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 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 …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Seven more New Mexico counties have filed federal lawsuits against more than two dozen manufacturers and distributors of opioid medications. Cibola, Valencia, Catron, Sierra, Curry, Lincoln and Socorro counties filed near-identical complaints late last month in U.S. District Court, joining other counties and the Navajo Nation, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports . The lawsuits are …

The situation on the U.S.-Mexico border is an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. In times like these, one’s character is revealed, which is why the response from New Mexico’s political leaders is so disheartening. The headlines this past month have been alarming. More than 650 people crossing the border were taken into custody in just a couple hours during the early morning …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A tornado that ripped roofs from buildings and injured five people in a tiny New Mexico town has left a trail of debris that authorities said Wednesday they would wait to clear because of high winds still sweeping through the region. The tornado touched down outside of Dexter on Tuesday evening before quickly barreling into the …

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California and 20 other Democratic-led states announced they were challenging the Trump administration’s effort to set up obstacles for women seeking abortions, including barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday that the state filed its own federal lawsuit in San Francisco that aims to block …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico plans to join other states in suing President Donald Trump over his emergency declaration to fund a wall at the U.S. border with Mexico, the state’s Democratic attorney general and governor announced Monday. Trump says immigrants are invading the country and has declared a national emergency to bypass Congress to use money from …

Bills raise public records issues on costs, expunction By Robert Nott rnott@sfnewmexican.com State Sen. John Sapien says he wants the general public to bear a greater share of the cost for public records. Sapien, D-Corrales, has introduced a bill that would require people to pay up to a dollar per page for electronic copies of these documents. “It’s not nefarious,” …

Oil and gas companies face a 1,400 percent increase in the penalty cap for violations of state oil conservation rules if Senate Bill 186 becomes law. Sponsored by Sen. Richard C. Martinez, D-Espanola, and Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Santa Fe, the bill calls for increasing a maximum of $1,000 per day to a maximum of $15,000 per day for violation of …

Residents of New Mexico compound indicted on federal charges ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Five residents of a ramshackle desert compound in New Mexico are scheduled for arraignments and detention hearings after being indicted by a federal grand jury on firearms and conspiracy charges. Federal prosecutors say the group was preparing for violent attacks on government, military, educational and financial institutions …