Non-Local News Releases

Record number of tribal entities received grants for FY26

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is awarding $3.8 million in grant funding to 45 entities through the Cooperative Marketing Grant Program for fiscal year 2026.

NMTD will again be instituting a 2-to-1 funding match for FY26, meaning the financial commitment from NMTD is double what grant partners are contributing for the fiscal year. As a result of the department's 2-to-1 commitment, the total advertising investment for this program in FY26 will be $5.7 million.

"Continuing to administer this program with 2-to-1 matching funds, we're able to enter another year with expanded resources at a time where tourism promotion remains incredibly important," said Acting Tourism Secretary Lancing Adams. "I'm especially grateful to see the increased participation from tribal partners this year."

SOUTHWEST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Bill Evans Lake: Eric Ockerhausen caught two catfish using Joe’s Flies and a Panther Martin spinner on July 9. “I was trolling spinners behind my kayak and the channel catfish hit them,” he said. “I have read about catfish taking lures, but I had never had it happen to me.”

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Investments support rural jobs, forest health, wildfire mitigation and energy independence

(Washington, D.C., July 17, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the U.S. Forest Service is awarding $80 million in Wood Innovation Grants to spur wood products manufacturing, expand active forest management, and accelerate energy innovation across America's timber-producing communities.

"The United States is blessed with a bounty of natural resources that we must properly manage to sustain our future economy and boost rural communities. Proper forest use and management lowers our reliance on foreign products and is inherently aligned with President Trump's America First agenda," said Secretary Rollins. "We're investing in innovation that ensures a steady, sustainable supply of American wood that not only supports jobs and fuels economies, it protects the people and communities we serve, as well as the forest resources they depend on to survive and thrive."

SANTA FE — Navitas Global, an advanced ethanol production facility in Portales, has been awarded LEDA assistance to add jobs and expand operations through a program administered by the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD).

Navitas specializes in converting whey derivatives, a sugar-rich byproduct of dairy processing, into advanced biofuels and high-protein animal feed. 

Ethanol, a renewable biofuel made from plants, is gaining attention as a green alternative to fossil fuels. Climate solutions and green and sustainable energy are top priorities for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose administration noted it as a target industry for sustainable economic growth.

Las Cruces, NM — Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando R. Macias announces that Jacob Gonzales has been sentenced to a 49-year prison sentence, after being convicted of first-degree kidnapping and multiple related charges stemming from a violent attack on his ex-girlfriend.

District Judge Conrad F. Perea imposed the maximum sentence available under law, taking into account Gonzales's status as a habitual offender and the use of a firearm during the commission of the crime. The sentence marks a strong conclusion to a difficult case that required retrying after an appellate ruling mandated the victim's presence for testimony.

 On Tuesday, July 22 at 10:30 AM, DMoller and Associates will make a critical report to Legislative Health and Human Services Committee that will recommend state strategies to lower New Mexico drug prices. The meeting will be held in Las Vegas and is available online.

This work is a follow-up on an initial Moller 2023 report. LHHSC re-engaged DMoller and Associates Healthcare Consultants to make a thorough cost-benefit analysis of strategies already identified as promising for lowering drug costs for New Mexicans. The failing PBM model is under serious scrutiny in Congress as well as in many states.

With her four decades plus career, Moller is extremely qualified to help our state figure out the best path forward to address this growing problem that impacts all New Mexicans.

Statewide- NM – People across New Mexico will begin receiving emergency alerts on their cell phones after a Silver Alert or Turquoise Alert is issued for a missing elderly individual or Native American who meets the established alert criteria. The Silver and Turquoise Alert system operates similarly to the AMBER Alert system but is specifically tailored to assist in locating at-risk adults that meet the criteria. Alerts include descriptions of the missing person, the last known location, and any vehicle information if available. 

These alerts will be sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system to ensure rapid, widespread notification to the public. Silver Alerts are designed to help locate missing and endangered persons who are at least 50 years of age or older and who the reporting party believes displays signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, or another form of dementia, cognitive decline, or impairment, regardless of age.

Project would bring 200+ jobs and advance clean energy innovation

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Economic Development Department and Pacific Fusion announced today that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state to pursue the siting of a research and development facility in Albuquerque.

The company expects to make a final decision in late September 2025, contingent upon successful site selection and finalization of state incentives. The project will undergo environmental and planning reviews as part of the approval process.

"New Mexico is a natural fit for this project," said Keith LeChien, Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer at Pacific Fusion. "The Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories helped lay the foundation for our approach, and the state's legacy of applied physics innovation, deep talent pool, and business-friendly environment put it in a unique position to become a national leader in fusion energy innovation."