National Sunshine Week Runs March 15-21, 2026
The Document Divide: Why public record laws are failing average Americans, and what to do about it
By DAVID CUILLIER
Brechner Freedom of Information Project
Feb. 9, 2026
Freedom of information should be freedom of information for all.
It is not.
As we approach the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and celebrate national Sunshine Week March 15-21, we look back at the signing of the law by Lyndon B. Johnson on July 4, 1966: “I signed this measure with a deep sense of pride that the United States is an open society in which the people’s right to know is cherished and guarded.” Read More
Bregman: Use Oil & Gas Windfall From Trump’s Illegal War To Send Up To $500 To Every New Mexican
Sam Bregman
STATE News:
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman said today that the surge in oil and gas prices and the revenue generated to New Mexico’s state government coffers due to the ongoing Iran conflict presents a rare opportunity to directly help New Mexico families. He is proposing a plan to send reimbursements of up to $500 per family member to New Mexico families earning less than $200,000 per year, using the unexpected revenue windfall.
Global oil prices have surged since the outbreak of Donald Trump’s war in Iran, benefiting major energy-producing states Read More
LANL Public Trails Meeting March 25 At Fuller Lodge
LANL News:
Want to learn more about our trails and how you can help care for them? The National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos County, and the U.S. Forest Service will hold a public information meeting on the area’s trails, 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, at Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with an opportunity to interact with trails, resources management, and safety personnel. The meeting will provide the latest information about our trails and feature discussions on trail management and safe trail use.
Presentations Read More
Leger Fernández’s Small Cemetery Conveyance Act Passes In The House Of Representatives
CONGRESSIONAL News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House unanimously passed Congresswoman Leger Fernández’s (NM-03) bill, H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act. The bill would remove long-standing federal obstacles for rural, Tribal, and land-grant communities to care for ancestral cemeteries located on National Forest lands.
For generations, families laid their loved ones to rest on lands consecrated long before those lands were claimed by the federal government. Too many communities must navigate costly, time-consuming bureaucratic processes simply to maintain the cemeteries Read More
Luján, Budzinski Introduce Legislation To Strengthen Resilience Of U.S. Food Supply Chains
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced the Grocery, Farm, and Food Worker Stabilization Grant Program Act, legislation that would create a new, permanent grant program to provide stabilization payments to farm, grocery, and meatpacking workers in the case a major disaster.
In 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture created the Farm and Food Workers Relief Read More
Robinson: Chronicling Tariffs’ Path Of Economic Destruction
By Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services
Jerry Pacheco probably doesn’t own a crystal ball, but at the end of the year he wrote: “Countries that strongly trade with each other do not go to war with each other. The animus and uncertainty caused by starting a tariff war put the U.S. on the road to fractured relationships and isolationism.”
Pacheco is executive director of the nonprofit International Business Accelerator in Santa Teresa. He’s spent his career advising on international trade and recruiting companies to the border region. In the last year Pacheco has opined Read More
Gomez: NM Needs Action On MMIWR Crisis – Not Symbolism
Scene from a protest outside UNM Law School in 2023. Courtesy photo
Women, children and elders protesting outside UNM Law School in 2023. Courtesy photo
By DARLENE GOMEZ
MMIWR Activist/ Attorney
For decades, Indigenous families across New Mexico have lived with a heartbreaking reality: daughters, sisters, and mothers along with sons, fathers, uncles and cousins vanish, and too often the system fails to find them or bring justice. As an attorney representing families of Murdered, Missing, Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), I have sat across kitchen tables with parents who still leave Read More
Op-Ed: Let’s Turn Local Government On Its Head
By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock
I appreciate very much James Wernicke’s always thoughtful writing on local government and would like to offer here some additional and very brief comments on this subject. I do so as someone who spent 40 years working with governments in a large number of countries on how they could enhance economic development and the health and education of their people. I also do so as a lifelong member of the political party of most of our County Councilors, which might surprise some people who read what I say below.
Although we may argue about the role of government, a county government Read More
MOWW To Feature Talk On ‘Real Russian Collusion’ By Dr. Glen McDuff March 17
Dr. Glen McDuff
MOWW News:
This month’s meeting of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) is Tuesday, March 17, in conference room 203A at the Los Alamos Research Park.
The featured speaker is Dr. Glen McDuff who will discuss “Real Russian Collusion”. With the advent of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, a.k.a. Star Wars, it was soon determined that a major flaw in the plan. Even though most of the planned defensive systems were within the realm of possibility, there was no way to provide station keeping power for the space platforms. Where the U.S. had ceased development of space
James F. Ellison Announces Intent To Run For State Treasurer Of New Mexico
James F. Ellison
STATE News:
ALBUQUERQUE — James F. Ellison, a former commissioner with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), announced March 12 his decision to drop out of the race for governor and enter the race for State Treasurer of New Mexico.
In a statement announcing his decision, Ellison spoke of the need for strong investment credentials and professional oversight of investment decisions.
“New Mexico faces real challenges—rising energy costs and decreasing affordability, lackluster economic growth, and an educational system that delivers poor outcomes. I entered Read More
Sen. Jaramillo: Española’s Culture Deserves Recognition
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
Rep. Gabe Vasquez Pushes To Ban Public Officials From Insider Trading On Prediction Markets
STATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) continued his push to hold Washington accountable and cosponsored a bill to ban public officials from insider trading on prediction markets.
The Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act addresses flagrant corruption that allows government employees to use insider information for personal gain on prediction markets. The bill bans the use of prediction markets for any federal employees who may be able to profit from their position and access to government information through betting or trading.
“Enough with the Read More
Maggiore: Why I’m Running For Sheriff
By ANTONIO MAGGIORE
Candidate for Sheriff
Dear Los Alamos,
First I want to say thank you to everyone who has already reached out in support of my candidacy for Sheriff. I’m truly humbled and deeply grateful.
One question I keep getting asked is why Sheriff? Why not Council? I will be completely honest, County Council took a lot out of me. It takes more time and effort than I am currently able to give to the community. I still want to serve Los Alamos to the best of my ability, and that means doing more than just pouring beer. I understand the importance of this job and the specific role it plays in our county. Read More
Fifteen Los Alamos Residents File Candidacy For Office
Top row from left, Rep. Christine Chandler, Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor, Municipal Judge Elizabeth Allen, Assessor candidate Jeff Casalina, Sheriff candidate Antonio Maggiore. Center row from left, Sheriff candidate David Izraelevitz, County Council candidates David Hampton, Eric Stromberg, Jason Chappel, Joe Granville. Bottom row from left: Council candidate Marshall Maez, Councilor Melanee Hand, Council candidate Steve Lynne, Councilor Theresa Cull and Probate Judge Perry Clare all filed for the 2026 election. Collage created by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By Read More
Luján, Merkley, Murkowski, Durbin Push For Audit Of DOJ’s Practices In Redacting Epstein Files
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called for an independent audit and report to Congress about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) practices in redacting information of the public release of the Epstein Files.
Multiple reports have spotlighted the DOJ’s failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act’s clear requirement to redact only information that protects victims’ privacy and national security and the law’s prohibition on redactions based on reputational Read More
Governor Lujan Grisham Signs State Budget, Capital Outlay Bills And Tax Package
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an $11.1 billion state budget for fiscal year 2027 that funds higher education, universal childcare, road improvements, economic development initiatives and more.
The $11.1 billion general fund marks an increase of $339.5 million, or 3.1%, compared to the FY 2026 budget, while leaving reserves at 26.4%.
“Over the last seven years, we have fundamentally redefined New Mexico’s future by prioritizing historic investments in universal childcare, healthcare, public safety and more while achieving record job growth and the nation’s Read More
NACO Launches 2026 Rural Energy Academy Cohort To Support County Decision-Making On New Energy Projects
NACO News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Counties (NACo) announces the launch of the 2026 Rural Energy Academy technical assistance cohort. This three-month program will support 12 counties as they strengthen local decision-making on new energy projects. Rising energy demand, technological advances and shifts in state and federal policy are bringing attention to rural counties across the nation. “Counties are balancing the need to protect working lands, water resources and infrastructure, while responding to meet the moment of growing energy demand,” said Ashleigh Read More
Katharine Clark Wins Democratic Party Convention Vote For Secretary Of State
Katharine Clark
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Secretary of State candidate Katharine Clark won the Democratic Party of New Mexico convention vote this weekend with 46.18% of the vote, earning delegates’ support across the state and building strong momentum heading into the final weeks before the Democratic primary election.
Amanda Lopez Askin received 35.84% and Sonya Smith received 17.97%.
Clark thanked delegates and supporters for backing her people-powered campaign and said the convention result reflects growing support for her vision to protect democracy and expand ballot access Read More
David Izraelevitz Enters Race For Sheriff
David Izraelevitz, Democrat, files for County Sheriff Tuesday in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building. Izraelevitz, a former Councilor, said he decided to run for Sheriff because ‘I’ve been away from elected office for a couple of years and this is an opportunity to get involved again. Since this is a limited responsibility in our County and our current Sheriff is not running for re-election, I thought I would take the opportunity to run.’ Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com Read More
Perry Klare Files To Run For Probate Judge
Probate Judge Perry Klare files for election Tuesday in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building. Klare was appointed to fill a vacancy and is now seeking a full term. ‘I enjoy the job,’ he said. ‘I have personal probate experience … so its kind of true to me. I feel it was a rewarding job.’ Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com Read More