All articles tagged with #new mexico
Intruders targeting the Frijoles Fire base camp prompted 24-hour security as the wildfire grows to more than 15,000 acres and reaches about 45% containment, with evacuations in nearby areas and crews working to extinguish heat pockets along the western edge.
Following a nearly $1 billion court victory against Meta, New Mexico's attorney general is drafting bills to expand consumer protections and child-safety online, potentially including age-verification and time-use limits for minors, and to apply broader rules to AI and chatbots. The move aims to build a regulatory blueprint for other states and possibly spur federal action, leveraging the jurisprudence from Meta's alleged harms and the court-ordered reforms.
A federal jury convicted former New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton and co-defendant Joseph Johnson on all 31 counts, including bribery, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States, tied to an eight-year scheme to divert state and federal education funds; sentencing is expected within about 90 days.
Verizon confirmed multiple fiber cuts are causing a service outage in Albuquerque and surrounding areas in New Mexico, affecting data, voice, text and wireless home internet. There is no estimated restoration time, and customers are advised to monitor Verizon’s Check Network Status page for updates as engineers work to resolve the issue.
A New Mexico court ruled Meta created a public nuisance harming children and ordered the company to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund and implement five-year youth-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram, including monthly usage limits for teens, reduced notifications, tighter controls on adult-minor contact, safeguards for AI chatbots, and improved review of child sexual abuse reports; Meta said it will appeal.
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million for failing to warn about dangers on its platforms to children, bringing the total to $942 million after a prior $375 million verdict; the ruling labels Meta a public nuisance because its algorithms and platform dynamics exposed minors to harmful content and sexual predators, with the funds to be placed in a fund to reduce future harms; Meta has signaled it will appeal the earlier ruling.
New Mexico filed a federal lawsuit seeking unredacted Epstein investigative records tied to the Zorro Ranch probe, arguing the DOJ unlawfully withholds materials that could identify victims and witnesses and reveal additional criminal conduct. The state says the delay hampers its investigation and survivors’ justice, while the DOJ maintains privacy protections and court orders block disclosure; a judge will decide whether the records must be released or reconsidered under agency rules.
New Mexico filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., accusing the Justice Department and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of blocking its criminal probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes at a ranch, arguing that the DOJ’s formal information requests and redactions hinder accountability for survivors; the suit seeks a court order to turn over materials as the state releases preliminary findings from its investigation.
New Mexico filed a federal lawsuit against the DOJ and acting AG Todd Blanche, accusing it of stonewalling a reopened Epstein probe by withholding records about Zorro Ranch and seeking unredacted documents under the Epstein transparency act and Touhy regulations after missing a July 31 deadline.
The New Mexico attorney general says the DoJ missed a July 31 deadline to provide unredacted Epstein-related records from Zorro Ranch, delivering only about 31 heavily redacted pages; SDNY claims it already sent 31 documents, while Torrez warns of legal action as the dormant Zorro Ranch inquiry remains unresolved and access to potential co-conspirators and leads is blocked.
The FDA announced a voluntary recall by Midwest Poultry Services of white shell and brown cage-free eggs sold in New Mexico due to possible Salmonella contamination traced to Texas farms between June 6 and July 3, 2026. Recalled cartons carry codes P-1950 or 0840962 and were sold at Kroger stores in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and Brookshire Grocery locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi. Consumers who bought the eggs should avoid consumption and seek refunds at the point of purchase.
A bear in rural New Mexico climbed to the top of a utility pole, drawing viral attention before reportedly dying from electrocution; authorities noted that tranquilizing the animal could cause a fall and the bear died before it could be rescued. The video, verified by Storyful, sparked discussion on why bears climb poles when startled, with a referenced AZ incident from 2021 noted by officials.
A large bear was filmed perched on a rural New Mexico power pole, a sight that went viral after a traveler witnessed it; wildlife officials could not intervene, and the bear was fatally electrocuted before help could arrive.
A bear climbed onto a power pole east of Gladstone, NM, and died from injuries before responders arrived. The NM Department of Wildlife and local dispatch urged people to leave wildlife alone, while authorities emphasized safety steps to prevent bear conflicts, such as securing food, garbage, pet food, and bird feeders.
Newly released NM grand jury transcripts show actor Timothy Busfield testifying in his own defense against four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, insisting he’s innocent and saying the allegations have effectively ended his career. The prosecutor’s cross-examination was challenged by Busfield, who noted an independent Warner Bros. review found no corroboration. The grand jury issued a true bill on four counts after hearing one witness, without calling other potential witnesses, and Busfield faces a legally contested case stemming from the set of The Cleaning Lady.