By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A small New Mexico town near Albuquerque adopted an ordinance Wednesday aimed at blocking the distribution of abortion medication or supplies by mail, extending a wave of local government restrictions on abortion. The ordinance won approval by a 4-1 vote of the town commission in Edgewood, a community of about …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s public health order related to COVID-19 is coming to an end. The state Department of Health announced Friday is the last day of an executive order that had been extended by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The agency had declared a public emergency and maintained measures like mask mandates for public indoor spaces and …

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday signed into law the New Mexico Voting Rights Act. “Today, New Mexico is leading the nation by example, declaring that we believe, unequivocally, in the fundamental right of every American to choose those who represent them,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “The provisions of this bill related to Native Americans in particular …

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed legislation to provide free school meals to all students regardless of family income, as New Mexico and several other states look to fill the gap left by lapsed federal pandemic-era benefit programs and address the strain to family budgets caused by food prices. …

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press A student group at a university in the Texas Panhandle said in a federal lawsuit filed Friday that the school’s president violated their constitutional right to free speech when he canceled their planned drag show. Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, located just south of Amarillo, said this week in a …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s governor signed an abortion-rights bill Thursday that overrides local ordinances aimed at limiting access to abortion procedures and medications. Reproductive health clinics in New Mexico offer abortion procedures to patients from states, including Texas, with strict abortion bans. The new law also aims to ensure access to gender affirming healthcare related to distress …

By Robert Nott/Santa Fe New Mexican State Rep. Linda Serrato had one question for the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. “Is this the time for New Mexico to do paid family leave?” the Santa Fe Democrat asked. She was disappointed with the response. Two fellow House Democrats, Reps. Marian Matthews of Albuquerque and Patty Lundstrom of Gallup, joined the four Republicans on the …

Walmart shooting suspect pleads guilty to federal charges By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of killing nearly two dozen people in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart, changing his plea weeks after the U.S. government said it wouldn’t seek …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislators in New Mexico have proposed seven gun laws in a wide-ranging package of proposals. Members of a House committee want to establish a two-week waiting period for firearm purchases plus prohibit the sale and possession of certain semiautomatic rifles and handguns in the state. The proposed ban would go into effect in March 2024 …

New Mexico legislators may block local abortion ordinances By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A standoff over abortion in politically conservative regions of New Mexico escalated Friday as Democratic state legislators advanced a bill that would prohibit local governments from interfering with women’s access to reproductive health care. The initiative from state House Democrats responds to …