for All

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    New Mexico became on Saturday the first U.S. state to offer free child care to all residents in a bid to boost its economy and lift education and child welfare levels ranked the worst in the country.

    Under the program, families, regardless of income, can receive state vouchers to cover public and private child care fees. It culminates efforts New Mexico has made to expand access to free child care since the governor and state legislature created the Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019.

    The launch comes as other Democratic-run states, cities and counties eye a step popular among working families. Connecticut recently passed a bill making child care free for those families earning under $100,000 per year and no more than 7 percent of income for those earning more. New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed no-cost universal child care.

    Big savings for families

    Taos special education teacher Allyson O’Brien expects to save around $12,000 a year in child care bills for her son Otis, who is nearly 2-1/2. She and her husband Shawn O’Kelly, a truck driver, earn a fraction above New Mexico’s previous income cap for free child care, which was about $129,000 per year for their family of four.

    “We’ll be able to go on vacation, we won’t have to decide what bills we’re going to pay, like, are we going to do propane or the mortgage?” O’Brien said.

    To achieve a fully universal system, New Mexico must create nearly 14,000 more child care slots and recruit 5,000 educators, according to its Democratic-run government. The state is establishing a $12.7 million low-interest loan fund to construct and expand child care facilities. It is also increasing reimbursement rates to providers that pay entry-level staff a minimum of $18 per hour, above the state’s $12 hourly minimum wage, and offer full-time care.

    Alison McPartlon, director of the University of New Mexico-Taos Kids’ Campus child care center, said her waiting list is so long some children do not get in before they start kindergarten. She said higher reimbursement rates will help her retain and recruit educators.

    “There will be more centers coming up,” said McPartlon, describing the shift to universal child care as “incredible.”

    Addressing poverty

    New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told reporters child care was “the backbone of creating a system of support for families that allows them to work, to go to college, to do all the things they need to do to continue to lift New Mexico out of poverty.”

    Nearly 18 percent of New Mexicans live below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census, making it one of the poorest states. Slightly larger in area than the United Kingdom, with only 2.1 million people,

    The state will fund universal child care, estimated to cost $600 million annually, largely with interest from its Early Childhood Education and Care Fund. The fund has grown to around $10 billion primarily from oil and gas taxes since it was set up in 2020.

    The sector generates about half of total state revenue.

    It will also draw from another large trust fund and seek appropriations from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

    Research shows quality child care lifts education outcomes, especially among low-income families, according to Philip Fisher, a professor of early childhood learning at Stanford University.

    Reading levels of New Mexican students fall far below the national average when children are first tested around age 8 or 9, according to studies by Neal Halfon, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

    The Annie E. Casey Foundation has, for years, ranked New Mexico last among states in both education and child well-being.

    New Mexico joins countries such as Norway and Belgium that offer free universal child care for children under 3, and Bulgaria, where early childhood education is free for all children until elementary school. New Mexico is going further by offering no-cost child care for children up to age 13.

    Critics such as New Mexico State Representative Rebecca Dow, a Republican, say families should be given a choice between a monthly $1,200 state tax credit for a parent to stay home with a child – the equivalent cost of state-funded child care – or free child care. She said research showed the best place for a young child was at home in a healthy, safe household. Dow, the founder of a daycare center, supports targeted state-funded care where that is not the case.

    “Why not try a conservative approach of an equal tax credit for mom to be home?” said Dow, who sees a shortage of daycare slots hampering the universal program. “There is no capacity. People are going to be disappointed.”

    Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Donna Bryson and Rod Nickel

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  • SNAP Has Provided Grocery Help for 60-Plus Years; Here’s How It Works

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    Originally known as the food stamp program, it has existed since 1964, serving low-income people, many of whom have jobs but don’t make enough money to cover all the basic costs of living.

    Public attention has focused on the program since President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 in the midst of a monthlong federal government shutdown. The administration argued it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it to help keep the program going. But on Friday, two federal judges ruled in separate challenges that the federal government must continue to fund SNAP, at least partially, using contingency funds. However, the federal government is expected to appeal, and the process to restart SNAP payments would likely take one to two weeks.

    Here’s a look at how SNAP works.

    There are income limits based on family size, expenses and whether households include someone who is elderly or has a disability.

    Most SNAP participants are families with children, and more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability.

    Nearly 2 in 5 recipients are households where someone is employed.

    Most participants have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023.

    People who are not in the country legally, and many immigrants who do have legal status, are not eligible. Many college students aren’t either, and some states have barred people with certain drug convictions.

    Under a provision of Trump’s big tax and policy law that also takes effect Nov. 1, people who do not have disabilities, are between ages 18 and 64 and who do not have children under age 14 can receive benefits for only three months every three years if they’re not working. Otherwise, they must work, volunteer or participate in a work training program at least 80 hours a month.


    How much do beneficiaries receive?

    On average, the monthly benefit per household participating in SNAP over the past few years has been about $350, and the average benefit per person is about $190.

    The benefit amount varies based on a family’s income and expenses. The designated amount is based on the concept that households should allocate 30% of their remaining income after essential expenses to food.

    Families can receive higher amounts if they pay child support, have monthly medical expenses exceeding $35 or pay a higher portion of their income on housing.

    The cost of benefits and half the cost of running the program is paid by the federal government using tax dollars.

    States pay the rest of the administrative costs and run the program.

    People apply for SNAP through a state or county social service agency or through a nonprofit that helps people with applications. In some states, SNAP is known by another, state-specific name. For instance, it’s FoodShare in Wisconsin and CalFresh in California.

    The benefits are delivered through electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, cards that work essentially like a bank debit card. Besides SNAP, it’s where money is loaded for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program, which provides cash assistance for low-income families with children, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

    The card is swiped or inserted in a store’s card reader at checkout, and the cardholder enters their PIN to pay for food. The cost of the food is deducted from the person’s SNAP account balance.

    SNAP benefits can only be used for food at participating stores — mostly groceries, supermarkets, discount retail stores, convenience stores and farmers markets. It also covers plants and seeds bought to grow your own food. However, hot foods — like restaurant meals — are not covered.

    Most, but not all, food stores participate. The USDA provides a link on its website to a SNAP retail locator, allowing people to enter an address to get the closest retailers to them.

    Items commonly found in a grocery and other participating stores that can’t be bought with SNAP benefits include pet food, household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products, and toiletries like toothpaste, shampoo and cosmetics. Vitamins, medicines, alcohol and tobacco products are also excluded.

    Sales tax is not charged on items bought with SNAP benefits.


    Are there any restrictions?

    There aren’t additional restrictions today on which foods can be purchased with SNAP money.

    But the federal government is allowing states to apply to limit which foods can be purchased with SNAP starting in 2026.

    All of them will bar buying soft drinks, most say no to candy, and some block energy drinks.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Paranormal tales haunt Santa Fe National Forest’s Holy Ghost Campground

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    IN THE COUNTRY. THERE’S A PRIEST THAT IS IN THE WOODS THERE IN THE TREES. THERE’S ALSO SOME MORE RECENT STORIES ABOUT SOME REAL TERRIBLE ACCIDENTS THAT WERE UP THERE THAT THE SPIRITS ARE HANGING. WOW. I DIDN’T KNOW THAT. AND YOU’RE NOT SCARING ME AT ALL. ISOLATED, DEEP IN SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST. A PLACE CALLED HOLY GHOST IS FILLED WITH STORIES PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATIONS, MAKING SOME PEOPLE UNEASY WHEN THEY ARRIVE. THERE’S TWO STORIES. ONE IS THAT HE HAD KILLED THE PUEBLO INDIANS, AND THE OTHER ONE IS THAT THEY KILLED HIM BECAUSE THEY WERE REBELLING AGAINST ANY COLONISTS THAT WERE COMING IN. ED AND SARAH SLATER FROM DUKE CITY PARANORMAL RESEARCH SOCIETY HAVE LOOKED INTO THE STORIES FOR SOME TIME. THE TALES DATE BACK TO THE 17TH CENTURY OF A CATHOLIC PRIEST WHO HAUNTS THESE CAMPGROUNDS TODAY. PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE AREA KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE FELT SOMETHING UNEXPLAINED. MY NEIGHBOR OVER HERE, SHE HAD A FRIEND THAT CAME, AND IN TWO DAYS SHE HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE SHE JUST COULDN’T STAND IT. SHE SAID. THERE WERE TOO MANY SPIRITS AROUND OR WHATEVER. THIS PLANET IS VERY, VERY OLD AND THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF FOOTPRINTS LEFT ON IT. AND IF YOU WANT TO BRAVE A NIGHT HERE, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO GO IN WITH AN OPEN MIND. AT HOLY GHOST CAMPGROUND, RON BURKE KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. RON. THANK YOU. THE HOLY COAST CAMPGROUND IS ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF PECOS. DUKE CITY PARANORMAL SAYS IF YOU PLAN TO GIVE GHOST HUNTING A SHOT. HAVE AN OPEN MIND AND P

    Paranormal tales haunt Holy Ghost Campground in New Mexico

    Updated: 5:28 PM PDT Oct 29, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Isolated deep in the Santa Fe National Forest, the Holy Ghost Campground is known for its unsettling tales passed down through generations, making some visitors uneasy upon arrival.Ed and Sara Slather from the Duke City Paranormal Research Society have investigated the stories surrounding the campground, which date back to the 17th century. The tales include a Catholic priest who is said to haunt the area.”There’s a priest. That is in the woods there in the trees,” one person said.Another added, “There’s also some more recent stories about some real terrible accidents that were up there that the spirits are hanging.”The stories include two versions: one where the priest killed Pueblos, and another where the Pueblos killed him in rebellion against colonists. Residents in the area have reported feeling something unexplainable.”My neighbor over here told me. She had a friend stay that came, and within two days, she had to leave because she couldn’t stand it. She said there was too many spirits around or whatever,” one local said.The campground, located outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and about 15 miles north of the village of Pecos, is known for its mysterious atmosphere.”This planet is very, very old, and there’s been a lot of footprints left on it,” one person noted. For those daring enough to spend a night at Holy Ghost, it’s advised to approach with an open mind.”You kind of have to go in with an open mind,” one visitor said.Duke City Paranormal suggests that those interested in ghost hunting at the campground should prepare themselves, as they might not always see something.

    TERERRO, N.M. —

    Isolated deep in the Santa Fe National Forest, the Holy Ghost Campground is known for its unsettling tales passed down through generations, making some visitors uneasy upon arrival.

    Ed and Sara Slather from the Duke City Paranormal Research Society have investigated the stories surrounding the campground, which date back to the 17th century. The tales include a Catholic priest who is said to haunt the area.

    “There’s a priest. That is in the woods there in the trees,” one person said.

    Another added, “There’s also some more recent stories about some real terrible accidents that were up there that the spirits are hanging.”

    The stories include two versions: one where the priest killed Pueblos, and another where the Pueblos killed him in rebellion against colonists. Residents in the area have reported feeling something unexplainable.

    “My neighbor over here told me. She had a friend stay that came, and within two days, she had to leave because she couldn’t stand it. She said there was too many spirits around or whatever,” one local said.

    The campground, located outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and about 15 miles north of the village of Pecos, is known for its mysterious atmosphere.

    “This planet is very, very old, and there’s been a lot of footprints left on it,” one person noted. For those daring enough to spend a night at Holy Ghost, it’s advised to approach with an open mind.

    “You kind of have to go in with an open mind,” one visitor said.

    Duke City Paranormal suggests that those interested in ghost hunting at the campground should prepare themselves, as they might not always see something.

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  • What to Know as Federal Food Help and Preschool Aid Will Run Dry Saturday if Shutdown Persists

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    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries. A halt to SNAP benefits would leave a gaping hole in the country’s safety net. Vulnerable families could see federal money dry up soon for some other programs, as well.

    Aid for mothers to care for their newborns through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, could run out the following week.

    Here’s a look at what would happen.

    Tuesday’s legal filing from attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia, plus three governors, focuses on a federal contingency fund with roughly $5 billion in it – enough to pay for the benefits for more than half a month.

    President Donald Trump’s Department of Agriculture said in September that its plan for a shutdown included using the money to keep SNAP running. But in a memo last week, it said that it couldn’t legally use that money for such a purpose.

    The Democratic officials contend the administration is legally required to keep benefits going as long as it has funding.

    The agency said debit cards beneficiaries use as part of SNAP to buy groceries will not be reloaded as of Nov. 1.

    With their own coalition, 19 Republican state attorneys general sent Democratic U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a letter Tuesday urging passage of a “clean continuing resolution” to keep funding SNAP benefits.


    SNAP benefits could leave millions without money for food

    Most SNAP participants are families with children, more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability, and close to 2 in 5 are households where someone is employed. Most have incomes that put them below the poverty line, about $32,000 in income for a family of four, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

    The average monthly benefit is $187 per person.

    People who receive the benefits say that without the aid, they’ll be forced to choose between buying food and paying other bills. Food banks are preparing for a spike in demand that they’ll have to navigate with decreased federal aid themselves.

    The debit cards are recharged in slightly different ways in each state. Not everyone receives their benefits on the first day of the month, though many beneficiaries get them early in the month.

    States expect retailers will be able to accept cards with balances on them, even if they’re not replenished.


    Some states seeking to fill void of SNAP benefit cuts

    State governments controlled by both Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to help recipients, though several say they don’t have the technical ability to fund the regular benefits.

    Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia have pledged to provide some type of backup food aid for recipients even while the shutdown stalls the federal program, though state-level details haven’t been announced.

    More funding for food banks and pantries is planned in states including New Hampshire, Minnesota, California, New Mexico, Connecticut and New York.

    The USDA advised Friday that states won’t be reimbursed for funding the benefits.


    Early childhood education

    More than 130 Head Start preschool programs won’t receive their annual federal grants on Nov. 1 if the government remains shut down, according to the National Head Start Association.

    Centers are scrambling to assess how long they can stay open, since nearly all their funding comes from federal taxpayers. Head Start provides education and child care for the nation’s neediest preschoolers. When a center is closed, families may have to miss work or school.

    With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start programs have already missed federal disbursements they were expecting Oct. 1 but have stayed open with fast-dwindling reserves or with help from local governments. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected.


    Food aid for mothers and young children

    Another food aid program supporting millions of low-income mothers and young children already received an infusion to keep the program open through the end of October, but even that money is set to run out early next month.

    The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and infant formula.

    The program, known as WIC, was at risk of running out of money in October because of the government shutdown, which occurred right before it was scheduled to receive its annual appropriation. The Trump administration reassigned $300 million in unspent tariff proceeds from the Department of Agriculture to keep the program afloat. But it was only enough for a few weeks.

    Now, states say they could run out of WIC money as early as Nov. 8.

    Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Ax-wielding man angry at judge’s ruling threatened to kill her, NM officials say

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    Man angry at judge’s decision threatened to kill her with ax in 2024, New Mexico officials said.

    Man angry at judge’s decision threatened to kill her with ax in 2024, New Mexico officials said.

    Getty Images/iStockphoto

    A man is going to prison after being accused of threatening to kill a judge with an ax, New Mexico officials said.

    In April 2024, John Karl O’Brien didn’t agree with Judge Amanda Sanchez Villalobos’ ruling in a civil case, according to an Oct. 23 news release by the New Mexico Department of Justice.

    After growing angry, O’Brien went to an Albuquerque law firm and threatened the staff, prosecutors said.

    He told the staff he had a gun and that “people were going to die today” before stating he was going to the 13th Judicial District courthouse to “kill” judge Sanchez Villalobos, prosecutors said.

    Before driving to the Cibola County courthouse, witnesses saw O’Brien get an ax from the roof of his car, officials said.

    An attorney at the law firm reported the threat to the court, and Sanchez Villalobos was kept safe in her chambers by deputies when O’Brien entered the building with the ax, officials said.

    He was convicted on felony charges of attempted first-degree murder and threatening a judge Sept. 11, officials said.

    He was sentenced to 10½ years in prison and will be required to serve parole following his incarceration, officials said.

    Cibola County is about an 80-mile drive west from Albuquerque.

    Paloma Chavez

    McClatchy DC

    Paloma Chavez is a reporter covering real-time news on the West Coast. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.

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  • Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit by Alec Baldwin in ‘Rust’ Shooting Moves to Federal Court

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    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A lawsuit by actor Alec Baldwin alleging malicious prosecution in the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “Rust” has been reinstated and moved to federal court by the defendants.

    Baldwin initially filed the lawsuit in state court in January, claiming civil rights violations and seeking damages after a charge of involuntary manslaughter against the actor was dismissed at trial in 2024 on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.

    A petition to move the malicious prosecution case to federal court was filed Monday by the defendants — special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, along with three investigators from the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office and the county board of commissioners.

    The change of court venue raises the stakes in Baldwin’s yearslong conflict with New Mexico authorities. Here are some things to know.

    Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

    Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.

    Few people testified at Baldwin’s July trial before it was upended by revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office in March 2024 by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins’ killing.

    Prosecutors said they deemed the ammo unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin’s lawyers say investigators “buried” the evidence in a separate case file and filed a successful motion to dismiss. A judge threw out the charge against Baldwin and later refused a request from prosecutors to reconsider.

    “Rust” movie weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has fulfilled a 1.5 year prison sentence on an involuntary manslaughter conviction in Hutchins’ death in a jury trial. An appeal of the conviction to a higher court has been initiated.

    “Rust” assistant director David Halls pleaded no context to unsafe handling of a firearm and was sentenced to six months of probation.

    A settlement agreement was reached in 2022 in a wrongful-death lawsuit against Baldwin and other “Rust” producers by Matthew Hutchins, widower of Halyna Hutchins, and their son.

    But the parents and younger sister of Hutchins are still pursuing damages and compensation from Baldwin and “Rust” producers in New Mexico civil court. Those claims could result in a deposition by Baldwin under oath in November, according to recent court documents.

    The allegations in Baldwin’s tort claim include defamation, with his attorneys saying that prosecutors and investigators targeted the actor and co-producer for professional or political gain.

    Defendants say it is a matter for federal authorities to resolve under terms of the Constitution and other U.S. laws.

    Baldwin’s lawsuit for damages initially lingered with little activity, was dismissed in July, only to be reinstated in September at Baldwin’s request. Attorneys for the “Rust” lead actor and co-producer say they have approached state and county officials about the prospects for a settlement.

    Prosecutors and an attorney for Baldwin did not immediately respond to requests Wednesday for comment.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • First Republican Enters Race for Governor of New Mexico in 2026 as Democrat Terms Out of Office

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    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has its first Republican contender for governor ahead of the 2026 elections, as the three-term city mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho launched his campaign.

    Gregg Hull on Friday outlined priorities, including greater state investments in the health care workforce and roadways, in pursuing the Republican nomination ahead of an open race for governor. He also described a “zero-tolerance” approach to crime that would revisit the state’s bail reforms and seek changes to juvenile justice statutes.

    “I’ve taken a very pragmatic approach to solving problems up in Rio Rancho,” said Hull, a former business executive for a commercial crating company and a motorhome resale business. “That’s how we want to approach the issues in New Mexico.”

    Three Democratic candidates are pursuing their party’s nomination as Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham terms out of office next year.

    New Mexico lawmakers this month approved legislation to prop up funding for food assistance and rural health care services in response to President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal spending on Medicaid and nutrition programs, drawing on the state’s large surplus linked to booming local oil production.

    Hull said he hopes to deploy the state’s outsized financial resources to expand vocational education, including training in construction trades, and shore up access to health care by underwriting medical school and other advanced degrees for health professionals — “but on the caveat that we need them to stay in the state and provide those services to New Mexicans.”

    On public education, he emphasized a commitment to school choice but said it was too soon to say whether that might include public funding for private or parochial education options.

    “School choice means, really, parental oversight of their child’s education,” he said.

    Hull sounded a supportive note on the current governor’s deployment of the National Guard in limited roles to shore up public safety in Albuquerque and the Española area.

    “When we look at public safety, we need to have all options on the table,” Hull said. “If these local governments need the help, then let’s help them.”

    New Mexico has alternated between Democratic and Republican governors since the early 1980s.

    In recent years, Democrats have consolidated control over ever statewide elected office in New Mexico, with majorities in the state House and Senate. Trump lost the presidential vote three times in New Mexico, but he gained ground in 2024.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • US rejects bid to buy 167 million tons of coal on public lands for less than a penny per ton

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    BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade.

    The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity. Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.

    President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver).

    The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week’s $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.

    Agency representatives did not provide further details, and it’s unclear if they will attempt to hold the sale again.

    The leasing act requires bids to be at or above fair market value. At the last successful government lease sale in the region, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy paid $793 million, or $1.10 per ton, for 721 million tons of coal in Wyoming.

    President Joe Biden’s administration sought to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, citing climate change.

    A second proposed lease sale under Trump — 440 million tons of coal near an NTEC mine in central Wyoming — was postponed last week following the low bid received in the Montana sale. Interior Department officials have not said when the Wyoming sale will be rescheduled.

    NTEC is owned by the Navajo Nation of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

    A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

    A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

    In documents submitted in the run-up to the Montana sale, NTEC indicated the coal had little value because of declining demand for the fuel. The Associated Press emailed a company representative regarding the rejected bid.

    Most power plants using fuel from NTEC’s Spring Creek mine in Montana and Antelope mine in Wyoming are scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

    Spring Creek also ships coal overseas to customers in Asia. Increasing those shipments could help it offset lessening domestic demand, but a shortage of port capacity has hobbled prior industry aspirations to boost coal exports.

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

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  • Darth Vader balloon faces uncertain future as fans rally for its revival

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    BEING NEW BALLOONS TO ONE OF THE POPULAR SHAPES EVERY YEAR IS THAT DARTH VADER BALLOON. BUT THE FUTURE IS ACTUALLY UNCERTAIN, AS THAT BALLOON IS AT THE END OF ITS LIFESPAN. SO NOW THERE’S AN EFFORT TO KEEP THE TRADITION ALIVE. PEYTON SPELLACY JOINS US LIVE FROM THE PARK WITH MORE ON THIS STORY. HEY, PEYTON. HEY, GOOD MORNING TODD, I WANT TO SHOW YOU YODA IS BEING SET UP RIGHT NOW. NOW, HIS COUNTERPART, DARTH VADER, IS NOT SO LUCKY. LIKE YOU SAID, HIS FLYING DAYS ARE NUMBERED. BUT FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES, HE’S BEEN LOOMING LARGE OVER BALLOON FIESTA PARK. HE’S A FAN FAVORITE FROM THE GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY. BUT THIS CREW SAYS HIS FLYING DAYS AREN’T OVER WITHOUT A FIGHT. THE BALLOON IS 19 YEARS OLD. IT’S REALLY A LONG TIME FOR A SHAPE, AND SO WE WE REALLY EXPECT WE CAN CONTINUE THE STORY. BENOIT LAMBERT HAS BEEN FLYING THE STAR WARS SPECIAL SHAPE SINCE 2007, AND SAYS FROM THE MOMENT HE SAW THEM, HE KNEW THE FORCE WAS STRONG WITH HIM. BUT TIME, EVEN FOR THE DARK SIDE, HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL. YOU CAN SEE IT START TO BE HARD BECAUSE THE FABRIC STARTS TO BE DEFLATED ON THE NECK, BUT IT’S PART OF THE PROCESS. DARTH VADER MAY BE GROUNDED, BUT HIS CREW ISN’T THROWING IN THE LIGHTSABER YET. THEY’RE FUNDRAISING TO REBUILD IT BECAUSE IT’S MORE THAN JUST A BALLOON. IT’S THE SHOW EVERYONE’S LOOKING FOR. WE HAVE 100 TROOPERS AROUND MY BALLOONS. DARK SIDE. IT’S THE KIDS THAT’S SEEING THE KIDS SEE ACTUAL CHARACTERS IN REAL LIFE. BUT IT’S NOT JUST FOR KIDS. FANS OF ALL AGES ARE DRAWN IN. COME ON, EVEN THE BIG KIDS COULD GET SOME BIG KIDS. I SAW THE STORMTROOPERS WITH THEIR LIGHTSABERS AND THEIR GUIDES AND I WAS LIKE, WE NEED TO FOLLOW THEM. KATRINA’S A FIRST TIMER AT FIESTA, BUT THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH HER. I EVEN HAVE A TATTOO RIGHT HERE WITH THE DEATH STAR IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SUNFLOWER. AS SOON AS I GET SOME TIME, I’M GOING TO GET ONLINE AND I’M GOING TO DONATE TO YOU GUYS BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING MAGICAL THAT WE NEED TO SEE EVERY YEAR. THAT PASSION, GIVING THE CREW HOPE THAT ONE DAY SOON THE SITH LORD WILL RISE AGAIN. DO YOU THINK HE’LL MAKE A RETURN? I HOPE SO, YES. THAT’S MY PLAN. YES. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THESE CHARACTERS ALONGSIDE DARTH VADER, YOU CAN DONATE ONLINE. WE HAVE THAT LINK ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT FOR NOW, LOOKS LIKE DARTH VADER AND YODA WILL BE FLYING. MAYBE STATIC, MAYBE YODA WILL BE FLYING OVER HERE AT OUR ONE MARKER REPORTING LIVE

    Darth Vader balloon faces uncertain future as fans rally for its revival

    Updated: 1:17 AM EDT Oct 10, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Darth Vader balloon, a fan favorite at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for nearly two decades, faces an uncertain future as its fabric deteriorates, prompting efforts to keep the tradition alive.Beniot Lambert, who has been flying the “Star Wars” special shapes since 2007, said, “So the balloon is 19 years old. The fabric starts to behold. So we are planning a way to continue the story.”Lambert noted the toll time has taken on the balloon, saying, “You can see it start to behold because the fabric starts to be deflated on the neck. But it’s part of the process.”Despite the challenges, the crew is determined to rebuild the balloon, recognizing its significance beyond just being a balloon.Video below: ‘Star Wars’ opens in theaters”We have 100 troopers around my balloons,” Lambert said.The balloon’s appeal extends beyond children, drawing fans of all ages. One first-time attendee, Katrina Bustillos, shared her excitement, saying, “I saw the stormtroopers with their lightsabers and their guides, and I was like, we need to follow them.”Bustillos, who has a tattoo of the Death Star, expressed her commitment to the cause, saying, “As soon as I get some time, I’m going to get online and I’m going to donate to you guys, because I think this is something magical that we need to see every year.”The crew remains hopeful that the Sith Lord will rise again, with Lambert expressing his optimism, “Do you think he’ll make a return? I hope so. Yes, that’s my plan.”

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

    The Darth Vader balloon, a fan favorite at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for nearly two decades, faces an uncertain future as its fabric deteriorates, prompting efforts to keep the tradition alive.

    Beniot Lambert, who has been flying the “Star Wars” special shapes since 2007, said, “So the balloon is 19 years old. The fabric starts to behold. So we are planning a way to continue the story.”

    Lambert noted the toll time has taken on the balloon, saying, “You can see it start to behold because the fabric starts to be deflated on the neck. But it’s part of the process.”

    Despite the challenges, the crew is determined to rebuild the balloon, recognizing its significance beyond just being a balloon.

    Video below: ‘Star Wars’ opens in theaters

    “We have 100 troopers around my balloons,” Lambert said.

    The balloon’s appeal extends beyond children, drawing fans of all ages. One first-time attendee, Katrina Bustillos, shared her excitement, saying, “I saw the stormtroopers with their lightsabers and their guides, and I was like, we need to follow them.”

    Bustillos, who has a tattoo of the Death Star, expressed her commitment to the cause, saying, “As soon as I get some time, I’m going to get online and I’m going to donate to you guys, because I think this is something magical that we need to see every year.”

    The crew remains hopeful that the Sith Lord will rise again, with Lambert expressing his optimism, “Do you think he’ll make a return? I hope so. Yes, that’s my plan.”

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  • New Mexico Governor Signs Bills to Counter Federal Cuts, Support Health Care and Food Assistance

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    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a package of bills Friday aimed at shoring up food assistance, rural health care and public broadcasting in response to recently enacted federal cuts.

    The new legislation responds to President Donald Trump’s big bill as well as fear that health insurance rates will rise with the expiration of COVID-era subsidies to the Affordable Care Act exchange in New Mexico. Exchange subsidies are a major point of contention in the Washington budget standoff and related federal government shutdown.

    New Mexico would set aside $17 million to backfill the federal credits if they are not renewed, under legislation signed by the governor.

    The Democratic-led Legislature met on Wednesday and Thursday to approved $162 million in state spending on rural health care, food assistance, restocking food banks, public broadcast and more.

    Starting this year, New Mexico expects to lose about $200 million annually because of new federal tax cuts. But the state still has a large budget surplus thanks to booming oil production.

    “When federal support falls short, New Mexico steps up,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

    Many federal health care changes under Trump’s big bill don’t kick in until 2027 or later, and Democratic legislators in New Mexico acknowledged that their bills are only a temporary bandage.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • How New Mexico Became a Sanctuary State for Health Care

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    When I spoke with Espey over the phone, she was on her way to Las Cruces, just a few miles from the state’s border with Texas, to care for patients at the Planned Parenthood clinic there. As demand from out-of-state patients increased, she said, clinics have opened throughout the state. “Even in Gallup, which is a much more conservative town, some very brave providers there are now providing abortion care.” Between 2020 and 2023, the number of abortions performed in the state increased by more than two hundred and fifty per cent, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for sexual and reproductive health. Most patients were from out of state, the majority of them Texans. As Texas has sought to access patients’ medical records in other states, New Mexico passed a shield law that protects such information.

    New Mexico’s strong stance on abortion may seem surprising since it is more rural and more religious than much of the country. “New Mexico’s the West, not the South,” McFarlane said. “It might be religious, but it’s not as evangelical as some other states.” She also pointed out that more than half of the members of the state legislature are women, making the state second only to Nevada in terms of female representation. Lujan Grisham said she believes that the state’s high rates of poverty contribute to general support for abortion. “When you have access-to-health-care problems, as we do, it is not lost on any New Mexican how risky taking away our fundamental reproductive rights are,” she said. “And when you’re a particularly poor state, that can be much more pronounced.”

    Lujan Grisham, who was elected governor in 2018, after serving a stint in the House of Representatives, has made abortion advocacy a key focus of her political career. “I was the first congressional candidate, I believe, to run on abortion care, and to use the term. Yes, it’s choice, and it’s reproductive rights, but I’m going to protect a woman’s access to and right to an abortion,” she told me. “I got a lot of pushback from a lot of folks, but, in fact, it’s why I won the election.” New Mexico allows the governor a certain amount of discretionary funding that can be spent on projects that require significant capital outlay. Lujan Grisham has allocated twenty million dollars to build reproductive-health clinics, one currently under construction in Las Cruces and another planned for northern New Mexico. “I want more abortion and abortion care available where people are, and I want more primary-care access for women and their families,” Lujan Grisham said.

    Espey, who will help get the Las Cruces clinic up and running, said that it will provide “care across the women’s reproductive-health spectrum,” including contraception, basic fertility treatments, doula services, menopause care, and abortion, as well as basic primary care, immunizations, and cancer screenings. Though the clinic is intended for New Mexicans, Espey expects that many Texans will be treated there, too. Treating out-of-state patients will help with the clinic’s financial viability, Lujan Grisham told me. “They’re paying for the full cost of their care, and that’s helpful,” she said. “They can help offset losses from New Mexicans who have no coverage, or who are on Medicaid.”

    Lujan Grisham is also hoping that the state’s embrace of abortion care will help attract more doctors and address the state’s long-standing shortage of health-care workers. Last year, New Mexico took out full-page ads in five Texas newspapers, urging medical professionals to relocate. “I certainly respect those of you who remain committed to caring for patients in Texas, but I also invite those of you who can no longer tolerate these restrictions to consider practicing next door in New Mexico,” the ad, framed as an open letter signed by Lujan Grisham, said. “We’re fiercely committed to protecting medical freedoms here and we’re taking steps to ensure that what happened in Texas never happens in New Mexico.”

    The state’s embrace of abortion has met with some backlash. Anti-abortion groups have paid for billboards near the Texas-New Mexico border, urging women travelling for abortions to turn back. An organization called Stop the Clinic has been attempting to prevent the Las Cruces center from being built, in part by urging local companies to refuse to work on the project.

    Some of the fiercest battles have taken place in the oil-field towns of eastern New Mexico, the most conservative part of the state. (In Lea County, in the southeast corner of the state, Donald Trump won eighty per cent of the vote last year.) In 2023, Laura Wight, a co-founder of Eastern New Mexico Rising, a local progressive group, spotted a flyer advertising the Texas anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson’s appearance at a church in Clovis, near the Texas border. Dickson has spent the past decade urging cities and counties, mostly in Texas, to declare themselves “sanctuary cities for the unborn.” After his church appearance, Dickson spoke before the city council, urging Clovis to join the ranks of sanctuary cities. “We don’t have a clinic here. We’ve never had a clinic here,” Wight told me. Still, she saw Dickson’s lobbying as a “five-alarm fire.” In Texas, Dickson’s efforts had initially seemed symbolic—most of the self-anointed sanctuary cities were places that had never had an abortion clinic—but they eventually became part of a novel legal strategy that resulted in the state’s “bounty hunter” abortion bill, which allows private citizens to sue abortion providers.

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  • Private equity sees profits in power utilities as electric bills rise, Big Tech seeks more energy

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    Private investment firms that are helping finance America’s artificial intelligence race and the huge buildout of energy-hungry data centers are getting interested in the local utilities that deliver electricity to regular customers — and the servers that power AI.

    Billions of dollars from such firms are now flowing toward electric utilities in places including New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota that deliver power to more than 150 million customers across millions of miles of power lines.

    “The reason is very simple: because there’s a lot of money to be made,” said Greg Brown, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of finance who researches private equity and hedge funds.

    Private investment firms that have done well investing in infrastructure over the last 15 years now have strong incentives to add data centers, power plants and the services that support them at a time of rapid expansion and spiking demand ignited by the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Brown said.

    BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink said as much in a July interview on CNBC, saying infrastructure is “at the beginning of a golden age.”

    “We believe that there’s a need for trillions of dollars investing in infrastructure related to our power grids, AI, the whole digitization of the economy” and energy, Fink said.

    In recent weeks, private equity firm Blackstone has sought regulatory approval to buy out a pair of utilities, Albuquerque-based Public Service Company of New Mexico and Lewisville, Texas-based Texas New Mexico Power Co.

    Wisconsin earlier this year granted the buyout of the parent of Superior Water, Light and Power and the owner of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. last year sold a 19.9% stake in the utility to Blackstone.

    However, a fight has erupted in Minnesota over the buyout of the parent of Duluth-based Minnesota Power and the outcome could determine how such firms expand their holdings in an industry that’s a nexus between regular people, gargantuan data centers and the power sources they share.

    Under the proposed deal, a BlackRock subsidiary and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board would buy out the publicly traded Allete, parent of Minnesota Power, which provides power to 150,000 customers and owns a variety of power sources, including coal, gas, wind and solar.

    Both sides of the fight have attracted influential players ahead of a possible Oct. 3 vote by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Raising the stakes is the potential that Google could build a data center there, a lucrative prospect for whoever owns Minnesota Power.

    Opponents of the acquisition suspect that BlackRock is only interested in squeezing bigger profits from regular ratepayers. Allete makes the opposite argument, that BlackRock can show more patience because it is free of the short-term burdens of publicly traded companies.

    Opponents also worry that a successful Minnesota Power buyout will launch more such deals around the U.S. and drive up electric bills for homes.

    “It’s no secret that private equity is extremely aggressive in chasing profits, and when it comes to utilities, the profit motive lands squarely on the backs of ratepayers who don’t have a choice of who they buy their electricity from,” said Karlee Weinmann of the Energy and Policy Institute, which pushes utilities to keep rates low and use renewable energy sources.

    The buyout proposals come at a time when electricity bills are rising fast across the U.S., and growing evidence suggests that the bills of some regular Americans are rising to subsidize the rapid buildout of power plants and power lines to supply the gargantuan energy needs of Big Tech’s data centers.

    Mark Ellis, a former utility executive-turned-consumer advocate who gave expert testimony against the Minnesota Power buyout, said he’s talked to private equity firms that want to get into the business of electric utilities.

    “It’s just a matter of what’s the price and will the regulator approve it,” Ellis said. “The challenge is they’re not going to come up for sale very often.”

    That’s because electric utilities are seen as valuable long-term investments that earn around 10% returns not on the electricity they deliver, but the upcharge that utility regulators allow on capital investments, like upgrading poles, wires and substations.

    That gives utility owners the incentive to spend more so they can make more money, critics say.

    The fight over Minnesota Power resembles some of the battles erupting around the U.S. where residents don’t want a data center campus plunked down next to them.

    Building trades unions and the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who appointed or reappointed all five utility commissioners, are siding with Allete and BlackRock.

    On the other side are the state attorney general’s office and the industrial interests that buy two-thirds of Minnesota Power’s electricity, including U.S. Steel and other owners of iron ore mines, Enbridge-run oil pipelines and pulp and paper mills.

    In its petition, Allete told regulators that, under BlackRock’s ownership, Minnesota Power’s operations, strategy and values wouldn’t change and that it doesn’t expect the buyout price — $6.2 billion, including $67 a share for stockholders at a 19% premium — to affect electric rates.

    In essence, Allete — which solicited bids for a buyout — argues that BlackRock’s ownership will benefit the public because, under it, the utility will have an easier time raising the money it needs to comply with Minnesota’s law requiring utilities to get 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040.

    Allete has projected needing to spend $4.3 billion on transmission and clean energy projects over five years.

    However, opponents say Allete’s suggestion that it’ll struggle to raise money is unfounded, and undercut by its own filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in which it says it is “well positioned” to meet its financing needs.

    It hasn’t been smooth sledding for BlackRock.

    In July, an administrative law judge, Megan J. McKenzie, recommended that the commission reject the deal, saying that the evidence reveals the buyout group’s “intent to do what private equity is expected to do – pursue profit in excess of public markets through company control.”

    In recent days, a utility commission staff analysis echoed McKenzie’s concerns.

    They suggested that private investors could simply load up Minnesota Power’s parent with massive debts, borrow at a relatively low interest rate and turn a fat profit margin from the utility commission granting a generous rate of return.

    “For the big investors in private equity, this is a win-win,” the staff wrote. “For the ratepayers of the highly leveraged utility, this represents paying huge profits to the owners if the private equity ‘wins’ and dealing with a bankrupt utility provider if it loses – it is a lose-lose.”

    NOTE: The above video first aired on April 22, 2025. 

    ___

    Follow Marc Levy on X at: https://x.com/timelywriter

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  • New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival expands to two-day event

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    Sep. 26—Move over green chile, the seventh annual New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival is coming to town.

    “While green chile is an amazing New Mexico staple, we’d love for people to know other plants around that can also be seen as the symbol of New Mexico,” Will Thomson, event organizer, said.

    The goal of the festival, Thomson said, is to expand knowledge on the use of prickly pears and “to try to encourage farmers, ranchers, gardeners, food businesses to use native plants like prickly pear.”

    “I think few people know all the ways you can eat it, use it, the ways it’s been used historically, and the way it could be a part of our state’s future,” Thomson said.

    The festival will be held Friday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House.

    The New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival has grown and expanded over its seven-year run.

    “This is our first year doing two full days,” Thomson said. “It’s usually been a one-day event.”

    Thomson said people are usually excited and skeptical when they come to the festival and learn everything there is to do with prickly pears.

    “Lots of people have them in their yards,” Thomson said, “and maybe have enjoyed having them as a part of their landscape, but didn’t know they could eat it.”

    Prickly pear is native to New Mexico and tastes similar to hibiscus or watermelon, Thomson said.

    He said that the festival is small but is the only one in New Mexico dedicated to the cactus fruit and it’s the largest in the United States.

    “We’re still a smaller festival,” Thomson said. “So we’d love to keep growing and having more folks come out each year.”

    Thomson said the festival is an idyllic way to spend an afternoon and enjoy the venue, the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House.

    “It’s a really great place to just go enjoy an afternoon and have some food, listen to some music, learn some cool new stuff about prickly pear,” Thomson said.

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  • By the #s: The wild areas one advocacy group says face most threats under Public Lands Rule repeal

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    CAPTION: The Valley of Fires in south-central New Mexico, pictured above in 2021, is one of the areas New Mexico Wild is most worried about due to the proposed rescission of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. This area, like others NM Wild identified, has “wilderness characteristics” that might be ignored if conservation is de-emphasized relative to extraction under the proposed rule’s rescission. (Photo courtesy BLM)

    A prominent New Mexico environmental advocacy group has identified wild areas comprising more than 210 square miles across the state that will lose an important defense if a 2024 federal land use rule is rescinded.

    The Department of Interior late last week announced in the Federal Register that it would seek to undo the “Public Land Rule,” formally known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release stands in the way of oil and gas development, along with other extractive uses of federal public land. 

    The Bureau of Land Management last April finalized the rule, which provided guidance for ensuring conservation of public lands received due consideration along with mining, timber, grazing, recreation or other uses. It also allowed the BLM to issue leases specifically for conservation, though none has been issued yet, said Sally Paez, a staff attorney for New Mexico Wild, in an interview Monday with Source New Mexico.

    She said the rule only reiterated and provided guidance for a 1976 law called the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which provides the BLM with a framework for balancing multiple public land uses. The rule lets the agency protect “intact, functioning landscapes” along with emphasizing landscape health through the use of science, data and Indigenous knowledge.

    The rule being rescinded could have implications for all 13.5 million acres of BLM land in New Mexico, particularly those that are not currently designated for oil and gas extraction or other economic uses and those that don’t have existing wilderness protections, Paez said. 

    The nonprofit, with the help of a “citizen inventory” done by volunteers, has identified more than a dozen areas comprising 134,600 acres that her office said have “wilderness characteristics,” but no protections as such. Those characteristics include being bigger than 5,000 acres with “opportunities for solitude” or recreation. 

    Without the Public Lands Rule, New Mexico Wild won’t be able to argue that those areas across the state, which she said are popular with hikers and other recreators, should be protected. 

    “Those are really the areas that for us, I think, we’re most worried about because under the Public Land rule, we had an argument for those,” she said. “‘This is an intact landscape.’”

    The public can comment on the proposed rule rescission until Nov. 10. 

    In addition to the “citizen inventory” areas NM Wild identified, Paez pointed out a handful of other places popular with hikers on BLM lands that might benefit from the Public Lands Rule if it is allowed to stay on the books. Those areas include the Caja Del Rio near Santa Fe; San Lorenzo Canyon south of Albuquerque; Quebradas Mountains in Socorro; the Florida Mountains near Deming; and Montezuma Crest near Placitas. 

    And the Pecos River Watershed could benefit from the restoration leases enabled by the rule, she said, which could offset the impacts of intensive oil and gas extraction in the Permian Basis by restoring riparian and aquatic habitat.

    “That’s the type of project that I could definitely see being really good,” she said. 

    Paez said the BLM’s effort to rescind the Public Lands Rule is comparable to the Forest Service undoing the Roadless Rule, which nixes protections against timber harvesting in designated wild forest areas. Public comments for that proposal are being accepted through Friday. 

    “It’s all kind of this broad pattern of a policy shift towards short term gain and extraction and corporate interests, and out of public values and shared resources,” she said.

     

     

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  • Protecting New Mexicans’ water and health requires transparency

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    Firefighters with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron test hose water pressure before an exercise Aug. 14, 2015, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. In January, New Mexico environment officials cited the base for a spill of wastewater containing firefighting foam with PFAS which soaked into the aquifer after a retaining pond leaked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alex Mercer)

    In mid-July, Neil Dolly left Albuquerque near dawn and headed to Clovis. Under the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, he and his co-workers with the New Mexico Environment Department have the authority to conduct surprise inspections of hazardous waste sites, take samples and shoot photos. 

    Parked at a gas station near Cannon Air Force Base, Dolly called the base to confirm names and email addresses. About 30 minutes later, he emailed officials to say he was arriving. 

    Once inside, base officials and attorneys told Dolly and his assistant they wouldn’t be allowed to collect soil and water samples to test for PFAS. According to Dolly, they cited ongoing litigation between the state and the Pentagon.

    No one paying attention to New Mexico’s PFAS saga should be surprised that the military kept Dolly from doing his job. But we should all stay alert to how the U.S. government thwarts the ability — indeed, the right — of states to protect their lands, waters and people. 

    Patented in the 1940s, PFAS, or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances have been used since then in cookware, clothing, food wrappers, furniture and firefighting foams. The same qualities that make them useful — water and sunlight don’t destroy their molecules of joined carbon and fluorine atoms — also make them hard to clean up. Instead of breaking down over time, they move up the food chain, persisting in soils and waters and accumulating in the bodies of animals and humans. Some people refer to this toxic family as “forever chemicals.”

    In 2018, the Air Force notified New Mexico officials that tests at Cannon — and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo — detected perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Firefighting foams the military started using in the 1970s had contaminated groundwater with PFOA and PFOS, just two of the thousands of compounds in the PFAS family.  

    When New Mexico called for cleanup, the U.S. Department of Defense sued, challenging the state’s authority. Currently, the state is part of a multi-district federal lawsuit seeking past and future clean-up costs and all natural resource damages at Cannon Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, Kirtland Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range and Fort Wingate. And in June, the state filed another lawsuit, ordering the Pentagon to clean up the plume at Cannon under a new law that clarifies the state’s ability to regulate hazardous PFAS, even if the federal government has neglected to set standards for the chemicals. 

    By now, the contaminated plume is roughly six miles long, and New Mexicans have spent about $12 million on litigation. We’ve spent millions more testing well water and residents’ blood and connecting rural Curry County residents to a public water system because they can’t safely drink their well water.

    “I spend a lot of time battling the PFAS monster that is just omnipresent every day with some new filing or some new denial of access or whatever it is,” NMED Secretary James Kenney told me in an interview. “There is no single more recalcitrant polluter, that is more litigious, than the Department of Defense.” 

    Kenney says he’s frustrated that the Pentagon keeps trampling the rights of states like New Mexico that are grappling with PFAS contamination. “Where is this notion of cooperative federalism, that states rights are supreme when implementing federal law?” he asks. “I feel like the Department of Defense is giving the middle finger salute to Congress, and they’re OK with it.”

    Meanwhile, the toxic chemicals have traveled beyond Cannon into the Ogallala Aquifer, and into the blood of people working on and living near the base. A few years ago, Art Schaap, whose dairy farm overlooks Cannon, euthanized 3,500 cows because their blood — and milk — was poisoned. 

    More recently, the state released test results for 628 people who worked on or lived near Cannon, all but two of whom had at least one type of PFAS in their blood, and more than 90% of whom tested positive for multiple types of the toxic chemicals. 

    PFAS’ threat to human health is well known. 

    Beginning in the 1960s, manufacturers like 3M and DuPont knew from testing workers and nearby water supplies that different PFAS chemicals caused reproductive and development problems; birth defects; liver and kidney disease; and immune system problems. Additional studies have linked exposure to high cholesterol, low infant birth weights, and certain cancers, along with thyroid and hormone disruption.

    As a longtime environment reporter, I have witnessed generations of state officials try to protect public health and rein in legacy pollution from federal installations. Despite the massive amount of money American taxpayers invest in the Pentagon — more than a trillion dollars this year alone — the federal government continues to punt on cleanup and put people, and our precious waters, at risk. 

    At Kirtland Air Force Base, for example, 24 million gallons of jet fuel leaked into the aquifer — and still hasn’t been cleaned up. Los Alamos National Laboratory has long polluted tributaries of the Rio Grande, and few people want to consider what lies in the sediment at the bottom of Cochiti Lake. At White Sands Test Facility, the U.S. Army and NASA have contaminated groundwater with multiple pollutants. Confirmed PFAS contamination also has been established at Fort Wingate Depot, the Santa Fe Army Aviation Support Facility, the Army National Guard’s Roswell Field Maintenance Shop and White Sands Missile Range. 

    New Mexico will become increasingly arid, and our water challenges will only get tougher. We can all see the parched forests and fields, shallow reservoirs and drying riverbeds. We should also be clear-eyed about the legacy of federal pollution, and what all that contaminated water means for the state’s future. That is water lost to farms, families and the future. And the recently renamed U.S. Department of War isn’t likely to prioritize cleanup anytime soon.

    As the federal government openly challenges — or just ignores — the authority of states to protect their own lands, waters and people, New Mexicans can’t be kept in the dark about what we face from legacy or emerging pollutants. And New Mexicans on opposite sides of the political aisle should at least align with one another to protect the state’s waters. No matter what else is happening in the country, our water future here in New Mexico depends on transparency and unity. 

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  • New Mexico health department reports rise in suicides

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    (Photo by Quentin Young / Colorado Newsline)

    New data from the New Mexico Department of Health shows a 9% rise in suicide deaths in the state last year. According to a news release on Tuesday, the state had 512 suicides in 2024, 42 more than in 2023.

    Firearms factored into 60% of the suicide deaths in New Mexico. The health department provides free gun locks.

    The new data coincides with National Suicide Prevention Month in September. “Suicide is preventable, but it requires all of us to act,” Clarie Miller, lead suicide prevention coordinator for NMDOH, said in a statement. “Whether it’s learning the warning signs, knowing how to connect someone to 988, or simply checking in on friends and family — every action matters.”

    According to the 2024 data, white New Mexicans had the highest rate of suicide death (29.4 deaths per 100,000 residents); followed by American Indian Alaskan Native (26.2 deaths per 100,000 residents). In addition, the Hispanic suicide rate increased by 27% over the past 10 years.

    The department in January reported that New Mexico’s suicide rates for women and Indigenous people had dropped steeply in 2023, and that the overall suicide rate for the state had dropped by 9% that year.

    The health department also issued the following information and guidance:

    • Call or text 988 if you or someone you care about is in crisis. The New Mexico 988 Crisis and Access line offers free, confidential, non-judgmental support in English and Spanish. For more information, visit nmcrisisline.com.

    • Veterans can call the Veteran’s Crisis Line operated by the Department of Veteran’s Services to connect service members and veterans in crisis. Dial 800-273-8255 and press 1 to talk to someone or send a text message to 838255.

    • Store firearms safely. Contact NMDOH to order a free gun lock to prevent firearm injury.

    • Acknowledging and talking about suicide with others can reduce suicidal ideation.

    Source NM has pending requests for more information with the health department, and will update this story.

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  • 3 questions with Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna of the US Space Force

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    Sep. 5—When most people walk into a room and flip a switch, they expect lights to come on without giving much thought to where that electricity is coming from, said U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna.

    The same is true for the countless everyday conveniences that rely on space-based technology.

    “Everything from the GPS constellation to the finance industry, the transportation industry, the agricultural industry, those of us who have dish networks so we can watch the NFL and all the things — those are all space-related capabilities, and you just assume they’re always going to be there,” said Bentivegna, who visited Kirtland Air Force Base this week.

    Established in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term, the Space Force’s purpose is to organize, train and equip forces protecting U.S. interests in space. The newest — and now sixth — branch of the U.S. Armed Forces has six different bases throughout Florida, Colorado and California, according to its website.

    In New Mexico, the military branch also has a presence at KAFB with its Space Rapid Capabilities Office, which develops and delivers “operationally dominant space capabilities at the speed of warfighting relevance,” according to the Kirtland website.

    Bentivegna, who assumed the role in 2023, wants people to understand that “space is closer than you think.”

    “Space actually starts just 62 miles above us. When you think about how far you drive to go to a restaurant or visit a friend, you may be going 62 miles or more,” he said.

    What do Space Force operations look like right now in New Mexico?

    I have been wearing a uniform for over 31 years, and this is actually my first opportunity to visit Kirtland and visit the space entities, specifically, that are doing amazing work down here. It’s actually been an exciting few days for me to finally get a chance in-person to meet the men and women that are doing some of the amazing experimentation, innovation and research and development that’s here.

    So, primarily from the Space Force service perspective, what’s here is Space Systems Command and the Air Force Research Lab, both entities that work on research development, acquisition. (That) is a lot of the work that’s being done here for the Space Force. What are the capabilities and technologies that we’re going to need tomorrow and into the future? It’s the men and women here who are helping make that a reality.

    Do you see New Mexico’s role in Space Force operations developing further?

    I think there’s already discussions about a few more organizations that are either not established yet, that will be established here in Kirtland, in New Mexico, or we are moving some organizations possibly to New Mexico to consolidate where the brain trust is.

    This is the mecca, if you will, for some of the brighter minds to work on what the service will look like in the future, so we’re trying to take advantage of the community that’s here (in) New Mexico. I do anticipate additional opportunities for guardians (the name for Space Force service members), mission sets to move here.

    The Space Force today, at the end of the fiscal year, when you take into account our military and civilians — we’re only about 16,000 strong, so we’re still a relatively very small service. When we talk about moving organizations from one base to another or standing up a new unit, sometimes we’re talking numbers in the dozens, maybe 100. Unlike some of the other services, (where) it could be in numbers of the thousands.

    Can you explain what the ‘space corridor’ is?

    I’ll be honest, that’s the first time I’ve heard that term. But I will say, when you think about space from a war-fighting perspective, and as a war fighter myself, I do spend a lot of time focused on the joint fight and our ability to secure the domain, protect and defend what we have here. When you think about the economic impact that space brings to the United States, like space tourism, space cargo, the amount of money that we benefit, and the quality of life that space brings to us, having a robust space infrastructure, space industry within the United States outside the Department of Defense is very valuable.

    If there is a space corridor, especially when you start talking about more commercial and exploration, that excites me. I think there’s unlimited opportunity and potential to get there. Our role as guardians is just to ensure that there’s freedom of access, so that if investors want to explore, they have the ability to do that with no one standing in their way.

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