Albuquerque, NM – This morning, Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a Scam Alert warning New Mexicans to protect themselves against callers attempting to use the recent security breach at Equifax to perpetrate a new kind of scam. The new scam involves callers pretending to represent Equifax and asking for personal and financial information over the phone. Equifax will not be calling anyone asking for their personal or financial information.

“Equifax is not going to call and ask for your information,” Attorney General Balderas warned, noting that his office has already received complaints of the fake Equifax calls. “It’s terrible that anyone would try to take advantage of the problems New Mexicans are already suffering from the breach of personal data at Equifax, but the best defense against these scams is to refuse to give any personal or financial information and, then, just hang up.”

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Albuquerque- The Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Ryan Cangiolosi released the following statement in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month:

“New Mexico is rich with cultural diversity, much of it attributed to the Hispanic community,” said Chairman Cangiolosi. “This month we celebrate the dreams and achievements of Hispanics throughout the Land of Enchantment. Collectively, their voices have shaped the past and will continue to positively affect the future of this great state as their stories and successes represent the very essence of the American Dream. The Republican Party stands for the core values of the Hispanic community here in New Mexico. We embody the values of family, hard work, life, liberty and opportunity for all."

14,358 Users are Urged to Boil Water Prior to Drinking

SANTA FE –The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau (DWB) is confirming the required “boil water advisory” for the Artesia Municipal Water System and Morningside Water Users Cooperative.
More details about precautions in English and Spanish can be found on the DWB’s webpage at: https://www.env.nm.gov/drinking_water/boil-water-advisories/

Artesia Municipal Water System is required to issue the advisory today after bacteriological contamination (E. coli) was detected in repeat drinking water samples from the Artesia Municipal Water System’s distribution system. Additionally, the boil water advisory is extended to the Morningside Water Users Cooperative due to the fact that Morningside receives 100 percent of their drinking water from the Artesia Municipal Water System. Artesia Municipal Water System and Morningside Water Users Cooperative are required to notify water system consumers of this finding.

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SANTA FE, NM – The following legislative interim committees are meeting the week of September 18 through September 22, 2017

September 18, 2017 @ 9:00 a.m. - Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force (PSCOOTF), State Capitol, Room 307, Santa Fe, NM
Agenda Items: Consensus Revenue Projections and Public School Capital Outlay; What Happens to All of That Money? A Look at Completed Projects Opening this Fall; What Happens to Old, Abandoned School Buildings? Examination of Issues Related to Realistic, Economical Disposal of Abandoned, "Unusable" School Facilities and Possible Solutions; Charter Schoo Risk Review; Who Owns Charter School Facilities?; Where Are All of the Children? A Look at the Background and Current Status of the State's Use of the Geographic Information System

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SANTA FE, NM -- The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reports a six percent decrease in the number of suicides in the state in 2016. The decrease reverses a trend of rising suicide rates in New Mexico over the last three years. There were 469 reported suicides in New Mexico last year, down from 498 in 2015.

"The suicide of a loved one, whether it's a parent, sibling, or friend, impacts the lives of those left behind forever." said New Mexico Secretary of Health Lynn Gallagher, "Suicides are preventable, and this administration is determined to reach more New Mexicans early enough to get them support when they need it most."

NMDOH plays a role in addressing state suicide rates in addition to state mental health services overseen by the New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD).

Ongoing NMDOH prevention efforts include sharing data with communities and local organizations, as well as training public school staff and community members statewide in evidence-based suicide prevention practices. These presentations include information on how to identify and support people at risk, as well as the provision of media guidelines on safe reporting and messaging about suicide. These media guidelines lessen emotional harm to audiences that know a victim of suicide and prevent the future risk of someone seeing something in media that leads them to prematurely end their life as well.

Suicide, like other human behaviors, has no single determining cause. Data from the New Mexico Violent Death Reporting System show risk factors such as depression, abuse relationship problems, health conditions, financial challenges, and legal problems.

These are several warning signs:

• Talking about wanting to die.
• Looking for a way to kill oneself.
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose.
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly.
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Withdrawing or feeling isolated.
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
• Displaying extreme mood swings.

The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. If someone you know exhibits warning signs of imminent suicide:

• Do not leave the person alone.
• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt.
• Call the New Mexico Crisis Line at 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

For more information, please visit the NMDOH's Suicide Prevention Program page at https://nmhealth.org/about/phd/hsb/supp/.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 15, 2017) - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined a broad Democratic effort led by Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) to push Equifax — the massive credit bureau that recently made public a data breach affecting 143 million Americans — to completely end its use of forced arbitration agreements, which limit the ability of consumers to pursue justice in a public court of law or challenge widespread corporate wrongdoing.

Equifax, one of the three biggest credit bureaus in the United States, stores personal information ranging from social security numbers to home addresses and tracks the consumer financial information — like loans and credit card payment history — that serves as the basis for Americans' credit scores. Late last week, Equifax broke the news that their databases were breached in a massive cybersecurity attack earlier this summer, compromising the sensitive information of approximately 143 million Americans.

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Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2017) Congressman Steve Pearce released the following statement after the Department of Energy (DOE)announced a three-year extension to the AECOM Management and Operations Contract for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM:

"WIPP is a major contributor to the Carlsbad economy and plays a critical role in our nation's security. The site's success does not come from the company who manages, but rather the community that supports it, and the dedicated employees who work daily to make this one-of-a-kind facility successful. AECOM's management has not come without its challenges, however, in recent years they have taken a number of steps to instill a management and operations style that has allowed WIPP to recover quickly and most importantly safely.

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Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico State Parks Division announces seasonal and partial closures at many state parks. Check out www.nmparks.com to see a complete listing of all seasonal closures throughout the state and new winter hours at various parks.

As temperatures drop, so does visitation during the cold, winter months in the northern half of the state. "These park closures allow for the opportunity to concentrate more on the natural resources in each park and minimizes the disturbance to wildlife, as they migrate, nest, and otherwise live in winter conditions," said Christy Tafoya, New Mexico State Parks Director. "The closures also allow our park staff to work on projects without inconveniencing visitors."

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