Free Republic

Susan Robinson, a physician known for performing abortions later in pregnancy and who worked with providers in Albuquerque, has died. Her death is drawing renewed attention to New Mexico’s role in the national abortion industry and Albuquerque’s connection to one of the country’s most widely known facilities offering the procedure. ​Robinson’s death was confirmed in a public statement by abortion provider Shelly Sella, who worked alongside Robinson providing third-trimester abortion services in both Wichita, Kansas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Dr. Susan Robinson died this morning, less than a year from her cancer diagnosis,” Sella wrote in a public post. “Susan...

Costa Rica authorities handed over a Syrian national to the United States after his arrest last year on charges of running a human smuggling operation. The man, known by the last name Maklad, led a group that moved migrants from Egypt, Venezuela, and Guatemala through New Mexico between 2022 and 2025, according to Osvaldo Ramírez, who heads Interpol operations at the Judicial Investigation Agency. Officers captured the 39-year-old in May 2025 as he crossed into the country from Nicaragua. Ramírez shared details in a video briefing, confirming the transfer went smoothly. Maklad escaped the U.S. after agents there broke up...

According to WalletHub’s 2026 “Best States to Live In” study, New Mexico ranks dead last in the nation — a sobering distinction that underscores years of troubling trends in education, health, and public safety. The annual analysis compares all 50 states across 51 separate indicators, including affordability, economic performance, education and health outcomes, quality of life, and safety. While some states perform strongly in certain categories and poorly in others, New Mexico’s overall placement at No. 50 signals broad, structural weaknesses that continue to drag down the state’s standing nationwide. WalletHub assigns New Mexico an overall score of 39.68, the...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Albuquerque Police Department’s Impact Task Force seized five guns and a variety of drugs following a reported road rage incident involving a white Ford F150. Officers responded Tuesday when a victim reported a man threatened him with a handgun. Police say the suspect, Francisco Solis, was identified through APD’s Real Time Crime Center. Police say Solis admitted involvement but claimed he pointed pliers, not a gun. He was arrested and charged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Detectives searched Solis’ residence, and say they seized the following items: 5 handguns, to include one matching the description...

One of Albuquerque’s most well-known homes is officially off the market. The “Breaking Bad” house — which belonged to fictional main character Walter White and made several appearances in the popular AMC series — has sold for $1.3 million, according to listing agent Alicia Feil. The transaction closed Wednesday morning, just 22 days after the property was listed for $400,000 in early February. The listing, which fielded roughly 20 offers and ignited a bidding war, came to a close when the property went under contract on Feb. 9. “I was genuinely surprised by the sheer intensity of global interest, especially...

ORT SUMNER, N.M. — New Mexico State Police arrested two suspects accused of shooting at an officer along US-285 on Monday near Vaughn.Jovan Martinez and Makaela Johnson were arrested in the Fort Sumner near Billy the Kid Drive and Shady Tree Drive in Fort Sumner. The location is near the grave of Billy the Kid. Police say both suspects were wanted on warrants including conspiracy to commit murder. DeBaca County Crime Stoppers was offering a $7,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

A sergeant with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office was killed while on duty when his vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 on Monday, the agency said. "The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is heartbroken to confirm that one of our sergeants was killed in the line of duty this evening,” BCSO spokesperson Jayme Gonzales said in an email Monday night. Sgt. Michael Schlattman, who had been with the agency since 2012, was conducting a traffic stop late Monday afternoon on eastbound I-40 near Carnuel when the crash occurred, Gonzales said. "While he was outside the vehicle, a semi-truck...

Give me a phone and a list of registered Democrats, and I’ll find you one who thinks Donald Trump's the greatest thing since sliced bread — and Gavin Newsom is the devil incarnate. That’s essentially the level of polling rigor Audie Cornish brought to Tuesday’s edition of CNN This Morning. Discussing issues ahead of the State of the Union address, Cornish said: “We called up one of the people we polled, a Republican voter, Sean from New Mexico. He said: ‘I think people were expecting Trump to provide a bit of relief to their suffering. Grocery prices are just through...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office confirms one of its sergeants has died following a traffic stop on I-40 eastbound near Carnuel. Sheriff John Allen identified Sergeant Michael Schlattman as the victim in the incident. According to BCSO, Sergeant Schlattman called over the radio to advise he was conducting a traffic stop. While he was outside the vehicle, a semi truck struck the rear of his department issued vehicle, ultimately pinning him beneath. Sergeant Schlattman died on scene as a result of his injuries. Traffic impact and investigation I-40 eastbound and westbound lanes are closed near Carnuel. Authorities...

The New Mexico legislature is considering a combination gun ban and hyper-regulatory bill, SB17. It is covered in a previous article at Ammoland. The bill bans the future sale of most semi-automatic firearms and detachable magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. Those parts of the bill are almost certainly unconstitutional. The bill also imposes costly regulatory measures likely to drive many small dealers out of business. SB17 has passed the Senate 21 to 17, with two senators not voting and two more senators absent. The bill is sponsored by six Democratic Party Senators and Senator Peter Wirth,...

New Mexico Department of Justice opening an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's... Five people killed in three separate avalanche... California Governor Democrat Gavin Newsom endorsing legislation to ban social media for under... Three more killed in the latest US military... Ukrainian cruise missile attack deep inside Russia...11 people wounded... "Your tariff taxes wreaked havoc on farmers...I demand a refund of $1,700 for every family..."...Illinois Governor J.N Pritzker...letter to President... White House leaking out the notion...Trump is open to some sort of "compromise" with Iran... Trump Administration rolling back emissions rules for coal-fired power plants... US and Chinese warplanes were in a...

In the final stretch of New Mexico’s legislative session, two sweeping gun control measures championed by progressive Democrats have effectively collapsed — a major victory for New Mexicans’ Second Amendment rights. Senate Bill 17, the so-called “Stop Illegal Gun Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act,” was tabled indefinitely in the House Judiciary Committee, halting what critics described as one of the most aggressive gun control packages ever introduced in New Mexico. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 261, which sought to dramatically expand so-called “gun-free zones” around polling places and ballot drop boxes, failed to advance out of the House Government, Elections and...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Former Gov. Bill Richardson’s name has been removed from a UNM Hospital building amid questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. UNM officials confirmed the decision to rename the building was made in 2026 when the hospital opened the new critical care tower. Communications Director Chris Ramirez said the change aimed to simplify building names and assist patients. When asked if Richardson’s relationship with Epstein influenced the decision, Ramirez said he didn’t have an answer and couldn’t specify when the name was officially removed. On Capitol Hill, the House Judiciary Committee questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about...

Former gubernatorial candidate Gary King and then-running mate Deb Haaland, currently running for governor, took a jet in 2014 chartered for King by Jeffrey Epstein to Washington on a fundraising trip with several campaign staff. A flight log among millions of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice lists passengers on the September 2014 flight as King and Haaland along with three campaign staffers, including Chris Khoury. The flight log does not list any other passengers. Related emails, also released among the Epstein files, show the jet was chartered through ACP Jets by Jege LLC — one of Epstein’s...

SANTA FE — A legislative truth-finding commission tasked with digging into Jeffrey Epstein's past ties to New Mexico will begin holding meetings this week, after winning approval Monday in the state House. The chamber voted 62-0 to approve creation of the four-member commission, which features two Democrats and two Republicans. Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, the lead sponsor of the measure creating the commission, House Resolution 1, said the panel would hold its first meeting Tuesday. She was one of the four House members appointed to the commission by House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, after the proposal won approval. The...

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has expressed his support for a New Mexico bill that could allow some Republican counties to join Texas. On February 16, Burrows endorsed New Mexico House Joint Resolution 10. If the bill passes, it would create a pathway for voters in three or more contiguous counties in New Mexico to secede. “Texas would gladly welcome Lea County back to Texas, where it rightfully belongs,” Burrows posted on X. “Let the people of Lea County decide!” Lea County sits in the southeastern-most corner of New Mexico, surrounded by Eddy County to the west and Texas to...

New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women. A bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, the state capital. The so-called truth commission, comprising four lawmakers, seeks to identify ranch guests and state officials who may have taken part in alleged sexual abuse in its hacienda-style mansion and guest houses...weeks after the...

Aurora Innovation said it has tripled its driverless trucking network to 10 routes as it prepares to expand autonomous freight operations across the southern United States. The Pittsburgh-based company said its latest software release enables its Aurora Driver autonomous control system to operate on longer lanes, serve direct customer endpoints, and navigate a wider range of adverse weather conditions. The company touted these as key steps as the company moves toward scaling commercial operations. With the addition of Phoenix to its network, Aurora now operates driverless freight lanes between Dallas and Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and...

Allegations of bodies buried near Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County have emerged from millions of pages of documents related to the convicted sex offender's crimes, prompting calls for an investigation from New Mexico officials. "I'm gonna keep asking questions and keep poking around until I get an answer," New Mexico's Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard told KOAT on Tuesday. These allegations originated from an anonymous email sent in 2019 to local radio host Eddy Aragon. The email claimed to be from a former staffer at Zorro Ranch, stating, "Did you know somewhere in the hills outside...

Two of the most hotly debated bills of the session — one targeting emissions policy and the other unconstitutional sweeping gun regulations — triggered marathon hearings, sharp partisan divides, and dueling victory statements this week at the Roundhouse.Clear Horizons Act Goes Down in the Senate On Wednesday, the Senate rejected Senate Bill 18, the so-called “Clear Horizons Act,” on a 19–23 vote, with seven Democrats joining all Republicans in opposition. The measure, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would have placed into state statute emissions-reduction benchmarks first advanced under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration. According to reporting...