The New Mexico Forestry Division sent out a press release on Sept. 22 with updates about wildfire conditions around the state. They shared an update on one fire that is requiring the attention of local, state, and federal resources.

he Alien Fire was discovered on Sept. 22 at 2:30 pm and is located on the Creston Ridge just west of Las Vegas, N.M. The fire is burning in timber and grass and is exhibiting crowning and torching behavior. The fire is estimated at 65 acres and is 0% contained.

Heavy equipment crews are constructing fire line on the eastern flank. Structures are threatened within the fire’s one-mile radius.

Crews are responding from Forestry Division, the U.S. Forest...

Interstate

I-40, mile marker 44, Coolidge Interchange

El Terrero Construction, LLC has switched traffic to the eastbound lanes.  Eastbound has two lanes open and westbound is reduced to one lane via median crossover detour.  Speed reduced to 55 mph through the work zone.  The contractor’s work hours are 7 am to 6pm, weekdays.

All traffic control will remain in place 24 hours per day, seven days per week.  Peak travel times are Thursdays through Sundays from 2 pm to 9 pm. To avoid delays due to backups, please travel during off-peak travel times.

I-40, mile marker 9.290-15.950, Gallup Port of Entry to West Gallup

Fisher Sand & Gravel continues roadway rehabilitation work...

Adjusting budgets to salvage rural health care

Health care is one area of life where one size does not fit all. That can be a real problem for small, rural communities like McKinley County, which rely on local hospitals for a full range of care – some of which isn’t available locally.

Fixing the situation won’t be easy and it’s going to take commitment, a panel of local providers told a community audience Sept. 10 at an event sponsored by Community Health Action Group.

Attendees were treated to a screening of the activist film American Hospitals: Healing a Broken System, which asks the question: “How can we incentivize hospitals to provide the highest quality care with the...

Welcoming a new family member into a home or taking care of a partner or elder is demanding under the best of circumstances, but it’s doubly difficult for workers who have to do their regular jobs all day, then provide care in between workdays.

The Southwest Women’s Law Center is getting behind efforts to pass a state Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, holding listening sessions around the state to take the temperature of residents and employers and gather comments to refine a bill for the 2024 legislative session. The same bill died in a House committee last year, but advocates are hoping for a better reception in the next session.

The bill would require workers to pay $5 per...