Thursday’s Five Facts
[1] NM to pay health provider $1 million in lawsuit settlement – In 2023, the New Mexico Health Care Authority told the Guidance Foundation it would suspend Medicaid payments to them over fraud allegations and said the Guidance Foundation was overpaid $43,000. In 2025, the Guidance Foundation sued the HCA and said the department breached an agreement by withholding payments for an extended period of time. The state is now settling that lawsuit and will be paying $1 million to the clinic.
[2] Former WNMU president sues state Ethics Commission claiming harassment and extortion – Dr. Joseph Shepard became president of WNMU in July 2011, but he resigned in 2024 amid allegations he misused university funds. In 2025, it was discovered the university gave Shepard a $1.9 million severance package and would stay as a professor. In July, the university’s Board of Regents took the severance money back from Dr. Shepard and fired him from the teaching position. Dr. Shepard then filed a lawsuit against the university, current and former lawmakers, and the state auditor, saying they’re guilty of fraud. It said he blew the whistle on the fraudulent $1-million appropriation, but the university retaliated against him. Now, Dr. Shepard is filing a new lawsuit against the state Ethics Commission and its executive director, saying they initiated a retaliatory prosecution against him for whistleblowing.
[3] Rinse and Repeat: More monsoon storms ahead with heat – Storms are forecasted to develop along the high terrain of the central mountain chain and northern mountains in the early afternoon before becoming scattered later in the day. Meanwhile, monsoon-like wet weather will continue for the rest of the week and into the next. Storm chances are forecasted to decrease by early next week as drier air starts to funnel into sections of New Mexico. The monsoon high will be responsible for near record to record heat throughout the state…