NEW MEXICO

Stamps honor lowrider culture

ALBUQUERQUE — From Mexican American and Chicano barrios in the American Southwest to the halls of the Smithsonian on the National Mall and even the streets of Japan, lowrider culture has become part of mainstream car culture around the globe.

The U.S. Postal Service is joining the club with a new series of stamps dedicated to the low and slow rolling works of art. The stamps — complete with pinstriping — were unveiled on March 13 during a celebration in San Diego.

For the lowrider community, it’s validation of the vibrant artistic expression that blossomed in the 1940s in the working-class communities of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as everyday cars were transformed into one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

Lowriders are known for their dazzling paint schemes, glistening chrome, luxurious interiors and gravity-defying hydraulic systems. They’re considered symbols of creativity, craftsmanship, pride and identity.

Humberto “Beto” Mendoza, whose photographs were used as the basis of three of the stamps, describes lowrider culture as both a family affair and a big melting pot.

He has traveled far and wide photographing many of the iconic masterpieces that have graced magazine covers. That includes “El Rey,” a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala that is featured on one of the stamps and is on display at the National Museum of American History.

The stamp project was unexpected, Mendoza said, noting that it couldn’t have come at a better time. He had just suffered a stroke in 2022 and was in a dark place. The project was a ray of light for him and for the wider lowrider community.

ARIZONA

Apaches ask court to block mining

The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project.

The title to the land was conveyed by the federal government to Resolution Copper on March 13 after an appeals court denied requests by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmentalists seeking to block the move.

The appeals court determined that the plaintiffs’ legal claims likely would not succeed and lifted an emergency injunction that was put in place last summer.

The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plants by the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes. The tribe, the activist group Apache Stronghold and other plaintiffs have been fighting for years to save what tribal members call Chi’chil Bildagoteel.

Attorneys for the U.S. Forest Service have argued in court filings over the years that the agency has no discretion because the exchange was indeed mandated by Congress when language was included in a must-pass national defense spending bill that was signed into law in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.

In a statement issued on March 16, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins — who oversees the Forest Service — said the project is among those that will help fulfill President Donald Trump’s vision of energy independence.

Resolution Copper — a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP — estimates the mine will generate $1 billion a year for Arizona’s economy and create thousands of jobs. The project has support in the nearby community of Superior.

WYOMING

Father, son sue ammo maker

A Casper father and son are suing an Oregon ammunition manufacturer, alleging faulty munitions caused a misfire that severely injured both.

In a complaint filed in federal court this month, David Kaczorowski and his son Kyler allege that Nosler Inc. — a Bend, Oregon-based firearm and ammunition manufacturer — produced and shipped faulty ammo that led to Kaczorowski suffering significant injuries and continuing “chronic soreness and inflammation in his wrist and chest.”

The father bought ammunition from Nosler for use in a custom rifle that arrived in May 2025 and was used in October 2025, according to the federal filing.

The complaint alleges the Kaczorowskis were at the Wyoming Gun Company’s indoor range when the sixth round they fired “exploded,” knocking Kyler Kaczorowski on his back.

David Kaczorowski “sustained multiple shrapnel injuries,” and after walking out of the range “presumably to get help” did not come back for several minutes, prompting his son to check on him, where the younger Kaczorowski found his father “bleeding out on the ground,” according to the filing.

According to the complaint, Kaczorowski’s injuries are “worsened by weather changes and physical exertion” and that “Kyler suffers from substantial mental anguish” that prevents him from participating in “adrenaline-based hobbies” and “anything involving firearms.”

The complaint asks for “compensation for the mental and physical pain and suffering” caused by the incident.

First lady gives out free seeds

Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon’s nonprofit is giving out free produce seeds for the sixth year.

The Grow a Little Extra program aims to increase the donation of fresh produce to local food panties by providing gardeners with extra seeds. The hope is that the extra produce will be donated to local food panties.

The program is part of Gordon’s nonprofit the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, which started as her special project as first lady but transitioned to a nonprofit last year.

“Across Wyoming, gardeners and community members are eager to help their neighbors,” Gordon said. “Grow A Little Extra builds on the great work already happening through University of Wyoming Extension, Master Gardeners, and the Cent$ible Nutrition Program to increase access to fresh, locally grown produce for families across our state.”

Free seeds were available at local University of Wyoming Extension offices. There are six types of seeds available: cornito arancia pepper, diva cucumber, provider green bean, sunangel spinach, speckled roman tomato and honey bear acorn squash.

Once harvested, residents can visit one of the drop off locations to have their produce weighed.

In 2025, more than 60,000 pounds of produce were donated in partnership with the program, according to a news release.