Mom of New Mexico infant shot in face released from jail
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — The teen mother of an infant who was shot in the face at a New Mexico motel has been released from jail.
The Gallup Independent reports a district court judge on Monday ordered the release of Shayanne Nelson after ruling she was not a flight risk.
Nelson had been in jail following the Dec. 8 shooting of her 8-month-old girl at the Zia Motel in Gallup, New Mexico.
The 18-year-old told police she and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tyrell Bitsilly, were taking a shower when her 3-year-old son found a gun and accidentally shot his sister.
Police said the girl will likely lose on eye and part of her hearing.
Nelson and Bitsilly are facing child abuse charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
APNewsBreak: US moves ahead with oil leases near sacred park
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. land managers will move forward in March with the sale of oil and gas leases that include land near Chaco Culture National Historical Park and other sites sacred to Native American tribes.
The sale comes as Democratic members of Congress, tribal leaders and environmentalists have criticized the federal Bureau of Land Management for pushing ahead with drilling permit reviews and preparations for energy leases despite the recent government shutdown.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall tells The Associated Press that he's concerned about the latest attempt to lease potentially culturally significant land in New Mexico without a more comprehensive plan in place.
Officials have previously declined oil and gas leases on land within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Chaco. Last year, then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke halted a lease over cultural concerns after hundreds of people protested.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico officials confront disclosure deadline
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An annual deadline is arriving for New Mexico legislators and statewide officeholders to file personal financial disclosure statements with the Secretary of State's Office.
State law gives certain state officials until the last day of January that falls on Thursday to list significant sources of income, political lobbying activity, contracts with state agencies and more to avoid undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Cabinet secretaries have 30 days from the time of their appointment to file the same information. Completed forms are posted online by the Secretary of State's Office.
The nonpartisan group New Mexico Ethics Watch has described persistent shortcomings in the state's financial disclosure system for public officials.
PNM-POWER PLANT
New Mexico regulators clear way for hearings on power plant
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State regulators have cleared the way to begin public hearings on Public Service Co. of New Mexico's plans to abandon a coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the utility had asked the Public Regulation Commission to wait until mid-2019 so it could prepare a detailed plan for closing the San Juan Generating Station and replacing the lost electricity with alternative resources.
The commission voted unanimously Wednesday, citing a requirement that it immediately review the issue with public input. It was not immediately clear when the abandonment proceedings would begin.
The utility first announced last summer that it planned to close the plant in 2022, but it did not formally notify the commission until December.
COLORADO RIVER-DROUGHT PLAN
Arizona lawmakers to debate drought plan ahead of deadline
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona lawmakers face a Thursday deadline to let the state join a drought plan for the Colorado River or risk blowing up a compromise years in the making for the seven states that draw water from the constrained river.
Arizona is the only state that requires legislative approval to join the agreement, which will require the states to take less water from the river in hopes of keeping major reservoirs from reaching catastrophically low levels.
The House and Senate are scheduled to debate the legislation Thursday.
The Legislature's approval would be the final puzzle piece that avoids potentially more severe cutbacks imposed by the federal government.
The river serves 40 million people in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.
PAT GARRETT FESTIVAL
Sheriff who shot Billy the Kid focus of New Mexico festival
(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Pat Garrett, an Old West sheriff who is remembered for killing outlaw Billy the Kid, is scheduled to be the focus of a new festival in southern New Mexico.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the first Pat Garrett Western Heritage Festival is slated for Friday and Saturday in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Organizers say they plan to unveil a new photograph of Garrett.
In addition, organizers say several of Garrett's descendants will be attending the event.
The festival comes as Las Cruces city officials are considering changing the name of Motel Boulevard to Pat Garrett Boulevard.
Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in 1881 after the outlaw escaped from the Lincoln County jail in New Mexico.
Garrett was later killed following a dispute over a ranch.
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FATAL COLLISION-SENTENCE
Tuba City man sentenced to 19 years in fatal collision
PHOENIX (AP) — A Tuba City man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to a count of second-degree murder.
Eric Iron was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Phoenix. Prosecutors agreed to drop five other charges against him.
Iron will be in his early 50s when he's set to get out of prison. His sentence also includes five years of supervised release.
Prosecutors say he had been driving recklessly in December 2016 and collided with another vehicle after failing to stop at a stop sign. Two people in the other vehicle, including a young girl, died and two were seriously injured.
Iron's blood-alcohol content was .308 percent, nearly four times the state's legal limit for driving.
The collision happened in Tuba City on the Navajo Nation.
LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO-THE LATEST
The Latest: Legislators send vetoed items to new governor
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Legislature is sending a string of bills to New Mexico's Democratic governor for consideration that were vetoed by her Republican predecessor.
The state House of Representatives on Monday gave final approval Wednesday to bills that would expand cave exploration opportunities, require greater reporting of expenses by lobbyist and limit the ability of police to seize information from personal electronic devices.
A House- and Senate-approved bill from Senate majority leader Peter Wirth would require a court order before law enforcement agencies can take electronic information from mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets.
The House gave final approval to a bill from Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey Soto of Albuquerque and Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos that would close a loophole that allowed lobbyist buy politicians meals and drinks of up to $100 without reporting it.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also will consider a bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Soules of Las Cruces aimed at allowing cave exploration underneath private property by waiving liability for land owners.