WAGE THEFT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico confronts backlog of wage-theft complaints
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is struggling to clear a backlog of about 1,900 complaints of wage theft linked to enforcement of the state's minimum wage law. Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley on Wednesday urged legislators to fund two new staff positions to investigate complaints of employers failing to adequately pay low-wage laborers. Complaints come in large part from workers in restaurants, nursing homes and agriculture.
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO-SEAL
University of New Mexico asks students to vote on new seal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico is asking students to help with picking a new school seal. The University of New Mexico is allowing students to vote on five options. One has a howling Lobo and the Sandia Mountains in the background. Others have the names of the school around various designs. The University of New Mexico began looking for a new design following protests from Native Americans over concerns about the previous seal, which featured a Spanish conquistador and a frontiersman. The university has been using an interim seal since 2017. That seal is among the options up for consideration.
MINIMUM WAGE-MEDICAID
New Mexico minimum wage could affect Medicaid eligibility
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of New Mexicans who are enrolled in the Medicaid program could end up losing their eligibility because of the recent increase in the state's minimum wage. Starting Jan. 1, base pay rose to $9 an hour, marking the first in a series of increases in New Mexico's minimum wage that will top out at $12 per hour in 2023. The state Human Services Department says the first bump up in the minimum wage in more than a decade could affect the eligibility of an estimated 6,000 people. There are more than 827,000 individuals on New Mexico's Medicaid rolls.
GILA FOREST-MANAGEMENT PLAN
Environmentalists worried about Gila forest management plan
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — Some environmental groups are concerned that a proposed management plan for the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico falls short of protecting more than 3 million acres of mountains, hills and range land. Forest officials recently released a draft of the plan, triggering a 90-day public comment period. Public meetings are being held over the next week. The groups contend the plan maintains the status quo for resource extraction and motorized recreation rather than establishing migration corridors for wildlife or protecting the Gila River and its tributaries. The plan does recommend wilderness protection for more than 110,000 acres.
HUMAN SERVICES-DATA BOOK
New data book covers New Mexico social, health statistics
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Human Services Department has published a first-of-its-kind data book that summarizes the state's social, economic and health statistics. Department officials say the book is designed to help with comparisons of national, state and county-level data. Human Services Secretary David Scrase says the information can be used to identify the state's areas of greatest need. The agency serves nearly half of New Mexico's population. Enrollment maps that are part of the data book illustrate the number of people served by major agency programs as well total program expenditures by county.
CHINA-OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico officials urge health providers to be vigilant
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials in New Mexico are urging health providers across the state to be proactive and vigilant as more than 500 cases of a new viral respiratory illness have been confirmed in China and elsewhere since an outbreak began last month. State Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel says no cases have been detected in New Mexico but that the health care community needs to be attentive to every patient's travel history and symptoms. The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS-PLUTONIUM
Lawmakers assured review of nuclear weapons work to be open
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation say they've been assured by U.S. officials that a review of a proposal to ramp up production of key components for the nation's nuclear arsenal will be open and transparent Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan were briefed last week after the National Nuclear Security Administration announced it didn't need to do a more expansive nationwide review of the impacts of building plutonium cores at federal installations in New Mexico and South Carolina. Watchdogs say the site-specific review planned for Los Alamos National Laboratory will fall short of what's needed for such a major undertaking.
New Mexico confronts backlog of wage-theft complaints
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is struggling to clear a backlog of about 1,900 complaints of wage theft linked to enforcement of the state's minimum wage law. Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley on Wednesday urged legislators to fund two new staff positions to investigate complaints of employers failing to adequately pay low-wage laborers. Complaints come in large part from workers in restaurants, nursing homes and agriculture.
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO-SEAL
University of New Mexico asks students to vote on new seal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico is asking students to help with picking a new school seal. The University of New Mexico is allowing students to vote on five options. One has a howling Lobo and the Sandia Mountains in the background. Others have the names of the school around various designs. The University of New Mexico began looking for a new design following protests from Native Americans over concerns about the previous seal, which featured a Spanish conquistador and a frontiersman. The university has been using an interim seal since 2017. That seal is among the options up for consideration.
MINIMUM WAGE-MEDICAID
New Mexico minimum wage could affect Medicaid eligibility
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of New Mexicans who are enrolled in the Medicaid program could end up losing their eligibility because of the recent increase in the state's minimum wage. Starting Jan. 1, base pay rose to $9 an hour, marking the first in a series of increases in New Mexico's minimum wage that will top out at $12 per hour in 2023. The state Human Services Department says the first bump up in the minimum wage in more than a decade could affect the eligibility of an estimated 6,000 people. There are more than 827,000 individuals on New Mexico's Medicaid rolls.
GILA FOREST-MANAGEMENT PLAN
Environmentalists worried about Gila forest management plan
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — Some environmental groups are concerned that a proposed management plan for the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico falls short of protecting more than 3 million acres of mountains, hills and range land. Forest officials recently released a draft of the plan, triggering a 90-day public comment period. Public meetings are being held over the next week. The groups contend the plan maintains the status quo for resource extraction and motorized recreation rather than establishing migration corridors for wildlife or protecting the Gila River and its tributaries. The plan does recommend wilderness protection for more than 110,000 acres.
HUMAN SERVICES-DATA BOOK
New data book covers New Mexico social, health statistics
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Human Services Department has published a first-of-its-kind data book that summarizes the state's social, economic and health statistics. Department officials say the book is designed to help with comparisons of national, state and county-level data. Human Services Secretary David Scrase says the information can be used to identify the state's areas of greatest need. The agency serves nearly half of New Mexico's population. Enrollment maps that are part of the data book illustrate the number of people served by major agency programs as well total program expenditures by county.
CHINA-OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico officials urge health providers to be vigilant
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials in New Mexico are urging health providers across the state to be proactive and vigilant as more than 500 cases of a new viral respiratory illness have been confirmed in China and elsewhere since an outbreak began last month. State Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel says no cases have been detected in New Mexico but that the health care community needs to be attentive to every patient's travel history and symptoms. The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS-PLUTONIUM
Lawmakers assured review of nuclear weapons work to be open
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation say they've been assured by U.S. officials that a review of a proposal to ramp up production of key components for the nation's nuclear arsenal will be open and transparent Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan were briefed last week after the National Nuclear Security Administration announced it didn't need to do a more expansive nationwide review of the impacts of building plutonium cores at federal installations in New Mexico and South Carolina. Watchdogs say the site-specific review planned for Los Alamos National Laboratory will fall short of what's needed for such a major undertaking.
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