Searchlight New Mexico
@searchlightnm.bsky.social
NEW: Western New Mexico University's new Board of Regents unanimously voted to void former President Joseph Shepard's $1.9 million severance and 5-year teaching contract
Whether — or how — the school recovers that money remains to be seen.
Whether — or how — the school recovers that money remains to be seen.
WNMU regents ax Joseph Shepard’s severance and teaching contract | Searchlight New Mexico
Unanimously, the newly appointed regents at Western New Mexico University have approved a plan to strike down former President Joseph Shepard’s previously
searchlightnm.org
July 31, 2025 at 8:17 PM
NEW: Western New Mexico University's new Board of Regents unanimously voted to void former President Joseph Shepard's $1.9 million severance and 5-year teaching contract
Whether — or how — the school recovers that money remains to be seen.
Whether — or how — the school recovers that money remains to be seen.
@searchlightnm.bsky.social's Molly Montgomery did a great job on this story about the campaign to canonize Sister Blandina Segale, a nun who did a lot for New Mexico during its Wild West days. Whether you're a believer or skeptic, there's much to admire in her life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-c...
Fact-checking miracles: inside the multiyear effort to canonize Sister Blandina Segale | Searchlight New Mexico
The Vatican may grant sainthood to a nun who knew Billy the Kid, tended the sick, taught children and advocated for immigrants. Making that happen requires a unique blend of faith and boots-on-the-gro...
searchlightnm.org
July 24, 2025 at 7:21 PM
@searchlightnm.bsky.social's Molly Montgomery did a great job on this story about the campaign to canonize Sister Blandina Segale, a nun who did a lot for New Mexico during its Wild West days. Whether you're a believer or skeptic, there's much to admire in her life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-c...
Today is the 80th anniversary of Trinity. At 1 P.M. Eastern, the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium will dedicate the first permanent public marker to the New Mexicans who died or were made ill by radioactive fallout that nobody told them was coming. searchlightnm.org/trinity-bomb...
“They didn’t want to see us” | Searchlight New Mexico
New Mexican downwinders, receiving financial compensation for the first time, reckon with the ongoing tragedy of the Trinity bomb detonation — and fight to ensure remembrance
searchlightnm.org
July 16, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Today is the 80th anniversary of Trinity. At 1 P.M. Eastern, the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium will dedicate the first permanent public marker to the New Mexicans who died or were made ill by radioactive fallout that nobody told them was coming. searchlightnm.org/trinity-bomb...
Just over a month after the death of Jaydun Garcia at a CYFD facility, another teenager in foster care, 17-year-old Makamy Anderson, took her own life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-c...
Another life lost in New Mexico’s foster care system | Searchlight New Mexico
Makamy Anderson’s death is the most recent tragedy to come to light amid a string of deaths of children in the state’s care.
searchlightnm.org
July 10, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Just over a month after the death of Jaydun Garcia at a CYFD facility, another teenager in foster care, 17-year-old Makamy Anderson, took her own life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-c...
A new lawsuit in the 2024 fatal police shooting of teenager Elijah Hadley could shed light on a persistent problem in New Mexico: an outsized portion of police violence begins with a welfare check
When a call for help ends in gunfire | Searchlight New Mexico
A new lawsuit in the 2024 fatal police shooting of teenager Elijah Hadley could shed light on a persistent problem in New Mexico: an outsized portion of police violence begins with a welfare check
searchlightnm.org
July 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
A new lawsuit in the 2024 fatal police shooting of teenager Elijah Hadley could shed light on a persistent problem in New Mexico: an outsized portion of police violence begins with a welfare check
NEW: In a lawsuit quietly filed Friday, the NM State Ethics Commission accuses former WNMU President Joseph Shepard of misappropriating money meant for an ADA-compliant project and spending it instead on a patio for his daughter's wedding reception.
Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission | Searchlight New Mexico
In addition to staying at five-star resorts, buying luxury furniture and traveling the world on the taxpayers’ dime, former Western New Mexico University
searchlightnm.org
June 28, 2025 at 7:50 PM
NEW: In a lawsuit quietly filed Friday, the NM State Ethics Commission accuses former WNMU President Joseph Shepard of misappropriating money meant for an ADA-compliant project and spending it instead on a patio for his daughter's wedding reception.
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: our own Molly Montgomery spoke with @mariahblake.bsky.social, author of “They Poisoned the World,” an important new book about the history and toxic legacy of “forever chemicals.” (Which were an outgrowth of the Manhattan Project.) searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-p...
"They poisoned the world" | Searchlight New Mexico
A new book by New Mexico-born author Mariah Blake explains how a previously unknown Manhattan Project program ushered in the age of toxic “forever chemicals”
searchlightnm.org
June 24, 2025 at 7:21 PM
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: our own Molly Montgomery spoke with @mariahblake.bsky.social, author of “They Poisoned the World,” an important new book about the history and toxic legacy of “forever chemicals.” (Which were an outgrowth of the Manhattan Project.) searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-p...
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: During its lobbying campaign in the 2025 session, New Mexico Safety Over Profit demanded “corporate transparency” for hospitals. Now the State Ethics Commission is suing the dark money group for violating transparency laws. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-s...
Bringing dark money to light | Searchlight New Mexico
New Mexico Safety Over Profit successfully fought against medical malpractice reform during the 2025 session. A state commission now says it broke the law.
searchlightnm.org
June 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: During its lobbying campaign in the 2025 session, New Mexico Safety Over Profit demanded “corporate transparency” for hospitals. Now the State Ethics Commission is suing the dark money group for violating transparency laws. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-s...
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: Fossil fuel revenues bankroll education spending in New Mexico, but schools exposed to industry pollution face environmental risks that can affect children’s health and performance. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-s...
Is the oil and gas boom harming New Mexico’s students? | Searchlight New Mexico
Fossil fuel revenues bankroll education spending in this state, but schools exposed to industry pollution face environmental risks that can affect children’s health and performance.
searchlightnm.org
May 29, 2025 at 9:01 PM
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: Fossil fuel revenues bankroll education spending in New Mexico, but schools exposed to industry pollution face environmental risks that can affect children’s health and performance. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-s...
NEW: The oil & gas industry in New Mexico’s Permian Basin subjects workers to brutal conditions. Molly Montgomery takes an unforgettable look at the lives of men whose jobs lead to death, injury, disease and terrible tolls on mental health and family life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-p...
The boots on Buck Jackson Road | Searchlight New Mexico
New Mexico is the second-largest oil producer in the U.S., behind Texas. Drawing immense wealth from the Permian Basin, the state relies on a workforce — often Latino men — who are subjected to harrow...
searchlightnm.org
May 22, 2025 at 7:31 PM
NEW: The oil & gas industry in New Mexico’s Permian Basin subjects workers to brutal conditions. Molly Montgomery takes an unforgettable look at the lives of men whose jobs lead to death, injury, disease and terrible tolls on mental health and family life. searchlightnm.org/new-mexico-p...
A new lawsuit alleges that Rio Arriba County officials violated the civil rights of two protestors by fostering an environment that let Ryan Martinez open fire into an anti-Oñate demonstration in Española in 2023
Protect and serve: Did county officials enable Ryan Martinez’s violent actions at a 2023 protest in Española? | Searchlight New Mexico
Two survivors have filed suit against Rio Arriba County office-holders, alleging that their civil rights were violated when they failed to control dangerous conflicts surrounding the proposed reinstal...
searchlightnm.org
May 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
A new lawsuit alleges that Rio Arriba County officials violated the civil rights of two protestors by fostering an environment that let Ryan Martinez open fire into an anti-Oñate demonstration in Española in 2023
Meet our new colleague at @searchlightnm.bsky.social, a great young writer from Santa Fe, Molly Montgomery. searchlightnm.org/the-searchli...
The Searchlight team is growing | Searchlight New Mexico
Santa Fe-based Molly Montgomery comes aboard as a full-time reporter covering topics that include land use, the environment and immigration
searchlightnm.org
May 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Meet our new colleague at @searchlightnm.bsky.social, a great young writer from Santa Fe, Molly Montgomery. searchlightnm.org/the-searchli...
Publicly, Western New Mexico University has simply said it’s “working through technical issues,” but employees’ computers are displaying threatening messages signed by a notorious group, Qilin, that claims to have access to employee Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and more.
An infamous group of Russian-linked hackers appears to have launched a crippling cyberattack on WNMU | Searchlight New Mexico
For nearly two weeks, Western New Mexico University’s website and digital systems have been held hostage by what officials in internal emails have called
searchlightnm.org
April 25, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Publicly, Western New Mexico University has simply said it’s “working through technical issues,” but employees’ computers are displaying threatening messages signed by a notorious group, Qilin, that claims to have access to employee Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and more.
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: How did The MASTERS Program, a prominent charter school in Santa Fe, breeze through its renewal process with state officials amid allegations—including a lawsuit—citing serious problems with its performance and leadership? searchlightnm.org/masters-prog...
Accountability goes missing at The MASTERS Program | Searchlight New Mexico
A prominent charter high school in Santa Fe easily earned five-year renewal from the state of New Mexico — despite red flags about its current administration
searchlightnm.org
April 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: How did The MASTERS Program, a prominent charter school in Santa Fe, breeze through its renewal process with state officials amid allegations—including a lawsuit—citing serious problems with its performance and leadership? searchlightnm.org/masters-prog...
In the wake of reporting by @searchlightnm.bsky.social and other news organizations, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced today that the state is opening an investigation into the recent death of a teenage boy in New Mexico’s foster care system. searchlightnm.org/a-teenager-t...
A teenager takes his life in foster care | Searchlight New Mexico
Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, 16-year-old Jaydun Garcia took his own life at a makeshift home for youth who lack foster placements.
searchlightnm.org
April 22, 2025 at 6:38 PM
In the wake of reporting by @searchlightnm.bsky.social and other news organizations, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced today that the state is opening an investigation into the recent death of a teenage boy in New Mexico’s foster care system. searchlightnm.org/a-teenager-t...
For years, experts have warned CYFD that its practice of housing foster kids in group settings, without adequate mental health care, was putting kids in grave danger. Last weekend, a teenage boy died. searchlightnm.org/a-teenager-t...
A teenager takes his life in foster care | Searchlight New Mexico
Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, 16-year-old Jaydun Garcia took his own life at a makeshift home for youth who lack foster placements.
searchlightnm.org
April 17, 2025 at 4:39 PM
For years, experts have warned CYFD that its practice of housing foster kids in group settings, without adequate mental health care, was putting kids in grave danger. Last weekend, a teenage boy died. searchlightnm.org/a-teenager-t...
A long-awaited archive detailing decades of clergy sex abuse in New Mexico has partially launched online through the University of New Mexico. Read through the detailed depositions of accused priests in their own words here: digitalrepository.unm.edu/cswr_asf_dep...
Archdiocese of Santa Fe Depositions | Archdiocese of Santa Fe Abuse Records | University of New Mexico
digitalrepository.unm.edu
April 15, 2025 at 9:07 PM
A long-awaited archive detailing decades of clergy sex abuse in New Mexico has partially launched online through the University of New Mexico. Read through the detailed depositions of accused priests in their own words here: digitalrepository.unm.edu/cswr_asf_dep...
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: Meet Howard Hutchinson, an activist from SW New Mexico who’s organizing radical opposition to federal management of public lands. It's been quite a journey. As a young man, Hutchinson was a socialist and a supporter of Earth First! searchlightnm.org/howard-hutch...
The battle against federal ownership of New Mexico’s public lands | Searchlight New Mexico
Meet Howard Hutchinson, a private property rights activist who is quietly organizing county-level rejection of a landmark law: the Antiquities Act of 1906
searchlightnm.org
April 10, 2025 at 6:02 PM
New at @searchlightnm.bsky.social: Meet Howard Hutchinson, an activist from SW New Mexico who’s organizing radical opposition to federal management of public lands. It's been quite a journey. As a young man, Hutchinson was a socialist and a supporter of Earth First! searchlightnm.org/howard-hutch...
Searchlight New Mexico wants to thank our colleagues at the Santa Fe Reporter for co-publishing our story on how the gruesome crime scene photos from the “In Cold Blood” murders are relevant to current debate over photos from the deaths of Gene and Betsy Hackman.
Cold-Blooded Voyeurism
Why Gene Hackman estate worries over release of death-scene images are warranted
sfreporter.com
April 2, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Searchlight New Mexico wants to thank our colleagues at the Santa Fe Reporter for co-publishing our story on how the gruesome crime scene photos from the “In Cold Blood” murders are relevant to current debate over photos from the deaths of Gene and Betsy Hackman.
LAS CRUCES: Join Searchlight investigative reporter @cosmicbowling.bsky.social at @nmsu.edu at 3 p.m. today for a discussion on proposed changes to New Mexico’s public records law
This event is free and open to the public. Details below:
This event is free and open to the public. Details below:
March 20, 2025 at 4:17 PM
LAS CRUCES: Join Searchlight investigative reporter @cosmicbowling.bsky.social at @nmsu.edu at 3 p.m. today for a discussion on proposed changes to New Mexico’s public records law
This event is free and open to the public. Details below:
This event is free and open to the public. Details below:
Meet Searchlight New Mexico's new Executive Director: Rick Herrman, a veteran businessman with a wide range of experience in finance, philanthropy and fundraising.
Read all about Herrman and what he brings to Searchlight here:
Read all about Herrman and what he brings to Searchlight here:
Rick Herrman named Executive Director of Searchlight New Mexico
mailchi.mp
March 18, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Meet Searchlight New Mexico's new Executive Director: Rick Herrman, a veteran businessman with a wide range of experience in finance, philanthropy and fundraising.
Read all about Herrman and what he brings to Searchlight here:
Read all about Herrman and what he brings to Searchlight here:
Tonight at 7 p.m.: Catch Searchlight reporter @cosmicbowling.bsky.social on New Mexico in Focus discussing his recent story on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Tune in on TV at channel 5.1, or here on YouTube: m.youtube.com/@nminfocus/f...
Tune in on TV at channel 5.1, or here on YouTube: m.youtube.com/@nminfocus/f...
New Mexico In Focus, a Production of NMPBS
New Mexico in Focus is NMPBS’ s prime time, hourlong news show exploring the issues, people and events shaping New Mexico and the Southwest.
New Mexico in Focus centers the most important — and often...
m.youtube.com
March 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Tonight at 7 p.m.: Catch Searchlight reporter @cosmicbowling.bsky.social on New Mexico in Focus discussing his recent story on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Tune in on TV at channel 5.1, or here on YouTube: m.youtube.com/@nminfocus/f...
Tune in on TV at channel 5.1, or here on YouTube: m.youtube.com/@nminfocus/f...
Near the town of Grants, Homestake Mining Company milled uranium—millions of tons between '58-'90—to produce “yellowcake” used in nuclear weapons and reactors. Leftover slurry was piped into 2 unlined earthen pits—the largest the size of 50 football fields.
Poisoning the well | Searchlight New Mexico
Near the western New Mexico town of Grants, the toxic legacy of Cold War uranium mining and milling has shattered lives, destroyed homes and created a contamination threat to the last clean source of ...
searchlightnm.org
March 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Near the town of Grants, Homestake Mining Company milled uranium—millions of tons between '58-'90—to produce “yellowcake” used in nuclear weapons and reactors. Leftover slurry was piped into 2 unlined earthen pits—the largest the size of 50 football fields.
What the criminal conviction of a Las Cruces officer tells us about the broader state of police violence across New Mexico — and the nation.
Inside the manslaughter conviction of a Las Cruces police officer | Searchlight New Mexico
Before Brad Lunsford was charged with manslaughter for the 2022 shooting of Presley Eze, Searchlight New Mexico analyzed hundreds of police shootings across the state. We showed that officers are almo...
searchlightnm.org
March 3, 2025 at 9:28 PM
What the criminal conviction of a Las Cruces officer tells us about the broader state of police violence across New Mexico — and the nation.
Just before this year's legislative session, a secretive group emerged to fight against proposals to cap attorney's fees and other malpractice reforms. Who is New Mexico Safety Over Profit? searchlightnm.org/dark-money-f...
The dark money group fighting medical malpractice reform | Searchlight New Mexico
They work to influence legislation. They keep their funding secret. Who is New Mexico Safety Over Profit?
searchlightnm.org
February 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Just before this year's legislative session, a secretive group emerged to fight against proposals to cap attorney's fees and other malpractice reforms. Who is New Mexico Safety Over Profit? searchlightnm.org/dark-money-f...