Free Republic

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer convicted in the tragic on-set shooting death of a cinematographer during the filming of Alec Baldwin’s film "Rust," has been released from a New Mexico prison. Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 for her role in the incident, where a live round discharged from a prop gun that Baldwin was handling in 2021. The shooting also injured director Joel Souza. The "Rust" armorer has an appeal of the conviction pending in a higher court. Jurors acquitted her of allegations she tampered with evidence in the "Rust" investigation. She was released from the...

The story of a woman who drove over 700 miles to Albuquerque, New Mexico, intending to obtain an abortion but ultimately choosing life for her unborn child is a powerful testament to the sanctity of life and the impact of compassionate pro-life outreach. The woman, whose identity remains private, embarked on this long journey from another state, likely from Texas and driven the easy accessibility of abortion in New Mexico, where abortions are legal up to birth. This story highlights the importance of offering support and alternatives to abortion. Upon arriving in Albuquerque, the woman encountered a group of peaceful,...

On July 7, 1846, a contingent of Marines raised the American flag over Monterey, California, to mark a proclamation by U.S. consul Thomas Larkin that the territory was being annexed as a consequence of the war with Mexico. Much of the future state had already been taken from Mexico's nominal control by an uprising of American settlers under the Bear Flag. Victory in the Mexican War meant that the country gained Texas, California, and everything in between, comprising most of what is now New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Next to the War of Independence and the Civil...

On Tuesday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi held a press conference announcing a week-long, multi-agency and multi-law enforcement and tribal operation headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the New Mexico District Attorney’s Office. The operation resulted in huge drug busts and multiple arrests of high-level members of the Sinaloa cartel. According to Bondi, the agents garnered 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including three million fentanyl pills — the largest seizure in the nation's history. The main head of the Sinaloa cartel, Alberto Salazar Amaya, was arrested along with five others, all in the country illegally. Amaya was arrested in Salem,...

Eighteen states sued the Trump administration Monday over its halting of permits for wind-energy projects, arguing that its actions posed an existential threat to the burgeoning industry.“This administration is devastating one of our nation’s fastest-growing sources of clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said Attorney General Letitia James of New York, which is one of the plaintiffs. She said the halt threatened “the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs and billions in investments” and was “delaying our transition away from the fossil fuels that harm our health and our planet.”The halt on federal permits for wind energy was first laid out...

Backcountry runners are embracing the physical and emotional challenge of racing with pack burros that don't always move at their pace. Burro races honor Old West history and hinge on a delicate partnership between runner and beast of burden. Burros, a Spanish-derived word for donkeys and their wild cousins, must carry a saddle, pick, pan and shovel in homage to a bygone era and the mythical sprint by miners to a land claims office with their pack animal. Some 70 teams tested their skills Saturday in a race winding through the historic, turquoise-mining town of Cerrillos in northern New Mexico....

A sprawling fentanyl trafficking network stretching from Albuquerque to Salem, Oregon, has been shattered by federal authorities in what’s being called one of the largest operations of its kind in U.S. history. The takedown, made public this week, culminated in a massive sweep across New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. Federal agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized staggering amounts of contraband: over 4 million fentanyl pills, $4.4 million in cash, 79 pounds of meth, along with heroin, cocaine, and more than 41 firearms, according to records from the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. At the helm of...

New Mexico Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing sharp criticism after touting his vote against the Laken Riley Act and attacking President Donald Trump’s immigration policies during an April 16 town hall event. At the meeting, Vasquez proudly announced his opposition to the legislation, which was signed into law by Trump on January 29. “I did. I voted against [the bill],” Vasquez declared to cheers from the audience. He added, “Because due process is a fundamental part of who we are as Americans,” attempting to frame his opposition as a defense of constitutional rights — despite the clear public safety...

On Tuesday, April 22, a newborn was found dead in a dumpster in Albuquerque, New Mexico. KOB 4 News reported that in roughly three years, this is the fourth case in which a baby was similarly abandoned, resulting in the deaths of three of the infants. According to local station KOAT 7, there are currently no Safe Haven Baby Box (SHBB) locations in Albuquerque. However, every state has a Safe Haven/Baby Moses law allowing for the safe surrender of an infant to designated personnel. In New Mexico, parents may surrender an infant within 90 days of the child’s birth to...

A proposal to designate the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread had unanimous support from lawmakers. On Friday, though, it ended up falling flat. It wasn’t because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t a fan of the round wraps that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American and Southwestern U.S. cooking. It was because she believes lawmakers missed opportunities to debate bills that deal with weightier matters as the state faces extraordinary challenges. “Of course, I enjoy celebrating our unique culture,” she wrote in her veto message, ticking off numerous official state symbols and songs that New Mexico...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: Democrat judge QUITS after getting exposed for housing a Tren de Aragua terrorist in his home. 8:42 AM · Apr 21, 2025

BREAKING: DEMOCRAT NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER HOMELAND SECURITY ARRESTS TREN DE ARAGUA DESIGNATED TERRORIST LIVING AT JUDGE'S HOME! The Longtime Doña Ana County Judge Joel Cano, A Democrat Has Abruptly Resigned After Federal Agents Arrested Alleged Violent Venezuelan Tren De Aragua Gang Member & Illegal Alien, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, At A Guest House At The Judge's Residence. The Venezuelan National Was Arrested While In Possession Of Multiple Firearms, Including Ones Linked To Disturbing Alleged Crimes. Federal Court Filings Show Ortega-Lopez Was Living In The “Casita” Behind Judge Cano’s Residence In Las Cruces After Allegedly Meeting Nancy Cano While Doing Handyman...

BREAKING: DEMOCRAT NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER HOMELAND SECURITY ARRESTS TREN DE ARAGUA DESIGNATED TERRORIST LIVING AT JUDGE'S HOME! The Longtime Doña Ana County Judge Joel Cano, A Democrat Has Abruptly Resigned After Federal Agents Arrested Alleged Violent Venezuelan Tren De Aragua Gang Member & Illegal Alien, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, At A Guest House At The Judge's Residence. The Venezuelan National Was Arrested While In Possession Of Multiple Firearms, Including Ones Linked To Disturbing Alleged Crimes. Federal Court Filings Show Ortega-Lopez Was Living In The “Casita” Behind Judge Cano’s Residence In Las Cruces After Allegedly Meeting Nancy Cano While Doing Handyman...

A Doña Ana County magistrate judge has abruptly stepped down after an alleged Tren de Aragua gang affiliate who is in the U.S. illegally was reportedly arrested at his home and charged with possession of a firearm or ammunition. Judge Jose “Joel” Cano reportedly submitted a letter of resignation on Mar. 3 of this year. Judge Cano, a former police officer who took the bench in 2011, told a Border Hawk source that he did indeed resign but did not comment further. Border Hawk contacted the judge’s office on Apr. 1 and was told by a clerk that he had...

Federal authorities have charged 40-year-old Jamison Wagner of Albuquerque with two counts of arson tied to politically charged firebombing attacks on both a Tesla showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters, labeling the incidents as acts of domestic terrorism. Wagner, a self-styled radical, was arrested on April 12 following an extensive federal investigation involving the FBI, ATF, Albuquerque Police, and other law enforcement agencies. According to a profile he has on “500 Queer Scientists,” he describes himself as “queer and I am an electrical engineer.” It has been independently verified through voter registration records that Wagner is a...

In a dramatic and unmistakably vindictive move, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham unleashed a political tantrum on Friday, vetoing a slate of bills—most notably Senate Bill 315, which would have designated the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread. The veto wasn’t about bread, though—it was about revenge. The governor’s veto message dripped with frustration as she lashed out at the Legislature, blaming Democratic leadership in both chambers for failing to move forward with her policy priorities. Instead of working collaboratively or responsibly, the governor torched legislation ranging from cultural designations to tax relief and public safety funding—effectively using her veto...

The Albuquerque Police Department has provided more details on just how many guardsmen will be used and what roles they will fill to assist officers after the governor declared a crime-related emergency in the city. APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Friday that 60 members of the New Mexico National Guard will fulfill non-law enforcement duties for the department starting in mid-May. Of those deployed, 36 will help secure scenes and perimeters during incidents and investigations, 12 will help operate drones for the Real Time Crime Center, and 12 will work with the Prisoner Transport Center to “help evidence collection and...

A state of emergency has been declared in New Mexico's largest city, as the governor calls in the National Guard to help combat out of control crime.

Hantavirus isn’t just in deer mice, according to a new peer-reviewed study from the University of New Mexico, which found the virus in a quarter of more than 1,400 small mammals tested across the state. Hantavirus is a rare but often serious rodent-borne illness, which first reared its head in the United States in the Four Corners region in 1993. From 1993 through 2022, New Mexico had 122 human cases and 52 deaths — more than anywhere else in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness recently made international headlines for causing the death...

The entrance to the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters was set on fire and defaced with graffiti in an alleged arson attack Sunday morning, authorities and Republican officials said. The Albuquerque Fire Department has opened an arson investigation after flames broke out at the site just before 6 a.m. near where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti was discovered. The words ‘ICE = KKK’ were sprayed onto the side of the building in red paint, leading many GOP members to believe the fire was a politically motivated arson attack. “We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what...