By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Happy Labor Day, everyone. We’ll keep it short and sweet so we can all get back to not working. We’ve got a handful of stories for you below, including Sunday’s brouhaha over the suggestion that New Mexico needs a new name. You’ll find even more to read at sourcenm.com. See you tomorrow!
P.S. As promised, a photo from Friday night’s 102nd Zozobra in Santa Fe, pre-burn.
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard on Friday signed an executive order that bans all new uranium mining projects on state trust lands. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)
New Mexico land commissioner announces uranium mining ban on state trust lands
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard on Friday signed an executive order that bans all new uranium mining projects on the more than 13 million acres of state trust lands she oversees. Source’s Patrick Lohmann reports on the announcement and its implications.
Local, state and federal authorities have all demanded transparency from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration following whistleblowers’ allegations that its agents knowingly let fentanyl — pictured above after an April, 2025, drug bust — flow into New Mexico. (Photo courtesy U.S. District Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico)
New Mexico delegation seeks broader probe of claims that federal agents let fentanyl into the state
New Mexico’s congressional delegation signed a letter on Friday asking a federal government watchdog to broaden the scope of its investigation into allegations that drug enforcement agents knowingly let fentanyl shipments cross into New Mexico.
The New Mexico Supreme Court denied a push to place two replacement Democratic candidates on the Nov. 3 general election ballot after candidates abruptly withdrew from the race. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)
New Mexico Supreme Court denies Democrats’ push to put 2 replacement candidates on November ballot
Source’s Joshua Bowling reports on the New Mexico Supreme Court’s ruling blocking two Democrats — in state House Districts 4 and 23 — from appearing on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
President Donald Trump on Sept. 6, 2026, posted on Truth Social images and text that proposed renaming New Mexico, prompting immediate pushback from Democratic officials. (Screenshot)
New Mexico officials reject Trump post proposing state name change
New Mexico Democratic elected officials quickly denounced a Sunday post on Truth Social by President Donald Trump that proposed, visually, changing New Mexico’s name to New America. “Oh hell no,” U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, wrote. “Our state’s name carries generations of history, culture, and family—and it belongs to us. We’re New Mexicans. Period.”
ICYMI
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We're reading (and gifting) a Washington Post obituary for Mary Tsingou Menzel, who played a key role in a physics experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
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