Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable drivers on the road. That's why a New Mexico man started a campaign that led the state to issue the first license plate meant to help boost their safety.

In 2015, Richard Sturgeon was asked by his employers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to start a Motorcycle Safety Committee.

Eight years later, New Mexico has a specialty license plate designed by Sturgeon and approved by lawmakers that encourages drivers to pay more attention to motorcyclists.

Sturgeon - now officially the chair of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Motorcycle Safety Committee - said he landed on the proposal while brainstorming ideas about how to reduce accidents.

"If I could get a message of 'Look Twice for Motorcycles' and have a picture of a motorcycle on a New Mexico license plate," said Sturgeon, "then people would see it and think about motorcycles in real time while they were driving."

Per vehicle miles traveled in 2021, motorcyclists were about 24 times more likely than those in other vehicles to die in a crash, and were four times more likely to be injured - according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The initial fee for the plates includes a portion designated for an education training fund administered by the state's Department of Transportation.

Forty-percent of all vehicle-and-motorcycle accidents occur at intersections, because - as Sturgeon explained - their smaller profile keeps them hidden, or drivers misjudge how fast a motorcyclist is traveling and turn into their path, causing an accident.

"So, in that time that they've looked left and then looked right, a motorcycle will have made a lot of ground that that car is not aware of," said Sturgeon. "The car pulls out, and that T-bone is 42% of accidents like that."

Sturgeon says the standard yellow license plate includes the state's distinctive "Zia" sun symbol - used with permission by the Zia Pueblo.

There are roughly 67,000 registered motorcycles in New Mexico, well behind Montana - which has the most motorcycle registrations per 100,0000 people.

Pennsylvania residents who need assistance filing their income tax returns can use the free services of the AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide program.

You do not have to be an AARP member or a senior citizen to get help.

Kathleen Hoffer, program coordinator for AARP Pennsylvania, said the full-service tax program assists Pennsylvanians with federal, state and local returns. She added their main focus is to serve individuals with low to moderate incomes.

"We helped nearly 74,000 people in Pennsylvania last year and it resulted in $52 million in refunds for those folks," Hoffer reported. "We're doing as best we can, but we could do better especially if we had more volunteers."

Hoffer emphasized the volunteers are trained and IRS-certified to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest changes to the tax code. The nationwide program is available through mid-April. Volunteers have helped 1.7 million people secure nearly $1.3 billion in total refunds.

Hoffer noted individuals in rural, underserved areas may struggle with tax preparation access and adds they are working to assist them through virtual appointments. She explained the program offers several options such as in-person and drop-off services for taxpayers to get assistance.

"We also have assisted tax preparation," Hoffer pointed out. "We have where they can come in and bring their tax documents. They basically work on their tax return themselves. But then we have a counselor who can advise them or answer questions. As they are doing their own returns."

Hoffer emphasized their biggest challenge is recruiting more volunteers. With additional help, they can serve a greater number of people. She added volunteers are needed for administrative tasks, greeting clients, communications and technology support.

Activists who believe Tesla CEO Elon Musk is overstepping his role in the Trump administration will protest today at a Tesla dealership in New Mexico's Sandoval County. Similar protests have taken place in Albuquerque and at Tesla dealerships nationwide.

Musk, the world's richest person, leads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with saving money by firing federal employees and dismantling agencies.

Terry Eisenbart with Sandoval County Indivisible said many who have lost their jobs live in New Mexico.

"It is time to stand up and fight back with whatever is at our disposal," Eisenbart contended. "Peaceful protests are a huge way to gain the traction of the people that want to express themselves but don't even know where to begin."

Despite his previous vilification of electric vehicles, President Donald Trump went to bat for Musk's beleaguered car company on Tuesday. He showcased five Tesla vehicles in front of the White House and announced he had purchased one for $80,000. Musk donated $270 million to Trump's 2024 election campaign.

Eisenbart is especially concerned federal services she believes Americans want and need are being eliminated. She cited the closure of the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau on Feb. 8, which, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, called a "woke" and "weaponized" agency. Eisenbart stressed the closure hits close to home.

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, when they shut it down the other day -- my sister has personally benefited by that -- and it made the whole difference in her life, by the actions that organization took on her behalf," Eisenbart explained.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was instrumental in establishing the independent agency after the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. DOGE claims total government savings of at least $105 billion so far but news agencies have not been able to verify the savings.


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To cast a primary election ballot in New Mexico, voters must declare a political party. But that could change if lawmakers pass Senate Bill 16 this month to adopt open primaries.

Supporters say New Mexico's electorate has changed, with 40% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 choosing not to affiliate with a party.

The state does allow same-day registration, but Sila Avcil - the executive director of the group New Mexico Open Elections - said that still means more paperwork and time is needed to vote in a primary for those who choose not to register with a political party.

"Under this bill," said Avcil, "what would happen is - if I'm a registered independent - I would just show up and say, 'I'm an Independent, here's verifying my registration, and today I would like to vote as a Democrat or a Republican or a Libertarian.'"

She said the bill would prohibit voters from participating in more than one party primary.

Critics of open primaries worry voters could affiliate with one party over another to influence that party's nomination, by choosing a candidate they feel would be easier to defeat in a general election.

Research shows the percentage of independent voters in New Mexico is growing.

From 2000 to 2022, Democratic registration declined from 52% of the electorate to 44%. At the same time, the state's Republican registration declined from 33-percent to 31-percent.

Avcil said the trend suggests a change would be helpful.

"I think this is the right time,," said Avcil, "because we constantly are seeing every year an increase in independent registration - particularly by young people. They're registering more and more as independent."

New Mexico is one of just 10 states with closed primaries. Avcil noted that this is the 10th year the bill has been introduced in the Legislature, but she said she believes there is more support this time around.