Police

New Mexico Public Safety Workers Call On Senate To Go With Governor’s Higher Pay Plan

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Bryanna Vargas, sergeant at the Springer Correctional Center, speaks in support of 6% raises for state public safety employees to be included in the state budget during a news conference in the rotunda of the state Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Public safety workers are urging lawmakers to take up Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposal for bigger raises for corrections workers, police and firefighters, arguing the current pay rates put safety at risk by contributing to high vacancies.

“We show up every single Read More

FBI Honors Internship Program Open For Applications

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FBI News:

College students who want to start a career of a lifetime are invited to apply for the Summer 2027 FBI Honors Internship Program.

The application window opened on February 9, 2026, the deadline to apply is March 5, 2026.

The FBI Honors Internship is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. This paid internship gives students the opportunity to work at FBI headquarters or in one of our 56 field offices located across the country.

Interns will spend ten weeks alongside FBI Special Agents and professional staff supporting investigations, working on a wide variety of projects, Read More

FBI: Arizona Man Sentenced For Sexual Abuse

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for engaging in sexual acts with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

In August of 2021, Fernando Yatsatie, Jr., 48, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, unlawfully engaged in a sexual act with a minor victim using threats and intimidation.

Yatsatie pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. Upon his release from prison, Yatsatie will be subject to fifteen years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Read More

New Mexico Senators, Public Square Off On Safety Versus Freedom In Gun Debate

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State Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, right, joins a pro-Second Amendment rally Saturday outside the Capitol. Sponsored by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association and the New Mexico Firearms Industry Association, demonstrators, a number of them armed, voiced their opposition to Senate Bill 17, a gun control bill moving through the Legislature. Nathan Burton/The New Mexican

Bethany Padilla, center, a member of UNM’s Students Demand Action chapter, wipes tears from her eyes as she listens to speakers share their experiences of gun violence during a rally in support of Senate Bill 17 on Read More

McQuiston: How Insurance Decides Who’s At Fault

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By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

After a car accident, most people assume there’s going to be a clear answer. Someone ran the red light. Someone rear-ended someone. Someone was texting. Someone wasn’t paying attention.

But when insurance gets involved, the question isn’t just what happened. It’s who can be proven responsible, and how much.

And that process is more structured—and more frustrating—than most people realize.

First, “fault” is not a feeling. It’s a legal decision. Insurance companies don’t decide fault based on who seems nicer, who’s

Read More

FBI: Men Sentenced For Kidnapping, Human Smuggling Scheme

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Two Guatemalan nationals were sentenced to prison for orchestrating a ransom scheme in which they held 11 undocumented immigrants captive and extorted their families under threats of violence and cartel retaliation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, the FBI received a kidnapping complaint on March 1, 2025, alleging that the family of an undocumented immigrant was being extorted for ransom under threats of violence and cartel involvement. Agents traced the ransom calls to a residence in southwest Albuquerque and executed a search Read More

FBI: Farmington Man Charged For Fentanyl Distribution, Firearms Offenses

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Farmington man is facing federal charges for suspected federal drug trafficking and firearms violations stemming from a traffic stop. 

According to court documents, Jan. 26, 2026, Stevie Anthony Lovato, 39, was stopped while driving on U.S. Highway 550 with two other individuals in the vehicle and arrested on an active felony warrant. During the arrest, officers recovered a 9mm hollow point round, approximately 1.34 grams of methamphetamine, and two cellphones from his person. A subsequent search of the vehicle, conducted pursuant to a warrant, resulted in the Read More

FBI: Shiprock Man Pleads Guilty To Violent Assault

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Shiprock man pleaded guilty in federal court to a violent assault in which he stabbed a victim three times in the back without provocation.

According to court documents, April 19, 2025, Matthew David Charley, 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stabbed John Doe three times in the back without provocation, causing serious injury.

Charley pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. At sentencing, Charley faces up to 10 years in prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Read More

$387 Million Heinrich Secured For New Mexico In FY26 Funding Signed into Law, While Renewing Call For DHS Funding to Include Commonsense Reforms 

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, released the following statement announcing that $387 million he secured for New Mexico in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations funding is now law, including Congressionally Directed Spending for over 100 local projects.

Additionally, Heinrich announced that a package of health care legislation and his repeal of the Read More