As the Democratic primary in New Mexico’s third congressional district heated up in May, two mysterious groups– Avacy Initiatives and Perise Practical– began spending a combined $300,000 to support Teresa Leger Fernandez, now the Democratic nominee.

The groups ran positive, even glowing advertisements about Leger Fernandez, but didn’t disclose who paid for the ads. Few details could be found about them online. This “dark money” spending drew significant criticism from other candidates, who condemned Leger Fernandez for not calling for removal of the ads.

But a review by New Mexico In Depth of Federal Election Commission filings suggests the real goal was to deny another...

Request highlights Carson’s campaign against Navajo people

SANTA FE —  Senator Linda M. Lopez, D-Albuquerque, has requested that the name of Kit Carson Elementary School be changed.

“Changing the name of Kit Carson and renaming the school to honor a local teacher or community leader is an important part of understanding history in a fuller context and empowering a community to take ownership and recognize one of our own,” Lopez said.

In 1863, Carson, on behalf of the federal government, led a scorched-earth campaign against the Navajo people, burning homes, killing livestock and destroying food supplies. The following year, troops under the command of Carson rounded up...

WASHINGTON – In support of President Donald J. Trump’s America-First Energy Strategy, the Bureau of Land Management  announced proposed revisions to three key regulations governing oversight of oil and gas production and reporting July 29. The proposed regulations are designed to reduce bureaucracy, recordkeeping and measurement requirements, while ensuring that taxpayers receive accurate royalties from oil and gas produced on Federal and Tribal lands.

“These proposed enhancements streamline regulations to ensure that our oversight of energy production on America’s public lands is consistent and fair,” Deputy Secretary of the Interior Kate MacGregor said.

“We’re...

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management  and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services  renewed their partnership for alleviating human-wildlife conflicts on BLM-administered public lands July 29. An updated Memorandum of Understanding clarifies respective roles and responsibilities for wildlife damage management and reducing predation on livestock across more than 245 million acres of public lands, mostly in the West and Alaska. The MOU will remain in effect for five years and replaces the previous agreement, signed in 2012.

“Under the Trump Administration, the BLM has...