State

Wildfire Update: Unified Fire In Valencia County March 26

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NMFD News:

Highlights: Yesterday, fire crews were able to extinguish interior smoke and widen and improve control lines across the four divisions of the Unified Fire, raising containment to 25%. More accurate mapping downsized the fire’s acreage to 300 acres.  

Acres: 300.  

Containment: 25% contained.      

Start Date/Time: 10:49 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24. 

Fuels: Grass, brush, timber and timber understory. 

Cause: Under investigation. 

Location: Madrone, east of I-25, south of Rio Communities in Valencia County. 

Ownership: State and private. 

Structure Threat: 35 homes within Read More

Heinrich, Sheehy Reintroduce Legislation To Scale Up Locally Led Big Game Migration Initiatives

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) reintroduced the Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act, legislation to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scale up popular, locally-led, and voluntary big game migration pilot projects with private landowners, conservationists, and agriculture groups.

“In New Mexico and across the West, private landowners and agricultural producers play a key role in our effort to increase habitat connectivity Read More

Hilltopper Girls Basketball Announces All-District Selections

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SPORTS News:

The Hilltoppers basketball All-District player selections have been announced. All-District players are nominated by each coach in the district (LAHS, Española, Moriarty, Pojoaque, Taos).   

Coaches cannot vote for their own players. Players receiving the top 8 most votes are 1st team All-District selections. The next 8 players are 2nd team selections.

Los Alamos All-District 1st team players:

Aaliyah Chavez. Photo by Andrew Lyon

Aaliyah Chavez (sophomore) was the primary point guard for the Hilltoppers this season. She was the team’s 2nd leading scorer (6.8 pts/game). Read More

FBI: Torreon Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearms Offenses

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Torreon man pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing firearms after reportedly using one of them in a shooting and being involved in a series of shooting incidents on the Navajo Nation between July 2024 and September 2025.

According to court documents, between July 2024 and September 2025, Cisco Whitehorse, 43, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was believed to have possessed and used firearms during a series of four shooting incidents on the Navajo Nation.

In July 2024, Whitehorse fired from or around his vehicle at John Doe 1 after the victim drove past, striking Read More

Bloomfield Sailor Participates In White Sands Tribute To USS Bataan’s Legacy

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Lt. Amber Zufelt

NAVY News:

MILLINGTON, TN — Lt Amber Zufelt, a native of Bloomfield, New Mexico, assigned to the Wasp-class multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), traveled to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, March 19-21 to honor the fallen heroes of the Bataan Death March.

Zufelt graduated from Bloomfield High School in 2004 and American Military University in 2018. She joined the Navy 21 years ago and is currently serving as the operations officer aboard Bataan in Norfolk, Virginia.

“I decided to join the Navy as an opportunity to travel the world, experience more Read More

Roads Reopen On Jemez And Cuba Ranger Districts

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The Gilman Tunnels in Jemez Springs off State Forest Road 376. Courtesy/SFNF

The Cuba Ranger Station. Courtesy/SFNF

SFNF News:

SANTA FE — The Santa Fe National Forest’s (SFNF) Jemez and Cuba Ranger Districts announce that some roads will reopen to public motorized access Friday, March 27, following their annual seasonal closure.

Roads reopening Friday on the Jemez Ranger District:

  • FSR 10
  • FSR 144
  • FSR 266
  • FSR 289
  • FSR 280
  • FSR 314
  • FSR 376 from Highway 126 to Gilman (FSR 376 North to San Antonio Hot Springs will remain closed)
  • FSR 378
  • FSR 534

Road reopening Friday on the Cuba Ranger District:

  • FSR 70
Read More

Sierra County Ribbon Cutting To Celebrate Thousands Of Broadband Connections March 27

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CONNECT NM News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) will co-host a ribbon cutting ceremony with Ethos Broadband, a New Mexico-based internet service provider, in Truth or Consequences at 11 a.m., Friday, March 27, to celebrate the completion of a critical broadband infrastructure project that will connect nearly 3,000 new locations to high-speed internet.

The project is ready to connect 2,932 locations, including homes, businesses, and farms. The project is funded by an $8.5 million grant awarded by OBAE to Ethos Broadband through the federal Read More

FBI: Farmington Woman Pleads Guilty To Methamphetamine Trafficking And Firearm Charges

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Farmington woman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, investigators with the FBI and the Region II Task Force conducted a joint investigation that included multiple controlled drug purchases from and surveillance of Tasheena Hoskie, 44, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. July 12, 2024, investigators attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Hoskie’s vehicle as it traveled from Arizona to New Mexico. Hoskie Read More

State Senate Republicans Urge Legislative Finance Committee To Address Fraud, Waste, & Abuse In New Mexico

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NMSR News:

SANTA FE — This week, the Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) sent a letter to the chairmen of the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), urging that committee to “dedicate time in its 2026 work plan to study” fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as to “design legislative solutions to prevent further losses.”

“We’ve seen rampant abuse involving taxpayer funds in Minnesota, California, and elsewhere,” observed Sen. Craig Brandt, the SFC Ranking Member. “We must root out such misuse of taxpayer dollars here in New Mexico and erect guardrails to ensure that public programs Read More

Housing New Mexico Recognizes 2026 Top Lenders

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HOUSING News:                                               

ALBUQUERQUE — Thousands of New Mexico families realized the dream of homeownership in 2025 thanks to Housing New Mexico’s participating lenders and the mortgage programs offered by the organization. Housing New Mexico announced the 2026 Achievement Award recipient, as well as its Top Metro and Rural Lenders as part of its lender recognition program.

For the third year in a row, John Gabaldon with Waterstone Mortgage Corporation in Albuquerque received the Housing New Mexico Achievement Award, which is presented to mortgage originators that produce 100 or more Housing Read More