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New Mexico House Republicans made history over the weekend by electing the first woman to lead their caucus.

State Rep. Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) was the unanimous choice of her Republican colleagues to be the next House minority floor leader during their leadership elections Saturday in Albuquerque, according to a press release.

"As the first woman elected to serve as leader of the House Republican Caucus, I am committed to focusing on the areas of common ground that unite rather than divide us. Only together can we make lasting change here in New Mexico. I look forward to leading the caucus forward with common sense legislation that improves every life here in the great state of New Mexico," Armstrong said.

She will replace state Rep. Rod Montoya (R-Farmington), who has served in that role since April following the resignation of then-House Minority Floor Leader Ryan Lane (R-Aztec) in March.

A businesswoman and rancher, Armstrong was an aide to former New Mexico House Speaker, Don Tripp. When Tripp retired, Armstrong ran for the House District 49 seat he vacated, which represents Catron, Sierra, Socorro and Valencia counties.

During her tenure in the House, Armstrong sponsored legislation last year, signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), that established the Rural Healthcare Delivery Fund. She is also a longtime champion of ending the state tax on Social Security income.

Armstrong is the top Republican on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. She is also on the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee and sits on the Legislative Finance Committee and Legislative Council.

Since 2023, she has been the third-highest ranking Republican in the New Mexico House as the House minority caucus chair.

House Republicans, on Saturday, also filled their two other leadership positions, voting to keep state Rep. Alan Martinez (R-Rio Rancho) on as House minority whip. Martinez, who was elected to his second term in the House earlier this month, has served as minority floor whip since April.

Martinez called it a privilege to continue serving as whip and indicated that crime and improving education will be top priorities in the New Mexico House.

"House Republicans have a plan to address it all. I look forward to working with legislators brave enough to tackle these issues head-on, for the sake of our state's future," Martinez said.

State Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) will succeed Armstrong as House Republican caucus chair. She holds the seat in House District 38, the only one picked up by Republicans when Dow unseated state Rep. Tara Jaramillo (D-Socorro). The district covers Dona Ana, Sierra and Socorro counties.

Dow previously held the seat from 2017 to 2023, which, before the latest round of redistricting, represented portions of Grant, Hidalgo and Sierra counties. She opted not to seek reelection when she launched an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.

She previously held the position of House Republican caucus chair from 2021 until her time in the House ended in late 2022.

Retirements prompted changes for the Democratic leadership in the New Mexico House, though the caucus decided to keep state Rep. Javier Martinez (D-Albuquerque) on as House speaker.

"I am deeply grateful to my colleagues for continuing to place their confidence in me, and I look forward to serving alongside the strong, diverse leadership team elected today and all of the incredible public servants in our caucus," Javier Martínez said.

An attorney from Albuquerque, Javier Martinez, was elected to represent House District 11 in 2014. He eventually ascended to the position of House majority floor leader before his colleagues gave him the speaker's gavel last year after then-Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) opted against seeking reelection to the House.

State Reps. Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe) and Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Los Ranchos) were elected to the second- and third-highest-ranking positions in the Democratic leadership.

Szczepanski, who has served as House majority floor whip since her election to the New Mexico House in 2022, has been elevated to the post of House majority floor leader. She will succeed longtime state Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque), who opted not to seek reelection to the House this year.

"It is my honor to step into the role of Majority Floor Leader and continue to champion our children, families, and communities. House Democrats have shown the strength of this caucus and its readiness to win meaningful progress for New Mexico's families," Szczepanski said.

Hochman-Vigil, who first took office in 2019 and is now chair of the House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee, will succeed Szczepanski as majority floor whip.

State Rep. Raymundo Lara (D-Chambertino) will remain the House Democratic caucus chair.

In the Senate, Democrats opted to stay with their current leadership voting to keep Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) on as Senate president pro tempore.

"I am honored to have the support of our diverse new Democratic Caucus for President Pro Tempore as we enter what will undoubtedly be a tough but productive session. I have confidence that Democrats and Republicans will work across the aisle to best serve the people of New Mexico," Stewart said in a press release.

Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) will continue as Senate majority floor leader, and Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) as Senate majority floor whip.

Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Espanola) was elected Senate Democratic caucus chair.

New Mexico Senate Republicans selected their leadership during a call on Nov. 7.

Longtime Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington) was tapped to be Senate minority floor leader. He succeeds Sen. Greg Baca (R-Belen), who did not run for reelection to the Senate.

Senate Republicans selected Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview) as their Senate minority floor whip and David Gallegos (R-Eunice) as their Senate Republican caucus chair.

Republicans had a net gain of one seat each in the New Mexico Senate and House in the Nov. 5 elections.

The opening day of the upcoming 60-day legislative session is Jan. 21.

RUIDOSO — There are those who do business along Ruidoso's picturesque main street in Midtown who thought just weeks ago that the fires and floods of summer might have done irreparable damage to the village's reputation and capacity for welcoming visitors to the mountains.

But just in time for Thanksgiving, merchandise and refreshment vendors along Sudderth Drive now realize they were wrong.

Yes, it was bad, very bad. But it could have been so much worse. And most of the attractions that help bring tourists by the thousands to the slopes of the Sacramento range and its lofty crown jewel, Sierra Blanca, have survived.

While the trauma and its financial consequences haven't completely subsided, the feelings of doom amid the ruin and rubble have been supplanted by a different emotion. Gratitude.

"At least business is back up to the level it normally is for this part of the year," said Mike Cheney, who owns Win Place & Show Bar with his wife Denni.

"We have some very loyal customers who bought from us during that time just to help keep us in business," said Nancy Mitchell who has sold native silver and turquoise jewelry from her shop on Sudderth for 32 years.

"Ruidoso is resilient, and so are its residents and business owners," said Joni Stettheimer, owner of Indulgence where she and her husband Chris sell clothing and jewelry.

"I think the love that locals and visitors have for this quaint little mountain town really pulled us through."

"So many of our visitors are loyal to Ruidoso and wanted to help," said Deborah Douds, director and CEO of the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"I'm so grateful for the generosity of all the people," Mitchell. "Even FEMA, the National Guard, volunteers, Texas friends that sent stuff up here by the truckload."

Those were common themes. So was deep appreciation for disaster responders; for Red Cross and other volunteer helpers who provided temporary food and shelter for displaced victims; local, state and federal recovery agencies, and everyone who took a part in debris removal and cleanup.

"I want to commend the race track for all their efforts," Mitchell said. "Bringing back the horse sales to Ruidoso was so important. That was extremely important."

Flood damage to the track and the traffic entrance leading to the grandstand and parking lot forced removal of the 2024 racing season to Albuquerque, a huge loss to stores like Mitchell's that cater to racing fans and horse fanciers.

But a large portion of that well- heeled and free-spending crowd came back to Ruidoso for the horse sales, providing an invaluable chance for the village to salvage a fraction of lost tourist revenue and show important influencers that the town was cleaning up and coming back.

Despite the sense of relief that the disaster blows weren't fatal, they have left financial and other scars that will take time to heal.

Cheney said Restaurent and retailers lost at least 50% of their normal revenue for the June to September season. Mitchell estimated her losses at 70% during a season that normally produces half her total income for the whole year. She was thinking about retiring at the end of June, but those plans are on hold for now.

About a dozen businesses are listed in the Village of Ruidoso online "disaster recovery dashboard" as permanently closed. But that includes those like Swiss Chalet that were burned to the ground in the fires, and Adobe Plaza and Ruidoso Emporium that were inundated or destroyed by floods.

Of the rest, Douds said several were "on the bubble" before the fires and floods and about to close anyway because owners were moving on, not forced to shutter for lack of cash due to the collapse of the summer season.

But she said the terrifying images in news and social media of flames towering over houses and stores along Mechem Drive and overturned tanker trucks and dumpsters caught in flood surges are still having a discouraging effect on tourists' plans. Cancellations continue for meetings and conventions scheduled into next year whose organizers think it's still not safe to come here.

"I'm still getting calls from people asking if they can buy groceries here yet or should they bring their own food," Douds said.

An officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of an armed man is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.

Timothy Riley, 30, was fatally wounded on Monday morning after he allegedly opened fire on police who were responding to a domestic disturbance call at an Oak Drive residence on a cul-de-sac in West Roswell, according to a press release from the Roswell Police Department.

Officers reacted by firing back at Riley, striking him once in the head. Riley was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No other officers or bystanders were injured, but Sierra Middle School, Parkview Elementary School and El Capitan Elementary School, which are all located near the site of the shooting, were each placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

The press release indicates that police were called to the Oak Drive residence when a child called 911 and reported that their father had a gun.

When officers arrived at the Oak Drive house, they observed Riley, who they believed was the individual with the gun, outside of the house and getting into a vehicle that contained a child and was in a driveway close to the house.

The first two officers to arrive on the scene were behind a police vehicle a short distance from the street end of the driveway when they called out for Riley to show his hands.

Riley then responded by firing at least one gunshot at the officers from the back window of the vehicle he was in at the time, the press release states. He then emerged from the vehicle with a gun and persisted in ignoring the commands made by the officers.

The exchange continued when one officer fired shots at Riley. Another shot was heard a short time later from the space where Riley had moved in front of the house. Officers then witnessed Riley fall to the ground.

When the officers approached Riley, they determined that he was hit.

New Mexico State Police will be investigating the shooting and will forward their findings to the office of the District Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, who will decide whether the officers will face charges related to the shooting.

The officer who fired the shot was placed on administrative leave as the investigation takes place, per RPD standard procedure related to officer-involved shootings.

One officer who was en route to the shooting was injured when the vehicle he was driving to the location veered off the road and crashed into a 2100 block of West Second Street motel.

According to the RPD press release, the accident happened when the officer lost control of his vehicle when it began to hydroplane on the rain-soaked pavement.

"The officer's vehicle, traveling west at the time, struck a light pole on a median, crossed the eastbound lanes and crashed into part of the Belmont Motel in the 2100 block of West Second Street," the press release states.

The police unit then caught on fire, and the officer driving it was trapped inside.

"Other RPD personnel used another vehicle and a tow strap to free the crashed vehicle from the building so Roswell Fire Department personnel were then able to extricate the officer and transport him to a hospital," the press release states.

The officer was treated for some injuries but is expected to be alright. No one at or near the motel was injured, and no other vehicles were struck.