Non-Local News Releases

June 21, 2025, 

Cotton Fire, Valencia County 

    Update: The Cotton Fire is currently estimated at 150 acres and is located in the Los Lunas bosque area on the west side of the river, south of the Main Street bridge. The fire was discovered at 3:23 p.m on Saturday, June 21.  

Current fire behavior is active, exhibiting runs and crowning into the tops of trees; winds are causing spotting ahead of the fire’s front. The fire has burned an unknown number of structures. Due to the fire conditions, crews are unable to go direct and are seeking other routes to begin suppression and containment during this initial attack period. Air attack with a type-1 helicopter has been making targeted drops over the fire area.   

Albuquerque, NM, June 18, 2025 — The Cibola National Forest and Grasslands, in its ongoing effort to protect lives and property, has deployed a 13-person federal and state, multi-agency National Fire Prevention Education Team (NFPET). The Fire Prevention Education Team's purpose is to reinforce local wildfire prevention resources and to bring special wildfire prevention planning, logistics, and operations expertise to complex situations. Like Incident Management Teams, NFPETs are emergency resources called to meet the host unit's wildfire prevention goals and objectives. The NFPET is to partner with local agencies and groups to promote wildfire safety messaging and to reduce the chances of human-caused wildfires. 

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is reminding hunters that available private-land pronghorn licenses in northeastern New Mexico will be limited for the 2025-2026 license year.

Four years of aerial surveys have shown a decrease in fawn and adult female pronghorn survival rates in northeastern New Mexico. As a result, the Department has capped the number of private-land pronghorn licenses to be sold in Game Management Units 41, 42, 47, 56, 57, 58 and 59. To see the number of licenses per hunt code, please visit the private-land pronghorn hunting section in the 2025-2026 Hunting Rules and Information Booklet.

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.

Interstates: 

I-25 Roadway Rehabilitation Project, Mile Marker 58 to 78, Caballo CN1102160

 Santa Fe, NM — Last week, the New Mexico State Ethics Commission filed a suit claiming that the New Mexico Safety Over Profit organization violated state law by failing to disclose funding sources as well as expenditures in their lobbying efforts to stop legislation necessary to protect doctors and hospitals from frivolous lawsuits. The commission's legal action comes in response to the 2025 Legislative Session, during which Democrats killed multiple bills seeking to limit attorney's fees from lawsuits targeting doctors and other healthcare providers.

In response to the lawsuit, Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) has issued the following statement: 

Elephant Butte Lake: Brandon Hawkins, Gene España and Jon Thriller combined to catch 30 white bass using topwater lures, shad-pattern jerkbaits and grubs on June 7. “We arrived early right when the sun came up,” Brandon said. “I caught a smallmouth immediately, Then, white bass started chasing shad along the shoreline for an hour straight and it was no-holds-barred after that. We fished for hours and caught quality fish all day long.”

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

 The New Mexico Departments of Health and Environment issue a continued smoke advisory for communities affected by the Trout Fire. The rapidly expanding Trout Fire in the Gila National Forest is sending smoke across greater distances, affecting air quality in a wider region. 

The fire, estimated at 38,708 acres, remains 0% contained at this time. The Trout Fire is north of Silver City, but winds Tuesday night pushed smoke southeast into the Rio Grande Valley towards Las Cruces and El Paso. 

Unhealthy air quality, including for sensitive groups, was reported in Las Cruces and El Paso this morning. However, conditions are expected to improve into the afternoon and evening, reaching the moderate range. 

Santa Fe, NM — Senate Republicans applauded the US Supreme Court's decision allowing Tennessee to prohibit health care providers from administering puberty blockers or hormone therapy to minors or from conducting gender-transition surgeries on minors. Now that the court's ruling permits states to ban these questionable "treatments" for young people, Senate Republicans are calling for New Mexico to enact similar protections for its children. 

Senator Nick Paul (R-Alamogordo) has issued the following accompanying statement: