USDA extends program due to COVID pandemic

SANTA FE — New Mexico school children will eat for free through December under a decision announced Aug. 31 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Schools may continue serving free meals to all children through the end of the year or until funding runs out, the federal agency said in a news release. This reverses an earlier decision to end the free summer feeding program when schools resumed in the fall.

“This is a huge relief for many New Mexico families who might not qualify for free meals, but are still facing hard times because of this pandemic,” Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said. “Now feeding their children is one...

A group of local leaders touted New Mexico’s work towards addressing climate change during a recent webinar on public health and climate change. But speakers such as Speaker of the House Brian Egolf, a Santa Fe Democrat, and New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Kathyleen Kunkel tip-toed around the state’s recent record oil production and its contribution to climate change.

Fossil fuel combustion is the chief driver of carbon dioxide emissions that are causing climate change. While many states have begun transitioning to renewable energy sources to replace coal, oil and natural gas, New Mexico is the only state to adopt a 100 percent clean energy mandate while also producing...

SANTA FE – A state COVID-19 relief fund launched at the outset of the pandemic in New Mexico contributed an additional $500,000 to food banks and pantries statewide on Aug. 14.

The All Together NM Fund, launched by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in collaboration with the New Mexico Coalition of Community Foundations, distributed the last rounds of funds to 39 food banks and food distribution sites serving communities in all 33 counties in the state.

The recipients are Roadrunner Food Bank, The Food Depot, The Community Pantry, ECHO Food Bank, The Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, La Mesa Presbyterian Church, St. Felix Pantry, Bethel Community Storehouse, Belen Food Pantry, Las Casas...

ALBUQUERQUE — District Court Judge James O. Browning ordered Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to place the name of Stephen Curtis on the General Election ballot. Curtis is running for Position 2, Court of Appeals. Judge Browning found on Aug. 17 that Curtis “surpassed the threshold of 230 votes for a write-in candidate to qualify for the 2020 General Election ballot….”

The status of Curtis’ campaign had been up in the air, due to the underreporting of votes for him by the county clerks of Bernalillo, Doña Ana and Sandoval counties. Curtis, together with the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, subsequently sued Oliver for ignoring their requests to convene the...