Non-Local News Releases

Albuquerque, NM – The U.S. Marshals Service, Southwest Investigative Fugitive Taskforce located and apprehended a man wanted for murder September 14. Subject was arrested near Barbara Loop SE and Deborah rd. SE in Rio Rancho. 

Richard Cardona,44, was wanted by the State of New Mexico for multiple warrants to include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence of a murder, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence of a murder. 

Cardona was also wanted for a federal probation warrant, following a 2016 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

Magdalena Ranger District - Hop Patterson Prescribed Fire

Favorable weather conditions in place for hazardous fuels reduction work

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – September 16, 2026 – The Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) is planning implementation on the Magdalena Ranger District Hop Patterson Prescribed (Rx) Fire as early as Sunday, September 20th. Work will continue on this project as multi-day operation as weather conditions allow.

Prescribed Fire planned for:

Hop Patterson Prescribed Fire: anticipated 200 acres of pile burning units in the project area located 3 miles south of Magdalena and adjacent to the communities of Hop and Patterson Canyon within the Magdalena Mountains, NM. Smoke may be visible from Alamo and Magdalena, NM. See map attached.

This  link to a 90 second video that captures much of what a person needs to know to save lives from suicide. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo3TWtDfQPU  

The ABCs are easy to learn and use when you follow these 14 words:

A - Ask are you thinking about suicide? 

B - Be Present, listen.

C - Connect to resources - call/text 988

[Editor's Note: If you want to keep up with their webinars, get on their email list. their website is: https://www.nmsbdc.org These are very difficult to post, so I will not post from now on.]

IRS Small Business Forum 

Online Tools, Federal Updates, and Community Feedback

The SBDC at UNM-Valencia Workforce Training Center, in partnership with IRS Stakeholder Liaison, invites small business owners, entrepreneurs, tax professionals, and community partners to participate in a hybrid Small Business Forum.

During this interactive session, participants will receive an overview of:

• The IRS Business Tax Account
• The IRS Individual Online Account
• Selected provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill
• Executive Order 14247 regarding the discontinuation of checks

Participants will also have an opportunity to share feedback, questions, and concerns affecting the small business community. The feedback collected will help the IRS identify opportunities to improve its services and better address the needs of small businesses.

Attendees are encouraged to gather feedback from their colleagues, clients, members, and other small business owners before the forum.

Thursday, September 24, 2026

11:30am-1:00pm

UNM-Valencia Campus Workforce Training Center

1020 Huning Ranch East Loop SW

Los Lunas, NM 87031

or Via Zoom

Register Today

Featured Speaker

Neki Cox is a Senior Stakeholder Liaison with the IRS Communication and Liaison Division in Denver. As a stakeholder relationship manager, she coordinates IRS seminars, meetings, and multi-speaker events and develops communication and educational opportunities for tax professionals and civic, nonprofit, and business organizations throughout Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana.

Neki began her IRS career in 1995 and has served in several roles, including recruiter, analyst, senior taxpayer advocate, office auditor, Earned Income Credit coordinator, and e-file marketing specialist. She has also coordinated IRS disaster-assistance efforts with FEMA and led a team supporting responses to tax-professional data breaches.

Neki holds a Bachelor of Science in Small Business Management, with an emphasis in accounting, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Did you miss a webinar? 

You can catch the recording on our 

YouTube Channel

Albuquerque, New Mexico. – The U.S Marshals Service, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrested Amber Dawn Billie,33, on September 13, 2026, and Evelyn Ozornio-Rosales,45, on September 14, 2026. Billie and Ozornio-Rosales were identified as persons of interest in a plot to smuggle narcotics into the Cibola County Correctional Center. 

U.S Marshals, in a joint effort with FBI, were able to gather intelligence that prisoner Noah Mirabal,26, was coordinating with Evelyn Ozornio-Rosales to smuggle narcotics into the facility through a compromised Cibola County Correctional Center employee. 

The employee was identified as Amber Dawn Billie, who served as a counselor for the detention facility. 

SOCORRO, NM –New Mexico House Republicans will host a Legislative Water Task Force on September 16 at New Mexico Tech to examine the state's water supply, growing demand and long-term solutions.

The task force will be chaired by Rep. Rebecca Dow and will include House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong, Rep. Luis Terrazas and Rep. Jenifer Jones.

"Water is one of the most important issues facing New Mexico," said Dow. "We need serious conversations about our current supply, future demand and practical ways to protect this resource for our communities, farmers and ranchers."

See agenda below

SANTA FE — Fifty U.S. military veterans who served their country but whose remains have gone unclaimed will be remembered for their service and laid to rest with full military honors Thursday, Sept. 17, through New Mexico's Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program.

The public is invited to stand as family for them.

The program ensures that veterans whose remains go unclaimed receive a military funeral with the dignity and respect they earned through their service. The ceremony is coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services (NMDVS), Bernalillo County, the New Mexico National Guard and Santa Fe National Cemetery.