Free Republic

Federal agents came across a lot more than cocaine, guns and cash when they searched the home of a suspected drug trafficker in the South Valley last week. Agents also discovered more than 50 venomous snakes, including pit vipers, cobras and the inland taipan — the most venomous snake in the world — according to search warrants unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court for New Mexico. According to a NM Department of Wildlife seizure inventory, the snakes included king and spitting cobras, Fer-de-lance, black and green mambas, numerous varieties of pit vipers and reticulated pythons. Many of the snakes, some...

An Albuquerque Catholic parish already known for provocative political displays is facing new scrutiny after its church letterboard appeared to single out a local woman by name after she repeatedly criticized the parish’s left-wing messaging. The latest controversy centers on Saint Therese Parish on Fourth Street in Albuquerque. A photo of the parish sign shows the message: “RACISM GRAVE SIN AGAINST GODS LOVE KATRINA G.” The apparent reference was to Katrina Griego, who has posted multiple photos of the parish’s letterboard signs on Facebook while criticizing what she described as a “woke” priest using a Catholic church for political messaging....

BREAKING: KRQE has lost the CBS affiliation after 72 years — and it's moving to KOAT, making Channel 7 the undisputed juggernaut of New Mexico television. Mark Ronchetti spent 15+ years at KRQE and also worked at KOAT. Sources in both buildings. Nobody else can break this down from the inside. CBS told Nexstar the money wasn't enough. Hearst stepped up and wrote the check. Now KOAT holds BOTH major networks — and KRQE goes independent. Is one station holding both major networks good for New Mexico — or a consolidation problem nobody's talking about?

Unbelievable footage of a hulking bear stranded atop a utility pole in New Mexico has gone viral online, leaving viewers gobsmacked by the beast’s unusual resting place. The jaw-dropping video posted on X was reshared by the US Department of the Interior on Wednesday and racked up tens of thousands of views. “We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn’t what we meant,” the department joked in its post. The clip — which was verified to be real — shows the panting bear gripping the crossarm of the power line pole with its front paws while letting...

Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who ran for governor as a Democrat and then as an independent, is endorsing Republican Gregg Hull. Miyagishima ended his bid for New Mexico governor after weighing a Supreme Court appeal to stay on the ballot. Miyagishima said on Friday he decided not to pursue an appeal to the Supreme Court over his ballot status. “I have known Mayor Hull for almost 12 years. He is intelligent, hardworking, and a man of integrity. His record reflects his dedication to the people of both Rio Rancho and New Mexico,” Miyagishima said. “My goal is to...

More than $107 million in opioid settlement money sent to local governments from 2023 to 2025 went unspent. New Mexico State Auditor Joseph Maestas said his office’s report shows counties and cities had not used most of the money from lawsuits against drug companies, distributors and pharmacies over their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. The report analyzed spending from Fiscal Year 2023 through 2025. Fiscal year 2026 is currently underway. “This is New Mexico’s opportunity to begin addressing it (opioid crisis) across the entire state and at this point we’re not doing the best job and we need to...

Billy the Kid continues to make headlines, 145 years after being gunned down in Fort Sumner. Thursday historians announced new evidence that he was Catholic — a detail that adds more layers of intrigue to one of the Wild West’s mythologized figures. Billy the Kid died July 14, 1881, after being shot by Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett. On the first day of the Wild West History Association Roundup, Allen Sanchez said certificates of Billy the Kid’s baptism and his parents’ marriage were located inside St. Peter’s Church in New York City. St. Peter’s is connected to the Sisters of...

Red and green chile peppers are more than just ingredients in New Mexico; they’re a way of life. The question “Red or green?” is one you’ll hear at restaurants across the state. For the indecisive or adventurous, there’s always “Christmas,” a mix of both. Red chile comes from ripened New Mexican chile peppers that are left on the plant longer, allowing them to deepen in color and develop a rich, earthy flavor. As they mature, these peppers take on more natural sugars, which contribute to the velvety depth of red chile sauce. Green chile peppers are a cornerstone of New...

Deb Haaland is backing fellow far-leftist, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, for lieutenant governor, ending days of jockeying among New Mexico Democrats after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver abruptly suspended her campaign just weeks after winning the Democratic primary. The endorsement is a major boost for Garcia Richard, who had previously launched her own lieutenant governor campaign before withdrawing from the race earlier this year. Now, after Toulouse Oliver’s exit, Garcia Richard is back in the hunt — this time with Haaland’s blessing. In a statement dated June 26, Haaland told Democrat State Central Committee members that she had...

Federal immigration agents have nabbed more than 10,000 migrant gangbangers since the start of President Trump’s second term, the US Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday. The milestone, reached just a year and a half after Trump launched his sweeping mass deportations agenda, includes arrests tied to murder, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, robbery and extortion, according to DHS. “Many of these gang members were released into our country by Joe Biden,” said DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin. “These vicious criminals murdered, assaulted, robbed, and terrorized innocent Americans for sport.” “Thanks to the Secure America Act, ICE...

Eddy County Sheriff Matthew Hutchinson is blasting U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez after the Democrat congressman’s delayed response to National Police Week, accusing Vasquez of treating law enforcement like an afterthought while officers in southern New Mexico face the daily consequences of crime, fentanyl, and the border crisis. In a new opinion column titled “Our congressman won’t back the badge,” Hutchinson said Vasquez remained silent for the first two days of National Police Week, which ran May 10-16, before finally posting a message after being publicly called out by Republican congressional candidate Greg Cunningham. “For two full days, our congressman said...

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury is doubling down on her gerrymandering fundraising pitch, again accusing Republicans of trying to “deny representation” while ignoring the political reality right here in New Mexico: Democrats used total control of Santa Fe to redraw the state’s congressional map and help wipe out Republican representation in the U.S. House delegation. In a new campaign email with the subject line “A lack of representation,” Stansbury claimed, “Republican gerrymandering is an attempt to deny representation for Americans.” The email asked supporters to “rush $10 right now” to help Stansbury support Democratic women, saying her campaign needed to raise...

A new report from the nonpartisan State of the Nation Project lists New Mexico near the bottom of national rankings for education, shootings, youth depression and a number of other factors that impact life satisfaction. The organization produced the State of the States report, which gives in-depth scorecards to each of the 50 states and Washington D.C. ... A board of academics and advisers to the last five presidents created a list of 31 measures — ranging from youth depression, air quality and income inequality to social isolation, life expectancy and young adults employed or in school — and quantified...

Newly reported details are shedding light on the disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, whose case has drawn national attention because of his military background and alleged connection to classified government programs involving unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP. McCasland, 68, disappeared from his Albuquerque home on Feb. 27. His case quickly became the subject of online speculation because of his long military career, including work connected to highly sensitive defense programs. Some have suggested his disappearance could be linked to his knowledge of UAP-related information. But newly surfaced records reported by Los Angeles Magazine and highlighted...

A jury in Silver City awarded a $13 million verdict in a medical malpractice case to the family of Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood with her portrayal of Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series. Jurors deliberated about two hours before returning the verdict Thursday against a Grant County hospital where the 89-year-old actor sought treatment in the days before her death in 2022. Attorneys for the family alleged that employees at Gila Regional Medical Center failed to appropriately diagnose and treat Nichols for symptoms of acute heart failure. "Miss Nichols came to...

The battle for control of Congress is on. Republicans hope to maintain and expand their narrow majorities in the fall for the second half of President Donald Trump’s term, while Democrats will aim to win over voters frustrated with Trump on the economy and other issues. States results at link..................

If you live in these states, GO VOTE!

Melissa Casias was among those flagged by FBI and House Oversight investigations into nuclear-linked disappearances One of the bodies of the 11 mysteriously missing persons that had potential ties to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology has been discovered by a hiker in a New Mexico national forest. Police have identified the remains of Melissa Casias, 54, a missing Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) worker. Her disappearance became part of a wider swirl of speculation over scientists and lab-linked employees who vanished or died under unclear circumstances that spurred President Donald Trump's attention and a House Oversight Committee investigation. The...

A top Democratic governor claimed at a meeting Wednesday that her party doesn’t “need any of the men” to win the 2028 presidential election. Democrat New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made the boast while speaking at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting in Washington, D.C., alongside other state leaders and convention chairs. The 7-hour-long meeting allowed state leaders to present their case to the committee regarding which states should be granted an “early window” status in the 2028 presidential nominating calendar. Although a staff member admitted that Democrats are “losing their share of the electorate”...

Police officers in New Mexico were recording as they spoke with a witness who allegedly had dinner with William Neil McCasland the night before he vanished without a trace on February 27. The bodycam footage, obtained by the Law&Crime Network, captured a phone call with an unidentified woman who said McCasland met with her and members of the US Space Force at a restaurant in Albuquerque around 6pm local time. 'I was shocked this morning when I saw the alert because what I noticed Thursday evening [February 26] is he wasn't his usual self. He was kind of spacey and...