Non-Local News Releases

SANTA FE – New Mexico State Parks invites Girl Scouts from across the state to get outside, explore and maybe discover a new favorite state park during Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend, Sept. 12-13. 

Girl Scouts may participate in one of several organized troop events planned throughout the state or create their own adventure at any of the 35 state parks.

"New Mexico's state parks are places where curiosity can turn into a lifelong connection with the outdoors," said EMNRD Acting Secretary Erin Taylor. "We are proud to give Girl Scouts from across New Mexico an opportunity to explore these incredible places, learn something new and see themselves as the next generation of leaders and stewards of their state parks."

Girl Scouts Love State Parks is a nationwide initiative offered by Girls Scouts of the USA in partnership with the National Association of State Park Directors. Each year, Girl Scouts across the country head outdoors for hiking, wildlife watching, watersports, stargazing, stewardship activities and other experiences designed to build confidence and strengthen their connection with the outdoors. New Mexico has been a long-standing partner in the Girl Scouts Love State Parks initiative, with early and consistent collaboration between New Mexico State Parks and Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails. 

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, September 10, at 6 p.m. MT, the offices of U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) will bring together representatives from the U.S. Military Service Academies for a virtual Q&A session.

The conversation is an opportunity for high school students and recent graduates to ask questions about the nomination process and attending U.S. Military Service Academies. The New Mexico Congressional Delegation will be accepting online applications for nominations to enter an academy in Fall 2027.

www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola  

Mountainair, NM – August 30, 2026 — A Type 1 helicopter supported firefighters throughout the day, concentrating water drops on the portion of the Whiskey Fire that crossed the ridgeline into New Canyon. Working in coordination with hand crews constructing and securing line, the helicopter targeted active sections of the perimeter, helping steer the fire back into previously burned areas and reducing available fuels for continued spread. The fire received a substantial amount of precipitation late Monday evening.

Reported Date / Time: August 21, 2026 / 1350. Reported by Capilla Peak Lookout.

Cause: Lightning. Size: 370 acres Containment: 0% Personnel: 13

Location: Steep terrain north of Osha Peak, south of Capilla Peak and west of the Manzano Crest Trail in the Manzano Mountain Wilderness within the Mountainair Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest.

Fuels: Mixed conifer. Fire Behavior: Moderate

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico House Republicans are calling on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Raúl Torrez to stop enforcing the state's seven-day firearm waiting period following the latest federal court ruling in Ortega v. Lujan Grisham.

In a letter to the Governor and Attorney General, lawmakers point to the Tenth Circuit's finding that the waiting period conflicts with the Second Amendment and the district court's subsequent ruling blocking enforcement against the plaintiffs.

"The Constitution does not only apply to the two New Mexicans who sued the state," said House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena). "The courts have identified a constitutional problem with this law. The Governor and Attorney General should recognize that reality instead of forcing more law-abiding citizens to go to court to protect the same right."

Santa Fe, NM — State Senator Gabriel Ramos (R-Silver City) is calling out the Lujan Grisham administration after discovering that the NM Office of the Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) quietly signed an order this month forcing private health plans participating in the NM Health Insurance Exchange to cover sex-trait modification procedures, thereby committing precious tax dollars to subsidize these procedures. Senator Ramos already issued a separate press release criticizing a previously announced decision by the Health Care Authority (HCA) which will require taxpayers to fund such procedures for those on public assistance. With this latest order, the administration is now expanding this radical move to put the same mandate on private health care insurers while asking taxpayers to foot the bill.

Statewide, NM - State Police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols; and registration, insurance, and driver's license checkpoints in all New

Mexico counties during September 2026.

We are bringing awareness to these events to reduce impaired driving-related fatalities through continued media attention and intensive advertising.

These checkpoints are helping to change society's attitude about driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.

Hundreds of lives could be saved each year if every driver had the courage to make the right decision not to drive impaired.

New actions build on USDA's 2026 Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry

(Washington, D.C., August 31, 2026) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a sweeping package of actions to continue rebuilding the Great American Beef Herd and put America's ranchers back at the center of our nation's food supply. Building on USDA's October 2025 Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry, the Trump Administration is delivering again. 

American ranchers embody the independent spirit that drove the founding of America, 250 years ago. For more than two centuries, their independence, resiliency, and committed stewardship have provided American consumers with the safest and highest-quality beef and lamb in the world, and they remain foundational to America's national security and to the strength and vitality of rural communities. Yet today the nation's cattle herd sits at a 75-year low, with ranchers forced out of business by burdensome regulations and an outright war on beef waged at the altar of Green New Deal climate extremism. 

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 30, 2026—The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved the release of the only New World screwworm (NWS) infested zone in New Mexico, concurring with the recommendation made by New Mexico's state veterinarian, Dr. Samantha Holeck, and the New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB). 

"New Mexico's animal health officials have been exceptional partners throughout our response to New World screwworm. Their vigilance, expertise, and deep commitment to protecting livestock and wildlife exemplify the strong state–federal collaboration that makes our national safeguarding system work," said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins. "Today's milestone reflects not only New Mexico's leadership, but the impact of USDA's aggressive, science‑driven actions to slow NWS spread and keep case numbers low across the United States. Together, we're proving that early detection, rapid response, and close coordination are the keys to protecting producers, communities, and the health of our nation's animals."