By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
TGIF, folks. Time flies when the news doesn’t stop. Thursday was a busy one, with stories on the Trump administration’s push to roll back protections for Chaco Culture National Historical Park, more news on the controversial Project Jupiter data center and a critical assessment from the state auditor on local governments’ spending of funds intended to address the opioid epidemic. You’ll find those stories and several others below (including a report on last night’s speech by President Donald Trump, along with a response from NM Democratic U.S Sen. Martin Heinrich), and even more to read at sourcenm.com. As always, thanks for being here.
Pueblo Bonito, constructed by Ancestral Pueblo People a millennia ago, as seen from the air on Sept. 14, 2025. (Photo by Danielle Prokop/Source NM)
New Mexico advocates, elected officials decry federal proposal to curtail Chaco Canyon protections
The Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday began a two-week public comment period for its proposal to roll back or completely undo Biden-era protections against oil and gas operations near Chaco Culture National Historical Park, prompting outcry from environmental advocates and members of New Mexico’s federal delegation.
A new report from the New Mexico State Auditor’s Office examines how local governments have spent roughly $115 million in opioid settlement funds between 2023 and 2025. (Douglas Sacha/Getty Images)
New Mexico local governments lag in spending opioid settlement funds, new report finds
More than three years after New Mexico counties and towns received the first installments of a nearly $1 billion opioid settlement, almost half of them had failed to report any spending by July of last year, according to a new report from the New Mexico State Auditor’s Office. Source’s Patrick Lohmann talked with State Auditor Joseph Maestas about potential next steps to address the issue.
New Mexico Public Education Department officials told lawmakers on July 15, 2026, about early signs of success for students participating in the Guaranteed Payment for Attendance Program. (Photo via Getty Images)
New Mexico education officials report fund supporting unhoused students showing early results
A New Mexico Public Education Department program that pays high school students experiencing homelessness to attend school is showing early positive results, according to officials. In the past school year, 81% of the participating students graduated, an approximate 20% graduation rate increase for unhoused students compared with the prior year, Deputy Secretary of Special Education Jill Vice told state legislators on Tuesday.
Photos submitted to the New Mexico Environment Department as part of Project Jupiter’s air quality permit application include documentation of public notices for the permit posted in April at the project’s construction site and businesses in Santa Teresa. (Photos via NMED)
New Mexico land commissioner blocks Project Jupiter-related pipeline from building on state land
Source’s Joshua Bowling reports New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard, a Democratic contender for lieutenant governor, this week again shot down a proposal to build part of a natural gas pipeline for the controversial Project Jupiter data center on state land. Bowling also reports that a hearing has been set for the data center’s air quality permit application.
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We're catching up on (and gifting) the New York Times’ coverage of Roswell’s annual UFO festival (highlighting attendees’ ongoing frustration over lack of government disclosure).
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