By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Morning, folks. It’s Wednesday, and we are crossing our fingers (and our toes) that the National Weather Service’s storm forecasts come to pass and somehow manage to deliver enough rain to squelch ongoing fires while not causing any more flooding damage. On the fire front, the Frijoles Fire burning in the Pecos Wilderness, as of last night, had grown to 12,887 acres with 13% containment. Officials reported yesterday that firefighters had made “good progress constructing fireline and extinguishing hot spots along the western flank, supported by successful retardant drops that helped slow the fire’s spread.” Officials held a community meeting on the fire last night, which you can view here. You’ll find even more news to start your day below, with more to read (and more on the way) at sourcenm.com. Thanks for being here!
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left) speaks with Mewbourne Oil Company CEO Ken Waits on Tuesday during a visit to a Mewbourne oil production facility in Hobbs, New Mexico, as part of his “Great American Energy Comeback Tour.” (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)
U.S. Energy Secretary Wright says New Mexico has ‘room to grow’ amid oil, gas boom
During a visit to Hobbs on Tuesday, United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that New Mexico, already the nation’s second highest oil-producing state, still has even more to offer as President Donald Trump seeks to boost domestic energy production. Source’s Patrick Lohmann reports on Wright’s visit.
Former Democratic Party of New Mexico Secretary Brenda Hoskie, second from right, poses for a photo with Chair Sara Attleson, Vice Chair Cam Crawford and former Treasurer Julie Rochman. (Courtesy photo)
Former Democratic Party of New Mexico official says party leaders broke rules to force her out
Source’s Joshua Bowling reports on a new lawsuit from former Democratic Party of New Mexico Secretary Brenda Hoskie that alleges top party officials wrongfully pushed her out of the position after she voiced concerns about “discrimination against Navajos” within the party.
A view from a lookout tower in the Gila National Forest in an undated photo. Nearly a quarter of the Gila National Forest could lose protections from logging and road construction if the United States Department of Agriculture repeals the “Roadless Rule.” (Photo Courtesy Gila National Forest)
Trump administration advances plan to rescind protections for nearly 45 million wild acres
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday filed a rule to rescind “in its entirety” the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits road construction, logging and mining on about 30% of lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, mostly in forested areas of the West. Rollins announced the agency’s intentions last year during the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Santa Fe.
Angel Martinez, director of Abundant Harvest Food Pantry in Carlsbad, says when a disruption in federal food assistance occurs, more people show up seeking help. (Photo by Jonny Coker/Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative)
Demand climbs at southern New Mexico food pantries as federal food aid shrinks
Jonny Coker reports, for the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative, of rising need in communities such as Carlsbad and Ruidoso, where food banks are seeing increased demand amid cuts to federal food assistance programs.
ICYMI
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