MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

The head of the U.S. Forest Service is suspending planned burning operations to clear out brush and small trees at all national forests while his agency conducts a 90-day review of protocols and practices.

The largest wildfire has charred more than 468 square miles over the last 42 days, and evacuation orders remain in place for some villages.

New Mexico's governor said Tuesday that given the ferocity and swift movements of a record-setting wildfire burning in the northeastern part of the state, the damage will be significant with estimates of burned homes and other structures likely to range between 1,000 and 1,500. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stressed that was only a rough estimate but likely not an exaggeration, saying it's clear to state and federal officials that there are many victims who have lost their homes and have had their businesses affected. “And their families are suffering,” the governor said during a news conference with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell and top state officials.

Major energy producing states from Alaska to Pennsylvania are reaping a windfall from soaring oil and natural gas prices, stoked by the war in Ukraine and the U.S.-led ban on Russian oil imports.

Government budgets are booming in New Mexico: Teacher salaries are up, residents can go to an in-state college tuition-free, moms will get medical care for a year after childbirth, and criminal justice initiatives are being funded to reduce urban violence. New Mexico is the No. 2 crude oil producer among U.S. states and the top recipient of U.S. disbursements for fossil fuel production on federal land. State governments in the nation’s top regions for producing oil, natural gas and coal have by far the highest per-capita reliance on fossil fuels — led by Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska and New Mexico.

New Mexico’s governor is asking for additional federal assistance to respond to wildfires burning across the state’s north, including one that is the second-largest in the state’s history and that officials estimate has destroyed hundreds of homes.

Despite consecutive days of howling winds, New Mexico's governor says there haven't been any reports of widespread damage to homes as a massive wildfire makes its way across the tinder-dry landscape.

Firefighters have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the U.S. in New Mexico as heavy winds relented.

A series of wildfires burning throughout New Mexico has forced thousands of residents to evacuate and destroyed scores of homes.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the request in hopes of freeing up financial assistance for recovery efforts.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is asking President Joe Biden to declare a disaster as firefighters scramble to clear brush, build fire lines and spray water to keep the largest blaze burning in the U.S. from destroying more homes.

Strong winds on Sunday could worsen already severe conditions.

Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished Saturday but remained strong enough to still fan fires. Dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.

Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished Saturday but remained strong enough to still fan fires. Dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.

New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, as Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.

Hundreds of structures were lost in a growing number of wind-driven blazes across drought-stricken New Mexico.

New Mexico 's governor says the state faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season as Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.

Independent federal investigators say there are significant issues related to fire training at the U.S. government’s nuclear waste repository in New Mexico.

New Mexico workplace safety regulators say they have issued the maximum possible fine against a film production company for firearms safety failures on the set where actor and producer Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer in October.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is getting married, and Vice President Kamala Harris has been picked to officiate. Lujan Grisham, who is running for reelection, will be tying the knot with her fiancé Manny Cordova. The couple has been together about 10 years, and Cordova was at her side during an inaugural Mass in Santa Fe before her public swearing in ceremony on Jan. 1, 2019.

The McBride Fire had burned over 5,700 acres as of midday Thursday and was 0% contained.

The McBride Fire had burned over 5,700 acres as of midday Thursday and was 0% contained.

A spike in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic has Democrats eager to show they’re tough on crime ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

New Mexico is bringing sales of recreational marijuana to the doorstep of Texas as the movement toward broad legalization sweeps across more of the American West.

Governors and state lawmakers throughout the U.S. are floating proposals to send checks to help residents cope with soaring inflation at a time when state budgets are bursting with cash.

The investigation into this week’s fiery head-on crash in West Texas now focuses on the revelation that a 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van, killing nine people, including six members of a college golf team and their coach.

Authorities are trying to determine why a pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane on a darkened, two-lane West Texas highway before colliding head-on with a van, killing nine people including six New Mexico college students and a golf coach.

Nine people died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six students and a coach from a New Mexico university who were returning home from a golf tournament, authorities said. A pickup truck crossed the center line of a two-lane road in Andrews County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico state line on Tuesday evening and crashed into a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men's and women's golf teams, said Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has joined a group of governors asking lawmakers to suspend the federal gas tax, a move that would provide some relief for drivers as gas prices soar.

Members of a congressional panel focused on civil rights and liberties are acknowledging that more needs to be done to address the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous, Black and other minority women and girls who are missing in the United States.

The governors of four Rocky Mountain states say they will cooperate on developing ways to make hydrogen more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains.

New Mexico legislators are considering new criminal penalties aimed at protecting state and local judges and their immediate families from threats and the malicious sharing of home addresses and other personal information.

More than 600 sitting senators have died or resigned since the first Congress met in 1789.

New Mexico is short 1,000 teachers, National Guard volunteers now serve as substitute teachers

New Mexico is short 1,000 teachers, National Guard volunteers now serve as substitute teachers

A Republican New Mexico legislator wants movie actors and other film-set professionals to undergo state-sponsored gun-safety training after the death last year of a cinematographer from a gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin.

At least 80 members of the National Guard have volunteered to be substitute teachers after regular teachers have been sidelined due to COVID.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a new initiative to help schools and child care facilities that are experiencing "extreme" staffing shortages. The plan also taps state employees.

New Mexico is asking National Guard troops and state bureaucrats to volunteer to serve as substitute teachers as preschools and K-12 public schools struggle to keep classrooms open amid surging COVID-19 infections.

Governors and state lawmakers are prioritizing climate change as they write their state budgets, devoting money to lowering emissions and guarding against natural disasters such as flood and fire.

The former chief financial officer for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority has filed a whistleblower lawsuit.

From minimum wage increases to animal protection to police accountability to both cutting and increasing taxes a series of new laws are taking effect across the country on Saturday, the first day of 2022.

The big CES gadget convention held annually in Las Vegas is being trimmed from four days to three amid a jump in COVID-19 cases and the withdrawal of some well-known tech presenters.

Dec. 21—Pictures of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with other politicians or everyday people are a regular sight on social media. But here's the tall and the short of it: Some photos of the governor generate a bigger response than others. Such was the case over the weekend when the 4-foot-10 governor posed next to a New Mexico State Police officer who is a towering 7 feet tall. The picture of ...

Former President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch denied the application to block the Covid vaccine rules without comment.

Dec. 21—Pictures of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with other politicians or everyday people are a regular sight on social media. But here's the tall and the short of it: Some photos of the governor generate a bigger response than others. Such was the case over the weekend when the 4-foot-10 governor posed next to a New Mexico State Police officer who is a towering 7 feet tall. The picture of ...

A federal raid on a small household marijuana garden on tribal land in northern New Mexico is sowing confusion and resentment about U.S. drug enforcement priorities on Native American lands, as more states roll out legal marketplaces for recreational pot.

California is among three states now allowing coronavirus booster shots for all adults.

U.S. governors are taking a seat at the table as international leaders gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet's temperature rise.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stopped short of calling for a ban on real guns on film and TV sets. She's planning to question Hollywood leaders on safety reforms.

The film industry and its unions provide guidelines on how to deal safely with prop guns on movie sets.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign has made payments totaling $150,000 to a former campaign staff member who claims she grabbed his crotch after pouring a bottle of water on him.

New York City schools have been temporarily blocked from enforcing a vaccine mandate for its teachers and other workers by a federal appeals judge days before it was to take effect.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants to conserve more of the state's land and water.

Vietnam’s government says it is sending troops to Ho Chi Minh City to help deliver food and aid to households as it further tightens restrictions on people’s movements amid a worsening surge of the coronavirus.

People in New Mexico will be required to wear face masks in all public indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status starting on Friday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday.Why it matters: The spread of coronavirus has "increased dramatically" due to the highly infectious Delta variant and still-unvaccinated populations, Lujan Grisham's office said. State modeling projects that New Mexico will reach 1,000 new cases per day by the end of August.Get market news worthy of your time with

A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger.

Victoria state in Australia is lifting its pandemic lockdown beginning Tuesday, except in the city of Melbourne.

Virgin Galactic has made its highest profile test flight to date with boss Richard Branson aboard.

New Mexico is directing the nation’s biggest chunk of federal coronavirus relief money to helping middle-class families pay for child care.

Oregon and Washington have lifted most of their COVID-19 restrictions to become two of the last states to broadly ease virus orders put in place in the very first days of the pandemic.

Efforts among a handful of states to hold police accountable for brutality and misconduct are expanding as New Mexico opens the door to civil rights lawsuits in state courts against government agencies.

It’s legal for people in New Mexico to possess recreational marijuana and grow those plants at home.

The balloon's pilot was among the dead, and all five victims were believed to have been riding in the hot air balloon, police said.

Six decades after University of California forestry professor Harold Biswell experimented with prescribed burns and was treated with ridicule, he is seen as someone whose ideas could save the U.S. West’s forests and ease wildfire dangers.

He rodeoed in a Buffalo Bill-style Wild West show, carried his message on horseback from the Holy Land to Times Square and was invited to the White House to meet the president.

Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in cities across Brazil as the nation’s confirmed death toll from COVID-19 soared past half a million.

States with the lowest vaccination rates are clustered in the South and the Southwest. But there's one standout, New Mexico, where health officials now say some counties are close to 90% vaccinated.

A swath of southern Missouri is seeing a big rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations at just the wrong time.

Arizona’s state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites, which were touted as a national model, will be shutting down later this month.

Ohio has announced the next winners of its vaccine lottery incentive, including an adult who will take home $1 million and a child who will receive a full college scholarship.

New Mexico is betting bet big that cash can persuade people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, offering the largest single cash prize among the growing number of states staging lotteries to promote inoculations.

New Mexico bet big Tuesday that cash can persuade people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, offering the largest single cash prize among the growing number of states staging lotteries to promote inoculations. Vaccinated residents who register on New Mexico's “Vax 2 the Max” portal can win prizes from a pool totaling $10 million that includes a $5 million grand prize, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced. “Getting vaccinated is the right thing to do — for yourself, for your family and for your state,” Lujan Grisham said.

Democrat Melanie Stansbury has won election to Congress for New Mexico to fill a vacant seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

A special congressional election is testing the pulse of politics in the Albuquerque metro area and a few outlying rural communities at a turning point in the pandemic and economic recovery.

Florida’s major theme parks are adjusting face mask policies after the CDC loosened its recommendations as more people get vaccinated for the coronavirus.

President Joe Biden is highlighting new programs from ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to provide free rides to and from vaccination sites as the pace of vaccination shots nationally declines.

Andrew Cuomo's fellow Democratic governors are speaking out about the sexual harassment claims against the New York leader. The predominantly muted response from Democratic governors shows the uncertainty surrounding Cuomo's fate in politics. Cuomo is also backed by the Democratic Governors Association, a nonprofit political advocacy group that backs many Democratic governors. "The credible allegations of sexual harassment against Governor Cuomo are reprehensible," RGA spokesman Will Reinert told CNBC. "The allegations against Governor Cuomo are serious and warrant a thorough investigation," the governor, Albert Bryan, told CNBC.

New Mexico lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bipartisan coronavirus relief bill that will deliver a one-time $1,200 check to all types of unemployed workers and up to $50,000 for certain businesses. Most of the proposed spending will be made possible by federal relief funding previously assigned to New Mexico, including around $319 million in unspent funds that were expected to expire soon. The statewide unemployment rate was 8.1% in October, well above the 6.9% national rate. The state already owes the federal government $124 million, and that number is expected to grow to $400-500 million by next summer. Tuesday's bill would divert any leftover federal coronavirus relief from the spring to pay down that unemployment debt.

There shouldnt be anyone who says they dont know whats going on with COVID-19, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said during a virtual town hall this week. On Wednesday, the Navajo Nation reported nearly 2,500 confirmed cases and at least 75 deaths more than in all of Utah, where about 60 people have died. Strict weekend curfews have been in place on the Navajo Nation for the last month, with residents only allowed to leave their homes to shop at grocery stores. McKinley County, which includes Gallup and part of the Navajo Nation, accounts for roughly 3 in 10 cases statewide and has one of the highest rates of infection in the country. For many who live on the Navajo Nation, the pandemic has been an unsettling reminder of past outbreaks.

FILE PHOTO: Democratic candidate for governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sits down for a meal at Barelas Coffee House on midterm elections day in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., November 6, 2018. Gallup is the seat of McKinley County, which has 1,027 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths, the highest for any New Mexico county. McKinley County includes part of the Navajo Nation reservation, an area the size of West Virginia with one of the highest per capita COVID-19 fatality rates in the country when measured against states. The spread of #COVID19 in McKinley County is frightful. Physical distancing has not occurred & is not occurring, Lujan Grisham tweeted, after enacting the order at the request of Gallups mayor.

FILE PHOTO: Democratic candidate for governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sits down for a meal at Barelas Coffee House on midterm elections day in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Brian SnyderTAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday issued a statewide stay-at-home order asking residents to remain in their houses to slow the spread of the coronavirus. New Mexico joined at least 12 other states that have issued similar orders, urging around 40 percent of the U.S. population to stay at home.

Cowboys for Trump members in social media posts and in videos had said that the "white sand was from White Sand National Monument." New Mexico Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marisa Maez did not know if the agency gave Cowboys for Trump permission to take sand or if the agency collected sand for the group. "Federal laws and policies prohibit the taking of sand and any resource from within the national monument," White Sands National Monument tweeted from its official account after Griffin posted videos about the sand on social media. The monument cannot sell natural material found in White Sands National Monument or items made from the sand in its gift shop, White Sands National Monument Superintendent Marie Sauter told the Alamogordo Daily News. After Cowboys for Trump posted videos about transporting the sand, the Democratic Party of New Mexico accused the group of violating federal law.

REUTERS/Brian SnyderThe announcements came a week after President Donald Trump said his administration would strip California of the legal ability to regulate vehicle emissions. Minnesota and New Mexico would become the 11th and 12th states to adopt Californias zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the 14th and 15th states to adopt its tailpipe standards. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Wednesday the state planned to adopt the California rules but must first write regulations that would take at least 15 months. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said on Tuesday the state would adopt the standards by the end of 2020. Californias vehicle emissions rules, more stringent than the Trump EPAs rules, are currently followed by states that account for more than 40% of U.S. vehicle sales.