KSFR News

Student loan borrowers in New Mexico and other states could see one-time taxes owed to the IRS double or even triple now that forgiven debt is again considered taxable income. A new report shows how a 2021 federal tax policy excluded from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' or H.R.1, will land for roughly two to three million borrowers. 

--

The U.S. Department of Agriculture closed its online comment period last week for the proposed removal of the Roadless Rule. The 2001 law established protections for millions of acres of national forest by prohibiting road construction and timber harvesting. The rule currently protects over one and a half million acres of New Mexico forest.

Congratulations, you’ve made it through another week. If you didn’t have time to keep up with the news this week, KSFR has got you covered. 

Here’s a look back at a few of the stories we’ve been following- this week

A new investigation from Capital & Main shows that climate change, water demands and oil and gas development are threatening the future of the Pecos River. 

The state expects the river's water supply to decline by at least a quarter over the next 50 years. Hannah Riseley-White is the director of the state's Interstate Stream Commission. She said that one factor is decreasing snowpack in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, home to the river's headwaters. Last winter's snowpack was especially concerning. 

--

A New Mexico lawsuit against the Trump administration faced a setback earlier this month. The federal government announced it will waive New Mexico water code so it can continue drilling wells to support border wall construction. 

AI data centers have dominated headlines in recent months and Southern New Mexico is home to the nation’s most expensive data center project to date—Project Jupiter. The project has spurred protests and numerous controversies around the state. Several counties and cities have enacted moratoriums on data center developments until regulations can catch up with the quickly developing industry. State legislators plan to introduce a statewide moratorium. But the outcome of the race for governor will dictate the future of that plan.

--

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez is leading a coalition of 25 states pushing back against potential changes to the Head Start program. The Trump administration has proposed changes to performance standards and administrative costs and wants to impose English-only instruction.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Kalshi in June. Torrez joined with several Tribes and Pueblos in another suit -- claiming that prediction markets violate Tribal gaming compacts and federal law. And new reporting from investigative news site OpenSecrets shows that Kalshi is spending millions to fight state regulations. 

--

Food safety is emerging as a potential political issue ahead of the midterms following multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and recalls of imported meat. Public News Service’s Roz Brown reports that New Mexico is expanding its safety testing. 

Early voting at county clerks' offices around the state begins today. Additional early voting locations will open up on October 17 and Election Day is November 3 this year.

Races on the ballot in Northern New Mexico include the 3rd Congressional District. Republican state Representative Martin Zamora is challenging incumbent Teresa Leger Fernandez. Also at the federal level, Democrat Ben Ray Lujan faces Republican Larry E. Marker in the race for U.S. Senate. 

--

Republican candidate for governor Greg Hull announced his plan to incrementally eliminate New Mexico’s state income tax at a press conference on Monday morning. 

"Step one would give tax relief to more than 50% of all New Mexicans. 50% just in the first step, and we will carefully move into step two," he said. 

President used an endorsement video for Greg Cunningham as a chance to double down on his call to rename New Mexico "New America."

The endorsement comes just days before early voting starts on Tuesday. Greg Cunningham is the Republican running against Democratic incumbent Gabe Vasquez in New Mexico's competitive 2nd US Congressional district. 

 --

Early voting starts on Tuesday and reporter Bernadette Lauritzen has some tips from one county election official.

The Santa Fe City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that prohibits the use of city property for federal immigration enforcement. That means that ICE and other agencies are not allowed to use city structures or venues for things like staging or processing detainees. We'll hear from a man recently detained by ICE who spoke in favor of the bill.

--

State Republican lawmakers are once again raising red flags about Democratic House Representative Andrea Romero. Romero is the chair of the Survivors' Truth Commission, the bipartisan group investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Zorro Ranch. Commission member Andrea Reeb said in a press release Wednesday that Romero used the Commission's PR firm to conduct background research on the commission members. 

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that will allow expansion of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. New Mexico Democrat Martin Heinrich sponsored the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2026. The bill is the latest effort to transfer land and buildings from the former Albuquerque Indian School campus to the Pueblos that manage the cultural center. 

--

The MacArthur Foundation announced its newest class of fellows this week and Santa Fe-based poet Layli Long Soldier is among the 20 grant recipients. Long Soldier is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and has taught at Diné College and Texas State University. In her 2017 poetry collection Whereas, Long Soldier repurposed text from congressional statements, newspaper articles and historical studies. 

Nonpartisan think tank Think New Mexico released a new policy report over the weekend pushing for reforms to the state's legislative ethics laws. It points to loopholes that allow dark money to influence lawmakers and loose restrictions for legislators and lobbyists. 

 --

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates in mid-September and mortgage rates and long-term bond yields have already bumped up as a result. University of New Mexico finance professor Reilly White expects businesses to slow down on hiring as well.