Las Cruces Bulletin

Challengers rebuke incumbent as DA race begins

District Attorney Gerald Byers takes the mic during a two-hour debate on April 16.

Bulletin coverage of the first candidate debate in the Doña Ana County election for District Attorney.

Judge affirms disqualification of candidate in statehouse race

A judge affirmed a candidate's disqualification Monday after the candidate submitted altered petitions. The Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office disqualified Ronnie Sisneros on March 19. …

Las Cruces in Santa Fe: Lobbyist talks 2024 legislative session

Lobbyist Larry Horan provides legislative updates during a Las Cruces City Council work session on April 4.

A lobbyist who advocates for the city of Las Cruces discussed trends and a slew of changes coming down from Santa Fe after the 2024 legislative session. Those items include new gun control laws, …

County unveils new logo and seal

Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez unveils the new county seal during a news conference on March 25, 2024.

It’s a new year and a new look for Doña Ana County. On March 25, Doña Ana County unveiled a new logo and seal after the Board of County Commissioners approved the designs on …

Local candidates file to run for local, state offices

A voting sign stands outside the Doña Ana County Government Center in Las Cruces.

Election season in the Mesilla Valley has officially begun. In all, 38 candidates filed to compete for 19 offices ranging from county clerks to district attorneys to state legislators. …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seen in her office at the state Capitol in Santa Fe on Jan. 30, 2024.

Governor signs higher ed trust fund into law

Among the bills Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law this week was a measure aiming to secure tuition-free college over the long term. Senate Bill 159, which passed the state House of …

Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, during a 2022 hearing. Duhigg was one of the sponsors of the Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act, which gives the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance regulatory power over hospital mergers and acquisitions until July 2025.

Concerns about private equity owners drove hospital bill

SANTA FE — A proposed hospital network and health plan merger that would have created an $11 billion health care giant fell apart on the way to the altar last year. …

The New Mexico Senate chambers is seen at the state Capitol building in Santa Fe on Jan. 10.

How ethics fixes died in this year’s legislative session

An effort to fix the state’s anticorruption statute after the New Mexico Supreme Court barred prosecutors from bringing criminal charges under several of its provisions died in the state …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks at a press conference following the adjournment of the legislative session on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 15, 2024. She praised lawmakers for working together to help deliver some of her education proposals.

Education funding grows in state budget

Education proved to be a flashpoint for debate in the 2024 30-day New Mexico legislative session. Conflicts about priorities, local control, funding and multilingual education marked debate as …

Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, and other representative, console each other after Senate Bill 3, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, failed to pass during a vote on the House Floor, Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

House rejects paid family and medical leave

A guarantee of paid family and medical leave for New Mexico workers died on Wednesday by a single vote. After just over three hours of debate, the House of Representatives voted 34-36 on …

Rift among Democrats dooms alcohol tax push

The push to change the state’s taxes on alcohol all but ended Friday when the House Taxation & Revenue Committee voted down one bill and declined to take action on another. Chairman Rep. …

The New Mexico Supreme Court building in Santa Fe, seen Jan. 28, 2024.

NM Supreme Court nixes challenge to line item vetoes

An Albuquerque lawmaker sued Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over line item vetoes to a 2023 tax bill.

Sunland Park residents give input Jan. 11, 2024, about a proposed emergency food pantry planned for the city.

Sunland Park seeks $4M for food pantry

SUNLAND PARK – Residents and advocates are asking state lawmakers to fully fund a proposed new food pantry that would help alleviate hunger in Sunland Park, which is grappling with high levels …

Senate bill would allow lawmakers into cannabis biz sooner

Back in 2021, before voting to make recreational use of cannabis legal, lawmakers on the Senate floor barred any lawmaker serving at that time from going into the commercial cannabis license until …

Posters of Indigenous people who have gone missing line the hallway of an Albuquerque hotel on Missing in New Mexico Day in December 2023.

Budget leaves out money for missing and murdered Indigenous people staff

A proposed bureau within the Indian Affairs Department focused on a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people might be in peril. At issue is how much money the Legislature will give the …

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