Pandemic Emptied Unemployment Trust, Left Fraud Unchecked -
By Morgan Lee Associated Press
New Mexico probably overpaid unemployment insurance benefits by an estimated $250 million during the coronavirus pandemic amid a backlog of investigations into potentially fraudulent claims, the budget and accountability office of the Legislature announced Wednesday in a research report.
Analysts briefed members of the Legislature s lead budget writing committee on the trajectory of record-setting unemployment claims during pandemic.
New Mexico has paid out more than $3 billion in unemployment claims through the state s Workforce Solutions Department since the local outset of the pandemic in March 2020. That put the state unemployment trust fund into insolvency and in debt to the federal government.
Some New Mexico farms apply for pilot project to save water
Susan Montoya Bryan
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ALBUQUERQUE - More than two dozen farms in southern New Mexico have applied for a program that will pay them not to plant their fields as water managers look for new ways to stretch resources in the drought-stricken state.
It s the first phase of a multiyear pilot project being managed by the Office of the State Engineer. State Engineer John D Antonio has described the program as essential for ensuring the aquifers in the lower Rio Grande remain at sustainable levels in the future.
The Legislature approved funding for the effort last year and the state began accepting applications from farmers in the fall. The Interstate Stream Commission is now processing 27 contracts totaling more than $900,000 and covering just over 2 square miles of farmland.
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
More than two dozen farms in southern New Mexico have applied for a program that will pay them not to plant their fields as water managers look for new ways to stretch resources in the drought-stricken state.
It s the first phase of a multiyear pilot project being managed by the Office of the State Engineer. State Engineer John D Antonio has described the program as essential for ensuring the aquifers in the lower Rio Grande remain at sustainable levels in the future.
The Legislature approved funding for the effort last year and the state began accepting applications from farmers in the fall. The Interstate Stream Commission is now processing 27 contracts totaling more than $900,000 and covering just over 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of farmland.
Southern New Mexico farms apply for pilot project to save water
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Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico
ELEPHANT BUTTE, New Mexico More than two dozen farms in southern New Mexico have applied for a program that will pay them not to plant their fields as water managers look for new ways to stretch resources in the drought-stricken state.
It’s the first phase of a multi-year pilot project being managed by the Office of the State Engineer. State Engineer John D’Antonio has described the program as essential for ensuring the aquifers in the lower Rio Grande remain at sustainable levels in the future.
Congressional Candidates Clash On Financial Disclosures
- Associated Press
Republican congressional candidate Mark Moores on Tuesday criticized Democratic rival Melanie Stansbury for voting in 2019 for a budget bill in the state Legislature that benefited a one-time client of her consulting practice, in a news release.
A spokeswoman for Stansbury called the criticism a baseless political attack and highlighted Moores refusal to file a disclosure about his personal finances as a U.S. House candidate. A spokesman for Moores said that this year s delayed federal tax deadlines have stood in the way of the financial disclosure requirement.
Early in-person and absentee voting is well underway ahead of the June 1 special election to fill the 1st Congressional District seat held by Deb Haaland before her confirmation as Secretary of the Interior under President Biden.