All articles tagged with #new mexico
New Mexico has three confirmed cyclospora infections this year; officials urge people to wash hands before preparing food and rinse produce to prevent illness, noting national cases and the role of stool testing for diagnosis.
A 2025 Science study of the Naashoibito Member in New Mexico’s San Juan Basin dates fossils to roughly the final 380,000 years before the mass extinction, revealing a diverse, thriving dinosaur ecosystem that included Tyrannosaurus, Torosaurus and Alamosaurus—challenging the long-held view of a global dinosaur decline. The site shows two distinct regional communities, but experts caution this is one location and not a worldwide census, so more dated sites are needed to confirm whether the end of the dinosaurs was the result of an external catastrophe or a broader decline.
Gusty winds, dry air and dry thunderstorms have created an 'extremely critical' fire weather risk across the Great Basin and Four Corners, fueling uncontained wildfires from Utah to New Mexico; the Cottonwood Fire in Utah has grown beyond 92,000 acres with 0% containment as evacuations and air-quality concerns rise, while additional fires in New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona prompt closures, power shutoffs and resource strain as containment remains uncertain.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has opened a criminal probe into the DEA’s handling of fentanyl shipments, seeking to determine whether federal actions contributed to fentanyl reaching streets. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham welcomed the review, and the DOJ said it would partner with state and local leaders to confront the fentanyl crisis, a move that sparked outrage among some officials while drawing support from overdose-family advocates cautioning that enforcement remains essential.
AP’s investigation shows a DEA strategy that prioritized large drug-network seizures, with reports of fentanyl shipments going unseized in New Mexico, including a 2023 event surveilling 74,000 pills. New Mexico’s overdose deaths rose 21% last year. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling for a federal investigation and accountability, arguing lives in the state were at risk. DEA whistleblower David Howell and Empower Oversight are urging Senate and DOJ oversight, while victims’ groups criticize the agency’s approach amid public-health warnings that 'one pill can kill.'
A new wildfire, the McCauley Springs Fire, was detected June 24 on the Jemez Ranger District and has grown to about 30 acres near Battleship Rock. Sierra de los Pinos is in Go evacuation status with evacuation centers opened at Mountain Baptist Church in La Cueva and the Jemez Senior Center; nearby Campgrounds and Trail 137 to Battleship Rock are closed. The fire is being fully suppressed with a high potential for spread, with multiple hotshot crews and air support deployed. The Northern NM Type 3 Team will transition to command shortly. Updates are available on SFNF, InciWeb, NM Fire Information, and social media.
Bailey Zimmerman has a warrant in New Mexico for felony Criminal Damage to Property and a misdemeanor for Falsely Obtaining Services after a Sandia Resort incident in which he allegedly trashed a hotel room (about $16,000 in damages) and ran up a $400 bar tab that went unpaid; the resort and police reportedly sought private resolution before the warrant, and the piece also critiques how late show cancellations and industry credibility affect fans and touring.
Country singer Bailey Zimmerman is reportedly facing a felony criminal-damage charge in Bernalillo County after an incident at the Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, where hotel staff say his room was left in disarray and roughly $16,000 in damage was recorded along with an unpaid alcohol tab; authorities issued an arrest warrant after attempts to contact him and his team went unanswered, and prosecutors are also pursuing a misdemeanor for falsely obtaining services.
A Catholic diocese in New Mexico is suing to block the Trump administration’s plan to seize church land for a border wall near Mount Cristo Rey, arguing that the 29-foot Jesus statue would be desecrated and religious liberty would be harmed; DHS contends the land seizure is legal and won’t affect shrine access as the government pushes to accelerate wall construction, with a lawsuit already filed to acquire about $183,000 in the process.
The SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico—featuring more than 900 turbines and 3,650 MW of capacity—began commercial operations, making it the largest wind project in the United States and sending power to homes in Arizona and California via a 550-mile transmission line. The $11 billion development will boost New Mexico’s wind share to about 45% of its capacity, power roughly 1 million homes, create thousands of jobs, and generate billions in economic impact, even as developers navigate permitting and federal incentive headwinds.
The SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico becomes the largest US wind farm to begin commercial operations, with a capacity of about 3.65 GW (roughly enough for a million homes), signaling a renewed push for renewables despite political opposition as fossil-fuel prices rise and demand for clean energy grows.
New Mexico's SunZia Wind Project, the largest wind farm in the United States at 3,650 MW across 916 turbines, begins commercial operation and will export most power to Arizona and Southern California via a 550-mile HVDC transmission line, boosting New Mexico's total wind capacity to 7,647 MW (about 45% of the state’s mix). CAISO also reported a May 2026 wind-generation record as the project comes online.
A Santa Fe County woman in her 50s died from plague, New Mexico's first human case of the year; health officials say no close contacts are symptomatic. Plague is rodent-borne and treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed early. Officials warn about fleas transmitting plague and urge flea/tick prevention for pets and avoiding contact with sick or dead rodents; the state has also reported two dog cases in Santa Fe County and one in Bernalillo County this year.
AP live coverage of New Mexico primaries: Deb Haaland faces Sam Bregman for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, while Republicans Gregg Hull, Duke Rodriguez, and Doug Turner compete for the GOP nomination. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján seeks a second term against Matt Dodson. A certified write-in candidate, Larry Marker, is attempting to win the Senate nod if he clears a 2,351-vote threshold. The piece also explains write-in rules, poll closures at 7 p.m. MT, early voting patterns, and how the AP declares winners only when a trailing candidate cannot plausibly catch up.
Deb Haaland won the Democratic primary for New Mexico governor, defeating Sam Bregman, and would become the first Native American woman to hold the office if elected. She faces a Republican opponent in November and has leaned into her ancestral heritage and Biden-era accomplishments while focusing on issues like healthcare, costs, and jobs, including emphasizing her stance against the policies she says are harming New Mexicans.