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.
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.
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.
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.
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