Non-Local News Releases

SANTA FE – New Mexicans will soon receive a postcard, rather than a letter, when they are summoned to jury duty by a state court.

New Mexico is the first statewide court system to use a bilingual postcard summons with instructions for prospective jurors in English and Spanish. View a sample of the postcard here.

Starting next week, the Judiciary will begin mailing postcards to notify people when they have been ordered to jury duty by one of New Mexico's district or magistrate courts or the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (February 3, 2025) – In an announcement made late Friday (Jan. 31, 2025) evening, the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) will be holding its annual Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) at the Midland International Air & Space Port in Midland, Texas, from June 9-14, 2025.

The announcement marks the first venue change for the IREC since the 2017 competition.

Mechanized Thinning Work - Sandia Ranger District

Order Number 03-03-05-25-03

Albuquerque, NM, February 3, 2025 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF&NGs) has issued an area closure order (03-03-05-25-03) for the Cedro 4 Project Area east of Forest Road 462 and southeast of Forest Road 12 on the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola NF&NGs, described below and shown on the attached map.

This Order shall be in effect from February 10th, 2025, at 0600 through May 31st, 2025 at 0600, unless rescinded.

The purpose of this Order is for the protection of public health and safety during mechanized thinning work as specifically shown attached map.

[Editor's Note: I am not a lawyer, but if I read it correctly, the PED had no authority to require 180-day school year, because the number of days was not part of the legislative-approved statute. If I'm wrong, please let me know!]

A district court today issued a final order in a lawsuit challenging the New Mexico Education Department’s rule requiring a 180-day school year.

Click here to view the judgment and order in the case, NM School Superintendents Association, et. al., v. NM Public Education Department, et. al., D-905-CV-2024-00167.

Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Association of Non-Public Schools (NMANS) is pleased to announce a special Legislative Breakfast for non-public school leaders, set for Friday, February 21, 2025, at 8:00 AM at the New Mexico State Capitol. The event aims to provide a unique opportunity for non-public school leaders to learn about the legislative process and foster stronger relationships with state lawmakers.

In a recent survey, heads of non-public schools expressed a lack of personal connections with their district representatives and senators, as well as a limited understanding of how state legislation affects their schools. In response, NMANS is hosting this event to bridge that gap, with hopes to make the Legislative Breakfast an annual event during the legislative session.

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 February 2025.

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 Mexico State Police   Sobriety Checkpoints, Saturation Patrols, and Registration/Insurance/DL Checkpoints

February 2025 - All New Mexico Counties

So, we can ENDWI+ in New Mexico

WASHINGTON – The federal grazing fee for 2025 remains $1.35 per animal unit month for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.35 per head month for lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

An animal unit month or head month — treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes — is the use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The newly calculated grazing fee takes effect March 1, 2025. The fee will apply to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by BLM and nearly 6,250 permits administered by the Forest Service.

In all construction zones, motorists are asked to reduce speed, obey posted signs, and use extreme caution, as well as continue 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.