Latest bill to legalize marijuana gains steam in Legislature By Steve Terrell sterrell@sfnewmexican.com Recreational marijuana would become legal for people 21 or older in New Mexico and the state could tax marijuana sold in licensed stores under a bill introduced Thursday by state Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque. House Bill 356 would establish a licensing system that supporters say favors small …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State legislators on Wednesday pushed forward with tax reform efforts aimed at reducing state government’s dependence on a volatile oil and natural gas sector and providing steady funding for road maintenance, public schools and teacher pay increases. The legislation seeks to increase annual state revenues by about $100 million at the same time it would …

Gun control debate restarts in NM Legislature By Andrew Oxford aoxford@sfnewmexican.com Legislators are pressing ahead with a slate of gun control bills that would require background checks for virtually all firearm sales and add to the categories of offenders who would be prohibited from possessing a gun at all. Proponents argue these bills will close loopholes and help keep guns …

Gas tax hike backers say NM roads need funding By Andrew Oxford aoxford@sfnewmexican.com New Mexico’s government has not raised the tax on gasoline since 1993. This year, that could change. A sweeping tax bill sponsored by Democrats in the state House of Representatives would increase the tax on gasoline by 10 cents a gallon, from 17 cents to 27 cents, …

“Mr. Lieutenant Governor, Senate Pro Tem Papen, Speaker Egolf, leaders of both parties, honorable members of the judiciary, honorable tribal representatives, distinguished guests and, of course, my family: In this moment, on this new day, we stand together on the precipice of immeasurable opportunity. I’m ready to begin the climb — and I know you are too. Esteemed members of …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sounded a rallying cry Tuesday to increase state spending on public education including preschool and encouraged allied Democratic lawmakers to revive initiatives on gun control, pay equity for women and climate-change regulation that stalled under her Republican predecessor. In her first State of the State address, Lujan Grisham pressed …

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas say three deputies have been shot and wounded while serving a search warrant at a home in Odessa. Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis says officers returned fire and one person was killed during the Monday night shooting. Investigators believe the person who died was the subject of the search warrant, though authorities have …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A state lawmaker is proposing a state holiday in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Dennis Chavez of New Mexico and the late farmworker union leader Cesar Chavez of California. New Mexico Rep. Miguel P. Garcia has pre-filed a bill that would designate the first Friday of every April as “Dennis Chavez and Cesar Chavez Day” …

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Thousands of Central Americans journeying toward the United States were 2,500 miles from their destination in October when they reached a moment of decision: Should they press on toward the U.S. border? Or should they stop and put down roots in Mexico, where the government offered to let them stay? Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a group of …

PHOENIX (AP) — The federal government’s shutdown presents visitors with a mixed bag at national parks and monuments in the US Southwest, home to some of the parks system’s crown jewels. Hikers who already have backcountry permits can still hike down into the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. But visitors arriving at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico …