Featured Stories
Undercount: why the Catholic church won’t list many New Mexico priests who’ve been linked to sexual abuse
Darkness visible: the University of New Mexico’s archive on the sexual abuse of children by priests
A collection of documents about clergy abuse in this state — housed at UNM’s special collections library — is a major step forward for victims, but there’s more to be done.
“Some of them fell to their knees”
A Navajo citizen describes being questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
“What to do if confronted”
Reports of tribal citizens being questioned by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have created widespread panic in the Southwest
Seismic shift: How U.S. policies on nuclear weapons are likely to change under Donald Trump
Searchlight spoke with six experts about what the new administration could mean — for everything from Los Alamos National Laboratory to a possible return to underground detonations at the Nevada test site
New Mexico Attorney General files suit against Joseph Shepard and WNMU Board of Regents
Citing “greed, self-dealing, and arrogance,” Raúl Torrez announced a civil suit aimed at recovering the $1.9 million buyout awarded to WNMU’s outgoing president
Faculty revolt at Western New Mexico University
Outrage over the terms of Joseph Shepard’s lucrative separation package prompts a drive for a vote of no confidence in WNMU’s Board of Regents
Christmas behind bars
One year ago, all eyes focused on living conditions at New Mexico’s largest juvenile jail. We haven’t looked away.
After a year of scrutiny, Joseph Shepard to resign as WNMU president
Joseph Shepard is out as president of Western New Mexico University after more than 13 years on the job. The university Board of Regents unanimously voted to terminate his contract on Friday, although both sides said the decision was mutual. Shepard and the regents have been under the microscope for more than a year after…
Threatened and Restrained
In CYFD office buildings, foster youth are monitored by private security. Altercations between kids and guards have injured children.
Protect the innocent: the public health promise of Kayden’s Law
A new bill modeled on the federal Violence Against Women Act could safeguard New Mexico’s children from the traumatic and sometimes dangerous consequences of divorce
New Mexico’s malpractice gold rush
The state is a rich landscape for attorneys who cash in big on medical liability lawsuits. The soaring cost of insurance against such claims is pushing some hospitals to the brink.
State auditor slams lavish spending at Western New Mexico University. Will leaders face any consequences?
Nearly a year after Searchlight New Mexico first exposed WNMU President Joseph Shepard’s big spending on international flights, resort stays and exotic furniture, a new government report accuses university officials of violating policy and wasting a huge amount of taxpayer money.
Environment
Plutonium just had a bad day in court
In a major decision whose consequences are still being assessed, a federal judge declared that plutonium pit production — one ingredient in the U.S. government’s $1.5 trillion nuclear weapons expansion — has to be performed in accordance with the nation’s strongest environmental law
“Extreme” fires sweep through Ruidoso
Entire town is evacuated; state of emergency is declared
A power play on the Caja
The government wants a new transmission line on a treasured plateau. Opponents say it’s a line too far.
Education
The weight of an empty chair
Tens of thousands of students go missing every day from New Mexico schools
Reading, writing, ’rithmetic and ranching: Why rural New Mexico wants to keep the four-day school week
A photo essay about schools in the state’s smallest county, where students juggle wrangling with their ABCs
Days of wine and roses: State agencies probe lavish spending by university president
Questions abound about luxe purchases and overseas travel of Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard.
Criminal Justice
Why so many Catholic churches file for bankruptcy
As sex abuse scandals continue to haunt the Catholic Church, many dioceses are turning to Chapter 11 as a way to settle hundreds of claims at once.
The historical tensions that motivated Ryan Martinez have not gone away
In a Searchlight essay from 2023, centuries-old conflicts at the heart of this crime were deeply explored
Inside the shoplifting bust of Albuquerque Journal editor Patrick Ethridge
The editor of New Mexico’s largest newspaper has lost his job for stealing groceries at a Walmart. Public and private records obtained by Searchlight New Mexico paint a clear picture of what happened. What remains a mystery is why.
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