Author - The Durango Herald

New Mexico shrinks reliance on for-profit prison operators

SANTA FE – New Mexico is on the cusp of finalizing prison takeovers that will reduce private prison operations to 25% of inmate beds, amid a plunge in prison population numbers statewide. Co...

DATE: Aug 11, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Pardons for 19 New Mexico criminals, some who were violent

SANTA FE – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has pardoned 19 people for convictions ranging from cocaine trafficking to domestic violence, bribing a witness and shoplifting, her office ...

DATE: Aug 9, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New Mexico tries carrot-stick approach to boost vaccination

SANTA FE – The state of New Mexico moved forward Monday with a carrot-and-stick approach to immunizations against COVID-19 with a renewed $100 payout to newly vaccinated residents. That $100...

DATE: Aug 2, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

EXPLAINER: Will New Mexico do enough to limit evictions?

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes in many states. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

DATE: Jun 25, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New Mexico rolls out same-day voter registration program

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Democrat-backed efforts to expand voter access in New Mexico are coming to fruition, with the rollout of same-day voter registration this month.

DATE: Jun 15, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New Mexico seeks reforms at unemployment agency

SANTA FE – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vowed Friday to replenish the state’s indebted unemployment insurance trust fund with federal relief money to avoid future tax increases to...

DATE: Jun 12, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Governor settled harassment claim to focus on pandemic

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday defended her handling of accusations of harassment by a former campaign spokesman that resulted in a financial settlement of at least $62,500 in payments from her political campaign, explaining that the pandemic demanded her attention.

DATE: Jun 11, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico