Over 900 acres burned inside Gila National Forest; cause remains unknown 鈥�
No one was reported injured after a fire started inside Gila National Forest Sunday.
The fire was reported at 11:54 a.m. and grew to 901 acres as of 9 p.m. Sunday, pushed by winds gusting to 40 mph. It is burning in grass, timber, and dead and down logs in the Iron Mesa area, south of Willow Creek, according to a Gila National Forest social media post.
The Iron Fire was zero percent contained.
No one was reported injured and no structures were damaged, Gila National Forest spokesperson Maribeth Pecotte told the Journal.
The cause is unknown, she said.
"Hikers and backpackers should be aware of fast moving fire and the presence of firefighters and firefighting aircraft in the area," according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Two hotshot crews, two Type 6 engines and a Type 3 helicopter responded Sunday. Two additional hotshot crews and four more engines were ordered. A Type 3 Incident Command Team will assume command of the fire Tuesday morning, according to Gila National Forest.
On April 28, stage two fire restrictions were implemented for the Gila, which prohibits campfires and smoking except inside vehicles.
Over the next few days, the weather is expected to be cool, with increased humidity and cloud cover and lighter winds. This will likely help reduce the fire behavior, Pecotte said, but because it has been "so dry," it will not likely put out the fire right away.
This is a developing story.
National pre-K report highlights New Mexico investments in enrollment, funding 鈥�
New Mexico鈥檚 national rankings for preschool education have improved significantly due to increases in enrollment and funding, according to a recently released report.
The , a nonpartisan research organization established at Rutgers University, released its last week, which looks at access to preschool, quality of programs and state funding. According to the report, New Mexico pre-K served record high percentages of children aged 3 and 4 between 2023 and 2024. The state improved to sixth in the country for preschool accessibility for 3-year-olds to 12th in the country for access for 4-year-olds 鈥� New Mexico was 13th in both areas in the previous report.
New Mexico also moved from 14th to fifth in the country for state spending per child. The total amount spent by the state more than doubled from the previous year to nearly $212.9 million, which translated to about $13,200 per child, according to the report.
The nearly $100 million to the Early Childhood Education and Care Department from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, further increasing funding to pre-K programs, Head Start and other community-based programs. New Mexico was one of six states to increase funding by more than $100 million between 2023 and 2024, according to the report.
鈥淭hese investments are part of a broader strategy to ensure that every child in New Mexico has access to high-quality, world-class early education and care, setting a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success,鈥� Early Childhood Education and Care Department Sec. Elizabeth Groginsky told Source in a written statement.
She said the NIEER report鈥檚 findings reflect the steps the state has taken toward a 鈥渃radle-to-career education system鈥� for New Mexico children. She added that legislative investments have funded 20,375 preschool slots for fiscal year 2026.
Kate Noble, president and CEO of advocacy organization , told Source NM that the $100 million appropriation was the largest increase in funding to early childhood in the state鈥檚 history.
鈥淣ew Mexico has, I think, been fortunate to have an administration and Legislature that really understands the importance of investing in early childhood, and they鈥檝e been willing to make significant commitments,鈥� Noble said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just funding the system properly that鈥檚 important, but it鈥檚 also the way that we have鈥een holding it and talking about it in our communities.鈥�
Noble said expansions to funding play important roles in increasing enrollment, expanding classroom capacity and investing in teachers, but the idea of universal pre-K remains 鈥渞ooted鈥� in New Mexico communities. The state now has a cycle, she said, of expanding funding, expanding community knowledge and engagement and therefore, expanding child participation.
鈥淲e have this sort of social appreciation for it that has also shifted measurably over the past six years since the Early Childhood Education and Care Department came into existence,鈥� Noble said.
The NIEER report also looks at several benchmarks such as teacher qualifications, class sizes, learning standards and health screenings. New Mexico met nine out of 10 benchmarks. The state fell short of the benchmark for all early education teachers to have a bachelor of arts degree.
鈥淲hen states put money into quality preschool programs, they are investing in children鈥檚 futures and can expect to see strong returns on their investments. New Mexico leaders have put the right quality standards and per-pupil funding levels in place to ensure that pre-K programs adequately support children鈥檚 development and result in the lasting gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers,鈥� W. Steven Barnett, NIEER鈥檚 senior director and founder, said in a statement.
Noble said 鈥渢here鈥檚 no question鈥� that New Mexico is a leader in expanding early childhood education 鈥渋n its thinking, in its rhetoric and in its actions.鈥� She added that the state should also start seeing the investments made in early childhood start to translate into positive outcomes as children grow and make their way through the educational system.
鈥淚nvestment without quality is not going to get us anywhere,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t does take time because children need to grow, but we have studied pre-K. It does have positive outcomes that extend into school-age years. And New Mexico has made significant investments and really should start to reap the benefits of what we鈥檝e done.鈥�
Noble told Source that she believes the state needs to show a similar focus on home visiting, a program that supports families and can often be a first step in screening for developmental delays in children aged 0 to 3. Home visitors can then refer families for early intervention to help mitigate delays before a child enters K-12 school. She said there also needs to be a focus on early childhood workforce in the state through professional development and increased wages to reflect the 鈥渂enefit to society鈥� they provide.
Groginsky told Source that the state is working to support educators through a pay parity program, matching compensation between early childhood teachers and K-12 teachers based on 鈥渃redentials and experience.鈥�
NM Supreme Court lays out scope of legislative immunity in precedent-setting ruling - Dan Boyd,
The motive behind New Mexico lawmakers鈥� official acts is irrelevant when it comes to determining whether they can be the target of lawsuits, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The unanimous ruling by the state鈥檚 highest court establishes 鈥� for the first time 鈥� the scope of legislative immunity, a doctrine that protects legislators from facing legal claims over their job-related actions.
It comes nearly five months after the Supreme Court of a lawsuit filed against the state Senate鈥檚 top-ranking Democrat by a former senator who alleged he had been illegally retaliated against. The court indicated at the time it planned to issue a longer written ruling at a later date.
The top Democrat, Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque, had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after a state District Court judge denied Stewart鈥檚 initial motion to dismiss the case, saying her motives needed to be scrutinized.
The case was filed by ex-Sen. Jacob Candelaria of Albuquerque in April 2022, several months before he resigned from the Senate.
In his lawsuit, he argued Stewart violated the state鈥檚 Human Rights Act by moving his Senate seat and Capitol office location following his criticism of her behind-the-scenes handling of a personnel investigation involving a top legislative staffer.
However, the New Mexico Supreme Court in its Monday opinion ruled that Stewart was shielded by legislative immunity since her actions involved legislative resources and that her motive, or intent, for moving Candelaria鈥檚 seat and office location was not relevant.
鈥淲hen legislative immunity applies, recourse is found not in the courts, but at the ballot box,鈥� Supreme Court Chief Justice David Thomson wrote in the court鈥檚 ruling, which also cited cases in other states.
The Supreme Court also ordered District Court Judge Daniel Ramczyk of Albuquerque to dismiss Candelaria鈥檚 original complaint.
While New Mexico鈥檚 legislative immunity provision had been largely untested in the courts, the similar issue of presidential immunity has been a hot-button issue.
The U.S. Supreme Court in July 2024 ruled that for acts taken while in office. The ruling hinged on the actions of Donald Trump, who then won election last November to a new four-year term.
Specifically, New Mexico鈥檚 Constitution says legislators shall not be 鈥渜uestioned in any other place for any speech or debate or for any vote cast in either house.鈥�
The state Constitution also protects lawmakers from arrest during legislative sessions, with certain exceptions.
In all, have constitutions that provide legislative immunity by protecting legislators from executive or judicial action, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Federal officials announce huge drug bust across five states - 91暗网 News
Federal officials announced a takedown Tuesday of what U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called 鈥渢he largest fentanyl bust in our nation鈥檚 history.鈥�
The investigation spanned five states -- New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado 鈥� and recovered over 11 kilos of fentanyl. Bondi says defendants are tied to the violent Mexican Sinaloa cartel.
U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said 16 people have been arrested, including the alleged leader in Oregon. Ellison called the quantities of drugs and assets seized in Albuquerque alone 鈥渟taggering.鈥�
"Including over 2.7 million fentanyl bills, 11 and a half kilograms of concentrated fentanyl powder, seven pounds of methamphetamine, multiple kilograms of heroin and cocaine, 41 firearms," Ellison said.
Officials also seized luxury vehicles and over $600,000 in cash here. Bondi said she will seek trials rather than deportation for defendants.
"And I want them to stay in our prisons as long as possible. I've no desire to send them back to Mexico because they were coming across our border illegally," she said. "No longer will they be able to do that, but the amount of drugs, the amount of money, the amount of weapons, most of these individuals, If convicted, will remain in American prisons."
She added: "Perhaps Alcatraz."
President Trump on Sunday he would direct the Federal Bureau of Prisons to re-open Alcatraz Prison, which is now a national park and museum.
The case included federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and Bondi promised that more seizures and arrests are coming.
Trump鈥檚 budget agenda: Billions of cuts for conservation, public lands - Danielle Prokop,
Billions in proposed curtailment of federal conservation projects and land management programs would leave New Mexicans vulnerable to losing public lands access, worsen wildfire responses and water contamination, members of local conservation nonprofits said Monday.
The Trump Administration submitted a to Congressional Appropriations Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on May 2, which includes reducing the budgets of the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. National Forest Service by a combined $5.1 billion.
The budget also proposes cuts to health, education and public safety budgets, prompting U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj谩n, New Mexico Democrats, to issue a joint statement on Monday describing the budget request as one that 鈥渨ould drive up the cost of health care, groceries, housing, and utilities; gut public school and pre-K funding; defund cancer research; weaken law enforcement鈥檚 ability to fight drug trafficking; and strip resources from wildland firefighters, farmers, Tribes, and rural communities. It also threatens our public lands 鈥� paving the way for Republicans鈥� massive sell-off.鈥�
In the case of public lands, the budget proposes broad cuts 鈥� such as ones to conservation programs 鈥� but does not drill down to list specific grants, facilities or staff positions that should be eliminated.
While a proposed budget is typically an aspirational document given to Congress,鈥渨hat鈥檚 distinctive in this situation with the president鈥檚 budget here is that President Trump and his administration have been arrogating power to themselves to make budget decisions,鈥� Western Environmental Law Center Executive Director Erik Schlenker-Goodrich told Source NM, pointing to cuts and layoffs implemented by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the prospective implementation of this aspirational document that is a concern, given DOGE,鈥� Schlenker-Goodrich said. 鈥淚t looks less to me like aspiration and more like an intention of what they鈥檙e going to be doing relative to public lands, waters and conservation in general.鈥�
Schlenker-Goodrich said cutting federal land agencies鈥� budgets will put 鈥渉eightened pressure鈥� on state government to try to fill the gaps, and might take the 鈥減ublic鈥� out of public lands.
鈥淲e may see public lands closed down, national parks access limited,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t may impact all ability to get hunting access onto public lands, to be able to go fish on public lands, to be able to just walk on public lands 鈥� all these things are at issue.鈥�
鈥楢 middle finger to regular Americans鈥�
The budget claims to eliminate federal funding 鈥渃ommitted to radical gender and climate ideologies,鈥� according to the from , which notes that reducing species conservation would further the 鈥渄eregulatory agenda.鈥�
Mark Allison, the executive director New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, said the Trump administration sees public lands as a profit-venture, including increasing large-scale logging and undermining environmental protections.
鈥淭hese are his priorities, this is his vision and I think it鈥檚 a middle finger to regular Americans,鈥� Allison, told Source NM. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fundamental uprooting of the park system, national monuments and how we care for our lands and waters.鈥�
The proposed budget recommends cuts of $900 million to National Parks, claiming that many 鈥渞eceive small numbers of mostly local visitors鈥� and should instead be managed by states. National Parks received visits in 2024, breaking the record for most visits set in 2016. The budget also proposes a $198 million reduction of Bureau of Land Management conservation programs, writing it will undo 鈥渆xcessive鈥� protections from 鈥渄evelopment, recreation, grazing, hunting, mining, etc.鈥�
The budget would further cut $73 million worth of construction of facilities at national parks and$170 million of U.S. Fish and Wildlife grants to local, federal and tribal communities.
Allison noted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum鈥檚 ceding authority to his senior advisor on policy, Tyler Hassen, who . Hassen will the 鈥渃onsolidation, unification and optimization鈥� of Interior bureaus, including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management.
鈥淲e would have a DOGE guy with zero experience, you know, with wildlife, wildfire, recovery assessment, protection, general firefighting 鈥� responsible for all that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 dystopian.鈥�
Allison said New Mexicans already experience impacts from climate change, including worsening fires, less land for cattle, and shrinking water resources.
鈥淵ou can call it whatever, but it is getting hotter, it is getting drier, there鈥檚 less snowpack, and we have to figure out how to live with this,鈥� Allison said. 鈥淐utting all of these agencies that help with land management and climate resilience is exactly the wrong direction, we need to be doubling down our investments there.鈥�
The proposed cuts would also impact more than $1 billion in U.S. Environmental Protection 鈥渃ategorical grants,鈥� according to Rachel Conn, the deputy director of Taos-based water conservation nonprofit Amigos Bravos.
鈥淭hose are very much tied to public health, helping state employees on the ground monitor for water quality in our state鈥檚 river streams, lakes, reservoirs,鈥� Conn told Source NM. 鈥淭hey help to understand if it鈥檚 safe to swim in these waters, if it鈥檚 safe to eat the fish that are coming out of our waters.鈥�
If the federal program is cut entirely, it removes financial incentives for states to apply matching dollars, Conn said, and would mean water quality would suffer while states take the time to build up funding to run their own programs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like yanking everything all out at once, you鈥檙e going to have programs across the nation that will collapse,鈥� she said.
DHS offers $1,000 to immigrants without legal status who self-deport- Ariana Figueroa,
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that the agency will provide $1,000 in what it called 鈥渢ravel assistance鈥� to people in the United States without permanent legal status if they self deport.
It鈥檚 the latest attempt by DHS to try to meet the Trump administration鈥檚 goal of removing 1 million migrants without permanent legal status from the country. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touted the option as cost-effective.
鈥淚f you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,鈥� Noem said in a statement. 鈥淭his is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear from which part of the DHS budget the funding for the travel assistance is coming, as it would roughly cost $1 billion to reimburse up to $1,000 to meet the goal of removing 1 million people.
DHS did not respond to States Newsroom鈥檚 request for comment.
President Donald Trump gave his support for the move Monday afternoon, according to White House pool reports.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from,鈥� the president said.
Self-deportation would be facilitated by the CBP Home app, which was used by the Biden administration to allow asylum seekers to make appointments with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The payment would apparently not be made in advance. DHS said that once those who use the app to self deport arrive in their home country, they will receive a travel stipend of $1,000.
According to DHS, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since taking office in January. The Biden administration last year deported 195,000 people from February to April, according to DHS data.
DHS said already one migrant has used the program to book a flight from Chicago to Honduras.
鈥淎dditional tickets have already been booked for this week and the following week,鈥� the agency said in a statement.
The Trump administration has rolled out several programs to facilitate mass self-deportations, such as immigrants in the country without legal authorization to register with the federal government.
Immigrants who don鈥檛 register with the federal government could face steep fines and a potential prison sentence.
20 attorneys general ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Health and Human Services- Rebecca Boone and Amanda Seitz, Associated Press
Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging cuts to the agency, saying the Trump administration's has destroyed life-saving programs and left states to pick up the bill for mounting health crises.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said. The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia signed onto the complaint.
Health Secretary . restructured the agency in March, eliminating more than and collapsing 28 agencies under the sprawling HHS umbrella into 15, the attorneys general said. An additional 10,000 employees had already been let go by President Donald Trump's administration, according to the lawsuit, and combined the cuts stripped 25% of the HHS workforce.
鈥淚n its first three months, and this administration deprived HHS of the resources necessary to do its job,鈥� the attorneys general wrote.
Kennedy has said he is seeking to streamline the nation's public health agencies and reduce redundancies across them with the layoffs. The cuts were made as part of a directive the administration has dubbed, 鈥� .鈥�
HHS is one of the government's costliest federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion that is mostly spent on health care coverage for millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
James, who is leading the lawsuit, called the restructuring a 鈥渟weeping and unlawful assault鈥� that would endanger lives.
鈥淭his is not government reform. This is not efficiency,鈥� James said during a press conference Monday.
have resulted in laboratories having limited testing for some infectious diseases, the federal government not tracking cancer risks among U.S. firefighters, early childhood learning programs left unsure of future funds and programs aimed at monitoring cancer and maternal health closing, the attorneys general say. Cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also have hampered states' ability to respond to one of the largest measles outbreaks in recent years, the lawsuit says.
鈥淭his chaos and abandonment of the Department鈥檚 core functions was not an unintended side effect, but rather the intended result,鈥� of the 鈥淢AHA Directive,鈥� they said. They want a judge to vacate the directive because they say the administration can't unilaterally eliminate programs and funding that have been created by Congress.
The restructuring eliminated the entire team of people who maintain the federal poverty guidelines used by states to determine whether residents are eligible for Medicaid, nutrition assistance and other programs. A tobacco prevention agency was gutted. Staff losses also were significant at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The Trump administration is already facing other legal challenges over cuts to public health agencies and research organizations. A coalition of 23 states filed a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island over the administration's decision to cut for COVID-19 initiatives and across the country.
Albuquerque BioPark building new endangered wolf facility - Cathy Cook,
People living next door to the Albuquerque botanic gardens might hear howling wolves in their neighborhood come winter.
The ABQ BioPark is increasing its capacity to care for and breed endangered Mexican gray wolves with a new behind-the-scenes facility near the botanic garden and adjacent to the bosque. The BioPark has been working on Mexican gray wolf conservation since 1976.
鈥淲e want to be champions of New Mexico conservation, and the wolf is a keystone species here. It鈥檚 iconic,鈥� said BioPark Director Brandon Gibson.
Seven of the endangered wolves call the zoo home, and 79 wolf pups have been born at the BioPark. The last litter of wolf pups was born at the zoo in 2020. The BioPark has a main wolf exhibit and two back holding areas.
The five-acre area will have several layers of fencing and three foot cement dig barriers. The initial habitat fence is under construction, and the facility is slated to be finished in August, said Lynn Tupa, BioPark associate director.
The $3.3 million facility is being funded by $400,000 from Fish and Wildlife and money collected from a gross receipts tax, which was approved by voters in 2016. The amount collected through the city-based tax varies depending on Albuquerque鈥檚 economy. The BioPark anticipates collecting $22 million this fiscal year, Gibson said, but a few years ago it was $16 million.
The wolf facility will have five large pens that could be further divided into eight holding pens, potentially allowing the zoo to house four to eight breeding pairs. Captive breeding of the wolves is carefully coordinated with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other zoos to ensure any wolf pups born have adequate space and can potentially be released into the wild.
Fish and Wildlife has a cross fostering program where pups born in captivity are introduced to a wild litter of pups in the experimental population area, which straddles central New Mexico and Arizona, to help grow the wild wolf population.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e finding it鈥檚 more successful that way than introducing adults, because adults, it takes a skill to learn how to hunt and kill. They get the natural learning from the ground up,鈥� Tupa said.
Logistically, it鈥檚 easier to move wolf pups from the Albuquerque BioPark to the experimental population area than from other breeding zoos like the Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Tupa said.
The new facility is away from the public, because even hearing human voices can taint a wolf鈥檚 ability to succeed in the wild, Tupa said.
The holding pens will also provide more space for the BioPark to care for injured wolves. The BioPark鈥檚 veterinary team has treated four wild wolves since December. The most recent was a yearling female wolf who had been trapped in a leghold. Ranchers sometimes leave leghold traps for coyotes that the endangered wolves can inadvertently be caught in, said the BioPark鈥檚 head veterinarian Dr. Carol Bradford. The wolf鈥檚 leg had to be amputated.
鈥淎mputated wolves have done successfully in the wild. They hunt in a pack, so they have their friends and family helping them hunt, and they鈥檝e even reproduced after amputation,鈥� Bradford said.
Unlike animals who call the zoo home, wild animals have to be released quickly, and balancing the need for speedy treatment with medical care can be a challenge.
鈥淲e understand the biologists鈥� need and desire to get them out as soon as possible, so that their pack doesn鈥檛 move on, or so that they鈥檙e not too accustomed to people,鈥� Bradford said.
The yearling wolf was brought to the zoo in mid-March and was back in the wild by March 25.
鈥淚 love taking care of BioPark animals, but to be part of conservation projects and to contribute to a critically endangered species and to help them survive, to me, that鈥檚 extremely fulfilling and rewarding,鈥� Bradford said.