WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Ben Ray Luján on Monday became the highest-ranking Democrat in the House to call for an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, saying it’s time to hold him accountable. The New Mexico congressman, third in line behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a 2020 candidate for Senate, said Trump has not tried to secure American elections …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Republican construction contractor Mick Rich is making a second run for the U.S. Senate in New Mexico. The Mick Rich 2020 campaign committee filed paperwork August 1 with the Federal Election Commission, opening the door for the Albuquerque resident to seek the GOP nomination. Rich, who lost to Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich last year, confirmed late …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Legalizing recreational marijuana in New Mexico would create needed jobs in one of the poorest states in the nation, but the numbers would pale in comparison with jobs in other industries, an economist told a bipartisan group Wednesday. Kelly O’Donnell, who has analyzed recreational and medical marijuana use, said allowing legal recreational marijuana in the state …

Virgin Galactic reveals futuristic outpost for space tourism BUPHAM, N.M. (AP) — Spaceport America is no longer just a shiny shell of hope that space tourism would one day launch from this remote spot in the New Mexico desert. The once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility has been transformed into a custom-tailored headquarters where Virgin Galactic …

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Police in West Texas say an officer and a gunman both were hospitalized after being shot in an exchange of gunfire outside a home. Odessa police say officers were responding early Wednesday to reports of shots being fired when they approached a home and were immediately fired on by a man in the driveway. Three officers …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has denied repeated requests by federal immigration authorities for direct access to an employment-records database, the state’s top labor official said Thursday. State Workforce Solutions Department Secretary Bill McCamley said he twice notified officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement this month that the state won’t provide direct access to an unemployment database with …

New Mexico city rejects federal border security grant LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico city has rejected a grant of more than $48,000 that supports cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agents on security efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Las Cruces City Council voted Monday against participation in the federal program known as Operation Stonegarden, citing …

New Mexico chile plant selected to be grown in space ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (AP) — It’ll be one giant leap for chile-kind. A hybrid version of a New Mexico chile plant has been selected to be grown in space as part of a NASA experiment. The chile, from Española, New Mexico, is tentatively scheduled to be launched to the International Space …

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the Trump administration to tap billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to build sections of a border wall with Mexico. The court’s five conservative justices gave the administration the greenlight to begin work on four contracts it has awarded using Defense Department money. Funding for the projects had been …

Police were searching Thursday night for a man accused of shooting and killing a man Thursday morning on the southeast side of Hobbs. The suspect, Steven A. Salazar, of Hobbs, had been arrested by police earlier this month after he allegedly shot a different man four times. Salazar was also arrested on a drug charge earlier this month, when he …