SB 35 would ease judges’ caseloads amid spike in medical malpractice and other civil claims
Ed Williams
Ed Williams, a Searchlight investigative reporter, covers child welfare, social justice and other issues. In 2022, he was selected for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network to produce stories about abuses in the foster care system and the devastating impacts on children. Before joining Searchlight, Ed was a reporter in both the United States and Latin America, working for print, digital and radio outlets, including seven years in public radio. His numerous journalism awards include a 2022 First Amendment award and 2019 local accountability reporting award from the News Leaders Association. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Posted inFeatured
Hospitals on the brink
A court settlement revealed that a lobbying group opposing medical malpractice reform was funded by personal injury lawyers — but not before it helped kill legislation aimed at reducing costs for health care facilities. Now, looming federal changes could put rural providers out of business.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
Another life lost in New Mexico’s foster care system
Makamy Anderson’s death is the most recent tragedy to come to light amid a string of deaths of children in the state’s care.
Posted inFeatured
Bringing dark money to light
New Mexico Safety Over Profit successfully fought against medical malpractice reform during the 2025 session. A state commission now says it broke the law.
Posted inFeatured
Is the oil and gas boom harming New Mexico’s students?
Fossil fuel revenues bankroll education spending in this state, but schools exposed to industry pollution face environmental risks that can affect children’s health and performance.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
A teenager takes his life in foster care
Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, 16-year-old Jaydun Garcia took his own life at a makeshift home for youth who lack foster placements. Jaydun’s family included four brothers and a baby sister. He was very close to his siblings, those who knew him said, and a close friend to many kids in foster care. […]
Posted inFeatured
The dark money group fighting medical malpractice reform
They work to influence legislation. They keep their funding secret. Who is New Mexico Safety Over Profit?
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
Threatened and Restrained
In CYFD office buildings, foster youth are monitored by private security. Altercations between kids and guards have injured children.
Posted inFeatured
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.
Posted inPolitics
What’s the role of a nonpartisan news site in an era of hyperpartisan political division?
Searchlight New Mexico was founded to produce investigative journalism in the public interest. Whoever is in power — at any level of government — the mission remains the same.
