New Mexico

ABQ begins deadly 2023 with first homicide investigation launched

5 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

2022 appeared to be the deadliest year on record in Albuquerque, but 2023 may be looking to rival the previous year with a brand new homicide investigation started on New Year’s Day.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, “Officers responded to reports of a man lying in the street shortly before 5 a.m. in the 7800 block of Central NE, which is near Pennsylvania, said APD spokeswoman Rebecca Atkins in a statement.”

Atkins said, “When officers arrived, the male was deceased and the Homicide Unit was called out to further investigate.”

In 2022, Albuquerque broke its 114 homicide investigation record with 121 homicides in 2021. The city broke its highest homicide record in 2021, and it has only grown since. 

According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data from 2021, New Mexico ranked as the state with the second-highest crime rate in the nation, with crimes affecting 2.19% of the population. 

In 2021, for every 100,000 New Mexicans, law enforcement reported 2,189 crimes against persons or affecting 2.92% of the population. The only state with worse overall crime was Arkansas, with 2,276 crimes per 100,000 people. 

Albuquerque is one of the ten deadliest cities in the United States, according to SafeWise. 

MLG promises more extreme radical left policies at inauguration

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On Sunday, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was sworn in for her second term as New Mexico governor at Santa Fe’s Lensic Performing Arts Center, promising more abortion up-to-birth policies, enviro-Marxism, and expanded social programs focused on “poverty” during a roughly 20-minute speech.

After attending an inaugural Mass held by Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Lujan Grisham’s inaugural festivities commenced. Wester was photographed welcoming the pro-abortion governor to the Mass. He previously refused to deny her the sacrament of the Eucharist, despite her anti-life views and policies.

Lujan Grisham pledged during her inaugural speech to push for codifying abortion up-to-birth in state law, claiming, “Never again for all of time will a woman in the state of New Mexico have anything less than full bodily autonomy and freedom of choice” (code for unrestricted abortion).

She previously signed a bill legalizing abortion up-to-birth and infanticide in 2021 by stripping all protections for women, children, and medical professionals, the latter being forced to perform and refer for ending the lives of children in the womb via abortions. She also signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicides via lethal drug cocktails in the state.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported, “Lujan Grisham said she also plans to continue work started during her first term on early childhood education and care, economic growth and environmental stewardship (enviro-Marxism). She also promised to fight poverty and homelessness by expanding access to affordable housing and free child care.”

She said, “The work is not done, but we have made a good start, and I will not rest until this is a state where the conditions that create generational poverty are a dusty relic of the distant past.”

The scandal-ridden governor, who was narrowly reelected by a mere 52 percent of the vote, charged $1,000 per person to attend her inaugural ball that featured the Lightning Boy Hoop Dancers, Compania Chuscales Flamenco, Mariachi Azteca de Santa Fe, musician Theo Kutsco, and the NM Peace Choir. 

Ex-state Rep. Deborah Armstrong (D-Bernalillo) and failed congressional candidate Victor Reyes both served as co-chairs for the Democrat’s inaugural festivities.

Rep. Herrell’s message to voters of NM’s Second District: ‘I’m not done yet’

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On Friday, Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of New Mexico’s Second District released a statement for the citizens of the District. She narrowly lost reelection to Democrat Gabe Vasquez in the November 8 election after Democrats gerrymandered the congressional map to remove the only Republican-leaning district. Despite that, Herrell came within approximately 1,000 votes of Vasquez.


Herrell wrote in the note to constituents, “Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the US House of Representatives these last two action-packed years.”

“I have endeavored to defend your values, stand up for veterans and first responders, secure our borders, and be a voice for the ranchers, farmers, energy producers, and small businesses who keep our communities running. During my time in Congress, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with countless great patriots in New Mexico, people who are willing to fight for freedom and prosperity.” 

She continued:

These courageous men and women remain strong in hard times and don’t care about what the media or the Washington Establishment says–as long as they’re on the side of truth and justice. 

These patriots are moms and dads, employees and business owners, police and military; some bring the great wisdom and experience of many years, and others have the youthful energy we need to carry the banner of liberty forward to the next generation.

All will play a part in saving our great nation.  

That is why, as I depart Washington and head home to the plains and mountains we know so well, I know the future is in good hands, no matter what challenges lie ahead.

Serving the hardworking families of New Mexico has been my greatest honor, and I’m not done yet. 

Herrell has already filed paperwork for a rematch in 2024, and she has also hinted at a big announcement early next year, which could be her formally jumping in the ring for a bid to return to Congress.

Dems seek to make NM’s minimum wage the highest in the nation

27 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Despite even mainstream news organizations shining a light on the harmful ramifications of the newly increased $12 per hour minimum wage, Democrats in the state legislature are doubling down on their attempts to raise the wage even higher.

State Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), who chairs the New Mexico House Taxation and Revenue Committee, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that she is “introducing a bill to raise the minimum wage to $16 per hour by January 2024, which would be the highest statewide minimum wage in the country.”

The outlet further reported, “Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Albuquerque, also plans to introduce minimum or ‘living wage’ legislation raising it above $15 per hour.”

“Fifteen dollars might not be enough for a living wage,” she said. “Right now I’m leaning toward something higher than $15.”

Currently, the highest minimum wage in the country is in California at $15 per hour.

Mainstream TV station KOAT 7 admitted the extreme dangers of minimum wage increases this week in a report, writing that such policies will result in employers forced to “cut hours, automate tasks and demand more.” 

The station interviewed an associate professor of finance at the University of New Mexico, Reilly White, who said, “As rates increase, that does help a lot of people employed at the minimum wage.” He added, “But, on the other side of it, it does interesting things, particularly to businesses.”

“White says it could also come at a cost to workers. He says some employers might reduce hours, demand more work out of their employees and automate some jobs like grocery store registers,” KOAT reported.

“It affects the types of people hired,” White said. “Another example is employers usually forgo hiring inexperienced workers like teenagers in favor of older, more experienced workers, making it harder for younger people to get a start in the market. So, it’s an interesting dynamic that affects a lot of different things across the workforce.”

“If we would have been $15 [in 2019] and indexing all along, we would be in the neighborhood of $16 now,” Chandler said. “It reflects the reality on the ground. It’s what workers need to earn a living wage. The past bill was a good bill, but it was a compromise that didn’t go far enough.”

The extreme increases in the minimum wage will certainly harm businesses and workers, but the Democrats are intent on pushing these wage hikes at the cost of the business owner and the taxpayer.

The most read Piñon Post stories of 2022

5 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

2022 has been yet another crazy year in New Mexico, with lots of news we have been blessed to cover. Through it all, the Piñon Post has worked overtime to provide New Mexicans with top-notch independent news and conservative opinion for an informed New Mexico. 

This year, we have built an even larger audience, broken important stories, and done even more to represent New Mexicans in our media coverage. Here are the most-read stories of 2022 from the Piñon Post: 

Ex-Spaceport America CFO files suit, claims $200M in fraud by Gov. Lujan Grisham

Ex-Spaceport America CFO files suit, claims $200M in fraud by Gov. Lujan Grisham

APD makes likely biggest drug bust in NM history

APD makes likely biggest drug bust in NM history

As NM burns, MLG flies to D.C. for lavish wedding officiated by Kamala Harris

As NM burns, MLG flies to D.C. for lavish wedding officiated by Kamala Harris

Data analysis appears to show abnormalities in NM election results

Data analysis appears to show abnormalities in NM election results

Chris Edwards, felon and self-dubbed ‘progressive,’ attacks Otero conservatives

Chris Edwards, felon and self-dubbed ‘progressive,’ attacks Otero conservatives

Otero County Commission unanimously approves 2020 election audit

Otero County Commission unanimously approves 2020 election audit

NM House Speaker Egolf does the unthinkable before Election Day

NM House Speaker Egolf does the unthinkable before Election Day

In shocking move, NM House GOP elects all new leadership

In shocking move, NM House GOP elects all new leadership

New Mexico county makes pro-life history

New Mexico county makes pro-life history

PED adopts MLG’s racist CRT standards, demands schools follow or be ‘held accountable’

PED adopts MLG’s racist CRT standards, demands schools follow or be ‘held accountable’

Petition to strip Alamogordo’s pro-life sanctuary resolution fails miserably

Petition to strip Alamogordo’s pro-life sanctuary resolution fails miserably

GOP successfully kills MLG’s pro-election fraud bill by running out the clock

GOP successfully kills MLG’s pro-election fraud bill by running out the clock

All the biggest victories during the 2022 Legislative Session

All the biggest victories during the 2022 Legislative Session

KOAT 7 report admits minimum wage increase harms businesses, workers

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

This Sunday, New Mexico’s minimum wage is set to increase to $12.00 per hour or 50 cents more than the current wage. The new wage will be mandated beginning the first day of the New Year. Despite leftists using increases in the minimum wage to claim it is for social justice reasons, the increase will harm businesses and workers.

Mainstream TV station KOAT 7 even admits it, writing that the increase will result in “cut hours, automate tasks and demand more.” 

The station interviewed an associate professor of finance at the University of New Mexico, Reilly White, who said, “As rates increase, that does help a lot of people employed at the minimum wage.” He added, “But, on the other side of it, it does interesting things, particularly to businesses.”

“White says it could also come at a cost to workers. He says some employers might reduce hours, demand more work out of their employees and automate some jobs like grocery store registers,” KOAT reported.

“It affects the types of people hired,” White said. “Another example is employers usually forgo hiring inexperienced workers like teenagers in favor of older, more experienced workers, making it harder for younger people to get a start in the market. So, it’s an interesting dynamic that affects a lot of different things across the workforce.”

New Mexico Senate Finance Chairman George Muñoz (D-Gallup), a business owner, criticized the wage increase, saying that despite him already paying his workers above the $12 new minimum wage, he is “worried about the future.”

“What’s the next thing? What are they going to tell us?” he said. “So they’re going to say, ‘Well, you know what, we need to do some price controls. We’re going to tell you how much you should charge for your burrito.’” 

According to the IZA World of Labor, “minimum wages reduce employment among low-wage, low-skill workers. Second, minimum wages do a bad job of targeting poor and low-income families. Minimum wage laws mandate high wages for low-wage workers rather than higher earnings for low-income families.”

More companies are automating tasks and cutting staff due to increases in minimum wages, which decrease available jobs and force employers to cut back on critical investments in their businesses.

Heinrich continues his crusade against gas stoves

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In his latest move, Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is once again attacking his most fierce nemesis — the gas stove. You read that right. While New Mexicans struggle to heat their homes and feed their families, Heinrich is passionately joining a crusade of enviro-Marxists working to ban gas stoves. About 35 percent of Americans have gas stoves, according to the Census Bureau. Heinrich wants to make that zero percent.

In a December 22 tweet, Heinrich wrote, “Many people are unaware of the high level of dangerous indoor air pollutants emitted by gas stoves. That’s why I joined @SenBooker and a number of our colleagues in urging the Consumer Product Safety Commission to help protect Americans from these hazards.”

In an attached letter to the tweet, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) write, “In addition to the climate impacts, these emissions represent real health risks to millions of Americans. Both NO2 and PM2.5 are known to exacerbate respiratory conditions. Short-term exposure to NO2 is linked to worsening asthma in children, and long-term exposure has been determined to likely cause the development of asthma. Both pollutants have also been linked to cardiovascular impacts and a range of other adverse health issues. Even low-level CO exposure can exacerbate cardiovascular illness among people with coronary heart disease and other vulnerable populations.”

The lawmakers, including Heinrich, demand the following measures be taken to limit gas stoves:

• Require gas stoves to be sold with range hoods that meet mandatory performance standards, assessing their efficiency of removing the pollutants, 

• Where feasible, issue mandatory performance standards for gas stoves that address steady-state-off leakage, including requiring automatic shut-off valves, 

• Where feasible, issue mandatory performance standards for gas stoves that address the health impacts of hazardous emissions, 

• Require labels on gas stoves that educate consumers about their exposure risks, 

• Launch a public education campaign on the health risks of cooking with a gas stove, and steps that consumers can take to minimize their risk. 

Previously, Heinrich made a big stink about gas stoves, claiming using one was comparable to letting one’s babysitter smoke around a child. 

It’s unclear what Heinrich’s obsession with banning gas stoves is all about, but Heinrich has been on this tear for years. 

In July of 2021, Heinrich wrote on Twitter, “When you trade out your gas stove for an electric one you lower your monthly energy bills, create jobs, and move us closer to a zero-emissions future. And a bill I’ll be introducing would give you money back for doing that. This is how we build a clean energy powered economy.”

Heinrich previously bragged on social media about supposedly electrifying his home, sharing a video of him installing a new heat pump to supposedly save the planet. 

Heinrich has his most unhinged take yet — this time about gas stoves

Biden’s EPA holding January hearings pushing for more enviro-Marxist regs

4 Comments / National, New Mexico, News / By

On January 10th through the 12th, Joe Biden’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding hearings to implement new enviro-Marxist policies aimed at “reducing emissions of methane and other … air pollution from both new and existing oil and gas operations” by “adding proposed requirements for sources not previously covered.”

New Mexico “climate change” believers are already lining up to testify in support of the anti-energy proposal, with claims that more regulation on private oil and gas will help save the planet.

“Melissa Hornbein, senior attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, said to Kiowa County Press that the anti-energy rules will be “a step in improving a draft rule issued by the EPA last year.” Hornbein noted how the rules will be “primarily targeted at reducing venting and flaring.”

Four Corners-area resident Don Schreiber claimed in the report that “the extraction industry shouldn’t be allowed to continue self-reporting on its methane waste – which he described as the ‘fox guarding the henhouse,’  because the true value of royalties owed to the state remain unknown.”

The 288-page “emissions guidelines” text of the rule includes the word “emissions” 730 times.

The proposal would “limit the use of flares for eliminating venting of associated gas from oil wells. The supplemental proposal would require owners or operators to route associated gas to a sales line, use the gas for fuel or another beneficial purpose, or reinject it into a well for enhanced oil recovery. While the November proposal also would have allowed owners and operators to route associated gas to a flare that reduces methane and VOC by 95 percent, the supplemental proposal would allow flaring of the gas only if the owner or operator submits a demonstration, certified by a professional engineer or other qualified individual, that a sales line is not available and other beneficial uses are not feasible for technical or safety reasons.”

A shorter briefing on the new proposed rules can be found here.

The EPA wrote, “EPA will hold a public hearing January 10, 11 and 12, 2023, to provide the public the opportunity to present comments and information on the Agency’s to reduce methane and other harmful pollutants from oil and natural gas operations.”

More information regarding public comment can be found here.

NM Supreme Court to hear case against Dems’ gerrymandered maps in January

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On January 9, 2023, the New Mexico Supreme Court will hear arguments in the suit brought by the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) against the Democrats’ congressional maps, according to reports. The map drawing came after the 2020 Census required by law that reapportionment of district boundaries happen based on population.

RPNM is suing after Democrats rammed through extreme partisan gerrymandered maps last December that shifted the congressional map extremely in their favor. In the Second Congressional District, represented by GOP Rep. Yvette Herrell, the gerrymandering swung the seat from favoring Republicans by 14 points to now favoring Democrats by four points, according to FiveThirtyEight. That made Democrat Gabe Vasquez narrowly win the seat in the November 8 election.

The lawsuit claims Democrats illegally designed the new map to damage the reelection chances of the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, which now has proven to be an accurate assertion following the November 8 General Election.

The “drafters intentionally ‘cracked’ Republicans in southeastern New Mexico, thereby substantially diluting their votes,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that Democrats intentionally split communities of interest for political gain.

The Democrat-drawn map, which was originally made by the dark money George Soros-funded group the “Center for Civic Policy” (CCP), achieved the partisan gerrymander by plunging the Democrat-dominated South Valley of Albuquerque into the Second District while putting more conservative areas such as Hobbs and Roswell in the First and Third Congressional Districts.

In April, District Judge Fred Van Soelen of Clovis ruled it was too late to hear the case due to the approaching June 7, 2022, primary election. That has sent it to the state Supreme Court, which has taken the case. All five members of New Mexico’s fully Democrat Supreme Court either have been supported by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who signed the maps into law, or were appointed by the governor. 

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Roswell’s Democrat Mayor Tim Jennings, State Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice), and a group of Republican voters. 

Leftist groups caught offering $50 bribes for testimony backing partisan redistricting maps

Sen. Luján hints at higher ambitions while promoting Hispanic Dems

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On Friday, the Washington Post published an article claiming New Mexico is “a model” for Democrats to win elections, pointing to the Hispanic Democrats elected statewide and in the composition of the state Legislature.

First-term Sen. Ben Ray Luján, who was elected on the coattails of his father, former state representative and Speaker of the New Mexico House Ben Luján, claimed Democrats “showed up in places that Republicans usually don’t have to worry about showing up.” He claimed, “It’s how I was raised. It’s how dad did it. It was part of our strategy when we were successful before — you need to go talk to folks.”

The senator, who was previously the assistant House speaker, never showed up in New Mexico during most of his congressional tenure. Instead, in election years such as 2018, he wasn’t even spotted on Election Day in the state, opting to be in Washington, D.C., with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

In the article, Democrats tried to paint New Mexico as the model for other states to elect Democrats, with state Rep. Javier Martínez (D-Bernalillo) claiming the recent tenure of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez from 2011 to 2019 was a fluke. He said Martinez was able to “break through the ranks and able to appeal to a wider range of voters.” He said now that Republicans’ “nominees have been candidates that do not relate to large enough numbers of voters.”

Luján hinted in the article at his own ambitions to run for Senate leadership, taking after former Sen. Dennis Chavez. 

The Washington Post article noted, “The first Hispanic senator, Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, a Republican, was elected in 1928. The second was Dennis Chavez, a Democrat, who Luján said he tries to emulate, a sign that his goal is moving into Democratic leadership. Chavez was the fourth ranking Democrat when he died in office in 1962.” 

Others claim Republicans running in New Mexico are “extremists,” and that is how they have not been able to win in recent years, despite recent nominees, such as Mark Ronchetti for governor, being moderate. 

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