Good morning, Albuquerque.

The Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque visits detention centers daily to offer services (passports, permits, and health checks) to thousands amid rising immigration concerns.

Consul Patricia Pinzón said the office combats misinformation by urging community members to call for verified updates.

Art Battle Albuquerque debuts Sunday, Aug.

16 at Valle De Luna Event Center (5401 Central Ave. NW) where 12 artists compete in a live 20-minute painting contest with audience voting; tickets cost $10 to $25, doors open at 5 p.m. and painting starts at 6 p.m.

Garden lovers can preview five local artists’ work at the Placitas Community Library’s Collin Meeting Room, where an exhibition runs through Sept.

20 ahead of the Placitas Garden Tour on Sept. 13; buyers can purchase pieces during regular library hours and enter a drawing for a garden-themed gift basket.

The report from Prospera Partners released Aug.

9 shows that federal funding cuts reduced support for over a third of nonprofits, prompting experts to urge better coordination & streamlined boards to boost operations statewide. Nonprofits may view this strain as a chance to reshape how they work.

Longtime UNM professor Rebecca Sánchez will begin as senior vice provost on Sept.

1 to oversee faculty and academic affairs at the university. She succeeds Barbara Rodriguez + her appointment marks a key leadership transition as UNM starts its new administration.

Firefighters held the 7,794-acre Frijoles Fire steady at 1% containment on Wednesday in Pecos Wilderness as they worked to protect nearby communities.

Crews reinforced the western and northwestern edges and used indirect strategies *relying on Forest Road 306 and 424 as natural barriers* to prepare for direct extinguishment, officials said.

New Mexico in Focus revisited earlier stories on local water issues including debates over fracking wastewater use and new PFAS rules — featuring interviews with environmental advocates as the state reviewed lasting Rio Grande water rights disputes.

The program aired on NMPBS on Aug. 7 and Aug. 9.

Albuquerque City Council will review a $3.1 million incentive package on Aug.

17 that could add $55.75 million in private investment and create 221 high-wage tech jobs through projects in cybersecurity+quantum+space, according to city documents.

Congresswoman Stansbury visited Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque this week to address federal SNAP cuts that left 21,652 New Mexicans without food aid (including over 10,000 children) and stressed the need for reversing the cuts.

U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján met with hospital leaders at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center on Aug.

13, warning federal Medicaid cuts could raise care and insurance costs while stricter telehealth policies and funding caps may worsen rural health gaps; he promoted his Stroke Act to boost prevention and research.

An investigation released last week questions whether stronger state checks on assisted living facilities — like the one following an elderly resident’s death after a medication error in Albuquerque — could help prevent future mistakes.