By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Happy Friday, everyone! Another busy week has come and gone, with news of inflation, housing and environmental concerns, among many other stories, awaiting below. Our weekend will continue to be news-packed, as we fan out to cover tonight’s debate in the 2nd Congressional District race and tomorrow’s expansion of locations for early voting (you can find those here), alongside No Kings activities across the state. Keep up with all of that at sourcenm.com, or wait for this newsletter bright and early Monday morning. If you missed any stories this week, we’ll have the weekend roundup tomorrow (not receiving the roundup? It’s free too. Sign up here). As always, thanks for reading.
Aerial photos taken on June 26, 2026, show construction progress for Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center project planned for southern New Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Reynaud, Food & Water Watch, with aerial support provided by LightHawk)
Oracle says it will cut Project Jupiter emissions after New Mexico org seeks to toss permit case
With an air quality permit hearing still pending, Oracle Corporation on Thursday announced plans to cut emissions from the southern New Mexico Project Jupiter data center’s proposed power source by 35%. The corporation’s announcement followed a request from environmental advocates on Wednesday that the hearing officer presiding over the pending air quality permit toss the case, Source’s Joshua Bowling reports.
A construction worker hoses down the stucco at a newly constructed home in the Mesa Del Sol development in southeastern Albuquerque on July 13, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Prokop for Source NM)
New Mexico Office of Housing details affordable housing ‘mismatch’ along with $97M funding request
Leaders of the New Mexico Office of Housing this week released the results of a new analysis showing how the state’s existing housing supply shortchanges most low- and medium-income residents, along with a breakdown of close to $100 million in funding it plans to request next year. Source’s Patrick Lohmann looks at that analysis, including the finding that 65% of affordable housing across the state is owned by people who could afford more expensive dwellings based on their incomes.
New Mexico lawmakers on the interim Investments and Pensions Oversight Committee this week reviewed a proposal from the Public Employees Retirement Association that would increase the cost-of-living adjustment for state retirees to 1.5%. (Photo by Matthew Mondschein/Source NM)
New Mexico lawmakers grapple with proposal to help retirees combat soaring inflation
Source’s Matthew Mondschein reports that amid rising inflation, the New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association this week went before state lawmakers and proposed a $250 million appropriation for ‘short term’ cost-of-living adjustment relief for retirees.
From left to right, New Mexico Dream Center Executive Director Shelley Repp, state Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque), New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, Unica Behavioral Health interim CEO Tracy Townsend and Unica Behavioral Health Forensic Interviewer Supervisor Camille Bowens, on Thursday announced two legislative proposals to increase criminal penalties for sex traffickers and to empower survivors. (Photo by Joshua Bowling/Source NM)
New Mexico AG, Dem lawmaker announce legislative proposals to empower human trafficking survivors
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and state Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque) stood alongside advocates for human trafficking survivors Thursday morning to announce a pair of legislative proposals they say will be a key step toward fixing the state’s outdated victim protections. Source’s Joshua Bowling reports the legislation also is intended to close the loophole that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to forego registering as a sex offender in the state.
ICYMI
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We're reading about Portales’ peanut festival this weekend.
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