SEVERE WEATHER-TAX RELIEF
New Mexico farmers, ranchers to get some tax relief
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is extending tax relief for farmers and ranchers in many New Mexico counties who were forced to sell livestock due to drought and other severe weather in recent years.
The IRS made the announcement Thursday, saying the extension affects drought sales that occurred during 2015 as the normal drought-sale replacement period is four years.
The agency says qualifying farmers and ranchers whose drought-sale replacement period was scheduled to expire at the end of 2019 now have until the end of their next tax year to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales.
Officials say sales of poultry or other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, are not eligible.
ENDANGERED WOLVES-DEATH
Wildlife managers investigate Mexican gray wolf death
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Wildlife managers are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf found last month in Arizona.
Officials with the wolf recovery team say the uncollared juvenile wolf was possibly a member of the Hoodoo Pack, which typically roams the northeastern portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
Officials did not release any details about the circumstances of the animal's death.
In all, there have been nine documented wolf deaths since the beginning of the year.
A subspecies of the Western gray wolf, Mexican wolves have faced a difficult road to recovery that has been complicated by politics and conflicts with livestock.
Survey results released earlier this year indicated there were at least 131 wolves in the mountain ranges spanning southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA
High winds cancel Albuquerque balloon fiesta's evening event
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — High winds have forced officials to cancel the Special Shapes Glowdeo at the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
Thursday's competition flying was also canceled.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that although winds above Balloon Fiesta Park were too strong for flight, event officials decided conditions near the ground Thursday morning were safe enough for crews to inflate without lifting off.
After Dawn Patrol pilots inflated around 6 a.m. and then promptly brought down and packed up their balloons, a safety officer announced the special shapes would inflate but not launch.
Fiesta officials say winds were expected to die down overnight.
They're hoping for a crisp, clear sky ahead of Friday's Special Shapes Rodeo.
The nine-day event started last Saturday.
It draws pilots from around the world and from 41 U.S. states.
___
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT-DEMOCRATS-NEW MEXICO
Torres Small comes out in support of impeachment inquiry
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is now supporting the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
The first-year congresswoman from southern New Mexico initially was among a small group of Democrats who were either undecided or opposed to the inquiry.
Torres Small in an opinion piece published Thursday in the Las Cruces Sun-News said she decided to back the inquiry after the White House halted cooperation with what the administration termed an "illegitimate" probe.
The White House insists that a formal vote is necessary to start the impeachment process. But Democrats are moving ahead, confident for now that they're backed by the Constitution.
Torres Small wrote that she has not reached judgment on the president's actions or the appropriate response and that she needs the facts before making such weighty decisions.
WHITHER SPANISH CONQUISTADORS?
Long a New Mexico icon, Spanish conquistador faces attacks
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Spanish conquistador, a New Mexico icon that has long been celebrated in art and honored at festivals as a homage to Hispanic heritage, is under attack.
A new generation of Native American and Latino activists in the state is demanding that conquistador images and reenactments be removed from schools, seals and celebrations. They say the figure's connection to colonialism and indigenous genocide makes the conquistador outdated.
Elena Ortiz of the Native American advocacy group Red Nation says activists want the conquistador expunged from public spaces to revise the region's narrative about itself. She says the conquistador glorifies indigenous genocide.
Some Hispanics say, however, that any removal of the conquistador is erasing history. Hispano Round Table of New Mexico chair Ralph Arellanes calls the protesters "ridiculous and crazy."
FARMINGTON POLICE SHOOTING-LAWSUIT
Department of Public Safety to pay $28,000 in records case
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ordered the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to pay $28,000 in a public records lawsuit filed by a man whose brother was fatally shot by a Farmington police officer.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that a judge ruled the agency had released skewed information on the 2017 shooting that favored the officer and was against the interests of Frankie Anchondo's family.
A panel of prosecutors concluded that the shooting just north of U.S. Highway 64 in Farmington was justified.
The investigation was handled by the Department of Public Safety, which had cited an exception to public records law when Anchondo's brother asked for records.
The judge says the agency didn't hand over records until more than nine months after the case was turned over to prosecutors.
___
NEW MEXICO SHERIFF-JOURNALIST
ACLU lists concern over treatment of New Mexico journalist
ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — Attorneys have taken an initial step toward filing a lawsuit against a New Mexico sheriff's office accused of retaliating against a journalist.
Leon Howard, of the American Civil Liberties Union, says a tort claims notice has been sent to the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office.
The notice outlines concern that Sheriff James Lujan and his department infringed on the free press rights of Tabitha Clay, a reporter for the Rio Grande Sun, as she reported on a deputy who deployed a stun gun on a special needs student in May.
Former Deputy Jeremy Barnes is charged with child abuse and false imprisonment in that case.
Howard says the ACLU continues to investigate several accusations, including one that Barnes and another deputy parked outside of Clay's home in September.
The county attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment.
MINE WASTE SPILL
Mine waste discolors river that saw 2015 Gold King spill
(Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com)
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Wastewater from a mine in southwestern Colorado has spilled into a river that was the site of a major spill caused by a government cleanup crew four years ago.
Christina Progress with the Environmental Protection Agency told The Durango Herald on Thursday the scope of the spill north of Silverton was still being determined.
Progress says the agency was notified Wednesday night that the Animas River was being discolored by wastewater from the Silver Wing Mine. The mine is within the federal government's Bonita Peak Superfund cleanup area, but work on it has not yet begun.
In 2015, an EPA-led crew accidentally triggered a blowout at the Gold King Mine that sent a 3-million-gallon (11.4-million-liter) torrent of mustard-colored wastewater into the Animas, contaminating rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
___
New Mexico farmers, ranchers to get some tax relief
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is extending tax relief for farmers and ranchers in many New Mexico counties who were forced to sell livestock due to drought and other severe weather in recent years.
The IRS made the announcement Thursday, saying the extension affects drought sales that occurred during 2015 as the normal drought-sale replacement period is four years.
The agency says qualifying farmers and ranchers whose drought-sale replacement period was scheduled to expire at the end of 2019 now have until the end of their next tax year to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales.
Officials say sales of poultry or other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, are not eligible.
ENDANGERED WOLVES-DEATH
Wildlife managers investigate Mexican gray wolf death
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Wildlife managers are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf found last month in Arizona.
Officials with the wolf recovery team say the uncollared juvenile wolf was possibly a member of the Hoodoo Pack, which typically roams the northeastern portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
Officials did not release any details about the circumstances of the animal's death.
In all, there have been nine documented wolf deaths since the beginning of the year.
A subspecies of the Western gray wolf, Mexican wolves have faced a difficult road to recovery that has been complicated by politics and conflicts with livestock.
Survey results released earlier this year indicated there were at least 131 wolves in the mountain ranges spanning southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA
High winds cancel Albuquerque balloon fiesta's evening event
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — High winds have forced officials to cancel the Special Shapes Glowdeo at the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
Thursday's competition flying was also canceled.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that although winds above Balloon Fiesta Park were too strong for flight, event officials decided conditions near the ground Thursday morning were safe enough for crews to inflate without lifting off.
After Dawn Patrol pilots inflated around 6 a.m. and then promptly brought down and packed up their balloons, a safety officer announced the special shapes would inflate but not launch.
Fiesta officials say winds were expected to die down overnight.
They're hoping for a crisp, clear sky ahead of Friday's Special Shapes Rodeo.
The nine-day event started last Saturday.
It draws pilots from around the world and from 41 U.S. states.
___
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT-DEMOCRATS-NEW MEXICO
Torres Small comes out in support of impeachment inquiry
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is now supporting the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
The first-year congresswoman from southern New Mexico initially was among a small group of Democrats who were either undecided or opposed to the inquiry.
Torres Small in an opinion piece published Thursday in the Las Cruces Sun-News said she decided to back the inquiry after the White House halted cooperation with what the administration termed an "illegitimate" probe.
The White House insists that a formal vote is necessary to start the impeachment process. But Democrats are moving ahead, confident for now that they're backed by the Constitution.
Torres Small wrote that she has not reached judgment on the president's actions or the appropriate response and that she needs the facts before making such weighty decisions.
WHITHER SPANISH CONQUISTADORS?
Long a New Mexico icon, Spanish conquistador faces attacks
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Spanish conquistador, a New Mexico icon that has long been celebrated in art and honored at festivals as a homage to Hispanic heritage, is under attack.
A new generation of Native American and Latino activists in the state is demanding that conquistador images and reenactments be removed from schools, seals and celebrations. They say the figure's connection to colonialism and indigenous genocide makes the conquistador outdated.
Elena Ortiz of the Native American advocacy group Red Nation says activists want the conquistador expunged from public spaces to revise the region's narrative about itself. She says the conquistador glorifies indigenous genocide.
Some Hispanics say, however, that any removal of the conquistador is erasing history. Hispano Round Table of New Mexico chair Ralph Arellanes calls the protesters "ridiculous and crazy."
FARMINGTON POLICE SHOOTING-LAWSUIT
Department of Public Safety to pay $28,000 in records case
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ordered the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to pay $28,000 in a public records lawsuit filed by a man whose brother was fatally shot by a Farmington police officer.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that a judge ruled the agency had released skewed information on the 2017 shooting that favored the officer and was against the interests of Frankie Anchondo's family.
A panel of prosecutors concluded that the shooting just north of U.S. Highway 64 in Farmington was justified.
The investigation was handled by the Department of Public Safety, which had cited an exception to public records law when Anchondo's brother asked for records.
The judge says the agency didn't hand over records until more than nine months after the case was turned over to prosecutors.
___
NEW MEXICO SHERIFF-JOURNALIST
ACLU lists concern over treatment of New Mexico journalist
ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — Attorneys have taken an initial step toward filing a lawsuit against a New Mexico sheriff's office accused of retaliating against a journalist.
Leon Howard, of the American Civil Liberties Union, says a tort claims notice has been sent to the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office.
The notice outlines concern that Sheriff James Lujan and his department infringed on the free press rights of Tabitha Clay, a reporter for the Rio Grande Sun, as she reported on a deputy who deployed a stun gun on a special needs student in May.
Former Deputy Jeremy Barnes is charged with child abuse and false imprisonment in that case.
Howard says the ACLU continues to investigate several accusations, including one that Barnes and another deputy parked outside of Clay's home in September.
The county attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment.
MINE WASTE SPILL
Mine waste discolors river that saw 2015 Gold King spill
(Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com)
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Wastewater from a mine in southwestern Colorado has spilled into a river that was the site of a major spill caused by a government cleanup crew four years ago.
Christina Progress with the Environmental Protection Agency told The Durango Herald on Thursday the scope of the spill north of Silverton was still being determined.
Progress says the agency was notified Wednesday night that the Animas River was being discolored by wastewater from the Silver Wing Mine. The mine is within the federal government's Bonita Peak Superfund cleanup area, but work on it has not yet begun.
In 2015, an EPA-led crew accidentally triggered a blowout at the Gold King Mine that sent a 3-million-gallon (11.4-million-liter) torrent of mustard-colored wastewater into the Animas, contaminating rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
___
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