GUN LEGISLATION-NEW MEXICO
Gun debate prompts weapons ban at New Mexico state Senate
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's state Senate is prohibiting firearms in its public gallery and nearby rooms for the first time on Tuesday as legislators begin deliberations on red-flag legislation that would allow authorities to take guns away from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. Statehouse rules ordinarily allow the open carry of legally owned firearms without entranceway screening. Restrictions and screenings for weapons have been implemented in recent years in the state House chamber for the governor's State of the State address. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants to allow law enforcement officials or family members to seek court orders to seize firearms temporarily from people deemed threatening.

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico considers cannabis subsidies, crime expungement
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Democrat-backed bill to legalize recreational marijuana businesses in all towns and counties across New Mexico is getting its first public vetting by lawmakers. A legislative committee will convene Tuesday on the Senate floor to accommodate crowds amid intense interest in a bill that subsidizes medical marijuana and automatically expunges many past pot convictions.

RUDE COUNCILOR
Councilor's removal case over text messages dropped
EUNICE, N.M. (AP) — A city manager of a southeastern New Mexico town who wanted a councilor removed over attendance and for "being rude" is dropping his case. The Hobbs News-Sun reports the city council of Eunice, New Mexico, will not seek to remove Councilor Terry Bettis from office. City Manager Jordan Yutzy told the newspaper the decision came after he had a telephone conversation with New Mexico Assistant Attorney General Zack Jones. Previously, Yutzy sent a letter to the state Attorney General's office seeking guidance on how to remove Bettis from his seat.

50-YEAR WATER PLAN
Governor: New Mexico needs realistic, sustainable water plan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration is asking lawmakers for money and manpower to create a plan for managing the state's water resources for the next five decades. Legislative analysts have recommended less money than requested be spent on the effort, but supporters say it's critical the state starts charting a course that will allow for flexible water management in the face of more drought and climate change. The state's most recent water plan was rolled out in 2018 and includes details about policies, historical legal cases and regional water plans. While it offers an inventory of the state's needs, critics say it falls short of laying out a concrete path for how to solve water problems.

IMMIGRATION-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico may extend tax credit to non-citizens
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Activists for immigrant communities are pushing for legislation that allows New Mexico residents without Social Security numbers to qualify for state tax credits aimed at working families. Immigrants and allied advocacy groups thronged the state Capitol building Monday to lobby for stronger enforcement of laws that ensure low-wage workers are fully paid and reforms that would shield state records from access by federal immigration authorities. The group Somos Un Pueblo Unido says the initiatives are designed provide fair and equitable treatment of working families that are vital to the state economy. The group also supports greater state spending to encourage participation in the U.S. Census.

ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
GOP House hopeful's email questions early Trump support
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican congressional hopeful in a critical New Mexico race who has made her "100% support for Donald Trump" part of her campaign once sought backing for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. A March 2016 email from former New Mexico lawmaker Yvette Herrell asked fellow Republican state legislators if they were interested in supporting Cruz. Her GOP primary opponents say the emails counters the story Herrell told voters in the 2018 race and recently that she supported Trump from "day one." Herrell's campaign manager Dakotah Parshall dismissed the email and said Herrell was just being helpful to her fellow state legislators.

OPIOID TREATMENT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico seeks new tools to intervene in opioid addiction
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is considering new funding for research into treating addiction with injectable opioids to help address long-term dependency on heroin and other opioids. A bill from Democratic state Rep. Miguel Garcia would provide $150,000 to the University of New Mexico for a demonstration project focused on injectable opioids including pharmaceutical grade heroin or the drug hydromorphone that is routinely prescribed for pain. Opioid and heroin use has plagued some New Mexico communities for generations. The state has pioneered a series of policies aimed at combating opioid addiction, including becoming the first state to require law enforcement agencies to provide officers with overdose antidote kits.
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EMU FOUND
Emu back in Las Cruces home after being gone 3 months
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A former state lawmaker's emu that has been missing since Thanksgiving is safely back at its home near Las Cruces. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported Sunday that former state Rep. Brad Cates learned his pet emu had resurfaced last week thanks to a barrage of images people shared on social media. Cates with some help corralled the 150-pound (68-kilogram) emu named "Hey You!" Cates was also the Republican nominee for Dona Ana County district attorney in 2016. He lost to Mark D'Antonio.

​DEMING – A 36 year old Deming man was shot early Monday morning in the vicinity of Ash and Granite in Deming.
          Deming Police Chief Alex Valdespino told Deming Radio News that according to the report, the man, with an address in on South Gold Street, was walking near Ash and Granite Street around 1:30 Monday morning when he was shot in the right leg three times.
          Valdespino said the man went to the Emergency Room at Mimbres Memorial Hospital for treatment.  The hospital staff notified police of the gunshot wounds.  
          Upon arrival, officers found the man with three bullet wounds in his right leg.  One in the upper leg, and two in the lower leg area. 
          The victim said he did not remember anything about the incident, and refused to cooperate with officers.
          Chief Valdespino said the case will be investigated, however no action can be taken at this time without the victim’s assistance. ​

PUBLIC LAND ACCESS
US land agency seeks to ID public parcels that lack access
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. land managers say they will release by mid-March a priority list of federal lands that need but don't have public access. U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials want people to nominate lands where the public could legally hunt, fish or pursue other recreational purposes, except the lands have no or limited access. The agency manages 383,000 square miles of land, primarily in western states. A representative of the National Wildlife Federation says the public access initiative is laudable but must be considered in the context of Trump's broad rollbacks of environmental rules.

MISSING INDIGENOUS MEN
Movement to highlight missing Native women expands to males
TUBA CITY, Ariz. (AP) — A movement to draw attention to Native American women and girls who have been killed or reported missing is expanding in some areas to include males. Margaret Bitsue's son is among them. The Navajo woman hasn't seen or heard from her youngest child in more than four years. She says a recent forum on the Navajo Nation that centered on males gives her hope that she's not alone in her search for answers. Late last year, the Trump administration announced it would dedicate more resources to all missing and slain Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

ELECTION 2020-LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
Elections loom over Democrats on guns, marijuana, pensions
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislative elections and ideological divisions among Democrats are looming over major initiatives backed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on gun safety, recreational marijuana and pension reform. It's the second straight year of unified Democratic control over the Statehouse and governor's office. Democrats reclaimed the governor's office from a Republican and picked up eight seats in the state House as a blue wave swept through politics in 2018 elections. This year, the entire House and Senate are up for election for the first time since President Donald Trump took office. Democrats including the House speaker and Senate president are confronting primary challenges within a restive party.

NAVAJO NATION-LAND PURCHASE
Navajo Nation purchases land that includes gravel pit
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has purchased 1,250 acres of land that includes a gravel pit that the tribe plans to use to obtain sand and gravel for road work and other projects. The Gallup Independent reports that gravel pit's operator that leased its site from the previous land owners will now have a lease with the tribe and that use of the material from the newly purchased site near Indians Wells, Arizona, should save money for the tribe. An announcement of the purchase didn't state the pricetag but said it it was under a $5 million limit under which the Division of Natural Resources director can approve land purchases. A tribal official said material from the gravel pit will be used for highways, dirt roads, bridges, airports and other projects.

FORMER SHERIFF RELEASE DECLINED
Judge declines early prison release request by ex-sheriff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling will not result in an early prison release for former Rio Arriba County sheriff Tommy Rodella. Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that U.S. District Judge James Browning declined an early release request based on a change in a federal firearms law in June. The Supreme Court voted on an unrelated Texas robbery case that struck down a firearms statute that added seven years to Rodella's prison sentence. Browning says the part of the law that changed did not pertain to his case. Authorities say Rodella has five years left of a 10-year sentence stemming from a road-rage incident.

DWI DRUG COURT
Western New Mexico county developing DWI drug court
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) —  A western New Mexico county is developing a new court aimed at helping people convicted of drunken driving and drug offenses. The Gallup Independent reports McKinley County Magistrate Court is drafting plans for a DWI drug court to aid offenders in becoming sober and to reduce repeat criminal activity. Officials with the county's Administrative Office of the Courts said the details of the program have yet to be sorted out, but the program will be molded over the next month to suit the needs of McKinley County. Officials said the county hopes to accept clients in mid-to-late February.

NEVADA FUGITIVE-NEW MEXICO ARREST
Police: Man sought in Reno shooting arrested in New Mexico
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities say a man sought in Reno, Nevada, in a shooting in which a stray bullet injured a teenage girl has been arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reno police say the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested 31-year-old Carl Collins on Friday. Police said Collins is accused of shooting at another person  involved in an altercation Monday as the other person drove away. According to police, the intended target wasn't hit but bullets struck an apartment building, wounding g a girl inside her residence. She was shot once and treated for a wound not considered life-threatening. Collins remained jailed Saturday on a fugitive warrant. It wasn't known whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
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MURDER KIDNAPPING PLEA
Man makes plea deal in connection with kidnapping, slaying
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in a case that involved the death of a man and the kidnapping of his friend, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. Chase Smothermon's guilty plea came in the August 2017 case that involved the death of 41-year-old John Soyka and kidnapping of Soyka's friend Matthew Tressler. Smothermon faces between 40 and 60 years in prison.

ELECTION 2020-LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
Elections loom over Democrats on guns, marijuana, pensions
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislative elections and ideological divisions among Democrats are looming over major initiatives backed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on gun safety, recreational marijuana and pension reform. It's the second straight year of unified Democratic control over the Statehouse and governor's office. Democrats reclaimed the governor's office from a Republican and picked up eight seats in the state House as a blue wave swept through politics in 2018 elections. This year, the entire House and Senate are up for election for the first time since President Donald Trump took office. Democrats including the House speaker and Senate president are confronting primary challenges within a restive party.

NAVAJO NATION-LAND PURCHASE
Navajo Nation purchases land that includes gravel pit
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has purchased 1,250 acres of land that includes a gravel pit that the tribe plans to use to obtain sand and gravel for road work and other projects. The Gallup Independent reports that gravel pit's operator that leased its site from the previous land owners will now have a lease with the tribe and that use of the material from the newly purchased site near Indians Wells, Arizona, should save money for the tribe. An announcement of the purchase didn't state the pricetag but said it it was under a $5 million limit under which the Division of Natural Resources director can approve land purchases. A tribal official said material from the gravel pit will be used for highways, dirt roads, bridges, airports and other projects.

FORMER SHERIFF RELEASE DECLINED
Judge declines early prison release request by ex-sheriff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling will not result in an early prison release for former Rio Arriba County sheriff Tommy Rodella. Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that U.S. District Judge James Browning declined an early release request based on a change in a federal firearms law in June. The Supreme Court voted on an unrelated Texas robbery case that struck down a firearms statute that added seven years to Rodella's prison sentence. Browning says the part of the law that changed did not pertain to his case. Authorities say Rodella has five years left of a 10-year sentence stemming from a road-rage incident.

DWI DRUG COURT
Western New Mexico county developing DWI drug court
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) —  A western New Mexico county is developing a new court aimed at helping people convicted of drunken driving and drug offenses. The Gallup Independent reports McKinley County Magistrate Court is drafting plans for a DWI drug court to aid offenders in becoming sober and to reduce repeat criminal activity. Officials with the county's Administrative Office of the Courts said the details of the program have yet to be sorted out, but the program will be molded over the next month to suit the needs of McKinley County. Officials said the county hopes to accept clients in mid-to-late February.

NEVADA FUGITIVE-NEW MEXICO ARREST
Police: Man sought in Reno shooting arrested in New Mexico
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities say a man sought in Reno, Nevada, in a shooting in which a stray bullet injured a teenage girl has been arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reno police say the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested 31-year-old Carl Collins on Friday. Police said Collins is accused of shooting at another person  involved in an altercation Monday as the other person drove away. According to police, the intended target wasn't hit but bullets struck an apartment building, wounding g a girl inside her residence. She was shot once and treated for a wound not considered life-threatening. Collins remained jailed Saturday on a fugitive warrant. It wasn't known whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

MURDER KIDNAPPING PLEA
Man makes plea deal in connection with kidnapping, slaying
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in a case that involved the death of a man and the kidnapping of his friend, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. Chase Smothermon's guilty plea came in the August 2017 case that involved the death of 41-year-old John Soyka and kidnapping of Soyka's friend Matthew Tressler. Smothermon faces between 40 and 60 years in prison.

POLICE SHOOTING-ALBUQUERQUE
Albuquerque police: Suspect wounded in exchange of gunfire
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a man sought in an earlier shooting was shot and wounded during an exchange of gunfire with at least one  officer early Friday morning. Police say a gun was found at the scene and that 31-year-old Daniel Montoya was in police custody after being treated at a hospital. No details on his injuries were released but police said no officer was injured. Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said the man later identified as Montoya was sought in a shooting Thursday morning. Nobody was hurt in that incident.  Montoya was jailed on suspicion of aggravated assault and other crimes. Court records didn't list a defense attorney for Montoya who could comment on his behalf about the allegations. 

MURDER KIDNAPPING PLEA
Man makes plea deal in connection with kidnapping, slaying
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in a case that involved the death of a man and the kidnapping of his friend, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. Chase Smothermon's guilty plea came in the August 2017 case that involved the death of 41-year-old John Soyka and kidnapping of Soyka's friend Matthew Tressler. Smothermon faces between 40 and 60 years in prison.

CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
Navajo lawmakers opt for smaller buffer around national park
Lawmakers from the country's largest American Indian reservation may have thrown a wrinkle into efforts aimed at establishing a permanent buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park as New Mexico's congressional delegation, environmentalists and other tribes try to keep oil and gas development from getting closer to the World Heritage site. Navajo Nation delegates voted Thursday to support a buffer only half the size of the one proposed in legislation pending in Congress. They cited concerns from Navajo landowners who depend on oil and gas royalties and lease payments. The vote comes despite support from the tribe's president and individual Navajo communities for the more expansive protective zone.

AP-US-SCIENTIST-CHARGED-NUCLEAR-LAB
US scientist pleads guilty to lying about China contact
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A scientist who once worked at a U.S. laboratory in New Mexico has pleaded guilty to lying about his involvement with a Chinese government technology program. Federal prosecutors said 67-year-old Turab Lookman entered his plea Friday in Albuquerque. He was initially indicted last year on three counts of making false statements. Lookman's attorney said previously that prosecutors failed to prove his client had accessed or downloaded any high-level security information before his job was terminated at the lab. Prosecutors say Lookman faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

FRATERNITY BANNED-HAZING
New Mexico State University suspends fraternity over hazing
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University has suspended a fraternity for five years after a student was injured in a shooting during an initiation event. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Kappa Sigma fraternity held the November event at a campground in Cloudcroft. One member has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and negligent use of a deadly weapon while intoxicated. He told investigators he did not know the .40 caliber handgun was loaded when he shot the other student's leg. Officials say Kappa Sigma's New Mexico State charter has been revoked and the organization banned from campus through 2024. 

LEGAL SERVICES-ACCESS
New Mexico justices work to boost access to legal services
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More New Mexico residents would have access to civil legal services under proposals approved by the state Supreme Court. The Chief Justice said Friday the court recognizes the state faces a significant gap in access to justice. She pointed to residents who cannot afford an attorney to resolve legal problems ranging from housing and financial disputes to family matters such as child custody and support. The proposals endorsed by the court include efforts to attract more out-of-state law school graduates to practice in New Mexico and possible financial incentives for attorneys who practice in rural or underserved communities. 

VAPING RESTRICTIONS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico may ratchet up tobacco oversight
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators are considering a full ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine vaping products along with more robust oversight of retail sales to discourage use by young people. Backed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, one initiative would expand enforcement of the age limit on tobacco sales by requiring licenses for retailers. The licenses could be revoked for repeated illegal sales to those under age 21. Some legislators support new sanctions against sales to children but oppose restrictions on flavored products for adults.

CAPULIN VOLCANO-ROAD REOPENS
Access road to top of extinct volcano reopens in New Mexico
CAPULIN, N.M.. (AP) — The only road to the top of an extinct volcano in northeastern New Mexico has reopened after being closed for five months. Capulin Volcano National Monument officials reopened the road Thursday, ending a closure that began Aug. 9 due to a washout caused by heavy rain. Monument officials cautioned drivers to obey restrictions in a 90-yard (82-meter) segment of the road that has only one lane. The road is closed to RVs, buses, attached trailers or any other vehicles over 26 feet (7.9 meters) long while the road has the one-lane section. Officials say the road may close again in the future for maintenance.