IMMIGRATION-FAMILY DETENTION-THE LATEST
The Latest: Government takes step to dismantle agreement
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The U.S. government has taken a major step to end a decades-old agreement governing the conditions and length of time in which immigrant children can be held.
Government attorneys filed a notice of termination for what's largely known as the Flores settlement agreement on Friday night.
They say there have been significant changes in the law and in practice since the agreement was signed in 1997 and that new federal regulations issued last week implement the terms of the agreement.
The agreement is supposed to end when the government has adopted its rules through regulation. But immigrant advocates say the new regulation, which would allow the government to detain families with children indefinitely and for much longer than it's allowed now, "would eviscerate the settlement's crucial protections for vulnerable children."
The government's request has to be approved by a judge.
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DRUG BUST-NEW MEXICO
Federal authorities seize $4 million in drugs in New Mexico
LAGUNA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials say officers seized 85 pounds of drugs on a road that runs through a reservation in New Mexico.
Interior Department officials said Thursday that the bust happened within the boundaries of the Laguna Indian Reservation west of Albuquerque.
The drugs purportedly had a street value of more than $4 million.
Drugs seized included 82.8 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.4 pounds of heroin and 2,000 cigarette cartridges with a THC, the psychoactive element in marijuana.
The Interior Department's statement did not identify the person arrested in the bust.

GREEN BONDS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico forgoes green bonds on energy efficiency projects
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is foregoing green-bond financing that has the potential to attract socially conscious investors as it forges ahead with energy efficiency improvements to a fleet of state buildings in Santa Fe.
The New Mexico Finance Authority found few prospects for savings on borrowing costs after studying the bond market for borrowing money to finance environmentally minded infrastructure projects.
Correspondence by the finance authority indicates that separately bundled bonds for the Santa Fe energy efficiency project would be too small of an offering to attract competition from investors. Tax-exempt bonds without green certification were sold in June.
Installation of solar window film began this month at state offices. The General Services Department expects to reduce utility costs by 50% at revamped buildings and save $1.1 million annually by contract.

CARLSBAD POLICE SHOOTING
Authorities: Teen killed by police in Carlsbad fired gun
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — State authorities say an officer in a small city in New Mexico shot and killed a 16-year-old after the youth brandished a pistol and opened fire.
New Mexico State Police say they are investigating the shooting that happened Thursday in Carlsbad.
The Carlsbad Police Department detective who opened fire was not identified.
Authorities say officers were investigating a homicide and searching for 16-year-old Randall Gamboa at an apartment complex when they saw him walking and approached him.
Authorities say the teen shot at police, prompting the detective to open fire.
Authorities say Gamboa died at Carlsbad Medical Center.
Authorities say they believe the gun he had on him was the same one used in the homicide that police were investigating.
State police say their investigation is ongoing.

JAIL INMATE DEATH
Sheriff investigates jail inmate's death in New Mexico
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate at a southern New Mexico jail died after becoming ill and collapsing in his cell.
The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office says it is investigating the death of 47-year-old Zachary Barela. He had been jailed for a year and 10 months.
The Office of the Medical Examiner is also investigating, and an autopsy at the agency's facility in Albuquerque is pending.
Sheriff's officials say Barela became sick on Wednesday evening and collapsed around 10:20 p.m.
Authorities say Barela had not reported medical issues at the jail, where he was booked in October 2017 on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault on an officer and shooting at a home.

NEW MEXICO ENERGY FUTURE
Fight over energy law heads to New Mexico Supreme Court
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmentalists and the state's largest electric utility are asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to settle a dispute over whether the state's new energy law must be considered as regulators deliberate the planned closure of a coal-fired power plant.
The groups petitioned the court Thursday to force the Public Regulation Commission to take into account the Energy Transition Act as part of the proceedings over shuttering the San Juan Generating Station.
Aside from mandating more renewable energy, the measure includes a financing mechanism that supporters say is necessary for the plant's closure in 2022.
The law allows Public Service Co. of New Mexico and other owners of San Juan to recover investments by selling bonds that will be paid off by utility customers. The bonds will fund decommissioning costs and job training programs for displaced workers.

WEST NILE VIRUS-NEW MEXICO
More West Nile cases reported in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials say five more cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in the state since the first human case was reported in early August.
The Health Department says the new cases were reported in Bernalillo, Doña Ana, San Juan and Valencia counties.
New Mexico has had cases of West Nile every year since the virus migrated to the state in 2003. There were seven cases in 2018 and 33 cases in 2017.
West Nile virus is most commonly spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are no vaccines to prevent it or medications to treat it.
Officials say five of the six cases this year resulted in neuro-invasive disease, the most severe form of the disease. One case resulted in uncomplicated West Nile fever.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
Ruling opens New Mexico medical pot program to outsiders
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ruled that New Mexico's medical marijuana program is open to people from outside the state who qualify based on a medical condition.
The final ruling Thursday by Judge Bryan Biedscheid responds to a petition by two Texas residents and the Arizona-based CEO of the largest chain of medical cannabis dispensaries in New Mexico in his capacity as a patient with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Reforms this year to the state's medical cannabis statutes deleted the in-state residency requirement for prospective marijuana patients. The office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says that change was unintended and plans to appeal.
The ruling puts New Mexico's medical pot program within close reach of visiting Texans and citizens of neighboring Mexico. Texas limits the psychoactive element THC in its medical marijuana.

BEER CAN CONVENTION
Brew the years: Beer fans 'CANvention' opens in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It's "CANvention" time for hundreds of beer aficionados.
Collectors from around the world began buying, trading and selling containers of brews Thursday at the 49th annual gathering of members of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America.
One collector said some of the mostly empty vessels of beer are selling for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars, while others are opting to swap their six-packs with fellow fans of foam.
Rich La Susa, of Gold Canyon, Arizona, says he has attended all but one of the gatherings since the group started meeting in 1970.
The group was formed after collector Denver Wright, Jr. placed an ad in a St. Louis newspaper looking for like-minded compatriots.
After the swapping ends, some participants said they were going to a beer tasting.

NAVAJO NATION-FRAUD CASE
Ex-tribe chapter accounts specialist pleads guilty to fraud
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation officials say a former Tsayatoh Chapter accounts maintenance specialist has pleaded guilty to 16 counts of fraud.
Tribal prosecutors say Roberta Silversmith issued 16 checks between June 2016 and January 2017 to her son, who never worked at the chapter.
They say Silversmith deposited the checks into her son's account and then transferred the amount of more than $11,340 into her own bank account.
Silversmith was arraigned Aug. 19 in the District Court of Window Rock and pleaded guilty to all charges.
Her sentencing date hasn't been set yet.
Prosecutors say the maximum penalty for a single violation of fraud is a year in prison and/or a fine of $5,000.

VAPING-LUNG DISEASE CASES
State: 8 cases of severe lung disease from vaping, e-cigs
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Department of Health officials say they're now investigating eight cases of severe lung disease associated with vaping and e-cigarette use.
They say the eight state residents have required hospitalization following the development of respiratory symptoms such as cough and difficulty breathing.
Five of them required intensive care during their hospitalizations.
State health officials also say all of patients who have been interviewed regarding vaping behavior reported the use of vape cartridges containing Tetra hydro cannabinol (THC) oil.
The patients range from 17 to 46 years of age, five are male and all eight live in either Santa Fe, Los Alamos or Bernalillo county.

HORSE RACING-NEW MEXICO
Federal complaint targets New Mexico horse racing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A horse owner and a trainer from Texas say officials in New Mexico are failing to follow their own policies and regulations in overseeing the state's multimillion-dollar racing industry.
They're suing in U.S. District Court, alleging their rights to due process were violated when the executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission allowed horses belonging to a trainer suspended for suspicion of illegal drugging to compete under other trainers.
The plaintiffs say they missed an opportunity to compete in the recent All American Futurity because the transferred horses were allowed to run and place in trials for the prestigious race.
Commission executive director Izzy Trejo declined to comment on the pending litigation.
The case comes as concerns swirl around drug testing, the certification of track stewards and other issues.

DRUG PURCHASING-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico agencies seek combined leverage on drug pricing
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new consortium of public agencies in New Mexico has begun efforts to leverage the state's purchasing power to reduce consumer costs for prescription drugs.
The Interagency Pharmaceuticals Purchasing Council held its first meeting Thursday that brings together representatives from nine state agencies and institutions.
Member agencies include the Human Services Department that oversees Medicaid, Corrections Department, University of New Mexico and health care insurance authorities for retired public employees and educators.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces sponsored legislation to create the council and helped arrange $400,000 in initial funding for staffing and financial analysis.
He says the collaborative group represents the interests of about a million consumers and will pursue multimillion-dollar opportunities for savings on pharmaceuticals.
The council is directed by General Service Department Secretary Ken Ortiz.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico official: Retake state land leased to Epstein
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's attorney general is recommending officials retake state trust land that had been leased to financier Jeffrey Epstein's ranch south of Santa Fe.
Attorney General Hector Balderas outlined his recommendations Thursday in a letter to State Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard.
A small portion of Epstein's roughly 10,000-acre ranch includes state trust land that the attorney general says was meant for cattle grazing.
Balderas say a minimal amount of ranching was conducted on the land and that the leases were improperly granted.
Balderas accused Epstein of using the leased land to build privacy around his ranch.
Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell Aug. 10 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. More than a dozen women spoke out in court this week about sexual abuse they say they suffered as his victims.
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ALBUQUERQUE-GIRL SHOT
Police: 9-year-old girl in good condition after being shot
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a 9-year-old is hospitalized in good condition after being shot.
Police say the girl's father told police his daughter was wounded by a ricochet Wednesday when another person walking through an apartment complex pulled out a handgun and it malfunctioned, causing it to fire into concrete.
According to police, detectives will work to try to determine the identity of the person who discharged the gun.

SHOOTING-RACIAL SLURS
Witness: Fatal shooting stemmed from request to borrow water
(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing charges in connection with a fatal shooting that a witness said stemmed from a request to borrow water.
KOB-TV reports Richard Maliszewski appeared in an Albuquerque court Tuesday on a murder charge for the shooting death of Christopher Yazzie.
According to a criminal complaint, the 70-year-old Maliszewski told authorities a neighbor has threatened him with a bat so he shot him in the head.
But Yazzie's fiancée told investigators she and Yazzie had no running water in their home and she went next door to ask Maliszewski for some. The fiancé says Maliszewski started yelling racial slurs at her.
She says Maliszewski shot an unarmed Yazzie who went over to confront him.
It was not known if Maliszewski had an attorney.
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TRANSPORTATION FUNDS
New Mexico gets funding for 37 road, trail projects
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More than two dozen communities across New Mexico will share more than $32 million in federal funding for numerous transportation and recreational trail projects.
State transportation officials say the 37 projects will account for more than $41 million in investments over the next four years when leveraged with local dollars and in-kind services.
The projects range from flashing speed signs at all schools in Los Alamos County to reconstruction of the Upper Catwalk Trail in the Gila National Forest.
More than $5 million will be used to design and construct a multi-use trail connecting schools, homes and the community center at Jemez Pueblo along New Mexico Highway 4.

STATE EMPLOYMENT-NEW MEXICO
Low take-home pay may hinder state hiring efforts
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new study shows average take-home pay for New Mexico state employees is the lowest in a seven-state region and may be hindering efforts to expand the ranks of qualified state workers.
Announced on Wednesday, the briefing by the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office shows New Mexico state workers take home less than 55% of total compensation including retirement benefits.
That trails states including Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Higher employee insurance costs are an important factor.
The State Personnel Office is trying to increase staffing at many agencies as New Mexico shifts from austerity measures to hiring amid a budget surplus.
The report cites recent difficulties in retaining new employees and asks whether young workers might prefer more take home pay to a benefits-rich compensation package.

PRISON REFORM-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico signs settlement on living conditions for inmates
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The governor of New Mexico says a preliminary agreement has been reached on living conditions for prison inmates that would resolve long-running litigation shaped by the aftermath of deadly 1980 riots at the state penitentiary.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday the preliminary settlement agreement in federal court aimed at ensuring that inmates are afforded constitutional protections to humane treatment.
The agreement would end the so-called Duran consent decree that established requirement for conditions within the state corrections system.
The Corrections Department has agreed to transfer hundreds of inmates among facilities to ensure adequate individual living space and to take new steps toward increasing staffing at prisons.
Lujan Grisham says the agreement gives the state flexibility in developing new policies on living conditions and relieves future litigation costs.

DEATH AND DISAPPEARANCE-TRIBES
US attorney: Feds push for progress on tribal safety
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — The chairman of a Justice Department committee on tribal public safety policy says federal officials have undertaken a range of initiatives in the past year to review handling of cases of missing and murdered Native Americans.
Yet high victimization rates remain.
Trent Shores, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma and chairs the committee on Native American issues, says he is frustrated by persistent statistics of violence in tribal communities.
He adds that he and other federal prosecutors have made a significant push to address them amid a movement among Native Americans, especially women, to bring awareness to missing persons and homicide cases.
Shores and other U.S. attorneys began meeting Wednesday in New Mexico to review law enforcement issues facing tribes.
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BUDGET SURPLUS-NEW MEXICO-THE LATEST
The Latest: NM Republicans warn against government expansion
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Republican legislators are warning against the permanent expansion of state government as New Mexico anticipates a continued windfall in revenues linked largely to oil and natural gas production.
House Republican minority leader James Townsend of Artesia said Wednesday in a statement that new money should be used to invest in highway improvements or high-speed internet infrastructure and not "big government" policies. He also wants reforms that would reduce tax rates on sales and services while eliminating exemptions.
GOP Rep. Jason Harper of Rio Rancho says the state is spending a lot on film-industry incentives and should investment more broadly in economic development.
State economists say general fund revenues for the coming fiscal year will exceed current annual spending by more than $900 million. They also are say state finances are at increasing risk if the oil sector falters.
A panel of legislators met in the mountain resort of Red River to study ways to shield state finances finances from boom-and-bust cycles in the oil sector.

NEW MEXICO-HISTORIC SITES
New Mexico gets $270K grant to protect 2 historic sites
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The National Park Service has awarded nearly $270,000 for historic preservation projects in New Mexico through the agency's Save America's Treasures program.
Four members of the state's U.S. Senate and House delegation announced Tuesday that the village of Santa Clara will use funds to make repairs in Fort Bayard located near Santa Clara, New Mexico. Fort Bayard is one of the first installations in the American Southwest to be garrisoned by Buffalo Soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Cornerstones Community Partnerships will use funds to restore Casita Desiderio y Pablita Ortega, part of Plaza del Cerro in Chimayo, New Mexico.
The grants are awarded to preserve and protect historic properties that represent the nation's cultural heritage.

FATAL SHOOTING-ARREST
State Police: El Llano man arrested in a fatal shooting
EL LLANO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police say an El Llano man has been arrested in connection with a homicide.
They say 45-year-old Jullian Medelez was booked into the Rio Arriba County Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault on a peace officer and resisting, evading or obstructing a peace officer.
State Police were called out Sunday to an El Llano home after a 911 hang-up call.
They say Medelez came out holding a knife and making threats to officers.
He was arrested after police went inside the house and found 32-year-old George Albert Lewis II of Santa Fe with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
State Police say Lewis was helping Medelez move last Sunday and was shot for an unknown reason.

MISSING MONSOON RAIN
People across Southwest longing for seasonal rainstorms
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Around the Southwest, people are longing for seasonal rainstorms like a lost summer romance.
The weather pattern characterized by a shift in wind patterns and moisture being pulled in from the tropical coast of Mexico arrives like clockwork each year. It starts in mid-June and runs through September. Rain usually tags along.
But this summer is different. The Southwest is parched.
The Flagstaff airport is seeing its driest monsoon season in 120 years. Las Vegas has barely recorded any rain. St. George in southern Utah had none in July and August.
Meris Carmichael wants to lure the rain to Arizona in a tongue-and-cheek way. She's been encouraging people to wash their cars — a perverse weather guarantee to ruin a shiny auto exterior with muddy raindrops.

SANDIA LABS-RETIREMENT
Sandia National Laboratories director to retire in December
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The director of Albuquerque-based Sandia National Laboratories is retiring.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that 67-year-old Steve Younger has been on the job for two years and that he told employees Monday that he will retire Dec. 31.
Sandia is a federal installation involved in the nation's nuclear weapons program and international nonproliferation efforts.
Younger said the National Technology and Engineering Solutions Board of Managers is searching for his successor.
Younger unveiled his retirement plans several months after Sandia announced it expects to hire 1,900 employees this year, including 1,100 to fill newly created positions at the lab.
Younger formerly was associate director at Los Alamos National Laboratory and he began working with nuclear weapons in 1982.

ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
GOP oil lobbyist to seek southern New Mexico US House seat
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican oil lobbyist and member of one of New Mexico's wealthiest families has announced she is running for Congress in what is expected to be a closely watched U.S. House race.
Claire Chase told The Associated Press on Tuesday she will seek the GOP nomination for the state's southern congressional seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl (ZOH'-cheel) Torres Small.
Torres Small defeated Republican Yvette Herrell in 2018 to flip a traditional Republican-leaning district.
The 36-year-old Chase says she intends to run a different race than Herrell, who faced criticism for refusing to debate Torres Small
Herrell and Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys also are vying for the GOP nomination.
Chase, a Roswell, New Mexico, native, is married to Chance Chase. His grandfather is oil and natural gas tycoon, Mack Chase.

BEER CAN CONVENTION
Beer can enthusiasts head to New Mexico for 'CANvention'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hundreds of beer can collectors are heading to New Mexico for a "CANvention."
The Albuquerque Journal reports the Brewery Collectibles Club of America is scheduled Thursday to start celebrating different types of beer cans at its three-day national gathering at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The club says the event attracts collectors from around the world who trade, buy and sell vintage and craft beer cans. It is a chance for those attending to sample beer from local Albuquerque brewers.
The gathering began in 1969 after collector Denver Wright, Jr. put an ad in a St. Louis newspaper asking anyone who collected beer cans to contact him.
Six collectors responded and they held an event in Denver months later.
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ELECTION LAW-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Supreme Court blocks changes to election law
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has determined parts of a new election law that would have altered the terms of certain elected officials are unconstitutional.
The court ruling Monday blocks some of the election changes enacted by state lawmakers earlier this year from taking effect.
Lawmakers aimed to shift the election timing for some judges and county officials so not all the elections would fall in the same year.
State Administrative Office of the Courts spokesman Barry Massey said in a statement that shifting elections would have caused some judges to serve longer terms than allowed by the state constitution.
The eight district attorneys who filed one of three challenges to the law also claimed it would have caused officeholders to serve six-year terms or be ousted without an election.