NM wildfire outlook above normal for most of state 鈥�
National fire weather forecasters warn that most of New Mexico will face above-normal fire potential this month, and those conditions will worsen until at least until the monsoon season begins in July.
The National Interagency Fire Center issued its Tuesday, presenting a series of maps showing New Mexico with snow pack far below normal, along with severe drought and above normal average temperatures expected throughout the summer.
Those factors combine to make the state, particularly the western two-thirds, at high risk of wildfires beginning in May, according to forecasters.
So far in New Mexico this year, 222 wildfires have started, affecting 31,675 acres. Humans caused the vast majority of those fires, according to the Southwest Coordination Center. The near Wagon Mound, which burned an estimated 15,000 acres, ranks as the biggest New Mexico fire so far this year.
Last week, New Mexico State Forestry released daily wildfire awareness tips, including how and when to
The potential occurs amid federal cuts to the United States Forest Service, including probationary employees who often had wildfire suppression training.
Proposed federal lease terminations also include two New Mexico wildfire dispatch centers covering one-third of the state, though U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich鈥檚 office recently told Source New Mexico that he had received 鈥溾�� that the dispatch centers would stay open.
A Heinrich spokesperson noted, however, that his office was still awaiting official confirmation about the dispatch centers from the General Services Administration. The Heinrich spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday as to whether that official confirmation had yet arrived.
Heinrich calls on DOE to uphold commitments, provide funds for projects 鈥�
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, is calling on U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Christopher Wright to uphold funding commitments for projects authorized under President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration.
Heinrich joined U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and 25 other Democratic senators in sending a letter to Wright after news organizations reported on a 鈥渉it list鈥� of projects that could lose funding. That list of projects included an in Santa Fe.
Heinrich and Murray maintain that canceling the federal funding for these projects would break existing agreements, harm deployment of new energy resources and lead to lost jobs.
In the letter, the senators say hydrogen hubs, carbon capture facilities, critical mineral and battery storage projects that have already received federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law or annual appropriations bills are on the list.
鈥淵ou assured us during your confirmation hearing that you believe that legal agreements should be honored (including managing the financial commitments you have inherited) and that you will follow the law,鈥� the letter states. 鈥淚ndiscriminately canceling program funding and executed contracts, and refusing to execute on the funding directives Congress enacted, neither honors existing agreements nor is consistent with the spending laws that have appropriated funding for specific purposes.鈥�
The letter further states that Congress has authorized the spending and the president does not have the authority to 鈥渟ubstitute his policy preferences for requirements in law.鈥�
鈥淒issolving contracts, cancelling grants and loans, and reneging on loan guarantees without any intention to execute the laws is not only illegal, but is harmful to the public and energy consumers,鈥� the letter states. 鈥淵our indiscriminate cancellations of spending will increase energy prices, make our grid less secure, and stop energy innovation.鈥�
The senators requested Wright provide a detailed list of grants, loans and loan guarantees that he believes should be rescinded along with explanations as to why he believes they should be rescinded.
During a Wright told reporters that projects that have already received allocations would not lose federal funding.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of great projects. There may be some areas that we don鈥檛 think are the most productive use of taxpayer funds, but when agreements are in place, of course, we will follow the law,鈥� he said in response to questions asked by NM Political Report during his Feb. 25 visit to New Mexico. 鈥淭here鈥檚 unallocated funds in both of those bills as well, and I think we鈥檙e going to have some opportunities to direct those towards the greatest bang for the buck.鈥�
New Mexico reports childhood obesity improvements 鈥�
The New Mexico health department on Wednesday said obesity rates for third graders decreased for the fourth consecutive year.
uses data from 40 schools across 21 counties, and assessed close to 2,950 students, according to a news release, which also noted that participation in the data collection is voluntary.
- a decline in the past year in obesity rates for kindergarten students from 18.2% to 17.3%
- a decline in obesity rates for third graders in the same time period from 27.5% to 24.1%
- Boys鈥� obesity rates were 6.5% higher than girls.
- Ongoing highest obesity prevalence among American Indian students at 27.6% of students
鈥淲e collect and analyze obesity data so we can invest our resources in areas that lack infrastructure for safe physical activity and opportunities to buy affordable healthy food,鈥� Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said in a statement. 鈥淥besity in children highlights inequities in our community infrastructure and access to resources.鈥�
According to the report, department鈥檚 childhood obesity surveillance program 鈥� established in 2010 鈥� uses 鈥渂ody mass index (BMI) percentile and a standardized measurement protocol to monitor childhood obesity over time, identify at-risk groups, guide state and local prevention efforts, and inform appropriate resource allocation.鈥�
Despite the improvements, the report notes that obesity remains a significant problem in New Mexico, particularly for children, with obesity increasing significantly between kindergarten and third grade.
鈥淐hildhood obesity is a complex issue that is influenced by weight bias, socioeconomic status, food insecurity and community infrastructure,鈥� the report said, noting that in 2023, close to one-in-four (24.7%) school-aged children in New Mexico lived in poverty, compared to nearly one-in-six (15.7%) nationally in 2023. That makes 鈥淣ew Mexican children more at risk for obesity than children in other states,鈥� the report said, and children with obesity are more likely to develop: high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea and depression.
The health department program says part of its strategy to combat childhood obesity includes programs in seven counties and one Tribal community to expand activities such as farm-to-school food programs, exercise activities and nutrition programs.
City to pay $2.5 million to man who Albuquerque officer shot during schizoaffective episode - Matthew Reisen,
The city of Albuquerque has agreed to pay $2.5 million to a man who was permanently disabled after being shot by an officer during a schizoaffective episode.
The city's decision to settle came mid-March while the lawsuit was in limbo after an appeal following a qualified immunity ruling from a federal judge.
In a statement, the city's legal team said the June 2020 shooting of Max Mitnik at a home in an affluent gated community "predates full operations for the Albuquerque Community Safety department and many APD reforms."
"The City continues to improve our emergency response, adding resources for the Community Safety department, which sends trained behavioral health responders to calls in our community 24/7," according to the statement.
In 2022, Mitnik's parents, on his behalf, sued the city and Albuquerque Police Department officer Jose Ruiz, seeking damages and alleging the city negligently dispatched police to respond to a mental health crisis without assistance from a healthcare professional.
"I think we were pleased that the city was willing to come to the table and negotiate," attorney Ryan Villa, who represented the family, said Tuesday.
On June 4, Ruiz shot Mitnik in the head as Mitnik 鈥� in the middle of a behavioral health crisis 鈥� held a knife to his own neck in his parent's Tanoan home. The shooting left Mitnik, now 31, largely paralyzed on his left side, and it has taken years for him to walk with the help of a cane.
An APD Internal Affairs investigation found Ruiz used force appropriately when he shot Mitnik, but that his "lack of command and control" escalated the situation to where force was necessary. Ruiz is still with APD, online records show.
Since the lawsuit was filed, Mitnik's mother, his primary caretaker, has died, Villa said. His father has retired to help care for Mitnik, who has made progress but will never have full use of his extremities.
"He can walk, but he can't do some of the things he liked to do, like hiking in the mountains or playing basketball, skiing," he said. Villa added that Mitnik's left eye was damaged by the shooting, and he can no longer drive as a result.
"Those things will never get any better," Villa said.
Mitnik's father, Michael Mitnik, told the Journal that the bullet "took away hope" of his son living a normal life. He has found medication to help stabilize his schizoaffective disorder, but the brain injury has left him reliant on others.
"His life and my life have totally changed since this happened," Michael Mitnik said, adding what happened to their son broke his wife's heart, "both physically and emotionally."
He said he is rooting for Albuquerque Community Safety to prevent similar tragedies, but when his son had a more recent crisis, police showed up instead. Michael Mitnik added, "Those police, actually, they did good, those particular officers."
The settlement from the city, he said, was "hopefully some admission that they have to do better."
Mayor Tim Keller first spoke of the idea of the Albuquerque Community Safety department, which sought to send a non-law enforcement response to crisis calls, in the weeks following Mitnik's shooting.
On Saturday, ACS announced it had reached the milestone of taking 100,000 calls for service since opening in 2021. In recent years, ACS has gone from handling 900 calls a month to handling 3,000, becoming a 24/7 service and opening a standalone headquarters.
Despite thousands of calls being rerouted to ACS during that time, fatal confrontations between officers and those in crisis have continued. In recent years, APD officers have shot and killed several people, a fair number of whom were armed, during a behavioral health crisis.
In February, an ACS worker called 911 after not being able to make contact with a man who was threatening suicide. When officers showed up, the man pointed an unloaded handgun at them and was fatally shot, according to police.
NMDOH reports four additional measles cases in Lea County - Danielle Prokop,
New Mexico health officials reported four additional measles cases in Lea County Tuesday, bringing the total outbreak in New Mexico to 48 cases.
The new cases impacted a very young child, one school-aged child and two adults, according to the . New Mexico鈥檚 current cases include 25 adults, 14 children aged 5 to 17 and nine very young children ages 0 to 4-years old, mostly in unvaccinated people.
Measles cases in Eddy County remain unchanged at two, with the remaining 46 cases in Lea County.
鈥淢easles is highly contagious, and our department continues to keep the public educated about the spread, which is still confined to the southeast portion of our state,鈥� New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott told Source NM. 鈥淏ut we must remain vigilant about any case count increase related to the outbreak. We are continually encouraging New Mexicans to get the MMR vaccination 鈥� their best protection from the virus.鈥�
NMDOH vaccinated more than 14,800 New Mexicans between Feb. 1 and March 31, Nott said.
Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, spreads through contact with airborne droplets from an infected person鈥檚 coughs and sneezes, which hang in the air for hours. Symptoms often take weeks to develop, and people can spread the virus days before showing a fever, cough, red eyes or the spotty red rash. Severe complications can occur with a measles infection, including brain swelling, blindness, pneumonia and death. About one in five cases merits hospitalization,
State officials that a Texas traveler in early March exposed people in Valencia and Guadalupe counties. Nott told Source NM the department has no updates since that alert.
Texas on Tuesday reported more cases since Friday, bringing its total to 422 cases since early January; more than 66% of the cases are in Gaines County, Texas, where the outbreak first began.
The deaths earlier this year of a 6-year old Texas child, and a Lea County adult, both unvaccinated, were the first measles deaths in the U.S. in a decade.
Vaccine records can be found at the or by calling the NMDOH immunization program at 1-833-882-6454, available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MEASLES AND MISINFORMATION
The measles outbreak, which now includes cases in more than 20 states, has been marked by tension over the federal Health and Human Services Department鈥檚 lack of a full-throated vaccination campaign, a departure from the traditional response from the country鈥檚 largest public health agency, including the .
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded the anti-vaccine nonprofit Children鈥檚 Health Defense, has instead called vaccines a 鈥減ersonal choice.鈥� In February, called upon Kennedy to take stronger action against the outbreak.
Just last week, the top vaccine scientist at the Food and Drug Administration , criticizing Kennedy for 鈥渓ies and misinformation鈥� around vaccines.
Dr. Peter Marks, who played a key role in the swift development and deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine, wrote in his March 28 that the ongoing multi state measles outbreak had resulted from public officials undermining 鈥渃onfidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being.鈥�
In interviews, Kennedy has also endorsed unproven treatments, which, if misused, could have lasting harms, doctors told Source NM. For instance, in a March 4 interview with Fox News, Kennedy said there were 鈥渧ery, very good results鈥� from treating the illness with steroids, antibiotics and cod liver oil, which is high in Vitamins A and D.
Pediatrician Dr. Melissa Mason told Source NM that steroids and antibiotics may be used to treat complications from severe cases of measles 鈥� such as severe inflammation or secondary ear or lung infections 鈥� but they do not treat measles itself.
鈥淧eople unnecessarily using steroids and antibiotics can actually cause harm 鈥� that should really only be done under close supervision of a physician,鈥� she said.
Two doses of the vaccine remains the only safe and effective prevention against measles, said Mason, who chairs the immunization committee for the New Mexico Pediatric Society.
Mason鈥檚 other concern is that misinformation about Vitamin A, which is used for treating serious cases of measles, is being falsely touted by anti-vaccine advocates as prevention. Vitamin A 鈥� unlike other vitamins 鈥� can cause liver damage in too high of doses, Mason said.
鈥淚n serious cases, the measles virus depletes the body鈥檚 supply of Vitamin A,鈥� she said. 鈥淥nly for hospitalized patients under the care of a physician, if it is shown that they are low in vitamin A, only then is it appropriate to treat with vitamin A.鈥�
The New York Times that doctors in Gaines County, Texas, are treating children with measles with liver damage from taking too much Vitamin A outside of doctor鈥檚 orders.
No such cases have been reported in Lea or Eddy counties, according to data from the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center at the University of New Mexico. Mason said anti-vaccine misinformation preys on people who are concerned for their children.
鈥淚 think people are scared and, when they鈥檙e scared, they鈥檙e looking for anything that they can use or try to stay healthy and safe,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut you need to be careful and cautious with things that you were trying to use to be healthy and safe and actually use things that are proven.鈥�
Unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities to get more attention with FBI surge - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
The FBI is sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country, marking a continuation of efforts by the federal government to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities.
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that the temporary duty assignments began immediately and will rotate every 90 days in field offices that include Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Jackson, Mississippi.
The FBI will be working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, tribal authorities and federal prosecutors in each of the states.
"Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. attorneys and tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve."
Work to bring more attention to the crisis has spanned decades. President Donald Trump was the first president to formally recognize the issue when he signed an executive order during his first term establishing a task force to tackle the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
He also signed legislation in 2020 that directed the Justice and Interior departments to consult with tribes while developing national law enforcement guidelines and a separate measure that called for a federal commission to be established to find ways to improve how the government responds to Indian Country cases.
President Joe Biden issued his own executive order on public safety in 2021, and then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launched efforts to implement the Not Invisible Act and the federal commission. Public meetings were held around the country as part of the effort, survivors and family members told heartbreaking stories and recommendations were crafted in 2023.
The Justice Department that year also established its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons outreach program, dispatching more attorneys and coordinators to certain regions to help with unsolved cases.
In past years, the FBI's Operation Not Forgotten had deployed about 50 people for the temporary duty. This year, it's 60.
But without consistent resources and trained detectives investigating the crimes, advocates say many cases go unsolved. They called the FBI's latest surge an essential investment, saying it should be made permanent.
"This shouldn't be just a one-time, six-month effort," said Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Seattle-based Urban Indian Health Institute. "We need this type of investment to continue and for Indian Country to get the resources that we so desperately need."
Being able to investigate and hold people accountable can serve as a deterrent, Echo-Hawk said, adding that she's hopeful some families can find justice as a result of the effort.
It took about four months for the Biden administration to issue a response to the congressionally mandated recommendations submitted by the Not Invisible Commission, acknowledging at the time that more needed to be done across the federal government to resolve the crisis and support healing from the generational traumas. But it's unclear what has become of the recommendations now as a Justice Department webpage that included a link to the report no longer exists.
Echo-Hawk hopes Trump follows through with the promises made and the work he started during the first term to address the problem.
"The Not Invisible Act Commission recommendations need to be restored," she said, "and we need to look at opportunities to actualize them."
According to federal authorities, the FBI's Indian Country program had 4,300 open investigations at the beginning of the fiscal year. That included more than 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse cases.
The operation in the past two years has supported more than 500 investigations, leading to the recovery of 10 children who were victims and the arrests of more than 50 suspects.
New Mexico joins 22 states suing over health funding cuts 鈥�
New Mexico on Tuesday joined a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration in Rhode Island federal court challenging billions in lost funding to state health departments 鈥� including about $60 million to New Mexico.
The U.S. The Department of Health and Human Service last week it was pulling $11 billion in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 era grants for infectious disease research, along with $1 billion in cuts for federal grants in mental health and substance use.
The New Mexico Department of Health told Source NM the federal cuts will not affect its , but confirmed on Monday the estimated $60 million in lost funding impacted 37 temporary contract staff positions.
鈥淲e are using state and federal funds to cover all other positions to ensure public health services for New Mexicans are not interrupted,鈥� Nott said in a written statement. 鈥淭he loss of the grant money has led to the cancellation of some contracts, but nothing that will impede our efforts to deal with the measles outbreak. We are still evaluating the potential impact of the cancellation of those contracts.鈥�
鈥淥ur goal is to continue to provide needed public health services for New Mexicans, and we remain confident we will be able to do so despite this challenge,鈥� Nott said.
Nott deferred comment on the lawsuit to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
In a Tuesday news release announcing the suit against HHS and its Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the New Mexico Department of Justice said funding loss would jeopardize state vaccine programs for school enrollment, testing, disease prevention and infectious disease treatments.
鈥淐uts to HHS will have a devastating impact on our state, slashing critical funding for infectious disease research and response,鈥� Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez said in a statement. 鈥淎t a time when measles cases are on the rise, restricting these resources endangers public health and weakens our ability to prevent outbreaks and protect our communities.鈥�
According to the lawsuit, DHHS informed states the infectious disease grants were canceled immediately and no longer necessary 鈥渘ow that the pandemic is over.鈥�
The funding cuts for the mental health grants used nearly identical language, the suit noted, but said they had been terminated 鈥渢o reduce the overall federal spending.鈥�
The notices from the federal government did not include any allegations of misspending or other graft, which is required to cancel them, according to the complaint.
The cuts to grants, some of which extended into 2027, occurred simultaneously with the announcement that the agency would lay off .
The attorneys general requested a judge order the federal government to reinstate the funding, arguing the sudden federal budget cuts were unlawful and would cause 鈥渋rreparable harm.鈥�
Some of the states in the lawsuit described the impact the lost grants would have, such as a 12% reduction in workforce in Minnesota and $2 billion in lost funding in California.
In a statement Tuesday, Attorney General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island, who is co-leading the lawsuit, characterized the cuts as 鈥渕assive and egregiously irresponsible鈥� and said they 鈥渟hould put everyone on high alert to the depths this Administration is willing to go. First and foremost, Americans expect their government to protect them from harm. By eliminating billions in critical funding for essential public health initiatives, the Administration is effectively telling the American people to fend for themselves.鈥�
NM delegation demands data on state鈥檚 fired federal employees 鈥�
All five members of New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation signed a letter sent Tuesday to the federal Office of Personnel Management, calling on the agency to provide as much information as possible about federal firings that members said 鈥渢hreaten the effective functioning of critical federal services and will harm our constituents.鈥�
According to the , about 30,000 federal employees live and work in New Mexico. But the federal government, in several waves of attempted mass firings since President Donald Trump took office in January, has refused to provide updates about how many of them have been fired, placed on leave or accepted deferred resignations.
鈥淭he Administration鈥檚 executive overreach could cripple federal agencies, including in critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security,鈥� the letter says.
The letter asks OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell to provide detailed information about how many personnel in New Mexico have been affected by the federal cuts.
According to the Department of Workforce Solutions, 29,630 employees work in buildings owned by the federal government. A little more than 15% of all employees in rural Catron and Hidalgo Counties, for example, work in federally owned facilities.
A large proportion of work for United States Customs and Border Protection, and a large proportion ofwork for the United States Forest Service, according to economic base analyses from New Mexico State University.
The state data says that just 277 employees in Los Alamos County work in federally owned buildings. A DWS spokesperson did not respond to a Source New Mexico inquiry about why that number appeared to be so low, given the vast Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Regardless, cuts have affected numerous federal agencies with big footprints in New Mexico. Dozens of probationary Forest Service employees, for example, have been fired, only to be brought back for a court order and then placed on leave. Congressional staffers in a recent meeting about the upcoming wildfire season described 鈥溾�� by Forest Service leaders on the question of how many people were fired.
Specifically, the letter seeks the following information from OPM by April 14:
- The number of federal employees in New Mexico who have been fired, taken early retirement, placed on leave or been subject to a 鈥渞eduction in force鈥� since Jan. 20, 2025. The letter seeks that information broken down by agency, county, congressional level, paygrade and veteran status.
- A 鈥渄etailed鈥� plan explaining how OPM will work with agencies and the state government to ensure force reductions don鈥檛 delay or disrupt programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
- Weekly updates on the above that highlight the 鈥渋mpacts of federal personnel cuts to New Mexico.鈥�
A spokesperson for OPM did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Source New Mexico.