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Elementary students sit at desks while a teacher leads a lesson at the front of a classroom.
WNMU Featured

WNMU teacher preparation programs earn ‘A+’ grades for reading instruction

Two Western New Mexico University teacher preparation programs earned “A+” grades in a national review of how future educators are trained to teach reading.

Organ Mountain News
A flyer announces a trauma-informed breathwork and acupuncture fundraiser July 19 at Dwell Yoga in Las Cruces.
Community Featured

Breathwork and acupuncture fundraiser planned for July 19 at Dwell Yoga

A trauma-informed breathwork and acupuncture fundraiser is planned July 19 at Dwell Yoga in Las Cruces.

Organ Mountain News
NM State women’s basketball player Emma Christiano holds the ball during a game.
Aggie Women's Basketball Featured

Conference USA slate set for NM State women’s basketball in 2026-27

NM State women’s basketball will open Conference USA play Jan. 2 at FIU before making its first trip to Missouri State two days later.

Emilio Garcia
A DACC instructor demonstrates a construction technique to several students gathered around a workbench during a building construction lab.
DACC

DACC building construction program earns national reaccreditation

Doña Ana Community College's Building Construction Technology Program has earned three more years of NCCER accreditation, allowing students to receive nationally recognized construction credentials.

Organ Mountain News
Members of the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe stand outdoors holding long ceremonial staffs in a desert landscape.
Art

Branigan Cultural Center to feature Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe exhibit

The Branigan Cultural Center will feature the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe in a rotating exhibit from July 18 through Oct. 10.

Organ Mountain News
Silhouette of an oil pumpjack against a red-orange sunset.
Environment

One abandoned New Mexico oil well cost $5M to plug. The state just sealed 114

New Mexico plugged a record 114 orphan oil and gas wells in fiscal year 2026, including costly cleanup work aimed at reducing pollution and protecting groundwater.

Organ Mountain News
NM State men’s basketball coach Jason Hooten speaks into an ESPN microphone during a courtside interview.
Aggie Basketball

Conference USA slate set for NM State men’s basketball in 2026-27

NM State men’s basketball will open Conference USA play Dec. 31 against FIU as the league returns to an 18-game home-and-home format.

NM State Athletics
An aerial view shows the Project Jupiter data center construction site amid desert terrain in Doña Ana County on June 26, 2026.
Project Jupiter

New Mexico AG to investigate ‘alleged fraudulent’ letters supporting Project Jupiter data center

New Mexico Attorney General RaĂșl Torrez opened an investigation into allegedly fraudulent public comments supporting Project Jupiter’s air quality permit.

Joshua Bowling
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez gestures while speaking with a hiker in a burned area of the Gila National Forest on July 10, 2026.
Outdoor Spaces

Vasquez says Forest Service cuts threaten wildfire readiness, public lands in Gila

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez toured part of the Gila National Forest on July 10, raising concerns about Forest Service staffing cuts, wildfire readiness and trail maintenance.

Organ Mountain News
Floral graphic reading “3rd Annual LatinĂ© in Leadership Awards” in burgundy, teal and gold lettering.
Community

Nominations open for 2026 Latinés in Leadership Awards

The Latinés in Leadership Awards are accepting nominations through Sept. 11, with honors spanning business, education, public service, STEM, agriculture and community advocacy.

Organ Mountain News
Multiple light poles stand above a Las Cruces park with trees, buildings and the Organ Mountains in the background.
Public Safety

Las Cruces police warn of copper wire thefts from light poles, construction sites

Las Cruces police are asking residents to report suspicious activity near light poles and construction sites after roughly 100 copper wire thefts since November.

Organ Mountain News
Portraits of Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray LujĂĄn, Melanie Stansbury, Gabe Vasquez and Teresa Leger FernĂĄndez arranged side by side.
National

New Mexico delegation presses DEA over reports agents let fentanyl shipments continue

New Mexico's congressional delegation is demanding answers from the DEA after reports that agents allowed millions of fentanyl pills to continue circulating during criminal investigations.

Organ Mountain News
A DACC manufacturing student wearing safety glasses operates a milling machine surrounded by metal shavings.
DACC

DACC receives $15,000 grant for manufacturing scholarships

Doña Ana Community College received a $15,000 Gene Haas Foundation grant to provide scholarships for students pursuing manufacturing and CNC training.

Organ Mountain News
Aerial views show extensive grading, roads and construction activity at the Project Jupiter data center site in Doña Ana County.
Project Jupiter

Climate advocacy org urges New Mexico leaders to adopt data center moratorium

Food & Water Watch says Project Jupiter illustrates the air pollution, water and energy risks posed by hyperscale data centers as New Mexico lawmakers weigh a statewide moratorium.

Joshua Bowling
A bright green Cash App logo with a white dollar sign appears beside three debit cards against a dark background.
Consumer Safety

New Mexico to receive more than $388,000 in Cash App fraud settlement

New Mexico will receive more than $388,000 from a multistate settlement alleging Cash App misled users about fraud protections and failed to adequately help victims.

Organ Mountain News
The 50-unit Amador Crossing apartment complex under construction on the Community of Hope campus in Las Cruces on July 8, 2026.
Community of Hope Featured

As homelessness changes in Las Cruces, so does Community of Hope

As Mesilla Valley Community of Hope expands its campus and services, Executive Director Nicole Martinez says more first-time homelessness and rising housing costs are reshaping how Las Cruces responds to housing instability.

Damien Willis
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich speaks into a microphone during a Senate hearing, with staff seated behind him.
Sen. Martin Heinrich

Heinrich presses DOJ over missed HALT Fentanyl Act deadline

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and two colleagues are pressing the Justice Department to explain why it missed a January deadline to implement research provisions of the HALT Fentanyl Act.

Organ Mountain News
Logo of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission beside the agency’s name in large blue lettering.
Elections

New Mexico secretary of state condemns removal of federal election commissioners

Maggie Toulouse Oliver says eliminating the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission’s remaining leadership threatens public confidence months before the November midterms.

Organ Mountain News
Organ Mountain News

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You’re free to republish our stories — with credit. Our journalism is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please edit only for style or length, include attribution and a link back to Organ Mountain News. AP and Getty images may not be reused. See our republishing guidelines for more.