OP/ED

Sen. Jaramillo: Española’s Culture Deserves Recognition

by

By Sen. Leo Jaramillo
New Mexico Dist. 5
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Santa Fe

As a proud native son of the Española Valley and a member of the New Mexico State Senate, I was deeply disappointed to see the veto of $500,000 that would have funded Phase 2 of the feasibility study for a Lowrider Museum in Española. This follows last year’s veto of legislation recognizing our community as the “Lowrider Capital of the World”.

That license plate bill received bipartisan support, and when I rose to defend it on the Senate floor, my colleagues responded with a standing ovation. Lawmakers from across Read More

Zamora: Disaster Relief Was Meant For Fire Victims, Not FEMA Insiders

by

By Rep. MARTIN ZAMORA
District 63
Candidate for Congressional District 03

When Congress created the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire compensation fund, the mission was simple: help New Mexico families rebuild after one of the worst disasters in state history. Homes were destroyed, land was lost, and entire livelihoods vanished overnight. The fund was meant to be a promise that victims would not be abandoned by their government.

Today, that promise is in jeopardy, and the people responsible for oversight have failed the folks they were charged with helping.

Investigative reporting has revealed Read More

Op-Ed: Española Is At A Crossroads … Do We Continue Down The Path Of Decline … Or Try Something New?

by

By Samuel LeDoux
Española City Councilor

Española is at a crossroads: do we continue down the path of decline where instability, controversy, and incompetence dominate city hall, or do we try something new?

Over the last four years, John Ramon Vigil has made the City of Española his own personal telenovela, with constant headlines about his personal problems, staff turnover, and rising crime and homelessness rates. During his term as Mayor, the city has stumbled into millions of dollars in debt, and we haven’t been able to often pass more than 4-5 ordinances a year.

I’m supporting Read More

Op-Ed: I’m For Nuclear And I Am An Environmentalist

by

By JUDY-ANN POTTINGER
President & Director
Clean Energy Association of New Mexico

Is this possible? Pro-nuclear and pro-environmentalist at the same time? It might be like saying, can you be a Cowboys fan and live in Houston? Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive.

For decades, environmentalism and nuclear energy have been cast as enemies. But what if that narrative is outdated? Meet the next age nuclear—the big shift.

This shift isn’t just theoretical or fringe; it’s mainstream, even among well-known climate champions. Bill Gates, long known for his focus on climate, has become Read More

Op-Ed: Thank You, Los Alamos

by

By KAREN WILLIAMS
Director of Development
UNM-Los Alamos

Since beginning fundraising efforts for UNM-LA in 2023, we’ve had wonderful responses and great results! This community is uniquely caring and aware, and we are very grateful that so many have been moved to include UNM-LA in their philanthropic budgets!

In 2023, we began campaigning in the community with individual donors, the Los Alamos Community Foundation, and local corporations (SMSI and N3B) and successfully established a $500,000 endowment fund for the long-term financial well-being of our campus.

Did you know that though Read More

Op-Ed: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire

by

By Sen. Bobby Gonzales, D-Los Alamos
New Mexico District 6

In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.

Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who depend on it.

Our Read More

Reasonable Malpractice Reform Benefits Every New Mexican

by

By DAYMON ELY
Attorney
Former New Mexico Representative

At its heart, the debate over medical malpractice reform is not about trial lawyers or corporate profits – it is about our most basic values. Every New Mexican deserves access to quality health care. And every New Mexican deserves justice when that care falls tragically short.

Medical malpractice is rare. Fewer than 1% of medical providers are responsible for the vast majority of malpractice claims, but when tragedy strikes and a patient is harmed or killed, that patient or their family needs to know that they can get justice in a Read More

Op-Ed: New Mexico Education Is Improving—Despite What the Rankings Say 

by

By Sen. Bill Soules, D-Doña Ana
New Mexico District 37

For too long, the state of education in New Mexico has been judged by a single metric: proficiency. This metric is only a snapshot of literacy rates, and direct comparison of proficiency between states can be misleading. A new white paper on New Mexico student literacy demonstrates that our students are making real, measurable reading gains over time, often matching or exceeding national growth rates.

The white paper, commissioned by New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders and conducted by Evress analytics, uses Read More

Dekker: Senate Bill 177 Is A Blueprint For New Mexico’s Economic Future

by

By DALE DEKKER
Founding Principal & Brand Ambassador
Dekker

For decades, New Mexico has talked about economic diversification. Senate Bill 177, sponsored by Sen. George Munoz is what it looks like when we finally decide to do it.

This legislation is not a collection of disconnected appropriations. It is a strategic investment plan – one that recognizes where the global economy is heading and positions New Mexico to compete, lead, and win in that future. At its core, SB 177 acknowledges a simple truth: states that invest intentionally in innovation, talent, and infrastructure will Read More

Op-Ed: Hold The line In Hard Times

by

By ERIC SCHALLER
Los Alamos

I used to work in a level 1 trauma center’s Emergency Department. Occasionally, we saw the results of horrible, evil things come in the door. Things that could rattle the most seasoned docs, nurses, techs, and researchers. Things that I don’t talk about. Things that make you question the assumption that humanity is basically good. Things that make you question whether what you are doing is worthwhile. Things that can make you become cynical and turn your back on trying to help people.

To help myself and my team cope with things like this, I developed the following

Read More