Politics

New Mexico Legislature Taking Steps To Webcast Additional Interim Committee Meetings

STATE News:
 
In an effort to improve transparency and promote greater access to legislative Interim Committee meetings for the public and media, the New Mexico Legislative Council Service is now taking steps to webcast and archive meetings held across the state.
 
Meetings taking place in the State Capitol building are already streamed live and archived.
 
The move to include offsite meetings as part of the Council’s webcasting service was championed by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D – Doña Ana), a long-time advocate for efforts to make legislative meetings available to the public
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League Of Women Voters March In 2019 County Fair & Rodeo Parade To Honor Passage Of 19th Amendment

Members of the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos march in the 2019 County Fair and Rodeo Parade Saturday morning on Central Avenue to honor the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified Aug. 18, 1920. Courtesy photo

The League of Women Voters has been informing Los Alamos voters since 1947. Courtesy photo Read More

Governor Taps Katrina Hotrum-Lopez For Aging Agency

New Cabinet Secretary Katrina Hotrum-Lopez
 
STATE News:
 
SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Friday announced Katrina Hotrum-Lopez would succeed Alice Liu McCoy as secretary of the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department upon McCoy’s hiring as executive director of the state Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.
 
The council board voted in late July to select McCoy as its new director. McCoy, an attorney with extensive and diverse experience in representing and advocating for individuals with disabilities, will remain a key piece of the Lujan Grisham
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New Mexico Congressional Delegation Announces $6 Million To Combat State Opioid Crisis

 
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. Friday, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres Small announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded more than $6 million in funding to New Mexico to combat the opioid epidemic in communities across the state.
 
The funding will go toward treatment, prevention, recovery, and research efforts throughout New Mexico.
 
A breakdown of the HRSA awards is below: 
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Call In Option During ‘Governor’s Cabinet In Your Community’ Constituent Services Outreach Event Today

STATE News:

SANTA FE – The Lujan Grisham administration is hosting the first  Governor’s Cabinet in Your Community event today, Aug. 10, in Albuquerque.
 
High-level representatives from departments and agencies across state government, including the Governor’s Office, will be on hand to field walk-in constituents. Constituents from farther afield are encouraged to call in.
 
State agencies will field all manner of constituent needs, including child care assistance, food assistance program enrollment, employment assistance, immunizations, well-water tests, Read More

Udall, Heinrich, Torres Small Announce $1.5 Million For NMSU Sun And Space Weather Research

CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small announced that New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Department of Astronomy was awarded a $1.5 million grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to hire a space scientist to work on physics of sun and space weather.
 
This funding was awarded through a program called “Faculty Development in the Space Sciences” from the NSF Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences.
 
In the majority of American universities, research
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Governor’s Key Advisor Gabello Issues Statement On Call For Special Session Following El Paso Violence

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
 
STATE News:
 
SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s senior advisor for policy and strategy issued the following statement Thursday regarding recent speculation about a special session:
 
“There is great apprehension and fear across New Mexico and farther afield in the wake of last weekend’s horrific, hate-fueled mass violence in El Paso,” Dominic Gabello said. “This state and country are facing real threats from within; proactive measures must be taken. Indeed, this administration championed and implemented key public safety measures
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AG & DA Task Force Secure Indictment Of Former Miss New Mexico Executive Director For Fraud, Tax Evasion, Embezzlement & Racketeering

Attorney General Hector Balderas
 
AG News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE Attorney General Hector Balderas and District Attorney Andrea Reeb today announced that a Roosevelt County Grand Jury indicted former Miss New Mexico Executive Director Greg Smith on charges that he stole money from the organization, funds which were designated for participant scholarships.
 
The Grand Jury indicted Smith on 18 felony charges of embezzlement, fraud, racketeering, tax evasion, and issuing worthless checks.
 
“New Mexican women who seek leadership opportunities should not see those opportunities
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State Standing Up Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Taskforce

Destinee Alexis Atencio
 
By JAMES R. MOUNTAIN
Valley Daily Post
 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

The FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tesuque Pueblo Tribal Police continue to investigate circumstances surrounding the death of Destinee Alexis Atencio whose body was found June 22 near the Camel Rock formation in Tesuque.

Atencio, 21, was last seen by a relative sometime in May in Santa Fe. Authorities believe she may have been dead for at least a couple of weeks before her body was found. The cause of death is pending an autopsy.

She is described as a Native American female, 5’6” Read More

New Mexico State Police Participate In Governor’s Cabinet In Your Community Aug. 10

NMSP News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE The New Mexico State Police will participate in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s first Governor’s Cabinet in Your Community event Saturday, Aug. 10, in Albuquerque.
 
New Mexico State Police Chief Staff will be on hand to field walk-in constituents. Constituents unable to attend who have concerns are encouraged to call in.
 
New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson is and will continue to provide a professional, high-quality service to the constituents in New Mexico. Chief Johnson holds his officers to the highest standards. Working together with
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