Jury: Ex-New Mexico state tax chief guilty of embezzlement

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A jury has found New Mexico's former state tax chief guilty of embezzling more than $25,000 from a trucking business while she served in former Gov. Susana Martinez’s cabinet. Demesia Padilla, 61, could face up to 18 years in prison when she...

New Mexico jail guard hospitalized in Texas with stab wounds

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico jail guard who was stabbed by a detainee was hospitalized in El Paso, Texas, and sheriff’s deputies were investigating, a county official said. The name and condition of the officer were not immediately made public following the...

New Mexico artist captures Grand Canyon trip in paintings

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The Grand Canyon is known first and foremost for its enormity, and Farmington artist Marilyn Taylor acknowledges that its sheer size, especially when viewed from the perspective of the rim, can be overwhelming. But when Taylor chose to paint a...

Former US congresswoman eyed for rural development post

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Former U.S. Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the under secretary for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation announced...

New Mexico governor: Opening day will be July 1

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday that all remaining pandemic-related public health restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activity in the state will be lifted July 1, clearing the way for restaurants and other venues to operate without any...

New Mexico state workers who skipped vacation get payout

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico will provide extra pay worth up to two weeks of salary for longtime state employees who skipped using their paid vacation time in 2020 amid the pandemic, under an initiative from the governor approved Friday. The State Personnel Board...

New Mexico water provider stops diverting from Rio Grande

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of New Mexico’s largest drinking water providers has stopped pulling from the Rio Grande to help prevent the stretch of the river that runs through Albuquerque from going dry this summer. The curtailment that went into effect Friday came...

New Mexico official delays vote over stream access issue

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The debate over whether the public has a right to fish or float streams and other waterways that flow through private property has percolated for decades in many western U.S. states — and it has reaching a boiling point in New Mexico. The...

New Mexico governor says pandemic restrictions will be lifted and the state will reopen July 1

Hispanic group sues Santa Fe mayor over destroyed obelisk

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico Hispanic fraternal order is suing the mayor of Santa Fe over damage to a historical monument by activists last year and the city’s proposal to permanently remove it. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state district court, the Union...