New Mexico

Ex-state archaeologist says he was fired from MLG admin. for reporting abuse

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A new lawsuit filed by former state archaeologist Eric Blinman claims he was fired this year “in retaliation for reporting to human resources rumors of an ‘illicit sexual affair’ between his boss and a subordinate,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Blinman, who was fired on February 13, 2023, from being chief of the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, claims he was fired for ageist, sexist, and racist reasons. He was supervised by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. Both Lujan Grisham and Garcia y Griego have been named in the case as defendants. 

The lawsuit stems from Blinman reporting a rumor that the cabinet secretary was having an affair with a subordinate in 2022.

“Mr. Blinman believed that the rumor itself had the potential to negatively impact the efficiency” of the department and “was not in keeping with the State’s code of professional conduct,” the lawsuit read.

Blinman’s attorney, Merit Bennett, told the Journal Thursday, “We don’t know exactly what happened, but obviously the confidential reporting was disclosed to Garcia y Griego, who has a friendship with the governor,” noting, “So basically they began to retaliate against Dr. Blinman.”

The former state official alleges that after Garcia y Griego found out about Blinman’s report, which was supposed to stay confidential, then she denied him of his ability to hire the necessary staff to carry out the basic duties of the Office. 

He then filed an official complaint with the New Mexico Office of Human Resources due to the hostile work environment. He was quickly fired. 

“He needed the resources and they basically starve[d] him out,” Bennett said. “Basically, they wanted to get him out of there because he was an older white guy…. That’s the other aspect of this case, that there was a civil rights violation happening at the same time as the whistleblower violation, he said.”

Both Lujan Grisham’s office and Garcia y Griego’s vehemently denied Blinman’s allegations, with the latter claiming there was “sound and carefully considered reasoning” to dismiss the former state archeologist. 

Even the left-leaning public appears to agree with allegations that Garcia y Griego caused a toxic work environment:  

This is certainly not the first time the Lujan Grisham regime has been the target of whistleblower lawsuits, with two former officials previously filing a complaint after being fired for exposing the deletion of data in the state’s Children, Youth, and Families Department — a failing agency that has overseen the deaths of many children while in state custody.

‘Retaliation’: After blowing whistle on Gov. MLG’s CYFD deleting public records, two top officials fired

New Mexico responsible for astonishing amount of all U.S. oil production growth

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According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), New Mexico was responsible for an astonishing 50 percent of all U.S. oil production growth in 2022.

Oilprice.com reports, “For the third year in a row, New Mexico’s oil production growth eclipsed the growth of crude output in any other U.S. state, including Texas, the biggest U.S. oil-producing state and also home to part of the Permian shale basin.”

“Crude oil production in New Mexico jumped by 300,000 (barrels per day) bpd to 1.6 million bpd in 2022, a record for the state, the EIA has estimated.”

EIA’s offices are located in the James V. Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C., via Wikimedia Commons.

Crude oil production declined for the eighth year in a row in California and for the fifth year in a row in Alaska. 

“North Dakota, which had been one of the leading states in oil production growth in the past decade, saw oil production fall for the third consecutive year in 2022,” the report notes.

“The administration forecast in its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) in May that U.S. crude oil production would continue to increase this year and next. Total U.S. crude oil production is set to climb to 12.5 million bpd in 2023 and to 12.7 million bpd in 2024, according to EIA’s most recent estimates.”

The EIA wrote, “More drilling activity leads to more oil production growth, and we follow the number of active drilling rigs reported by Baker Hughes. Based on this data, the number of land rigs increased by 8 in New Mexico, by 100 in Texas, and by 85 in all other states combined in 2022. In 2023, through the first week of May, the number of land rigs decreased in Texas by 8 and increased in New Mexico by 5.” 

Governor’s feeble excuse reignites eco-left’s fury over EV tax credit veto

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At a Thursday POLITICO energy summit in Washington, D.C., far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham attempted to justify her veto of electric vehicle tax (EV) credits to the chagrin of eco-leftist groups.

“These were important but way too small,” Lujan Grisham said of the tax credits. “These benefits were so small, they don’t move the needle. Sometimes when you get something, you don’t get a second bite at it.”

According to the Associated Press, “The state would provide a $2,500 refundable personal income tax credit toward the purchase of an electric vehicle — or up … to $4,000 for low-income residents, with an additional $300 credit for car-charging equipment and installation.” Those provisions died on the governor’s desk.

The dark money eco-left group, the Sierra Club of the Rio Grande Chapter, tweeted, “@GovMLG are you truly saying that you vetoed the electric vehicle tax credit that we’ve all been working on for the last 15 years because it was too small? Those were thousands of EVs for low-income New Mexicans that now won’t have that benefit.”

Others charged the governor with “blowing smoke” with her “bull***t response.” 

The Western Environmental Law Center’s executive director Erik Schlenker-Goodrich tweeted, “Listening to @GovMLG at #POLITICOenergy attempt to explain (unpersuasively) why she vetoed sensible climate tax credits just confirms that her administration, after a promising 1st term, has no climate policy agenda in its 2nd term beyond a word salad.”

Previously, a mirage of eco-leftist and enviro-Marxist groups took out full-page ads in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Albuquerque Journal, and Las Cruces Sun-News ripping the governor over her EV tax credit veto. 

Despite the governor promising to act on EVs early in her first term, “climate change” activists described themselves as “pissed” with the governor’s failures to act upon their agenda.

Climate activists are ‘pissed’ after Lujan Grisham vetoed EV tax credits

TV station shreds Lujan Grisham admin. over CYFD’s horrific failures

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On Thursday, KOAT 7 aired a heartbreaking special investigation detailing the failures of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to protect New Mexico’s children through the Children, Youth, and Families Department.

The 25-minute segment dug deep into the tragedies and avoidable mistakes caused by the “dysfunctional” agency. 

“Target 7 has spent months looking into these cases and searching for solutions as to why children have been placed back into homes, with some ultimately dying,” wrote the network.

It interviewed lawmakers, the attorney general, advocates, parents, law enforcers, and those who have warned about the failures of the catastrophic system that is doing more harm to New Mexico’s children than good.

Following the airing of the segment, state Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) wrote, “KOAT just put @GovMLG on notice. @koat7news had more balls than 90% of our legislators. 

“We introduced solutions – like ombuds and fixing CARA. From now on, if you oppose these bills, the blood is on you,” she continued. 

Bills to reform CYFD died in the 2023 Legislative Session, continuing a broken system that has harmed and killed children.

WATCH: 

Lujan Grisham declares war on federally approved nuclear storage project

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On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham launched a thinly veiled threat about the Holtec International facility that was recently approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Commission OK’d the facility, which will safely store casks of spent nuclear fuel in an interim facility in Eddy and Lea counties.

Holtec International, which has a gleaming reputation for nuclear power and storage, began the approval process for constructing the facility in 2017, gathering widespread support from the region. 

Metropolitan-area Democrats, including Lujan Grisham, have been bemoaning the potential of the safe facility to exist in New Mexico, erroneously claiming it would create a “dumping ground” of nuclear “waste,” spurring the passage of S.B. 53, aiming to stop the facility from being built. There was bipartisan opposition to try and preempt the company from coming to New Mexico.

Sens. Moe Maestas (D-Bernalillo) and Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo), as well as Reps. Ambrose Castellano (D-Ribera), Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), Meredith Dixon (D-Bernalillo), Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), and Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde) joined all Republicans in opposition to the unconstitutional bill.

These safe fuel rods, housed in secure casks, would be transported by rail to the facility on train shipments specifically for storage. The project would account for over 350 new jobs. 

The casks are immune to hurricanes, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and even the impact of a plane crash. There would be no adverse effect on wildlife nor on groundwater, no radiological consequences in the event of a fire, and an inconspicuous design. 

Despite the facts, Lujan Grisham is issuing threats to Holtec International and federal regulators after the project was approved. 

The governor told POLITICO, “I will use every tool in my toolbox” to stymie the project.

“I think other states need to step up. I think other solutions need to step up,” Lujan Grisham said during POLITICO’s first-ever Energy Summit. “And I’ll take it as a compliment. This is a highly scientific state … that does a lot of innovation with two of [the Energy Department’s] national labs right here. But don’t expect us to always do the heavy lifting here.”

The outlet reported, “On Thursday, Lujan Grisham said she supported advanced energy technologies and acknowledged the U.S. should be ‘a little bit more open-minded’ about what technologies fuel the clean energy transition. But she criticized the federal government and Holtec’s process for weighing the risks of nuclear waste storage within her state.”

Immediately following the NRC decision, Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Raúl Torrez fumed about the decision in a joint statement.

“It also undermines the NRC’s alleged commitment to meaningful engagement with stakeholders, as it appears our concerns were wholly ignored and went unaddressed by Holtec and the NRC,” they wrote, despite the lengthy process Holtec took to receive approvals and work with the state and local stakeholders.

NRC’s approval of Holtec project leaves Gov. Lujan Grisham, AG Torrez fuming

Lawsuit targets company for selling ‘New Mexico’ peppers not grown in NM

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In an 11-page filing from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, multiple plaintiffs have sued the Florida-based company Badia Spices, Inc. over the branding of its product “New Mexico Chili” peppers that misleads consumers into thinking the Mexico-grown peppers could be chile from New Mexico.

For consumers to know that Badia chili peppers are grown in Mexico, they would have to visit the company’s website, meaning those who merely view the product’s packaging would not know its country of origin.

“Even if consumers turned the package around they would not be informed the Product is not from New Mexico, because the ingredients identify ‘New Mexican chili’ and the label is not required to disclose its country of origin,” the lawsuit reads.

“New Mexico Chili is deceptively misdescriptive as a name because the Product is not grown in New Mexico.”

“New Mexico Chili is not a name whose market significance is generally understood by the consumer to connote a particular class, kind, type, or style of chili rather than to indicate geographical origin, because New Mexico chili refers to a specific type of chili pepper grown only in New Mexico,” it continues. 

For consumers, the lawsuit alleges, the place of origin is indicative of product quality. Since New Mexico’s chiles thrive from the state’s high altitude, mineral-rich soil, and arid climate, the state’s chiles are “unlike chili peppers grown anywhere else in the world,” the suit says, adding that New Mexico chile is one of the state’s “key” industries.

“New Mexico [chile] is a key industry, employing over 5,000 New Mexicans and putting upwards of a billion dollars into state coffers. However, the past 30 years has seen the number of acres devoted to New Mexico chili decline more than 70%. While drought brought… is one factor, the most significant threat has been lower priced imports of chili from China, India and Mexico.”

“The lawsuit looks to cover all persons in New York, North Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Alaska, and West Virginia who bought Badia ‘New Mexico Chili’ peppers within the applicable statute of limitations period,” according to ClassAction.com.

Read the lawsuit here:

reyes-v-badia-spices-incDownload

Harris praises Lujan Grisham for signing bill harboring criminal abortionists

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On Tuesday, during an event hosted by the group EMILY’s List, which bankrolls pro-abortion female candidates, Kamala Harris addressed the attendees in Washington, D.C.

Harris promoted abortion in the United States and scolded pro-life lawmakers enshrining the right to life in their prospective states after the fall of Roe v. Wade, which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down, citing the justices’ errors in the 1973 decision.

“How dare they attack our healthcare system.  How dare they attack our fundamental rights.  How dare they attack the freedom of the women of America to make decisions about their own bodies,” Harris complained about pro-life states. 

She then promoted Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, saying, “In New Mexico, they reelected Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham — who has signed a bill to protect abortion providers,” referencing S.B. 13 signed by Lujan Grisham that will harbor criminal abortionists in New Mexico who are wanted for extradition to other states. 

Section 4 of the legislation reads, “It shall be a violation of the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act to request from a third party, or for a third party to transmit information related to an individual’s or entity’s protected health care activity with the intent to: . . . (6) deter, prevent, sanction or penalize an individual or entity for engaging in a protected health care activity.” 

Section 9 of the bill expressly exempts from extradition criminal fugitives who commit or conspire to commit illegal abortions, so long as the perpetrator remains in New Mexico during the commission of the crimes. 

Harris continued in her speech, saying, “These extremist so-called leaders are on the attack against our healthcare system as a whole.  They have tried to ban the abortion pill mifepristone,” referencing a dangerous drug used in the chemical abortion process to cut off nutrients to the child in the womb, causing its death. 

A 2021 scientific study found from FDA data between 2000 and 2019 that there were many deaths and adverse medical events directly linked to the use of mifepristone. The researchers found in their research that “[s]ignificant morbidity and mortality have occurred following the use of mifepristone as an abortifacient.”

Currently, New Mexico is at the center of litigation regarding the federal Comstock Act and localities that are aiming to uphold the law, which prohibits the transport of abortion pills and other abortion-related paraphernalia across state lines. Dueling cases across the country are poised to land in the lap of the U.S. Supreme Court, where the nine justices will rule on the future of Comstock.

NM bill to harbor criminal abortionists signed into law

Who was the Farmington shooter? Here’s what we know so far

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Police have released the identity of the Farmington, New Mexico shooter who killed three and injured at least six others as 18-year-old Beau Wilson, a student at Farmington High School who was set to graduate the day after the Monday shooting spree. Police fatally shot Wilson.

Beau Wilson, who killed three and injured at least six in the Monday. May 15, 2023, Farmington mass shooting.

The victims who died from Wilson’s rampage include 97-year-old Gwendolyn Schofield, her 73-year-old daughter, Melody Ivie, and 79-year-old Shirley Voita.

In a Tuesday briefing, Farmington Deputy Police Chief Kyle Dowdy said the shooting in the residential area between Dustin and Ute streets appears “to be purely random and had no specific targets or motives that we can identify at this time.”

Dowdy said Wilson lived at an address in the neighborhood where the shootings took place. However, there was no indication he knew any of his victims.

A 16-year-old friend of the shooter told the Albuquerque Journal that during the shooting, he sent Wilson a Snapchat message about the shooting.

“​​The 16-year-old said he saw a video on TikTok of his friend being shot by officers. He said he knew instantly — by the way Wilson was walking — who it was,” the report noted.

The friend said, “I knew he was going to do something bad, but I didn’t think it was going to be something like that.”

“What he did was wrong,” the teenager said. “But everyone is going to see him as the mass shooter of Farmington, and I’m going to see him as Beau.”

Law Enforcement give Tuesday, May 16, 2023, briefing on Farmington mass shooting carried out by Beau Wilson.

As for a motive of the shooting, police said, “We’ve discovered nothing that leads us to believe that the suspect knew” and “We’re pretty confident in that this was completely random.”

Dowdy noted Wilson had a history of “minor infractions as a juvenile” and was believed to have suffered from an unspecified mental illness but nothing that “would rise on our radar.”

NM Dems exploit Farmington tragedy to resurrect defeated anti-gun bills

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New Mexico’s Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the federal delegation have been going all-in, attempting to politicize the tragic Farmington shooting, which left three dead and six injured. 

New Mexico’s Democrat U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Melanie Stansbury, and Gabe Vasquez led a moment of silence on the House floor, and at the same time, they pushed for anti-gun laws. 

New Mexico’s Democrat state lawmakers who unsuccessfully attempted to ram through extreme anti-gun laws are weaponizing the tragedy to get another shot at passing their extremist legislation.

Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), who proposed a bill banning all firearms with a capacity of more than ten rounds, told the Albuquerque Journal, “I’m hoping my colleagues won’t forget the events in Farmington this week when we meet again.”

Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), who sponsored a similar bill to Cervantes’, said, “It’s just heartbreaking…. As we heal from all of this, it’s ‘what can we do next?’ — that’s where my mindset is.”

“But Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces, said the young age of the shooting suspect in Farmington underscores the need to raise the minimum age to 21 for the purchase of semiautomatic rifles — a proposal she intends to reintroduce,” reported the Journal.

“We will continue to pursue legislation that is about responsible gun ownership,” she claimed. 

While Democrats continue politicizing the deaths of people due to mental illness in order to push anti-gun laws, Republicans say they are focused on fixing the root cause — the mental health crisis. 

Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block announces state Senate run

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On Tuesday, Republican Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block announced his candidacy for New Mexico state Senate in District 12, currently represented by state Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, a Democrat, who is retiring after his current term.

Ortiz y Pino has served in the seat since 2005, and this will be the first time the seat is up for election since the redistricting process. According to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, the seat is composed of a 51.4 percent Democrat and 48.6 percent Republican vote share — a winnable seat for the GOP.

Block, a former 2022 gubernatorial candidate, wrote in a press release, “Since the end of the 2022 election, many of you have asked what my future would look like in our fight to save New Mexico. The answer to this question wasn’t immediately clear, but after many months of prayer, discussions with my family, and encouragement from you, I have some news to share.” 

“I will be launching my campaign as the Republican candidate to represent the incredible people of New Mexico’s Senate District 12. This decision was solidified after it became clear during the 2023 legislative session that the woke left would rather pass policies that help them virtue signal to their small base rather than help hard working New Mexicans.”

He continued, “New Mexicans want and need a fighter in Santa Fe that will stand up for our values of God, family, and freedom. If you know anything about me, then you know I’m not here to make friends—I’ll go head-to-head with the woke left and spineless politicians in the Roundhouse.”

“I will address the fentanyl crisis and drug addiction by using state resources to secure our southern border. I will protect New Mexico’s Second Amendment Rights. I will work to reform our failing education system, INSTEAD of teaching our children taboo gender ideology. I will cut wasteful spending, fight inflation, fight for bail reform to keep criminals off the streets, back our law enforcement by fighting to get their qualified immunity back, support pro jobs and business policies to stop the bleeding of jobs and businesses from New Mexico, introduce voter ID and other election security protocols to ensure election integrity, and reduce taxes to put more money back in your pocket.”

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