Non-Local News Releases

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps is now accepting applications for grants up to $225,000 to fund projects that improve public spaces statewide while providing job training to young New Mexicans. 

More than $6 million is available to New Mexico organizations in 2027.

"We're looking for creative projects that make a meaningful difference in communities across New Mexico," said David Chené, YCC executive director. "These grants provide a win-win opportunity – improving our state while giving young people hands-on work experience and job skills."

In all construction zones, motorists are asked to reduce speed, obey posted signs, and use extreme caution, as well as continuing to be cautious of heavy equipment and construction personnel in the area. PLEASE NOTE: Conditions are subject to change without notice. Double fines for speeding in work zones may be in effect.

White Sands Missile Range Notification

For information regarding closures, you may call WSMR at 678-1178 or 678-2222 for updates.

Interstates: 

I-25 Guardrail Replacement Project, Mile Marker 6 to 14.2, Las Cruces to Dona AnaLC00384

The FBI and Albuquerque Police Department are asking for the public's help to identify a man who robbed the PNC Bank located at 2400 Louisiana Blvd NE Ste 110 in Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at approximately 3 pm. 

Suspect description:

Male, Hispanic or Native American

Height: Approximately 6'

Medium Build

Approximately 30-40 years old

Clothing: Chicago Bulls baseball hat, dark shirt and pants, Nike sneakers, and a surgical mask

The suspect entered the bank and gave the teller a note declaring that he was robbing the bank. The teller then handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the robber.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this suspect. 

Santa Fe, NM — Shocking reports indicate that New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) drove a 15-year-old Doña Ana County boy across state lines and left him at the Paso del Norte border crossing on July 6, instructing him to walk into Ciudad Juárez to meet a mother the agency had just cleared of a substantiated abuse claim against the child's explicit wishes. The boy refused to cross, spent 10 days in a Texas homeless shelter, and was later escorted into Mexico after CYFD said the case was "closed" and outside its jurisdiction. The incident comes just months after a New Mexico Department of Justice investigation found CYFD prioritizes reunification "at virtually any cost," even when it clearly endangers abused and neglected children.

In light of these unbelievable set of circumstances, Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) has issued the following statement: 

"It's official: Democrat leadership in New Mexico protects criminal illegal aliens more than neglected and abused children in state custody." The Senator continued, "This is madness; Radical-Left Democrats would rather deport an innocent and abused child over a criminal illegal alien currently breaking laws in our communities. This administration continues to fail New Mexicans while revealing their increasingly radical and out-of-touch agenda." Senator Sharer concluded, "Actions made by the Governor and her administration jeopardize the safety of our state's most vulnerable children and the safety of our communities. Hopefully New Mexicans have seen enough to make their voices heard this November." 

ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. — Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-District 35) is responding to reports that New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department removed a 15-year-old U.S. citizen from foster care in Doña Ana County and drove him to the El Paso border, where he was told to cross into Ciudad Juárez to live with an estranged mother who had a prior substantiated abuse claim against her. The teen initially refused to cross and spent 10 days in a Texas homeless shelter — but CYFD, by its own account, then coordinated with the mother, the Mexican consulate, Texas child welfare officials and border law enforcement to complete his passage into Mexico. The U.S. citizen child is now living with his mother in Juárez. Read the full report from the Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE — New Mexico outdoor recreation businesses — from startups to established companies — can now apply for the free ActivatOR Outdoor Recreation Growth Accelerator program. 

The accelerator is a seven-week hybrid program designed to help entrepreneurs increase revenue, strengthen operations and build lasting industry connections. 

The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD) of Economic Development New Mexico (EDNM) is partnering with Activate New Mexico to host its third ActivatOR cohort. Since its launch in 2024, 28 New Mexico outdoor businesses have participated in the program. 

Agreement expands timber production, forest restoration, wildfire mitigation

Washington, D.C., July 22, 2026 — U.S. Forest Service and the State of New Mexico today signed a next-generation agreement that builds on a successful shared stewardship partnership. The agreement expands opportunities for timber production, new wood uses, landscape restoration, and reducing wildfire risk to communities, ecosystems, and local economies across New Mexico. 

"This 20 year commitment strengthens our partnership with New Mexico to increase fuel treatments and protect the watersheds that serve as the state's critical water towers," said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. "By aligning federal and state resources across priority firesheds, we will accelerate restoration, expand wood utilization, and reduce wildfire risk across millions of acres that communities depend on for water, wood products, recreation, and jobs." 

ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. – New Mexico State Parks is clearing exposed shoreline debris, adjusting boat ramp access and coordinating with federal partners as water levels at Elephant Butte Reservoir continue to drop amid regional droughts.

The park remains open. 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has confirmed water releases from the reservoir will continue through July 28, 2026, which is exposing debris and terrain normally underwater. While current conditions are challenging, they reflect long-term natural cycles intensified by regional drought and climate change—patterns now common in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest's major reservoir systems.