Non-Local News Releases

Deadline to apply for draw hunts is Aug. 12 at 5 p.m.

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Wildlife will begin accepting applications for draw Sandhill crane and pheasant permits beginning at 10 a.m. July 15.

Applications can be made through your online account or by phone at 888-248-6866. The application deadline for draw Sandhill crane and pheasant permits is Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 5 p.m. Successful applicants must have a valid 2026-2027 Game Hunting License or Game Hunting and Fishing License, as well as any applicable stamp(s), in addition to their draw permit. 

The hunts available during this draw application period are listed below:

Courtesy Photos belo

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A coordinated multi-agency effort led by the New Mexico State Police, Search and Rescue team successfully extracted an injured hiker from a steep mountain gully in the Aguirre Springs Natural Area on Sunday. The grueling and highly technical rescue operation lasted more than 12 hours and required the joint efforts of dozens of regional search and rescue personnel.

At approximately 10 a.m. Sunday, July 12, 2026, emergency dispatchers received a call regarding a hiking party traveling off-trail. One of the hikers, a man, had sustained a severe broken ankle and was unable to self-evacuate. Responding crews discovered the hiker had ascended approximately 1,000 feet off the main trail into a steep, rugged gully near the summit area.

In all construction zones, motorists are asked to reduce speed, obey posted signs, and use extreme caution, as well as continuing 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-10 Business Loop 22, Pine St. Resurfacing Project, Mile Marker 0 to 4.2, Deming

(Washington, D.C., July 9, 2026) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced an updated Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm their shared commitment to protecting consumers from heavy metals and other contaminants in food. 

For decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have coordinated through the National Residue Program to monitor and regulate meat, poultry, and egg products. This updated MOU strengthens collaboration under this program and adopts new methods to better detect and address potential risks. 

(Albuquerque, NM – July 9, 2026) — The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands has issued a road and area closure order (Order 03-03-04-26-16) for National Forest Road (NFR) 245, starting at the forest boundary to Capilla Peak Lookout to include New Canyon and Capilla Peak Campground Areas as depicted on the attached map.

The purpose of this order is to protect public safety during the demolition and removal of decommissioned University of New Mexico observatory buildings located on top of Capilla Peak. National Forest Road (NFR) 245 is a narrow road with few pullouts, requiring closure to provide safe ingress and egress of heavy equipment removing material from the site. 

Sealing 114 abandoned wells mitigates significant environmental hazards 

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (OCD) plugged 114 orphan wells in the recently completed fiscal year 2026, setting a record for the most wells plugged in a single year and curbing significant environmental threats. 

The previous plugging record was 104 wells, set in FY 2024. 

Veguita, NM — State Senator Joshua A. Sanchez (R-Veguita), Ranking Member on the Senate Tax, Business, andbnTransportation Committee (STBTC), today called on the State of New Mexico to eliminate its Personal Income Tax.

Senator Sanchez argues the move is fiscally sound and long overdue as a real, lasting act of relief for working New Mexican families. With the state sitting on strong reserves and steady oil and gas revenues, Senator Sanchez says the money is there. Several other states have already cut or eliminated their income taxes entirely, drawing businesses, workers, and families away from states that have not kept up. New Mexico, he warns, needs to get in the game.

"This is not complicated," said Senator Sanchez. "People work hard here in New Mexico. Families out in our communities are stretching every paycheck they get. The least we can do is stop taking a cut of it. You let people keep more of what they earn, and they spend it here, they invest it here, they raise their families here. That is how you grow a state."

Austin, Texas—Jul 8, 2026

"As we announced last month, Project Jupiter representatives have and will continue to conduct community outreach to answer questions, provide information, and encourage participation in the public permitting process. Outreach teams are supervised, clearly identified as Project Jupiter representatives, and trained to ensure that any public comment must be submitted only by residents who voluntarily choose to participate.

We take seriously any questions about the integrity of the public comment process. We are aware of allegations that a small number of submissions may have been made improperly via ProjectJupiterTogether.com.

ProjectJupiterTogether.com provided a public portal through which anyone could submit comments to the New Mexico Environment Department. This portal transmitted every comment received to NMED, including hundreds of comments opposing the project. If anyone deliberately submitted comments using another person's name or false information, that would represent an abuse of the public comment process, which Project Jupiter does not support or condone.

Based on our review to date, the submissions we have completed our review of are legitimate comments from residents who happen to share the same name as someone else. There are other submissions within this small number that require further investigation. We review every question about authenticity and will continue to actively investigate each instance that is raised. Any isolated instances of improper conduct should be addressed, but they should not overshadow or undermine the thousands of residents who have participated honestly and in accordance with the process.

New Mexico's public permitting process exists so that everyone has an opportunity to make their voice heard. The process is working, and we remain committed to protecting the integrity of the public process for everyone and to ensuring that community participation is voluntary, informed, and transparent."

—Michael Egbert, vice president, Oracle.