By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, folks. We are at Wednesday already, ahead of a long Labor Day weekend. Let’s see how much news we can pack in, shall we? Yesterday brought developments on some of New Mexico’s top stories (data centers, Epstein commission), as well as important news about rising premium costs on the state health insurance exchange. We have all that and more below, with additional stories to read and more on the way at sourcenm.com. Thanks for being here!
New Mexico Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), pictured on Aug. 5, 2026, said a recent letter from state Attorney General Raúl Torrez advising district attorneys not to hire sitting state lawmakers was an “attempt to disrupt” her work leading the state House investigatory subcommittee on Jeffrey Epstein. (Photo by Danielle Prokop for Source NM)
State Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), who leads the House’s investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Tuesday announced she had resigned from her job with a local district attorney amid mounting criticism. Romero’s announcement follows Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s letter issued earlier this week to DAs telling them not to hire sitting state lawmakers, Source’s Joshua Bowling reports.
The New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance announced Tuesday it had approved an average premium increase of 24.4% beginning in 2027 for those who purchase healthcare insurance on BeWell, the state’s insurance marketplace. (Photo courtesy BeWell)
Citing inflation and rising health care costs, the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance on Tuesday announced that it had approved a 24.4% average premium increase on BeWell, the state’s health insurance marketplace, Source’s Patrick Lohmann reports.
United States Agriculture Department officials on Monday announced that New Mexico can lift inspection requirements for those traveling with livestock outside of a southeast New Mexico “infested zone,” first established in June to prevent a New World screwworm outbreak. (New World screwworm photo courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture; cattle photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)
United States Agriculture Department officials announced Monday that New Mexico no longer needs to maintain a restricted “infested zone” in the southeast corner of the state aimed at preventing a New World screwworm outbreak.
New Mexico residents on Aug. 21, 2026, protested a pending air quality permit application for the Project Jupiter data center. A new report found water usage could soar if every planned data center built out. (Photo by Danielle Prokop for Source NM)
New Mexico state legislators serving on the interim Water and Natural Resources Committee heard some projections this week on the impact data centers could have on the state’s water supplies. According to one analyst, if every planned data center comes to fruition, the industry’s current annual 500 million gallons of water use could soar to 23.6 billion gallons.
ICYMI
Thanks for reading!
We're watching the New Mexico segment of CNN Travel’s Route 66 special.
Thanks for reading Direct From the Source. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.