TEACHER SHORTAGE-NEW MEXICO
Teacher vacancies in New Mexico drop but shortage remains
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Teacher vacancies in New Mexico have dropped, but school districts are still struggling to fill open positions.
KVIA-TV reports a 2019 New Mexico Educator Vacancy study recently found that teacher vacancies have declined around 13%. However, the report also found that school districts in Las Cruces, Gadsden, Deming and Hatch Valley saw a 59% jump in vacancies.
The report was compiled the Southwest Outreach Academic Research Evaluation & Policy Center at New Mexico State University. Researchers collected data from public schools throughout the state.
The state currently has a total of 1,054 educator vacancies, including the 644 teacher vacancies. Last year's report found 1,173 total educator vacancies.

SKATE PARK SHOOTING
Prosecutors to try boy, 15, as adult in skate park shooting
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors say they intend to try a 15-year-old linked to a New Mexico skate park shooting as an adult.
The Gallup Independent reports the McKinley County District Attorney's Office gave notice this week it will seek an adult sentence for the teen suspected of firing a gun during the Oct. 14 Gallup Skate Park shootings.
Police say the shooting left three people with non-life threatening injuries.
The 15-year-old suspect is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a handgun.
Police say 18-year-old DeShawn Yazzie is still wanted for his alleged involvement in the shootings.
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VETERANS-AGRICULTURE TRAINING
Outreach groups to help veterans learn agriculture skills
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Groups dedicated to tribal conservation and helping veterans transition from military to civilian life are getting federal funding to provide training in agricultural practices.
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation announced the awards Wednesday.
The Not Forgotten Outreach organization will receive just over $200,000 for training and the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance will get more than $224,000 for outreach programs to improve access to tribal grant assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says supporting veterans when they come home from deployment is a priority that often lacks the proper financial resources.
He says tribes also face significantly greater barriers to accessing federal resources, so the effort will help bridge that disparity.

CLIMATE PROTEST-NEW MEXICO
Police cite protesters for trespassing at state Capitol
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — At least a dozen protesters voicing concerns about climate change have been cited for criminal trespassing and escorted out of the Capitol by New Mexico State Police.
Environmental activists thronged the entranceway to the governor's office at the Statehouse on Wednesday afternoon. It was the latest in a series of protests by the group Youth Unified for Climate Change Crisis Action urging Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a climate emergency and place a moratorium on fracking for oil.
Group spokesman Josue Martinez said younger protesters left to avoid arrest as the building closed. Mostly elderly and middle-aged protesters declined to leave when instructed by police and were declared to be under arrest.
They were escorted out of the building without force and given trespassing citations at the exit.

EDUCATION LAWSUIT-NEW MEXICO
Advocates for students revive lawsuit against New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — School districts and parents are reviving litigation that accused the state of failing to provide a sound education to vulnerable children from minority communities, non-English speaking households, impoverished families and those with disabilities.
Two groups of plaintiffs filed motions Wednesday to revive a dormant lawsuit more than a year after a district court judge ruled that lawmakers and state education officials failed to ensure an adequate education.
The Democrat-led Legislature and first-year Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham have authorized a nearly half-billion dollar increase in annual spending on public education. They raised teacher salaries, channeled money toward at-risk students and extended academic calendars.
Center on Law and Poverty attorney Gail Evans says the money missed the mark and was soaked up by salaries without a long-term plan for transformation.

NEW MEXICO STATE-MEN'S SOCCER
New Mexico State to start developmental men's soccer program
(Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State and University Degrees Abroad have announced they have agreed to establish a developmental men's soccer program at the university.
KRQE-TV reports the announcement Wednesday means New Mexico State will soon begin recruiting state, regional and international players to take part in the program.
Under the agreement, European-style academy with professional coaching environment will be established on the New Mexico State campus
University Degrees Abroad operates a year-round developmental soccer academy in England.
The move comes after New Mexico this year disbanded its men's soccer program amid budget concerns and controversies around overall athletic spending. It was among the school's most successful athletics program.
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FUGITIVE APPREHENSION UNIT
New Mexico governor creates special unit to arrest fugitives
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The governor of New Mexico has created a special law enforcement unit to arrest hundreds of fugitives across the state.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday that the Fugitive Apprehension Unit would be responsible for finding people charged with violent crimes who have failed to appear in court.
Authorities say this unit would help reduce the more than 1,600 outstanding bench warrants for people charged with violent crimes.
Authorities say New Mexico has the second-highest violent crime rate in the nation.
Grisham says the unit would be made up of at least seven state police officers and at least seven state corrections department staffers chosen by Public Safety Secretary Mark Shea and State Police Chief Tim Johnson.
Grisham says the unit must make monthly reports to her documenting arrests.

REPEAT OFFENDER-$20 THEFT
Convicted felon gets 4 years for stealing $20 in burglary
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A convicted felon who admitted to breaking into a western New Mexico business and stealing less than $20 has been sentenced to four years in prison.
The Gallup Independent reports Chad Gonzales was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to non-residential burglary and confessing that he stole $18.90.
Authorities located Gonzales through DNA samples after he cut himself during the break-in.
The 37-year-old Gonzales entered into the repeat offender plea agreement, admitting that he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in February 2012 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in February 2015.
Under the plea agreement, the prosecution dropped charges of larceny and criminal damage to property.
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UNM-CREDIT RATING
Standard & Poor's downgrades UNM's credit rating
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico's long-term credit rating has downgraded amid reductions in state funding and enrollment declines.
Standard & Poor's Financial Service recently reduced the university's long-term rating by one level, from "AA" to "AA-." But S&P also revised the school's rating outlook from negative to stable.
The S&P ratings reflect an institution's ability to repay long-term debt. It's also based on financial data for multiple fiscal years, including the fiscal year ending in 2019.
S&P said in a report the university's rating could improve if enrollment grows and debt and financial resources improve further.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Teresa Costantinidis says the University of New Mexico still has the highest rating of any higher education institution in the state.

ELECTION 2020-SENATE-NEW MEXICO
Secretary of state quits 2020 Democratic bid for US Senate
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's secretary of state says she won't pursue the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, clearing a path for Rep. Ben Ray Luján as the party's candidate in 2020.
Maggie Toulouse Oliver on Tuesday announced in an email the end of her campaign and endorsed Luján's campaign to succeed retiring two-term Sen. Tom Udall.
Luján is the No. 4 Democrat in House leadership and has served six terms representing northern New Mexico. Two candidates who lost statewide election bids in 2018 are vying for the Republican nomination.
Toulouse Oliver cut a progressive profile in her short-lived Senate campaign. The former county clerk called for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump and rejected campaign cash from corporate PACs. Those positions later became part of Luján's platform.

PUBLIC EDUCATION-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico wants linguistic, cultural training for teachers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state education officials want public schools to become more attuned to the culture and linguistics of a heavily Hispanic and Native American population, as they outline priorities for the next school year.
Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart on Tuesday told a panel of state lawmakers that his agency hopes to better equip teachers to inspire children from households where an indigenous or foreign language is spoken.
He says that teaching tribal languages in the classroom can help Navajo children communicate with elders. He says text books have to be created from scratch to teach some indigenous languages that aren't widely spoken.
Lawmakers recently increased spending on teacher salaries, at-risk students and incentives to extend annual classroom hours by up to 20 percent.

TRIPLE MURDER-SENTENCE
New Mexico man sentenced to 25 years for family slayings
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico state district judge has sentenced Nicholas Ortiz to 25 years in prison for killing three members of an El Rancho family eight years ago.
State District Judge Francis Mathew sentenced the 24-year-old man Monday after he was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Authorities say Ortiz would be required to serve 85% of his sentence after getting credit for time served since his February 2015 arrest.
Authorities say Nicholas Ortiz killed Lloyd Ortiz, Dixie Ortiz and Steven Ortiz in their home in June 2011 with a large pickax.
Nicholas Ortiz, who is not related to the family, was 16-year-old at the time.
Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Padgett declined to comment.
Authorities say Nicholas Ortiz could appeal but there was no discussion about whether he would.

CARLSBAD BRINE WELL
Project to fill defunct brine well facing $9M shortfall
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A project aiming to stop a defunct brine well in southeastern New Mexico from collapsing is facing an estimated $9 million shortfall.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports New Mexico Energy Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst said last week the anticipated budget shortfall for the remediation of the Carlsbad Brine Well is $8.9 million. She says the cost of the project rose during the engineering and design work.
The project, which would fill a 400-foot (122-meter) underground cavity below the intersection of U.S Highways 285 and 62/180, was first estimated to cost $43 million.
A collapse could interrupt a main thoroughfare for New Mexico's oil industry while also damaging the Carlsbad Irrigation District and train tracks.
Experts say a collapse could cost as much as $1 billion in damages, litigation and loss of life.

JUDGE FEDERAL JOB WITHDRAWAL
Judge withdraws from consideration for District Court seat
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has removed his name from consideration for a U.S. District Court seat in New Mexico after the state's two Democratic senators withdrew their support.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Magistrate Judge Kevin Sweazea announced the decision in a letter to the White House last week.
Sweazea says U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich withdrew their support despite having submitted his name to President Donald Trump as a potential nominee.
Staff members for both Udall and Heinrich said Sweazea's confirmation would face serious hurdles in the Senate and that they are working to find other qualified candidates.
Sweazea says the two-year process also "adversely affected" his willingness to take on the job, instead he plans to continue as a magistrate judge.

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POLICE OFFICER-DWI
Former New Mexico officer in DWI wants 911 call thrown out
(Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com)
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — A former New Mexico State Police officer charged with drunken driving wants a 911 call related to her arrest tossed out.
KRQE-TV reports an attorney for Jessica Turner said in recently filed court documents the 911 caller is unreliable because he never left his name, and incorrectly identified Turner as a man.
Otero County deputies say they found Turner slumped over the wheel in February 2018 after receiving a call about a truck on Highway 82. The caller told police the driver almost hit him.
A police report says there was a smell of alcohol in the truck and she performed poorly on a sobriety test.
She resigned from New Mexico State Police a few months later.
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CARLSBAD BRINE WELL
Project to fill defunct brine well facing $9M shortfall
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A project aiming to stop a defunct brine well in southeastern New Mexico from collapsing is facing an estimated $9 million shortfall.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports New Mexico Energy Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst said last week the anticipated budget shortfall for the remediation of the Carlsbad Brine Well is $8.9 million. She says the cost of the project rose during the engineering and design work.
The project, which would fill a 400-foot (122-meter) underground cavity below the intersection of U.S Highways 285 and 62/180, was first estimated to cost $43 million.
A collapse could interrupt a main thoroughfare for New Mexico's oil industry while also damaging the Carlsbad Irrigation District and train tracks.
Experts say a collapse could cost as much as $1 billion in damages, litigation and loss of life.

HEMP-PUBLIC MEETINGS
New Mexico holds more meetings on hemp regulations
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has developed a proposed final rule for regulating the hemp industry and it wants the public to weigh in.
The first meeting on the proposal is set for Tuesday in Santa Fe. Subsequent meetings are planned in Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
An emergency rule regulating the extraction, manufacturing and transportation of hemp and products containing hemp went into effect in August to protect public health and safety until a final rule was adopted.
The proposed final rule includes some minor changes.
Officials say it will likely be adopted during a hearing in early December.
The state Agriculture Department has issued 400 licenses to grow hemp since the crop was legalized. Officials say that means nearly 11 square miles (over 28 square kilometers) in the state are dedicated to hemp production.

TRIBAL SCHOOL BOARD
School board members in New Mexico accused of theft
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three school board members in a tiny Navajo community in New Mexico are facing federal charges amid accusations they claimed thousands of dollars in travel reimbursements for meetings that did not occur or that the trio did not attend.
An indictment filed against Hector Guerro, Bucky Apache and Steven Apache, of the Alamo Navajo Indian Reservation, includes charges of federal program theft and conspiracy.
Prosecutors say in court documents that the men presented falsified receipts, meetings agendas and other documents to receive travel money.
Authorities say the district receives millions of dollars in federal funding from the Bureau of Indian Education and Indian Health Service.
Attorneys for the men did not immediately respond to voicemails requesting comment.

IMMIGRATION DETENTION-NEW MEXICO
NM governor urges probe of immigrant processing center
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor is urging federal immigration authorities to open an investigation of conditions at a privately-managed processing center where Cuban migrants reportedly have attempted to kill themselves.
The office of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham released letters Monday calling for an internal investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of conditions at the Otero County Processing Center in southern New Mexico.
Lujan Grisham is requesting a probe by ICE's inspector general and urged acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to intervene. She describes signs of cruel conditions and despair at the processing center 30 miles (20 kilometers) north of the U.S. border with Mexico at El Paso, Texas.
She says ICE's internal watchdog found egregious problems with unannounced visits last year to holding facilities in four other states.

IMMIGRATION-BORDER COURT
US experiments in Texas with plan to speed asylum decisions
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities are testing a program to speed up reviews of asylum claims at a Texas Border Patrol station, offering a glimpse of how the Trump administration may enforce its partial asylum ban.
A Homeland Security Department official says the pilot project — called the "Prompt Asylum Case Review" system, began Oct. 7 in El Paso, Texas, with a goal of having a decision by an immigration judge within 10 days. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the program have not been made public.
The rollout has not been publicly announced, leading to complaints by attorneys that they are being deprived access to clients and left in the dark. U.S. authorities insist they will have access.
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Spagat reported from San Diego.

MISSING GIRL-ARREST
Authorities arrest Espanola man in death of 5-year-old girl
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Espanola man has been arrested in the death of a 5-year-old girl whose body was found in the Rio Grande.
The FBI says Malcolm Torres was arrested without incident Sunday in Pojoaque Pueblo. He's been indicted on a second-degree murder charge.
The remains of Renezmae Caldaza were found in Sept. 11 following an investigation that included more than 100 interviews, as well as searches within Espanola and along two miles of the river.
The girl with long, dark hair and brown eyes was seen days earlier in her family's yard in Espanola wearing shorts and a Disney "Frozen" shirt.
Torres is expected to have an initial appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
It was unclear whether Torres has an attorney. No court documents have been posted publicly in the case.
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TRANSIT OFFICERS-BEATING
Video: Transit officers beat man trying to record them
(Information from: KOAT-TV, http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/index.html)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two Albuquerque transit security officers have been on paid leave after video footage showed them beating a man who was trying to record them roughing up a detainee.
KOAT-TV reports the officers were placed on leave following the July 24 episode at the Alvarado Transit Center that prompted a police investigation.
According to police reports, the security officers attacked John Anthony Lopez while he tried to record the officers with his cellphone. Lopez says he told the officers they couldn't use physical force like that.
Video footage from a bus showed the security officers beating Lopez. He was later transported to a nearby hospital.
The transit security officers are not sworn or certified police officers.
Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office spokesman Michael Patrick says the case is being reviewed.
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