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New Mexico State Police Investigate Fatal Shooting Involving Alamogordo Police 

Gregg Morgan
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New Mexico State Police Investigate Fatal Shooting Involving Alamogordo Police 

The New Mexico State Police is investigating a police shooting involving officers from the Alamogordo Police Department. Authorities confirmed the details through an official statement. 

On August 26, 2026, at approximately 11:42 a.m., a citizen called 911 from 1711 Alamo Avenue. The caller reported a suicidal male armed with a rifle. There were three family members inside the house with the man identified as Keith Charles Cowgill, 50, of Alamogordo.

As officers responded, the three family members left the residence, but Cowgill remained inside. When officers arrived, they established a perimeter around the residence. The Alamogordo Police Department made numerous attempts to contact Cowgill, but officers were unsuccessful. 

NMSP said Alamogordo crisis intervention officers attempted to deescalate the situation, but were unsuccessful. They used verbal commands over a loud speaker and placed a phone on the porch for Cowgill to use for communication.

During negotiations, Cowgill exited the front door armed with a rifle. Four Alamogordo police officers discharged their duty weapons, striking the 50-year-old. 

Medical aid was rendered, and Cowgill was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The three family members were not injured in the incident. 

No officers were injured. NMSP said it will not identify the officers involved.

The NMSP Investigations Bureau continues to investigate the incident.

“The New Mexico State Police act solely as a factfinder in officer involved shootings and does not determine whether an officer’s actions were justified. That decision rests with the district attorney’s office,” NMSP said.

Inferno in the Mountains! 60-Acre Wildfire Rages Through Treacherous Manzano Terrain as Firefighters Battle Two Other Wildfires

Juan Oliveros
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Inferno in the Mountains! 60-Acre Wildfire Rages Through Treacherous Manzano Terrain as Firefighters Battle Two Other Wildfires

Firefighters continue to contain two blazes while the third continues to spread through steep, rugged terrain across the Manzano Mountains.

The most worrying of the fires is the lightning-sparked Whiskey Fire, which has now grown to 60 acres between Osha and Capilla peaks.

Firefighters face a daunting challenge as the blaze is burning across extremely steep terrain, making it difficult to safely get crews on the ground.

With dry vegetation providing ample fuel, fire managers expect the Whiskey Fire to continue to grow as they work to develop a safe suppression strategy.

Meanwhile, firefighters are making progress on the Blanco Fire, southwest of Fourth of July Canyon. The blaze is now 25 percent contained after it reached 21 acres, as the crews have completed firelines around the entire fire.

Firefighters are now securing those lines and hunting down and extinguishing any remaining hot spots to prevent the flames from escaping the containment area.

In the west of Fourth of July Canyon, the Cerro Fire remains at 7 acres and is 25 percent contained. Crews are continuing to enforce firelines and mop up the interior of the blaze. But the danger is far from over. 

Smoke from the three fires may be visible from communities around the Manzano Mountains, Estancia Valley and the Albuquerque metropolitan area, serving as a stark reminder that wildfires continue to burn across the region.

Dog’s Terrifying Encounter With Hidden Rattlesnake Leaves Her Fighting for Life After Venomous Bite Sends Her to Hospital for 12 Hours

Gregg Morgan
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Dog’s Terrifying Encounter With Hidden Rattlesnake Leaves Her Fighting for Life After Venomous Bite Sends Her to Hospital for 12 Hours

Snakes can strike without warning, posing a danger to anyone who crosses their path. A Mesa del Sol couple experienced that danger firsthand when a hidden rattlesnake bit their dog, Zinc. The bite led to a 12-hour hospital stay and a frightening recovery process for the beloved pet.

Zinc is a happy, energetic pup on a good day. But after the worst walk of her life, she looked like a different dog.

“She’s just walking along, puts her head into the bush and bam she gets bit right on the nose,” Jordan Montoya said via KOB 4.

The pup’s curiosity brought her face-to-face with a hidden rattlesnake.

“We were very worried,” Montoya said. “She was breathing very heavily.”

Zinc’s nose swelled to the size of a softball. Her owners rushed her to an emergency veterinarian, where she received two rounds of antivenom.

“About four days later she started deteriorating again,” Nicolas Pezzullo, Zinc’s dad, said.

The dog stopped eating and drinking. Fortunately, prescribed antibiotics helped her begin to recover.

“She’s pretty much completely back to health,” Pezzullo said.

What to Do If You Encounter a Snake

Zinc isn’t the only one to come face-to-face with a snake recently. Residents have reported more snake sightings across the area.

“They sure are fast!” reptile wrangler Bob Myers said as he handled a coachwhip snake.

Myers, owner of the Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, caught the snake.

“Between you and me, I’d rather have a snake in my garage than a nest of rodents,” he said.

Earlier this week, an Albuquerque woman called Myers after a snake became tangled in her garden netting.

“Some of the snakes are desperate, like some of the mammals and birds, and they’ll find their way into people’s backyard,” Myers said.

Despite the recent sightings, Myers said hot weather has actually kept snakes less active this season. They still search for water, however, and often retreat to cool, shady areas.

When asked what people should do if they encounter a rattlesnake, Myers offered simple advice.

“Don’t panic, don’t run, don’t scream and run around in circles,” he said.

Montoya echoed that advice.

“I think it’s important for everyone to be cautious,” she said.

Zinc ultimately made a full recovery. Veterinarians told her owners there is only a short window to administer antivenom after a rattlesnake bite.

Call 311 if you need someone to relocate a snake. If you’d like to have a snake rescued, call the Rattlesnake Museum.

Deep-Sea Detectives Probe Remote Pacific Abyss in Hunt for Lost WWII Wrecks and Strange Alien-Like Creatures Never Seen by Humans

Juan Oliveros
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Deep-Sea Detectives Probe Remote Pacific Abyss in Hunt for Lost WWII Wrecks and Strange Alien-Like Creatures Never Seen by Humans

A team of scientists is heading into one of the most remote and unexplored parts of the Pacific. Aboard a high-tech research ship, the team is searching for the remains of a World War II battle and hoping to find strange, almost otherworldly creatures.

The Exploration Vessel Nautilus, designated as NA181, is circling Wake Atoll for a 30-day expedition into waters that few people have ever seen. Its robotic submarines are diving thousands of meters into total darkness.

From the ship’s control room, the Corps of Exploration guides the machines across wide, dark plains on the ocean floor, passing underwater hills and old volcanic ridges.

Scientists think these deep waters might hold creatures that have never been seen before. Some even wonder if there could be something that would excite UFO enthusiasts, especially after claims that President Donald Trump told someone that aliens are hiding in the ocean.

But the team is also searching for pieces of history from Wake Island, the site of a fierce battle between American and Japanese forces nearly 85 years ago. The waters near the island are virtually an underwater graveyard for many ships and aircraft lost during the war. 

Now, the Nautilus crew hopes their cameras will finally find some of those lost wrecks. “We’re putting eyes on places that have never been looked at before,” the team told viewers watching the live feed from around the world.

During recent dives, the robots saw three dumbo octopuses in one trip to the deep. These strange, pale creatures have fins that look like ears and seem to flutter through the darkness.

The team is now using Nautilus’ multibeam mapping systems, along with the Hercules, Little Hercules, and Atalanta vehicles, to traverse the ocean floor at depths near 5,000 meters. They use the more versatile Hercules robot when they think they have found a shipwreck. For the deep, flat plains, they rely on Little Hercules, which can dive even deeper.

The fourth of five Ocean Exploration Trust expeditions this season is also using special floats to check the health of the wider ocean. 

The mission began on August 20 and will continue until mid-September. After that, Nautilus will travel to Hawaii for its last voyage of 2026. It is taking place inside the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, a protected area about the size of a small country,

NOAA Ocean Exploration sponsors it through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. It follows two earlier missions in the Mariana Islands region and precedes a final expedition in the Hawaiian Archipelago.

For now, everyone is watching this remote Pacific outpost, wondering if the robots will find anything in the rusting remains of a lost warship, discover new corals, or spot strange creatures hiding in the dark.

Unlike many other deep-sea missions, people around the world can watch the dives live on YouTube and NautilusLive.org. They can also ask the scientists questions as they explore the deep sea.

Protests Erupt as Albuquerque Wildlife Feared Buried Alive During Basin Cleanup

Gregg Morgan
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Protests Erupt as Albuquerque Wildlife Feared Buried Alive During Basin Cleanup

A decontamination effort at a retention basin in west Albuquerque has sparked protests from wildlife advocates. They oppose the effort over concerns about its potential impact on local wildlife.

Angela Shomin captured video on Tuesday showing the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA) pumping the basin dry. The operation reportedly buried local wildlife in the process.

“They are covering them with dirt and going to be running them over,” Shomin said via KOAT Action News, pertaining to the animals.

Shomin’s friend, Brit Walters, described her reaction to what she witnessed.

“It actually made me sick to my stomach,” Walters said. “I’m pretty traumatized by it. I don’t know how anybody in the[ir] right mind could bury something that’s living. We were told that they had a job to do and that they frankly didn’t care.”

The decontamination effort aims to clean the river and nearby waterways. Protesters gathered at the basin Wednesday morning, citing environmental concerns and the potential impact on ecosystems.

“There is just too many people fighting over too little amount of water,” protester Alex Price said. “There’s no way everyone is going to get what they want, and it just sucks that the one thing that’s going to suffer is the animals.”

Officials Respond to Wildlife Protest

Mark DiMenna, deputy director of Albuquerque’s Environmental Health Department, stressed the importance of preserving the city’s shared open spaces.

“The city’s open space is something that we all share that we all like to have the way it is,” DiMenna said.

The department stepped in on Wednesday after AMAFCA temporarily halted the pumping process. Officials said they support the decontamination effort but said crews must account for wildlife habitats. 

The department stepped in Wednesday after AMAFCA temporarily halted the pumping process. Officials supported the decontamination effort but said crews must account for wildlife habitats.

“Wildlife is going to come to wherever it needs to come to get to water. Their habitat is shrinking on a daily basis,” DiMenna said. “So just recognizing that there’s wildlife that share this space and that they need to be dealt with accordingly is a step that we definitely want to see taken.”

AMAFCA returned to the basin Wednesday and worked with the Environmental Health Department to help move wildlife to safety.

The city said the process did not kill any animals.

Residents with environmental or wildlife welfare questions can contact Albuquerque’s Environmental Health Department by calling 311.

New Mexico Lawmakers Seek Parental Consent for Amira AI Amid Concerns Over Recording Students’ Voices and Collecting Data

Gregg Morgan
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New Mexico Lawmakers Seek Parental Consent for Amira AI Amid Concerns Over Recording Students’ Voices and Collecting Data

Should parents have a say in how schools use Amira AI? Over 30 state lawmakers want New Mexico’s Public Education Department to require parental consent for its use. They also want the department to increase oversight in public schools.

Amira is an AI-powered reading assistant that listens to students read out loud and provides feedback. New Mexico school districts have taken varied approaches to the tool, prompting scrutiny over how schools use it. 

Lawmakers sent the letter Wednesday, led by Rep. Linda Serrato, D-N.M., of Santa Fe. The bipartisan group urged the NMPED to notify parents about the technology and obtain their consent before schools continue using it.

The letter also calls on the department to regularly test Amira. Lawmakers said they want monitoring to help track possible “model drift.” They described it as changes in an AI system’s behavior and performance after it processes new data.

“For systems interacting directly with children, those safeguards should be especially rigorous. It is not enough to test an AI model once and then assume its behavior will remain the same after it is deployed and exposed to new data,” the letter read.

The letter also raises concerns about the student data Amira collects. This includes names, genders, birthdays, locations and other demographic details.

“We fully recognize that AI can be a powerful tool to enhance our state’s systems, in education and beyond. But it must be coupled with proper oversight and transparency,” it added.

“New Mexicans deserve to understand the tools that interact directly with their children, especially AI technology that may develop and change over time.”

APS Addresses Questions About Amira Use

Albuquerque Public Schools Deputy Superintendent of Leadership and Learning Randy Mahlerwein explained how the district uses Amira. 

In a letter to families, Mahlerwein said elementary schools use Amira in two ways: Amira Assessment and Amira Tutor.

He said Amira Assessment helps teachers gauge students’ reading skills and identify areas where they may need extra support. The NMPED requires schools to assess learners’ reading abilities, and APS uses Amira Assessment to meet that requirement.

Mahlerwein said Amira deleted all student voice recordings from previous school years after families raised concerns about the voice data. Moving forward, APS will have Amira delete assessment recordings within 48 hours, allowing teachers time to review students’ reading when needed. 

“If you don’t want your child to take the computer-based Amira Assessment, you can refuse it. Because the state requires students to take a reading assessment, there isn’t an option to skip the assessment altogether. Instead, APS will give your child a paper-and-pencil reading assessment. If you would like to request the paper-and-pencil assessment, please contact your child’s principal. They will meet with you to make sure we understand your request and explain what to expect,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mahlerwein said Amira Tutor is different. The tool provides students with reading practice and feedback based on their needs. 

He said schools can use Amira Tutor to provide students with their required reading tutoring. However, school Instructional Councils can choose other methods to provide reading practice, track progress, and identify areas for additional support. 

He also stressed that Amira Tutor will not record or store students’ voices.

“We recognize that families want to understand the technology their children use at school. 

Student privacy and safety are priorities for APS, and we have safeguards in place to protect student information,” Mahlerwein.

The APS official encouraged families to contact their school principals with any further questions about Amira. 

Dangerous Heatwave Set to Bake Albuquerque as Temperatures Climb Near 100F

Juan Oliveros
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Dangerous Heatwave Set to Bake Albuquerque as Temperatures Climb Near 100F

Albuquerque will experience another punishing late-summer heat wave. Temperatures could potentially push the mercury toward 100°F as dangerous weather conditions spread across the American Southwest.

The National Weather Service expects a high of 98F on Thursday. It will be followed by a scorching 99F on Friday, under mostly cloudless skies. 

Even after sunset, Albuquerque residents may continue to experience sweltering heat. Forecasters expect temperatures through the evening to dip to only the mid-to-upper 60s, a little relief for residents without air conditioning or in poorly ventilated homes.

Albuquerque is not alone, as dangerous heat will build across the Southwest through Friday, with temperatures expected to climb to 110°F to 115F.

In Albuquerque, the sweltering heat was already felt Wednesday afternoon.

Temperatures at Albuquerque International Sunport reached about 92F under mostly cloudy skies. Humidity was only 18 percent, which is typical of the high desert. But the dry air offers little relief once the clouds disappear and the blistering sun takes over.

However, a brief respite is expected. There is a small chance of isolated thunderstorms Thursday night and again over the weekend, meteorologists said. Isolated rain showers could offer relief, but a shift in the broader pattern of punishing heat is unlikely.

Temperatures will ease slightly to around 95F by Saturday. But that is hardly a cool-down.

The NWS forecasts that the first part of next week will also remain hot, with highs in the low-to-mid 90s and only a small chance of scattered thunderstorms.

Officials warned residents not to underestimate the heat, even as the calendar edges toward September, with summer showing no signs of letting up.

[UPDATED: 08/26/2026] Albuquerque Road Rage Erupts as Woman Smashes Pickup Window With Baseball Bat Before Driver Crashes Into Her SUV

Ruben Reyes
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Albuquerque police say they are still investigating Wednesday night an alleged road rage incident near the intersection of Wyoming Boulevard and Constitution Avenue in northeast Albuquerque.

A viral video clip allegedly showing what actually happened is gaining attention to the problem of road rage in the city.

In a TikTok video from user @bigalgladiator, a woman in a burgundy SUV appears to break the back window of a man’s white pickup truck with a baseball bat.

A video from Tiktok user @bigalgladiator shows a woman hitting a man’s pick-up truck back window with a baseball bat before fleeing the scene.

The woman gets back into her vehicle and drives away while the driver of the white pickup truck sits for a moment. But after a few seconds, he followed her into the intersection and slammed into the back of the car.

The police did not disclose whether their heated encounter would result in any charges or provide details on what led up to the incident.

However, a witness who works nearby says there was plenty of commotion Tuesday morning. He and his coworker went outside when they heard something, and they saw the woman hitting someone’s back window.

The witness, Frank Hinojosa, has lived in the metro for about a decade. And to him, the road rage issue has only gotten worse.

For him, there is so much going on, from people’s frustration to people dealing with high gas and food prices. He understands that these causes can set the trigger off in people.

APD confirmed Hinojosa’s observation on rising road rage issues. According to APD, they received at least 35 reports of road rage incidents last week. Unfortunately, four of those resulted in a death, with incidents involving a gun and a knife.

For Hinojosa, the latest incident is just more proof that road rage has become a more serious problem, which comes with severe risks. He says people on the roads should be careful, calm, and shouldn’t start a confrontation.

[UPDATE: 08/21/2026] The Woman Was Arrested

The police arrested the woman who smashed the back window of white pick-up truck with a baseball bat.

The police identified the driver of the burgundy SUV as Jenipher Lewis. According to them. she was with her children during the incident.

Meanwhile, the driver of the white pick-up truck chases Lewis, and rear-ends her car before driving away. Authorities charged Lewis with abuse, endangering a child’s life, driving with a suspended license, and reckless driving.

The APD is still looking for the driver of the white pick-up truck.

[UPDATE: 08/22/2026] Lewis Will Stay In Jail

A judge has ordered Lewis to remain in jail after APD said she used bat to smash a truck window with her two young children in the car.

Police said she faced a judged after the confrontation at Wyoming and Constitution. She is facing child abuse, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license charges.

Lewis told APD detectives a white pick-up truck pulled out in front of her and caused her to swerve. Police said Lewis told detectives she pulled up next to the truck and told that “he almost killed them.”

She also told police that the man laughed at her and asked what she was going to do about it.

She claimed she was only protecting her and her children and was fully aware she knew she did wrong. Lewis also told police that the man rammed the back of her car at a stop light while her children sat in the back seat.

APD went to Lewis’ children school and questioned them since Lewis did not pull over to request medical attention. The children said they were fine and officers did not find any injuries on them.

The judge trial then said the state has similarly filed a motion asking the court to detain Lewis while the case is pending trial. She will sign an order which will transfer her case to district court.

Meanwhile, for Lewis’ child abuse charge, she could face up to three years in prison if proven guilty.

The District Attorney Office said more charges could be still coming.

[UPDATE: 08/26/2026] She Will Remain In Jail Until Trial

A judge ordered Jenipher Lewis to stay in jail until after trial.

Her two children, ages eight and four, faced danger during the incident.

Lewis is facing multiple charges as of now and will remain in jail until the next trial.

Trump ‘Aliens Hiding in the Ocean’ Claim Sparks Fresh UFO Frenzy. But Where’s the Proof?

Juan Oliveros
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Trump ‘Aliens Hiding in the Ocean’ Claim Sparks Fresh UFO Frenzy. But Where’s the Proof?

A bizarre second-hand story alleged that President Donald Trump believes aliens are real and they live in the oceans.

Jack Osbourne, a television personality, recently claimed that an unnamed friend who speaks regularly with Trump asked the president about UFOs. His unnamed friend alleged that the president said, “We have no idea what they are, but they’re in the ocean.”

But Trump has not publicly confirmed making the comment. There is also no recording, transcript, photograph, official document, or independent witness to confirm the claim..

At present, the story remains a hearsay passed to Osbourne by an unnamed source, who claimed to have communicated with Trump on a regular basis. However, it has not stopped the claim from spreading rapidly through UFO circles.

And the timing is perfect for conspiracy theorists and UFO fans to go into a frenzy.

Congressional scrutiny about reported unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) has heightened. And former Navy officials and lawmakers have continued to discuss mysterious objects reportedly spotted in and around the world’s oceans.

Trump himself has also shown renewed interest in the UFO controversy, ordering the release of government material concerning UAPs and extraterrestrial life.

Unfortunately, curiosity is not confirmation. The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which is tasked to investigate UAP reports, has repeatedly said it has found no verified evidence of extraterrestrial technology or beings.

There is no denying that much of Earth’s oceans remain unexplored. Vast areas of the deep sea remain difficult to reach, observe, and map. Strange creatures, unexplained geological formations, and bizarre natural phenomena continue to show up in places that humans have barely seen.

Then there are the underwater UFO reports. Some witnesses have described objects apparently moving at extraordinary speeds underwater or seemingly transitioning between the atmosphere and the ocean, a phenomenon described as “transmedium” activity.

The 2004 USS Nimitz encounter, for instance, involving the now-famous “Tic Tac” object, remains one of the most heavily discussed cases. But a crucial distinction must be made between unexplained and extraterrestrial.

So far, no publicly verified investigation has produced an alien spacecraft, biological specimen, piece of extraterrestrial technology or other physical evidence. What investigators have discovered is a range of conventional possibilities, including sensor glitches, marine life, human-made aircraft and vessels, balloons and unusual natural phenomena.

Although some cases remain unresolved, it does not mean aliens did it. That simply means investigators do not have the answer yet.

If aliens are hiding underwater, how have they stayed hidden?

This is where the ocean-alien theory runs into another problem of plausibility. The seas may feel like Earth’s last frontier, but they are hardly unobserved.

The underwater world is noisy with human activity, including navies with their sophisticated sonar systems, and commercial vessels cross the oceans. Scientific organizations also deploy sensors and submersibles, while undersea cables crisscross the seabed. If that is not enough, satellites could help monitor the surface for changes and activity.

It would require a great deal of concealment for an advanced extraterrestrial civilization beneath the oceans to avoid detection. That means they would have to be technologically advanced enough to remain invisible, yet careless enough to repeatedly appear on sensors and in witness reports.

Could an underwater civilization have evolved here?

Terrestrial technology has advanced to a point where humans could exploit fire, metallurgy, controlled electricity, and increasingly complex industrial processes. But the underwater environment remains a formidable challenge.

Earth’s most intelligent marine animals, such as octopuses, dolphins and whales, have demonstrated extraordinary cognitive abilities. But none of them has developed an industrial civilization.

That doesn’t mean an aquatic technological civilization is impossible. But it does show how bizarre the claim would be.

The deep sea really is unexplored — but that’s not proof of aliens

UFO enthusiasts can easily argue that humans know so little about the deep ocean. Most parts of the seafloor are still poorly mapped at high resolution. Direct visual observation of the seafloor has covered only a small part of the total area. That alone leaves enough room for speculation.

But “we haven’t explored it all” does not mean “aliens are living there.” Unexplained or unknown does not automatically mean that extraterrestrials exist.

The latest UFO rumor follows an old pattern

The claim surrounding Trump is an old pattern of an extraordinary second-hand story emerges, UFO enthusiasts seize it, social media amplifies it, turning speculation to make it sounds like an established fact.

It does not mean every underwater UAP report should be dismissed. Quite the contrary, because unexplained observations deserve serious investigation, especially when they involve military aircraft, national security, or a potentially important scientific phenomena.

There is no evidence so far that advanced extraterrestrials are living in the oceans. If anything, the claim is either a fascinating mystery or a tantalizing rumor.

Dolly Parton Dies at 80: How Her Imagination Library Left a Mark on Thousands of New Mexico Children

Gregg Morgan
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Dolly Parton Dies at 80: How Her Imagination Library Left a Mark on Thousands of New Mexico Children

“She set what it was to be sexy, smart, independent and do so many great things for women.” That’s how Emily Sanchez described country music legend Dolly Parton, who died on August 25, 2026 at age 80.

Sanchez joined New Mexicans and fans across the country in mourning Parton’s death. The “Queen of Country” touched generations of children and families through her music, philanthropy, and literacy work.

Fans gathered Tuesday at Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star. They left flowers and tributes to honor the singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist. The White House also ordered flags across the country to fly at half-staff in her honor.

During her lifetime, Parton wrote and performed more than 3,000 songs, including 25 No. 1 hits. She extended her impact far beyond music through her charitable work. Her “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library” provides free books to children from birth to age 5.

Parton’s Literacy Legacy in New Mexico

For many New Mexico children, the program delivered the first book they ever read with a parent or loved one. 

“Her philanthropy, her generosity, wasn’t for her profit. It was to benefit children all over the country,” Kathy Chilton of Libros for Kids, a local chapter of Parton’s charity, said via KOB 4.

The Imagination Library provides books each month to more than 10,000 New Mexico children. Since 2010, the program has distributed more than 2 million books to children under age 5 across the state.

Parton planned to visit New Mexico last year to celebrate the Imagination Library’s statewide expansion into all 33 counties. However, illness prevented her from attending, so she sent a video message instead. 

“Every child in the state is eligible to enroll! Is that not wonderful?!” Parton said in the message.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has distributed more than 2 million books to New Mexico children under 5 since 2010. (Photo from: Lt. Governor Howie Morales | Facebook)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed more than 2 million books to New Mexico children under 5 since 2010. (Photo from: Lt. Governor Howie Morales | Facebook)

The literacy program sends books to children’s homes each month, giving families opportunities to read together.

“Every beginning of the month, a child who signed up will receive a book that their parent, their grandparent, their loved one can read to that child,” Lt. Gov. Howie Morales said.

“The anticipation for that book to come in and that opportunity for that child to bond with their parent through the love of reading, what a wonderful vision that’s been shown,” he added.

A Lasting Impact on New Mexico Children

Chilton oversees the Bernalillo and Valencia County chapter of the program, known as Libros for Kids. She said access to books at home plays a critical role in childhood development.

“To have books in the home has been shown to be an extremely important aspect of children learning vocabulary, learning how to read, learning about the world beyond themselves,” Chilton said.

She also recalled a child whose experience with the program had a lasting impact.

“One day, the child went next door, and went to the volunteer and and said books as her first word, and from then she began speaking,” she said.

Although Parton could not attend last year’s expansion celebration, she sent families a heartfelt video message instead. 

“Congratulations New Mexico, and remember, that I will always love you,” Parton said.

Organizers said the Imagination Library will continue distributing books to children, carrying Parton’s literacy mission forward despite her death.

Parton’s influence reached far beyond music. She touched millions through books, film, philanthropy, and storytelling. Her legacy also reached thousands of children in New Mexico. 

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