- Trump challenges to election reverberate in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's top elections official is urging a federal court to dismiss a challenge by President Donald Trump of absentee voting procedures for ballot drop boxes. She also wants Trump's campaign to be sanctioned for pursuing meritless litigation. The response from Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver comes as Congress on Wednesday holds a join session to count electoral votes. The usually routine step in the path toward inauguration could drag on as some Republicans plan to challenge Biden's victory in at least six states. Biden won New Mexico by about a margin of roughly 11%. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján expects the election challenge from Trump allies to "fail in a bipartisan way."
- Lawsuit alleges financial exploitation of immigrant teachers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's attorney general is accusing a company that recruits immigrant teachers from the Philippines to work at public schools of charging exorbitant fees and using deceptive financial tactics. Announced on Tuesday, the lawsuit was filed in state district court against Total Teaching Solutions International and CEO Janice Bickert of Ruidoso, alleging exorbitant fees to place Filipino teachers in schools on work visas. The suit accuses the company and Bickert of violations under the state unfair practices act. It seeks a permanent restraining order against the company, financial restitution to immigrant teachers, fines and damages. Bickert and company officials could not be reached immediately for comment.
- Solar carports coming to 4 New Mexico government buildings
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The construction of solar carports in the parking lots of four New Mexico government buildings begins later this month. It's part of the General Services Department's State Buildings Green Energy Project _ an initiative to cut the energy consumption of 30 buildings in Santa Fe and reduce state government's carbon footprint. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has made reducing emissions of climate-warming gases a priority of her administration. The $32 million Green Energy Project began in 2019 and also includes construction of rooftop solar on 16 buildings. When the project is completed later this year, it is expected to reduce electric bills for the buildings by 50 percent and save the state more than $1 million annually.
- Lawmakers: New Mexico energy law needs to protect customers
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three Democratic state senators who initially supported New Mexico's landmark energy law say changes are needed to protect utility customers from significant rate hikes. The 2019 Energy Transition Act allows Public Service Co. of New Mexico to recover from customers 100% of the costs of closing its coal-fired power plant. The lawmakers are warning that a deregulation provision in the law could expose customers to potentially astronomical costs stemming from other power plant closures in the future. That includes a nuclear plant in Arizona in which PNM holds a share. Some consumer advocates raised similar concerns when the law was being debated.
- Legislators eye minimum sick leave, anti-discrimination law
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators are unveiling initiatives on issues ranging from minimum sick-day requirements as a precaution against contagions in the workplace to halting discrimination against racial minorities for hair styles. The year's first draft bills were posted Monday on the Legislature's website and hint at an ambitious agenda for annual legislative session that starts on Jan. 19. Hundreds of bills, resolutions and proposed constitutional amendments are likely to be heard. A proposal from Democratic state Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos would establish a minimum amount of sick leave that can be used to care for family members.
- New Mexico cities prepare for vaccination distribution
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Las Cruces city officials will be creating a vaccination task force to help coordinate distribution when doses become more widely available. In Albuquerque, officials say nearly 300 first responders with the city's fire and rescue department have received their first shots. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Tuesday that the city is supporting the state Health Department's efforts to make sure all residents have access to both testing and the vaccine as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Confirmed COVID-19 cases neared 150,000 as an additional 1,201 cases were reported Tuesday. Nearly 2,600 New Mexicans have succumbed to the virus.
- Albuquerque City Council approves hair discrimination ban
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — City officials in New Mexico have voted in favor of an ordinance prohibiting race-based discrimination against hair texture and hairstyles in schools and the workplace. The Albuquerque City Council voted on Monday to amend its Human Rights Ordinance to adopt the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN Act, joining a national campaign. Councilmember Lan Sena introduced the act after several states passed similar laws, including California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington. The act prohibits workplace discrimination based on hairstyles as well as headdresses worn for cultural or religious reasons.
- New Mexico begins public meeting on proposed methane rules
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico oil and gas regulators have kicked off a public hearing on proposed rules for managing venting and flaring by the industry. Oil and gas revenues underpin the state's budget, but Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has promised that her administration would adopt some of the toughest rules in the U.S. for cracking down on methane and other emissions. Under the proposal, operators would need to reduce their waste by a fixed amount every year to achieve an ultimate gas capture rate of 98% by December 2026. Environmentalists are concerned about loopholes, saying the state should prohibit all venting and flaring.