The Las Cruces City Council unanimously added five historic sites to its register of cultural properties Monday, placing them under the protection of an ordinance preserving their historical integrity and requiring modifications to undergo a historical design review.

Las Cruces adds 5 historic sites to new cultural register

From a 1926 theater to a civil rights-era church, Las Cruces takes its first step in protecting key pieces of local history.

abqjournal.com

A majority of Doña Ana County commissioners leaned Tuesday in favor of creating a citizen-led community monitoring committee focused on the Oracle/OpenAI data center under construction in Santa Teresa.

Doña Ana County eyes citizen panel to watch Project Jupiter

Commissioners lean toward creating an independent committee to monitor the Oracle/OpenAI data center being built in Santa Teresa.

abqjournal.com

So many inaccurate, fictive or falsely attributed quotations abound, I now regard all but the most familiar of them with skepticism. The checks keep bouncing.

And I quote...

More and more, I come across counterfeit quotations and false attributions online, in books and even on monuments

open.substack.com

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection confirmed Monday that it was pausing activity on new groundwater wells near the border in Luna County and the Bootheel. But the agency is leaving its options open to use them in the future.

Feds pause border water wells, but ranchers want them capped

CBP halts new groundwater wells near NM border, but ranchers and state officials push for permanent plugging of illegal wells.

abqjournal.com

The man charged with shooting up the entrance of a Las Cruces church in May is now facing a federal weapons charge on top of state counts of desecrating a church and tampering with evidence.

Accused Las Cruces church shooter faces federal charge

Matthew Alarcon, accused of firing five rounds at St. Genevieve Catholic Church, faces up to 15 years if convicted.

abqjournal.com

Despite recent efforts to curtail excess water usage, Mayor Deborah Cooksey announced Monday that two storage tanks on which 3,000 Tularosans depend for drinking water reached “critically low” levels over the weekend.

Tularosa declares drinking water emergency after tanks hit critical lows

Nearly 3,000 residents face a 7-day outdoor watering ban as storage tanks drop dangerously low. Fines now in effect for violations.

abqjournal.com

Earlier this month, a New York Times journalist was watching “The Sheep Detectives” when FBI agents showed up at his door with a subpoena. Last week, a judge had some questions. It didn’t go well for the Justice Department. My dispatch from the NYT hearing: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

The Subpoena Detective: A Dispatch from the Times Hearing

On jets, journalism, and a judge

lawfaremedia.org

GOP congressional candidate Greg Cunningham announced today that he had secured a halt to illegal water drilling near the border on his own. So did a state lawmaker. The sitting congressman and area ranchers aren’t clear what’s actually happening. A Friday night news dump…

GOP candidate claims win on border water drilling dispute

Greg Cunningham takes credit for a DHS policy shift, but New Mexico ranchers say the dispute isn't over yet.

abqjournal.com

Musk did, in fact, step back from politics for a while, and journalists reported about that. Now Musk is previewing massive spending to influence elections, and journalists are reporting about that, too. That’s their job. If they didn’t, this guy would attack the press for not covering Musk. 1/2

A.R. Moxon@juliusgoat.bsky.social · 6d ago

Tip of the hat to mainstream media, who credulously gave us those "Musk is getting out of politics" headlines last year and those "Musk has regrets" headlines last week, and will give us those "regretful Musk is getting out of politics" headlines next spring.

Tomas Rivas was sentenced Friday morning to serve three consecutive life terms for his role in the 2025 Young Park mass shooting.

Young Park shooter gets three consecutive life terms

Tomas Rivas, 22, sentenced for his role in the 2025 Las Cruces shooting that killed three teens and injured over a dozen.

abqjournal.com

Mount Holly Springs is a tiny Pa. borough - 4 cops covering 1.4 square miles, pop. 2,300 It's turned a staggering 32 immigrants over to ICE in just 4 months since teaming with the feds The cruelty of mass deportation has come to small-town America. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/moun...

This quaint Pa. borough is a ‘speed trap’ nabbing immigrants for ICE | Will Bunch

Police in Mount Holly Springs, a tiny borough in Central Pennsylvania, have turned over 32 immigrants to ICE since March.

inquirer.com

“The other day was our daughter’s 11th birthday and we couldn’t celebrate it out of fear of going out. Family separation worries me a lot. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I live with stress, uncertainty and fear.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

New survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raids

Vast majority of farm workers say raids and deportations have affected their jobs and 61% report shopping less

theguardian.com

No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...

Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation

PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...

theonion.com

The perfect description of a library card .

"I can think of one policy that needs to be implemented immediately: Never turn over a 15-year-old at the international border unescorted.”

Governor, AG spar over teen left at border crossing

New Mexico's governor and attorney general trade blame over CYFD's decision to send a 15-year-old American citizen into Mexico unescorted.

abqjournal.com

Three data center opponents who were arrested yesterday, including a woman knocked to the ground by private security, were released from jail today as local officials react to the use of force at a public meeting.

Woman knocked down twice at heated Doña Ana County meeting

Officials from Las Cruces to Washington condemn use of force at Project Jupiter data center meeting. Three arrested on misdemeanor charges.

abqjournal.com

Three people were arrested and a scuffle ensued among security staff, sheriff’s deputies and members of the public ahead of a presentation from developers of the controversial data center known as Project Jupiter.

Project Jupiter update sparks scuffle, arrests

Opponents removed after disruption in front of Doña Ana County Commission

abqjournal.com

Appeals court upholds Judge Perea's decision to hold Kim Skaggs in jail as she awaits trial over a fatal crash in Fairacres.

Appeals court keeps Kim Skaggs jailed ahead of trial

New Mexico's Court of Appeals upheld pretrial detention for Skaggs, accused in a fatal hit-and-run near Las Cruces.

abqjournal.com

Attorney General sues CYFD over dropping a teen at a bridge and telling him to walk into Mexico during the night...

AG sues CYFD over teen dropped at border crossing alone at night

New Mexico's attorney general is suing CYFD after a 15-year-old was dropped at an El Paso border crossing and told to cross into Mexico alone.

abqjournal.com

On Substack, Chuck Webster wrote this extended review of the Journal’s Route 66 series.

Somewhere in New Mexico: Reading My Way Down Route 66 with the Albuquerque Journal

Mixed emotions.

open.substack.com

Just ordered a new supply of checks, as it happens. I still write them, trying to make the handwriting pretty (just because).

The Conversation U.S.@us.theconversation.com · 2w ago

Despite the rise of digital payments, Americans and businesses still use—and need—paper checks more than many people realize, a business professor explains: theconversation.com/should-paper...

I’m off, but Matt Reisen has the folo on our CYFD reporting…

CYFD details ‘virtual home’ visits before teen was left at border to reunite with mother

One video call was done hours before the July 6 drop-off. The teen refused to cross and spent days in a Texas shelter.

abqjournal.com

A new generation has its version of the Boomer/X joke, “Did you know Paul McCartney was in a group prior to Wings?”

Stephanie Bri 🏳️‍⚧️ D&D 2024 Edition IS 6E@stephaniebri22.bsky.social · 2w ago

Youtuber: "Mark Hamil, you know that guy who was Luke Skywalker? I was blown away to learn he did other things outside of Star Wars" Me: Really? its shocking a professional actor would make more than one movie in his 50 year career? Kids. pff. @markhamillofficial.bsky.social : "story of my life"

Discussions among ranchers in southern Luna County, the Office of the State Engineer and the Department of Homeland Security continue over supplying water for border wall construction from the Columbus area west into the Bootheel.

Vasquez slams unauthorized border wells draining NM ranchers' water

Luna County ranchers say federal contractors are drilling wells without permits, threatening the aquifers they depend on for farming and daily life.

abqjournal.com

There is a lot to say about the Nolan Odyssey movie. But one point that I think has not been emphasized enough is: this is a film about living in LA, as Nolan, my erstwhile British compatriot and age mate, has done for years. I gather it’s a strange place.

A 15-year-old Doña Ana County resident reportedly was removed from foster care by CYFD on and left at a border crossing in El Paso and told to walk into Mexico. And that’s where this strange story begins.

NM child welfare agency drops citizen teen at Texas border crossing

A 15-year-old New Mexico foster child was left at a border crossing to Mexico by CYFD, despite past abuse concerns and his own objections.

abqjournal.com

True fact: The cyclops was real and Odysseus fooled him with a dad joke.

Elon Musk: Grok Imagine Will Make "Historically Accurate" 'Odyssey'

Elon Musk syas Grok Imagine will make an "historically accurate" AI version of 'The Odyssey' as his criticism of Christopher Nolan's film continues.

deadline.com

Doña Ana County Commissioners unanimously voted to terminate County Manager Scott Andrews’ employment contract Tuesday afternoon.

Doña Ana County manager out after turbulent year in office

Commissioners unanimously voted to terminate Scott Andrews' contract, ending a tenure marked by audits, controversy and public uproar.

abqjournal.com

Sierra County became the latest in New Mexico to enact a temporary moratorium on data centers.

Sierra County Commissioners pass 18-month data center ban

Commissioners unanimously voted to halt data center development, joining Santa Fe and Socorro counties in pushing back against the industry.

abqjournal.com

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until this past Wednesday, when the Justice Department filed an application seeking the removal of an individual whose name is withheld from the single-page document posted on the court's website.

Justice Department activates untested court for 'alien terrorist' deportations

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until this past Wednesday.

pbs.org