Latest news with #NewMexicans
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bipartisan senators seek study on wildfire insurance
A pair of bipartisan senators introduced legislation this week that would seek information on how much growing wildfires are costing homeowners. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) first shared with The Hill a draft of the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act. Their bill would require the U.S. Comptroller General to study the extent of growing U.S. wildfire risks and whether private companies have refused to issue new policies to homeowners because of those risks. Climate change is worsening droughts and leads to more severe wildfires. While this science has been politicized, dealing with wildfire damage can be an area of consensus. Still, it's not entirely clear if the bill will advance. 'I'm hearing from more and more New Mexicans who've seen their insurance premiums skyrocket, lost coverage entirely, or been priced out of protecting their homes. That is completely unacceptable,' Heinrich said in a written statement. 'We need a clearer picture of how worsening wildfires and climate risks are impacting insurance companies' decisions to raise insurance premiums.' 'One-third of America lives in wildfire-prone areas, and we must get our arms around this crisis, because if you can't get or afford homeowners' insurance, you can't finance your home, which means hardworking families can't achieve homeownership,' Sheehy said in a written statement.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cities can fight back with guaranteed income programs
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income helped fund a pilot project at Santa Fe Community College. (Courtesy SFCC) If you are like me, you are still reeling from the news that the 'big beautiful bill' (which is unparalleled in its ugliness) received the necessary votes in the U.S. House and Senate, along with the president's signature. Although the U.S. Senate was close (and Dem senators all voted nay) what kind of madness is this? The very notion of passing legislation that dismantles Medicaid; blunts the effectiveness of nutritional assistance; and cuts funding to rural hospitals highlights the degree that a philosophy of philistine self-interest has infiltrated the current political climate. Trepidation over the fallout spreads nationwide. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the bill 'will hit New Mexico hard' and state officials have outlined nightmarish scenarios in which more than 88,000 New Mexicans lose Medicaid and more than 58,000 to lose their Supplemental Assistance Program help. 'This is draconian,' Victor Pineda, executive director of the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, California, which provides quality of life assistance to the disabled, reportedly said. 'The cuts are a direct hit to our ability to help people stay in their homes who will now be forced into homelessness or institutions.' In the meantime, what can help supplement the loss of basic services in underserved communities? What can cities and mayors do? For one thing: They can put more of their remaining resources toward expanding guaranteed income programs. In 2018, Mayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton, Calif. initiated the first guaranteed income program in the USA, which for two years gave $500 every month to 125 low-income residents. A study in the program's aftermath conducted by a team of independent researchers determined that the money significantly improved participants' mental health and financial standing. Tubbs then founded Mayors for Guaranteed Income (MGI), a network of committed cities that have sponsored pilot programs in cities including Madison, Wis.; Pittsburgh, Pa; New Orleans, La.; and Santa Fe, here in New Mexico. In 2021, with an MGI grant, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber launched a pilot program that provided $400-per-month stipends to 100 young, low-income Santa Fe Community College students with child-caretaking responsibilities. A 2025 independent study again concluded that rather than fulfilling easy cliches — meaning the assumption the young grantees would waste the funds on alcohol or video games — participants experienced meaningful improvements in key takeaway areas 'This successful program directly addresses the fundamental problem that is holding New Mexico back: poverty.' said Mayor Webber, after the report was released. Today, more than 100 cities have sponsored direct cash payment programs that lasted one year (or preferably two years). In every case, most participants experienced admirable gains in food and housing security. In Santa Fe, participants experienced a 19 percentage point rise in full employment. But why should these results be surprising when 37% of Americans say they fear an unexpected $400 expense? A consistent extra few hundred (in lieu of having an empty bank account) can make a difference, a larger-than-expected step forward. For proponents, an important assurance is that guaranteed income programs come with 'no strings attached.' A family that needs money to pay for school supplies can choose this option; a recipient who knows that buying a car would be a valuable investment can save for that. Guaranteed income programs have been praised for having an 'entrepreneurial' spirit. But I believe the better word for them is 'self-empowering' in that they encourage the underprivileged to value themselves and invest in their own futures. These humble sums of cash directed without stipulations at crisis communities, including immigrant families, students or homeless youth, provide a measurable boost. Related programs stipulate the money is spent toward specific goals, like preventing homelessness. Funding for renters facing eviction is one of the most important ways cities, including Santa Fe, can potentially use targeted funds in a time when homelessness is at its highest level since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began keeping statistics in 2007. Here is the rub. These programs abet and enhance the social safety net. They cannot replace it. These programs are a tool: a necessary weapon. Times may become desperate. Cities must fight back.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Officials say hundreds of homes damaged in Ruidoso flooding
RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – Ruidoso officials and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham held a news conference in Ruidoso Thursday morning to give an update on Ruidoso flood response efforts. Ruidoso residents begin long road to recovery following historic flooding Gov. Lujan Grisham says that she is in talks with the feds about how much money may be made available for aid distribution. Authorities have been assessing the flood damage, and the number of damaged homes continues to rise, with officials saying 200 to 400 homes have been damaged. Officials said they had approximately 65 swift water rescues with people getting stuck in homes, cars, and trees. Many in the village are experiencing water outages as utility workers assess the damage. Drinking water is available at the Gateway Church, Wingfield Park, and at the Humane Society. Floodwaters reached as high as 20 feet hit the Village of Ruidoso Tuesday, and claimed the lives of three people, including two children. Gov. Lujan Grisham signed an emergency declaration Tuesday night in response to the flooding in Ruidoso. The emergency declaration requests federal response teams and repair resources to Ruidoso immediately. Areas hit the hardest include the Upper Canyon, Brady Canyon, Cedar Creek, and Paradise Canyon. With more rain expected in the region, state leaders are urging residents to stay vigilant. 'We will protect New Mexicans. But if you live here in Ruidoso, follow the emergency evacuation orders. We cannot lose another life,' said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-New Mexico). President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration for New Mexico, which will help bring in millions of dollars to the region for flooding recovery and response efforts. There is a disaster recovery center set up at ENMU-Ruidoso, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There, case managers can help with replacing documents, finding resources, and answering insurance questions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New Mexico State Fair offering discounted rodeo tickets starting July 3
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico State Fair is offering discount rodeo tickets to celebrate the Fourth of July. Tickets will be available for $10 and will include premium seats for rodeos on September 10, 11, and 14. Where can you go boating in New Mexico? 'Keeping the fair accessible to everyone is a top priority, and this is an unbelievable opportunity to experience all the food, fun, and entertainment for a great price,' said Dan Mourning, general manager of the New Mexico State Fair in a news release. 'These tickets will go quickly, so New Mexicans should act fast to take advantage of this incredible, limited-time option!' The sale will start at 10 a.m. on Thursday and will end at 4 p.m. on July 6. The state fair is scheduled to take place from Sept. 4-14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
10-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Trinity Test-area residents to finally get reparations 80 years later
New Mexicans impacted by the Trinity Test are getting closer to receiving compensation after eight decades of health problems and rare cancers stemming from the world's first atomic explosion. The big picture: President Trump's recently signed the "big, beautiful bill," which includes an extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and, for the first time, covers victims of the Trinity Test. The inclusion comes after the victims fought for acknowledgement and reparations over multiple generations. It also comes before the 80th anniversary of the Trinity Test, which is next week. Zoom in: Under the extension and inclusion, Trinity victims can apply for $100,000 for damages caused by the 1945 bomb test that helped end World War II. RECA, which awarded financial reparations to people who lived downwind of the Nevada Test Site, ended last year but has now been renewed for two years thanks to pressure from Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) The law was originally passed in 1990, but Hispanic residents and Mescalero Apache tribal members, who were next to the 1945 Trinity Test, were never included. Descendants have suffered from rare cancers for generations. Yes, but: The recently passed legislation gutting Medicaid covers many residents in New Mexico, including Trinity victims. The RECA expansion also does not include eligibility for people near Nuclear testing in the U.S. territory of Guam, parts of Arizona, Montana, Colorado and new parts of Nevada. What they're saying: "The two-year extension will not be long enough for us to get everybody enrolled that should be enrolled, and the health care coverage was stripped out," Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, said on a call with reporters Thursday. Cordova said she was still grateful and relieved New Mexicans were finally added and that her group will continue to fight for Medicaid restorations. Luján said he's hopeful that his Republican colleagues in the Senate will work with him to reserve some of the Medicaid cuts. "I want to recognize the leadership of Sen. Hawley when we had a chance to begin working on this over the last couple of years." Context: On July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert, the U.S. Army detonated an atomic bomb developed at the then-secret community of Los Alamos as part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. The bomb exploded at 5:29am, and its thunderous roar knocked people from breakfast tables in the historic Hispanic village of Tularosa and sent Mescalero Apache Reservation residents into hiding. Following the test in the Jornada del Muerto desert near Alamogordo, residents often picnicked at the site and took artifacts, including the radioactive green glass known as "trinitite." Residents only learned about the Trinity Test after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The bomb's aftermath later caused rare forms of cancer for many of the 30,000 people and their descendants in the area surrounding Trinity. Poor Hispanic residents and Mescalero Apache tribal members held bake sales to pay for cancer treatments. The intrigue: Downwinders received renewed public interest in 2023 following the release of the blockbuster "Oppenheimer," directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie follows American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer as his team races to create the atomic bomb, but it overlooks the aftermath on the people of New Mexico. What we're watching: The U.S. Justice Department is advising the public to wait "for further guidance" before filing a claim, noting on its website that the bill was only recently signed into law.
