Check the date! National Popcorn Day falls on Jan. 19, a celebration of America’s favorite frugal and fabulous snack! Popcorn isn’t just a guilt-free treat; it’s a canvas for culinary creativity. Forget the store-bought microwave versions. I’ve got the scoop on making your popcorn gourmet.

Popcorn is so easy to make. A healthier alternative to packaged processed microwave popcorn is to use an air popper or make popcorn on the stove, with a clever twist from my mom’s playbook.





MOM’S PERFECT POPCORN

Rule of thumb: Each third of a cup of kernels yields approximately 8 cups of popped corn.

Yield: 16 cups

Time: 10 minutes

4 tablespoons of oil - vegetable oil, olive oil...

Management at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital has met its Jan. 15 deadline to meet a list of demands that McKinley County made back in November, averting potential eviction.

Fed up with the lack of information from former management, the county put RMCH on notice that consequences could be dire if the hospital didn’t meet a short list of demands that included greater transparency, some overdue accounting for mill levy funds and producing $1.5 million in back rent.

The notice came on Interim RMCH CEO Bill Patten’s second day on the job and set off a scramble to meet the conditions.

McKinley County Manager Anthony Dimas said he and the county commission are satisfied with the...

The region’s champions began descending on Santa Fe this week to lobby for funding at the state’s month-long legislative session, which started Jan. 16.

It’s an annual ritual of supplication, as local officials and business leaders go with their hands out seeking money for priority projects. Local governments depend on state funding for many local infrastructure projects, which sometimes opens the door to federal matching funds.

The City of Gallup has a tiered list of items it needs, many of them water related. The top tier is large capital projects, starting with $15 million for wastewater treatment plant improvements and $12 million for a reverse osmosis system.

While the...

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Motor Vehicles Division today announced on Jan. 18 it is proposing legislation that will allow it to develop and issue electronic driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Senate Bill 88, sponsored by Sen. Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales of Ranchos de Taos, would authorize the MVD to offer electronic credentials to customers at no additional cost to their physical licenses and identification cards.

“Technology is always changing, and this bill will ensure that New Mexico can be at the forefront of the movement toward electronic licenses,” Gonzales said.

Eight states, including neighboring Colorado and Arizona, currently offer mobile licenses to...