Medina and SanchezThe caustic attack from ABQ City Councilor Louis Sanchez on APD Chief Harold Medina at last Thursday's Council meeting may have been overly personal by accusing the chief of "disrespecting" the councilors but if this marks the beginning of a passionate debate over the future of policing in

In yet another display of arrogance and dishonesty, New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver took to the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Around the Roundhouse podcast with reporter Daniel Chacón this week to once again incoherently peddle her far-left talking points—doubling down on her tired claim that New Mexico’s

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has once again shown where her true priorities lie—blowing more than $96,000 of taxpayer money last year on extravagant personal perks and frivolous entertainment, all under the guise of “official obligations,” according to public records obtained by Target 7. The spending spree—technically allowed under

Tensions boiled over Thursday night as Albuquerque City Councilor Louie Sanchez publicly clashed with Mayor Tim Keller’s Police Chief Harold Medina during a heated budget meeting, laying bare what many see as the deep dysfunction and scandal-ridden leadership of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). The City Council, meeting as a

Deb Haaland, a far-left Democrat candidate for New Mexico governor and former Biden Interior Secretary, is facing new backlash after marching shoulder to shoulder with left-wing activists at a May Day rally in Albuquerque—a holiday with unmistakable roots in communism and socialism. Haaland promoted her participation on X (formerly Twitter),

A sprawling fentanyl trafficking network stretching from Albuquerque to Salem, Oregon, has been shattered by federal authorities in what’s being called one of the largest operations of its kind in U.S. history. The takedown, made public this week, culminated in a massive sweep across New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and

New Mexico's generations-long struggle with drug addiction sadly continues into the current one, with a new study reporting that not only does the state have the highest rate of drug abuse in the nation but that the state's teenagers rank first in the nation for the percentage of drug users.

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics." How often have we heard that old saw in relation to crime here and elsewhere? The disconnect between what is reality according to law enforcement and what people feel is a very real phenomenon and will be central to the race for ABQ mayor. The

As Mother’s Day approaches, a new WalletHub report reveals troubling news for New Mexico’s working mothers. In its 2025 Best & Worst States for Working Moms rankings, the Land of Enchantment placed an alarming 47th out of 51, one of the worst showings in the nation. WalletHub’s study evaluated all

Sen. Lujan (Journal)It's not direct from the horse's mouth but a "spokesperson" for Senator Ben Ray Lujan says he will, as expected, seek a second term in 2026.That ABQ Dem Rep. Melanie Stansbury was mentioned here a a possible replacement if Lujan chose to step away might have his office

New Mexico Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing sharp criticism after touting his vote against the Laken Riley Act and attacking President Donald Trump’s immigration policies during an April 16 town hall event. At the meeting, Vasquez proudly announced his opposition to the legislation, which was signed into law by

SanchezIt is a long way off but the smart money now says the most likely match-up for the 2026 gubernatorial race will be Democrat Deb Haaland versus former GOP Lt. Governor John Sanchez.Former Sec. of Interior Haaland launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination in February. Her main challenger is

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, a Democrat, and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested Thursday following a federal raid on their Las Cruces home. The couple is accused of tampering with evidence while allegedly harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an illegal alien believed to be affiliated with the notorious

MLG and TorresThe state attorney general's office has historically been a platform for puffery and do nothingness so it was a stark contrast indeed when AG Raul Torrez lowered the hammer on the Lujan Grisham administration and its long-troubled Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) by starting an investigation into

In a horrifying and heartbreaking development, a newborn was found dead in a dumpster in Albuquerque this week, marking yet another preventable tragedy in New Mexico’s growing list of infant abandonments. This shocking discovery comes on the heels of several high-profile cases, including the 2022 viral footage of Alexis Avila

You may not have heard this news because media here does not cover other media--even when a tectonic shift takes place--like the sale of the entire 28 acre campus owned by the ABQ Journal in order to generate cash to keep the long struggling newspaper in business. The publisher says:Repurposing

American troops now have the authority to detain and search immigrants lacking certain documentation in New Mexico, a role service members have not held before at the southern border, U.S. Northern Command (Northcom) said Monday. Northcom said troops “have been delegated the authority” to conduct security support operations in the

Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano has officially resigned amid swirling controversy surrounding a federal investigation into a Venezuelan national linked to a violent transnational gang who was arrested at the judge’s Las Cruces home. Cano, who has served on the bench since 2011, submitted his resignation on March

The race for ABQ mayor is crowded and the math muddled. There are nine candidates seeking the office including Mayor Tim Keller and the latest addition, former US Attorney Alex Uballez who officially entered the race over the weekend after we reported on his impending candidacy April 2.Some of the

Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the first pope from the Americas, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican confirmed early Monday. His passing marks the end of a historic papacy that began in 2013 and spanned more than a decade of leadership

In a bold move, reinforcing the Trump administration’s enduring focus on law and order, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Ryan Ellison as the new U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. His swearing-in took place today before U.S. District Judge Margaret Strickland, marking a new chapter in federal

The University of New Mexico (UNM) has found itself at the center of a growing national debate after it began rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This shift comes in response to new federal guidance aimed at dismantling discriminatory practices that, under the guise of equity, have

While abortion rates across the United States continue to rise, New Mexico has seen a noteworthy decline — a trend that many pro-life advocates view as a hopeful sign of cultural and spiritual change. A recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that supports abortion up-to-birth, confirms that the

Rio Rancho Mayor Greggory “Gregg” Hull has officially launched his campaign for governor in New Mexico’s 2026 Republican primary, igniting swift backlash from the state’s Democrat establishment—but also shining a spotlight on the growing dissatisfaction many New Mexicans feel under current Democratic leadership. In a release, Hull stated he will

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), a far-leftist in Congress, is once again attacking commonsense border protections—this time railing against President Donald Trump’s directive to establish a military buffer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border from California through New Mexico. In a statement issued Monday, Vasquez called the strategic deployment of military

The Trump administration has taken a bold step to ensure accountability and fiscal responsibility in the handling of pandemic-era education relief funds—ending a previously granted extension for New Mexico to spend the remaining $12.3 million in federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds. In a March 28 letter,

Federal authorities have charged 40-year-old Jamison Wagner of Albuquerque with two counts of arson tied to politically charged firebombing attacks on both a Tesla showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters, labeling the incidents as acts of domestic terrorism. Wagner, a self-styled radical, was arrested on April 12

We're taking a blogging break and will return to this space next Tuesday but first. . . What a show. The Governor put one on starring her veto pen and Sam Bregman, the state's perennial political showman, donned his stage clothes to make official his bid for the Dem gubernatorial

In a dramatic and unmistakably vindictive move, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham unleashed a political tantrum on Friday, vetoing a slate of bills—most notably Senate Bill 315, which would have designated the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread. The veto wasn’t about bread, though—it was about revenge. The governor’s veto

The U.S. House of Representatives made a decisive move this week to protect the integrity of American elections by passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill that ensures only U.S. citizens are allowed to register and vote in federal elections. Despite bipartisan support for the common-sense measure,

Bob PerlsIt is a major change to state elections but it may not have a major impact on election outcomes. That appears to be the consensus among the political pros as they weigh the new rules for party primaries signed into law this week by MLG. That law states: Some

The National Guard to Albuquerque? When we heard the news Tuesday that MLG was deploying up to 70 National Guard troops to help fight crime in ABQ we flashed back to the summer of '71 when we first arrived in the city. We were greeted by a curfew and armed

Sen. Lujan It's assumed that Dem Senator Ben Ray Lujan will stand for re-election next year but he has not officially announced. At the end of last year his campaign account held $1.213 million, an ample amount at this stage of the cycle. He spent a total of $7.5 million

ContarinoThe '26 race for the Democratic nomination for governor is getting more serious. The veteran Democratic consultant who helped bring home two gubernatorial wins each for Governors Bill Richardson and Lujan Grisham has picked sides for next year's contest and he's going with Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.That word