ALBUQUERQUE — Despite some improvements in several of the national 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book indicators, New Mexico continues to rank 50th in the nation on child well-being. This is the fourth year the state has ranked at the very bottom for child well-being, having ranked 50th in 2013, 2018, and 2019.

The Data Book, which is put out every year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, looks at 16 indicators of child well-being that track economic, education, and health issues, among others, then ranks the 50 states accordingly. Although the annual report uses the most recent data available, most of the data for this edition are from 2018 – so it does not reflect the current pandemic and...

In the past 40 years, the worst human pandemics and epidemics — HIV, SARS, avian flu, swine flu, Ebola and Zika — all stemmed from trading or consuming animals and destroying their habitat.

The solution couldn’t be clearer: Ban wildlife trade to reduce disease risk and save animals from overexploitation.

Tell Congress to block trade now to save wildlife and help prevent future pandemics.

Zoonotic diseases are spread from animals, usually vertebrates, to humans — and approximately 70% of these diseases come from wildlife.

The United States is one of the world’s top importers of wildlife, responsible for an estimated 20% of the global wildlife market. Getting a handle on...

Rather than cancel the annual New Mexico Economic Development Course in the face of COVID-19, organizers are pleased to announce the “Basic Course,” as it’s colloquially known, will be delivered online in 2020.

Students will begin the six-week course in mid-July via Zoom. Lectures, discussions, and case studies will be conducted remotely and over a longer time frame than in previous years, allowing people who couldn’t attend in person in the past to participate from their office or home.

Like many conferences and other congregate events scheduled this year, basic economic development courses have been canceled across the country due to the pandemic. New Mexico’s economic...

Here in New Mexico, as across the nation, the economic effects of COVID-19 are making a significant impact on the people of our state, and the results could be particularly damaging for vulnerable New Mexicans. As the economic downturn continues to haunt us, people are suffering.

History tells us that when people feel the effects of a downturn, it leads to legal problems, such as evictions, foreclosures, debt collections, loss of benefits, and a rise in domestic violence. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating high unemployment and a slow comeback for businesses, it is clear to us at the Supreme Court and me personally as a Supreme Court Justice, that a wave of new civil legal cases is on...