Organizers say Las Cruces reproductive health center expected to open in late summer 2026 - Leah Romero,
Las Cruces could see New Mexico鈥檚 state-funded reproductive health clinic open its doors on the east side of town by late summer or fall 2026, according to project organizers.
Christopher Ramirez, spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, told Source NM that organizers are in the final stages of design and development and expect to present plans to the Department of Higher Education and the State Board of Finance for approval in May and June. Once approved, the search for a contractor will start.
鈥淥ur hope is to have a contractor in place and construction to begin by September/October,鈥� Ramirez told Source NM in an email, adding that the goal is to open doors to patients about a year later.
The Center for Reproductive Health is part of a $10 million capital outlay project to expand access to reproductive health care in Southern New Mexico. The project is a partnership between UNM and advocacy organizations Bold Futures, Strong Families New Mexico and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Lujan Grisham, legislators, organizers and local leaders in September 2024, on East Lohman Avenue near MountainView Regional Medical Center, following over a year of few updates on the project.
The center is expected to offer medication and procedural abortion, contraception options, pregnancy loss support and management, lactation support and doula support, along with other services.
another $10 million in capital outlay funds for a reproductive health center in Northern New Mexico. Neither the governor nor the Las Cruces center organizers have confirmed that the same organizers will be part of the planning for the second center. A location for the center has not been released, though Republican lawmakers speculated during the legislative session that Santa Fe would be the target.
The Legislature passed capital outlay projects in and it awaits the governor鈥檚 signature.
Ramirez previously told Source NM that 鈥渁s with all items relating to UNM, this capital outlay funding will be thoroughly analyzed, and our teams will continue working with the Legislature and the Executive to understand UNM鈥檚 role.鈥�
Those in Council District 6 will get a say in capital spending 鈥�
Albuquerque City Council District 6 residents will have the chance to make their voices heard on how to spend $1.5 million in city funding in their neighborhoods, starting Saturday.
Residents aged 11 and older will have nine projects to choose from; District 6 Councilor Nichole Rogers says people who work in the district will also get to vote. The money is part of the city鈥檚 allocation to the district.
Rogers .
The voting period kicks off with a Project Expo, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the International District Library, 7601 Central Ave NE. City officials and volunteers will share information about each project and allow stakeholders to select three of the nine projects.
will continue through April 19.
THE PROJECTS:
路 One-stop respite stations. Locations at which those experiencing homelessness could receive mail, charge their mobile devices and store their belongings. A 鈥渃ommunication board鈥� at each station would include information on nearby resources and allow family members to connect.
路 鈥淧ortland Loo鈥� public restroom units. Three of the stainless-steel units would be placed in the district. The restrooms are touted as vandalism-resistant, easy to clean and designed to deter crime.
路 San Mateo/Kathryn Grower鈥檚 Market. Rogers said Thursday that area residents have been asking for such a space since before she joined the council. She said the market would include storage and space for food trucks to park.
路 Gateway Family Shelter multi-use playground. The 50-foot-by-50-foot playground would go into the parking lot north of the shelter. It would be constructed to be movable, in case of an eventual relocation of the shelter.
路 Buena Vista Drive Bike Infrastructure. Traffic calming measures and other improvements between Gibson Boulevard and Central Avenue.
路 Traffic circles for the Trumbull neighborhood. Three traffic calming devices intended to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
路 Transforming vacant land into public parklets. The city would acquire vacant lots and improve them.
路 Five Blocks for Life. Beautification of the area around Wilson Middle School. The project would include fixes to faded signs and crosswalks and new murals.
路 First responder mural. The money would be used to hire an artist whose work would be included in 3rd Saturday events celebrating arts and culture.
District 6 includes Albuquerque鈥檚 Southeast Heights, the University of New Mexico campus, Nob Hill and the International District.
Battery repurposing project in Santa Fe on DOE 鈥榟it list鈥� - Hannah Grover,
A reported 鈥渉it list鈥� of clean energy projects that could lose U.S. Department of Energy funding includes a long-duration storage demonstration project that included Santa Fe.
The project aims to reuse batteries from electric vehicles for energy storage for consumers to later use.
first reported on the DOE 鈥渉it list鈥� on Friday. The projects on the list have been awarded funding under the Inflation Reduction Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law or through annual appropriations.
According to news reports, the projects on the list will be submitted to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Management and Budget and could subsequently be canceled.
teamed up to look into some of the projects on that 鈥渉it list.鈥� According to their reporting, one of the projects on the list is the Long-Duration Energy Storage Communities Accessing Resilient Energy Storage project, led by the company .
ReJoule received $1 million in funding for phase one of a project that would repurpose used lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles. Those batteries would then be used in modular, energy storage systems that vary in size and use. Those systems would have the potential to support microgrids and electric storage as an alternative to fossil fuel-powered peaker plants.
The CARES project is supposed to be located in Santa Fe as well as in Red Lake Nation, Minn. and Petaluma, Calif.
According to the from July, the $1 million award could be just the start and the project could have a total federal cost share of up to $10 million.
Phase 1 of the project is expected to last 12 to 16 months. During that time, ReJoule and its project team will plan activities related to budgeting, permitting, procurement and early development, according to the award announcement.
鈥淣ew Mexico has incredible energy resources and a long history of partnering with the Department of Energy to advance transmission, storage, and clean energy production projects,鈥� Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham鈥檚 office said in a statement in response to a request for comment. 鈥淲e expect the Department to honor the federal government鈥檚 commitments in existing contracts that invest critical funding for local and regional projects that benefit New Mexicans.鈥�
UNM will cooperate with Civil Rights complaint 鈥� Danielle Prokop,
The University of New Mexico said it would cooperate with the federal investigation into alleged 鈥渞ace-exclusionary practices鈥� announced earlier this month, and is working to put together a response about the university鈥檚 relationship with a nonprofit aiming to increase minority participation in PhD programs and faculty positions.
On March 14, the U.S. Department of Education informing 45 universities that the Office for Civil Rights had received a complaint that they were allegedly discriminating against graduate students based on race or ethnicity for their past affiliations with the PhD Project.
The New Jersey-based nonprofit supports Black, Hispanic and Native American students pursuing business PhD programs, and provides peer support as they become professors, according to its .
sent to other higher education institutions instated a March 31 deadline for universities to submit information about their relationship to the nonprofit.
However, UNM鈥檚 Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair told Source NM she had not seen a copy of a letter from federal education officials.
鈥淲hat I can share is that the University was notified that a complaint was filed with the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, related to Project PhD,鈥� Blair said in a written statement Wednesday. 鈥淯NM prohibits unlawful discrimination and will cooperate with OCR in its review of this matter.鈥�
Blair told Source NM the UNM administration is 鈥渟till determining the extent of its relationship with the PhD Project,鈥� in a phone call Thursday.
Blair also said she could not make anyone who had read the letter available for an interview as the university would not comment on an open investigation before issuing its formal response.
A spokesperson for the PhD Project did not respond to questions regarding the organization鈥檚 relationship with UNM, but issued the following statement on behalf of the nonprofit.
Higher Ed Diversity by the numbers:While college student populations have become increasingly diverse in the past 20 years 鈥� especially Hispanic and Latino students, who doubled their share of admissions to approximately 21.2% of the population, according to from the higher-ed think tank . However, enrollment of white students (40.6%) and Asian students (61.6%) remain 鈥渇ar above鈥� other racial and ethnic groups.
Higher education faculty are less diverse than student bodies. The reports that 72% of all faculty at post-secondary institutions are white; 13% Asian; 7% Black; 6% Hispanic; 1% are more than one race; and the remaining 1% split between American Indian/Alaskan Native and Pacific Islanders.
鈥淔or the last 30 years, The PhD Project has worked to expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor, and support tomorrow鈥檚 leaders. Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events.鈥�
The statement concluded: 鈥淭his year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision. The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today.鈥�
Source NM has filed public information requests at both the federal and state level for the complaint against UNM, as well as for the letter informing UNM of the complaint.
The complaint comes amid a period of uncertainty for higher education as President Donald Trump and other Republicans move to dismantle the fully, while also threatening to pull universities鈥� funding for continuing programs to increase diversity, equity and inclusion. The Department of Education touches , from issuing grant funds to lower-income schools, to administering loans, grants and work-study funds for college attendees.
The investigation also follows a from federal education officials stating that universities must 鈥渃ease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities鈥� or face the loss of federal funding. from the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Office of Civil Rights includes 鈥� as its first FAQ 鈥� information on where to file discrimination complaints.
Earlier this month, President Garnett Stokes, in a weekly newsletter to students, said the university will continue to 鈥渕onitor and review鈥� UNM鈥檚 policies and provide updates on the .
鈥淭o avoid amplifying uncertainty or disrupting our work unnecessarily, we have established a general response philosophy that we will only respond to specific and actionable federal requirements or actions, says a statement posted to website. 鈥淲e will avoid making rapid changes to university policies and programs where not clearly warranted.鈥�
Church-run asylum shelter accused of breaking federal immigration law 鈥� Gillian Barkhurst,
It started with a letter.
鈥淭he Department of Homeland Security has significant concerns that (Shelter and Services Program) funding is going to entities engaged in facilitating illegal activities,鈥� it read.
The letter was sent to the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande two weeks ago, according to church leadership, and six other churches, including a ministry in Brownsville, Texas, and the Episcopal Dioceses of West Texas.
The 鈥渋llegal activities鈥� in question are 鈥渆ncouraging鈥� immigrants to cross the border, transporting 鈥渋llegal aliens鈥� and 鈥渉arboring, concealing, or shielding鈥� them from authorities, according to the letter.
It notified the church, which is based in Albuquerque but runs a migrant shelter in El Paso, that more than $265,000 in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be withheld until all church leaders sign legal documents swearing they had no knowledge of illegal activity, and all asylum seekers鈥� names and contact information are handed over to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Homeland Security could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The letter arrived as Trump steps up his immigration agenda, with threats of mass deportations, rumors of migrants being housed at military bases and attempts to end birthright citizenship.
Bishop Michael Hunn of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande said they have only sheltered those asylum seekers brought to them directly by Customs and Border Protection agents. And, after policy changes during the Biden administration followed by the actions of President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration, the church hasn鈥檛 sheltered anyone at all 鈥� because nobody is coming across.
Federal authorities say the number of people crossing the border illegally in the El Paso Sector, from southwest Texas to the Arizona line, has plummeted 鈥� from a peak of 2,700 a day in 2022 to 50 people a day now. And those who do come across illegally are no longer able to get asylum, instead being deported immediately or, if from a non-neighboring country, detained until they can be returned to where they came from.
For that reason, CBP said, they are no longer utilizing shelters along the border to house migrants seeking asylum.
鈥淚鈥檓 insulted by the insinuation that we have been involved in anything illegal or immoral,鈥� Hunn said in a YouTube video responding to the Department of Homeland Security, which has gotten more than 8,400 views. 鈥淲e in the Dioceses of the Rio Grande have been practicing our constitutionally guaranteed faith.鈥�
Hunn called the demands for the identification of asylum seekers 鈥渋ronic,鈥� saying the federal government 鈥� having brought them to the shelter in the first place 鈥� already has the names, contact information, and more, on file as a part of the asylum seeking process, which involves lengthy interviews, applications and court hearings.
鈥淟etters like this will have a chilling effect on the practice of Christianity,鈥� Hunn said. 鈥淔eeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, loving our neighbor鈥� is the practice of our faith. It鈥檚 not just what we do on Sunday.鈥�
Hunn told the Journal, 鈥淭his is not and has never been a political thing for us.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e just following Jesus鈥� teachings to love our neighbor and to welcome the stranger and care for those who are in need,鈥� he said. 鈥�... We鈥檙e supposed to somehow be immigration enforcers who check ID before we give somebody a sandwich or a can of beans.鈥�
The church is in talks with its lawyers, Hunn said, and are uncertain what its next steps will be.
Kansas measles cases double to 23 and new Ohio outbreak sickens 10 鈥� Devi Shastri, AP Health Writer
A measles outbreak in Kansas doubled in less than a week to 23 cases and has "a possible link" to outbreaks here in New Mexico and Texas that have sickened more than 370 total, with 43 in New Mexico alone, the state health department said Wednesday.
And health officials in Ohio say a single case identified in Ashtabula County has spread to nine others. Even before these two growing clusters were reported, the number of measles cases in the U.S. had already surpassed the case count for all of 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment put doctors on high alert on Monday and recommended early vaccination for infants 6 to 11 months old who live in outbreak counties or near them. Usually, children get the measles, mumps and rubella shot after they turn 1. In outbreaks, early vaccination can be an option.
The New Mexico Department of Health is offering vaccine clinics at many of their public health offices and are offering vaccinations on a walk-in basis at locations in and around Eddy and Lea counties.
More information can be found on their.
Kansas鈥檚 last count Friday included 10 cases across three southwestern counties: Grant, Morton and Stevens. Now, the outbreak includes Haskell, Gray, and Kiowa counties. All but two of the cases are in people younger than 18, state data shows. The outbreak started with a measles case in Stevens County identified March 13.
In Ohio, 10 cases are in Ashtabula County and a separate visitor in Knox County exposed people there and in several other counties, the state health department said. A measles outbreak in central Ohio sickened 85 in 2022.
"Given the measles activity in Texas, New Mexico, and other states around the country, we're disappointed but not surprised we now have several cases here in Ohio and known exposure in some counties," said Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. "This disease can be very serious, even deadly, but it is almost entirely avoidable by being properly vaccinated."
New Mexico had 43 outbreak-associated cases Tuesday and Texas had 327. The Oklahoma outbreak "associated" with Texas and New Mexico has 9 cases.
Public health experts say the outbreak that started in Texas in late January could last for months. If it hits other unvaccinated communities across the U.S., as may now be the case in Kansas, the outbreak could endure for a year and threaten the nation's status as having eliminated local spread of the vaccine-preventable disease, they said.
Experts consider communities protected from measles outbreaks if they have an MMR vaccination rate of 95% or higher. The two-shot series is required before entering public kindergarten and is 97% effective at protecting against measles.
Several of the Kansas counties seeing measles spread have much lower vaccination rates, including: 82% in Morton County, 83% in Stevens County, 58% in Haskell County, and 66% in Gray County, according to state health department data from the 2023-2024 school year. Statewide, 89% of kindergarteners in Ohio were vaccinated against measles in the 2023-24 school year, CDC data shows.
"Due to the highly contagious nature of measles, additional cases are likely to occur within the current outbreak area and the surrounding counties, especially among those who are unvaccinated," said Jill Bronaugh, the Kansas state health department's spokeswoman.
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