Pay Now and Pay Later
By Ed Williams / Searchlight New Mexico / Nearly half of New Mexico’s population relies on a dysfunctional computer system for access to government-funded health coverage, food assistance, heating and other benefits. That system has repeatedly failed them, cutting off tens of thousands of children and families from their financial lifeline. Developed by the multinational […]
Oil leases bring jobs, strains to southeast NM
By John L. Smith / Searchlight New Mexico / LOVINGTON—The 61-mile drive on US 82 from Artesia to this southeast New Mexico town crosses the heart of the Permian Basin oil field’s extension into the state. Pump rigs bob like great iron dinosaurs come to life, and the smell of petroleum fills the air. Flare […]
The LGBTQ Diversity and Inclusion Center raises awareness for transgender children
By Josh Grajeda and Sergio Guerrero / NM News Port / Data suggest the United State’s healthcare system has work to do to improve the experiences of transgender youth. Experts gathered in Albuquerque on Nov. 29 to address the problem. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey— the largest such survey conducted in the United […]
Fever Pitch — Hospital competition leaves kids in the lurch
By Lauren Villagran / Searchlight NM / The two pediatric heart doctors made for an odd couple at the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee: Bill Stein in his conservative gray suit and Jon Love with his blond ponytail, three earrings and shiny blue blazer – both testifying to their desire to work together. Their respective employers had been in open – at times cutthroat […]
Our earliest experiences — good and bad — can be our most important, experts say
By Sara Solovitch / Searchlight NM / Longtime friends and colleagues Deborah Harris and Jane Clarke have been leaders in developing infant mental health programs in New Mexico. Harris, an independently licensed social worker, and Clarke, whose background is in language and communication disorders, together developed the first Infant Team in New Mexico, created to […]
Oh Susana! How NM Governor Martinez’s popularity eroded
By Robert Moore / Searchlight NM / In 2010, three Western states elected governors who immediately generated national buzz. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, was the first Latino elected governor of Nevada. John Hickenlooper, who campaigned as a Democratic centrist in the midst of a Tea Party wave, was elected in Colorado. And in New Mexico, […]
On her watch: Governor-driven understaffing keeps N.M.’s kids at risk
By Lauren Villagran / Searchlight NM / The Roundhouse, January 2011: Flanked by colorful bouquets, a pink and white corsage pinned to her dark blue suit, Gov. Susana Martinez invoked the blossoming of a new era for New Mexico in her first State of the State address. She was the nation’s first Latina governor, soon to […]
Rating Martinez on education
Editor’s Note: As her eight-years in office come to an end, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is at a low point in political popularity. The state’s low rankings in educational attainment are partly to blame. In this and related reports, Searchlight New Mexico evaluates the impact of Martinez’s two terms in office. WE FACT-CHECKED 8 CLAIMS […]
Foreign teachers pay dearly to fill empty N.M. jobs
By Lauren Villagran/ Searchlight NM / HOBBS – The alarm rings at 3 a.m., and Ronell Mangilit is the first one up in a house shared with four fellow teachers. He prepares breakfast, writes up the day’s math lesson, and puts on a button-down shirt, a tie and crisply pressed slacks. Then it’s off […]
Recruiting agencies exploit education ties
By Lauren Villagran / Searchlight NM / Four recruiting agencies have sprung up in New Mexico. Each is run by a working teacher, a recently resigned PED employee, a district superintendent, or the close relative of a superintendent. Such close relationships to the school system give recruiters an edge in helping immigrant teachers navigate licensure […]