A task force charged with making recommendations to New Mexico's open records law has compiled initial changes for lawmakers to review. Some ideas were approved unanimously by the the task force’s eight members — but several were not. searchlightnm.org/task-force-q...

Here’s what the IPRA task force recommends for New Mexico’s public records | Searchlight New Mexico

Members of the task force sent a letter Thursday to two legislative committees, summarizing 11 changes they believe the state should consider.

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Sunland Park has dealt with high levels of arsenic in its water supply for nearly a decade. After improved state and federal oversight, levels now meet EPA standards, but residents say they still fear the toxic chemical is in their supply. searchlightnm.org/sunland-park...

Sunland Park's water now meets EPA arsenic standards. Can the state rebuild trust with residents? | Searchlight New Mexico

The region's water authority has come under fire for distributing high arsenic drinking water to customers without telling them.

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The timeline around an important permitting process for the Project Jupiter data center was accelerated seemingly out of the blue last year. When requesting records to understand the reasoning, a singular photo with little context was provided. searchlightnm.org/request-for-...

Request for records on governor’s meeting with data center officials yields one photo | Searchlight New Mexico

A public records request regarding a July 27 meeting between Oracle and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham provided virtually no information on its content.

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As the use of artificial intelligence continues to expand, so do concerns over its influence in our digital systems. Attorney General Raúl Torrez and a state lawmaker say guardrails are needed after UNM recently experienced its own breach.

AG, Santa Fe lawmaker pitch AI safety measures after UNM breach | Searchlight New Mexico

The announcement followed an attempt by an autonomous, out-of-control AI model to access a restricted record from the school.

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Searchlight New Mexico has launched a new monthly podcast that delves into the critical issues impacting New Mexicans. On this first episode, Ed Williams chats with student advocates about sexual assault in schools and how students' rights are being scaled back. searchlightnm.org/the-federal-...

The federal government is scaling back civil rights enforcement for students. What does that mean for K-12 schools? | Searchlight New Mexico

This inaugural podcast episode of “Searchlight New Mexico with Ed Williams” delves into the complexities of sexual assault in schools. Student advocates Sabrina Bernadel and Susan Moen offer their takes on the issue.

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High-level Democrats in New Mexico say companies behind major social media platforms and websites should face harsher penalties for the harms done to children. New legislation seeks to create certain restrictions and potentially an office to investigate violations. searchlightnm.org/high-level-n...

High-level New Mexico Democrats push for new social media protection bills | Searchlight New Mexico

The bills would increase penalties for consumer protections violations and curb addictive or exploitative tactics.

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In preparation for a new administration, the state and plaintiffs of the Kevin S. lawsuit have inked a new plan that sets clear priorities to address New Mexico's struggling child welfare system. Acting CYFD Secretary Valerie Sandoval said the "work must endure.” searchlightnm.org/state-offici...

State officials, child welfare plaintiffs strike deal reaching into next governor's term | Searchlight New Mexico

The Kevin S. plaintiffs and the state both acknowledged CYFD's progress but said it continued to lag in some areas.

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A recent survey conducted on school choice found that parents are becoming more open to the idea. A teacher union official welcomed the results but argued parents aren't fully aware of the rippling effects that school "choice" has. searchlightnm.org/new-mexicans...

New Mexicans and school choice: A clear-cut preference, or a sticky financial reality? | Searchlight New Mexico

Respondents to a statewide survey overall favored school choice, while a union leader said the financial implications are tricky.

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New Mexico has invested heavily on mental health and substance abuse services in recent years to the tune of millions. Lawmakers are now questioning if the investments are having any effect after being presented little data in a recent LFC report. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-i...

New Mexico is spending big to fix behavioral healthcare. Why is there so little to show? | Searchlight New Mexico

The Behavioral Health Services Division asked the state for another $7.2 million in general fund dollars for its FY 2028 budget.

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The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with efforts to repeal the 25-year-old protections — without the opportunity for public comment. Environmental groups are holding their own hearings in New Mexico. searchlightnm.org/environmenta...

Environmental groups continue to fight ‘Roadless Rule’ repeal | Searchlight New Mexico

"I want my children to experience real forests, not just places where roads ... have replaced a lot of landscapes that never existed before them."

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The data center’s publicity push — among the most expensive ever in New Mexico – involved a national Republican consulting and advertising firm. searchlightnm.org/oracle-discl...

Oracle discloses $3.44 million in spending promoting Project Jupiter | Searchlight New Mexico

The $3.4 million all went to political consulting firm BrabenderCox, according to the expenditure report Oracle submitted.

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The state Early Childhood Education and Care Department has said for years that it would help workers build careers in childcare. Advocates say the department’s newly unveiled career plan falls far short. searchlightnm.org/childcare-ad...

Why childcare advocates are criticizing New Mexico’s pay plan | Searchlight New Mexico

State officials argue rolling out the program as a pilot will be more manageable and bring raises to under-prioritized workers.

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As nursing facilities in the state rack up unfavorable ratings, an elderly population that relies on their services are falling victim to low quality conditions, resulting in poorer health and even death. Where is the oversight? Read more: searchlightnm.org/staff-shorta...

A program that offers tuition assistance to all New Mexico residents regardless of citizenship status is being challenged in federal court. The stakes are especially high for students in Chaparral, the largest unincorporated community in New Mexico, located mere miles from the U.S. Mexico border.

How a federal lawsuit to end in-state tuition could affect undocumented NM students. | Searchlight New Mexico

Many Chaparral students rely on higher education benefits that are under threat from a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit.

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CYFD took a 15-year-old boy, who is a U.S. citizen, to the border to be reunited with his estranged mother in Mexico. The state agency doubled down on that decision in a recent court response, writing the boy's return would be “absurd and impossible.” searchlightnm.org/ordering-cyf...

CYFD sent a 15-year-old to Mexico. Why the teen may not come back. | Searchlight New Mexico

The state Justice Department made the request after the teen was left to cross the border alone to reunite with his mother.

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Residents in Grant County only learned of a secretive company’s plans to build a data center by reading a small legal notice in the local paper. Since then, residents’ protests have caught the attention of state and local officials. searchlightnm.org/grant-county...

Grant County residents raise alarm over secretive proposed data center | Searchlight New Mexico

Grant County residents began organizing following a public notice in the Silver City newspaper of a proposed data center.

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Some New Mexico colleges are failing to provide data on crimes committed on campus — in spite of laws requiring them to make that data easily accessible to the public. searchlightnm.org/federal-law-...

Federal law requires most colleges to follow crime statistics reporting rules. In New Mexico, compliance varies. | Searchlight New Mexico

The crime log must be "open to public inspection during normal business hours." But a few schools took days to produce theirs.

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Sexual violence is a particularly difficult topic for reporters to cover, especially when it involves minors. Searchlight's Ed Williams shares why and how he took on that task in his latest investigation of a Hobbs teen who was raped at school and punished. searchlightnm.org/how-we-repor...

How we reported on sexual assault in schools | Searchlight New Mexico

Sexual violence is a particularly difficult topic for investigative reporters to cover. The questions are manifold: How can you verify a story that often

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A 13-year-old girl's rape at school was one of more than 295 instances of rape or sexual assault reported to Hobbs police since 2022. Those rates, third-highest in the state, are likely the tip of the iceberg as the department struggles to investigate sex crimes. searchlightnm.org/hobbs-police...

Hobbs police struggle with sex crimes | Searchlight New Mexico

Police in Hobbs said an alleged rape was consensual. The department has a long, troubled record with sex crimes.

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Under Title IX, schools are supposed to protect students who report sexual assault and rape. But as Searchlight New Mexico recently uncovered, that oversight can be unevenly applied, often leaving it up to districts to have the final say instead of victims. searchlightnm.org/as-feds-scal...

As feds scale back sex assault oversight, school districts have final say | Searchlight New Mexico

New Mexico provides no oversight of sexual assault between students in schools. A recent case in Hobbs shows what that can mean.

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A 13-year-old student named Larissa told school administrators and police that she had been forcibly sexually assaulted at her middle school in Hobbs, NM. Police didn’t investigate the alleged assault, she and her mother say. Instead, Larissa was suspended. Story in collab with @19thnews.org

Environmental groups are celebrating after the New Mexico Supreme Court put a pause on air and water permitting processes for Project Jupiter. The groups argued there was a lack of due process in the proceedings and favored the data center's interests. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-s...

New Mexico Supreme Court pauses Project Jupiter permitting processes | Searchlight New Mexico

Many elected officials have raised concerns about emissions and water use, including millions of gallons of fresh water for construction.

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A new foster care case management system that’s been in development for nearly a decade and expected to help CYFD workers with caseloads, is still not finished. The project has cost the state $90 million dollars and could incur new costs as it fully comes online. searchlightnm.org/new-mexicos-...

Report: New Mexico's  foster care information system still needs  money, time | Searchlight New Mexico

CYFD said the system launched Monday, and said staff are already being trained and getting accustomed to using the system.

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Clinics in New Mexico that are supported with federal dollars saw patient populations increase last year, showing a demand for affordable and accessible healthcare. But federal regulations have made it hard for providers to deliver services. searchlightnm.org/some-health-...

How NM health clinics are affected by federal policy changes | Searchlight New Mexico

Amid a boom in patients nationwide, about half of federally funded clinics in New Mexico saw an increase in patients.

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CYFD will pay $1.4 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed two young siblings in Taos endured an abusive living situation for years under the agency's watch. An attorney said "there’s hope … no other children suffer similar similar outcomes." searchlightnm.org/cyfd-settles...

CYFD settles lawsuit alleging foster parents starved, abused children for $1.4 million | Searchlight New Mexico

The settlement is the largest paid out by the agency this year so far, according to the New Mexico Sunshine Portal.

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The massive Project Jupiter data center has promised big economic benefits. Its annual report says almost 6,000 workers have been involved in construction — but doesn’t say where those workers are from. searchlightnm.org/new-project-...

New Project Jupiter report doesn't say if company hiring 'Doña Ana County first' | Searchlight New Mexico

The omissions of worker demographics in Project Jupiter's first report prompted concern from legislators and commissioners.

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Some 315,000 women in New Mexico have experienced sexual violence, physical violence or stalking, but no statewide mandate exists for law enforcement to track those incidents. One expert says that needs to change. searchlightnm.org/expert-calls...

Expert calls for improvements in domestic violence data tracking to curb lethal violence | Searchlight New Mexico

Some agencies aren't tracking escalating signs of violence or intervening in cases to prevent future harm — sometimes with deadly consequences.

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Domestic violence shelters in New Mexico are scraping by amid an ongoing financial squeeze — even as the budget for the state agency that funds the shelters has ballooned. Read more: searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-d...

Filings show the pro-data center group, Elevate New Mexico, received $3.7 million from Project Jupiter’s developers. The group’s website still fails to disclose who is behind the elusive organization. searchlightnm.org/group-that-u...

Group that urged New Mexicans to support Project Jupiter discloses finances after ethics case | Searchlight New Mexico

Elevate New Mexico received nearly $3.7 million, all from Project Jupiter develoeprs Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC.

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The New Mexico Environment Department has issued two conflicting orders on Project Jupiter's air quality permit in less than two weeks. One environmental attorney said the "absurd schedule" has caused a lot of confusion. searchlightnm.org/project-jupi...

Project Jupiter hearing officer reverses course on air quality permit application | Searchlight New Mexico

Environmental advocates decried the new delay involving a challenge to the data center's plans, but developers praised the move.

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