NAVAJO NATION-DROUGHT
Navajo Nation issues new emergency drought declaration
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Dry conditions and the prospect of limited precipitation later this year have forced officials on the nation's largest American Indian reservation to approve an emergency drought declaration.
The Navajo Nation's Commission on Emergency Management issued the new declaration Monday. The reservation spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah and includes a region that been dealing with severe to extreme drought for weeks now.
Tribal officials are anticipating large-scale drought conditions to persist this summer. They say that will create a shortage of water and feed for livestock.
The tribe also is grappling with feral horses, heavy populations in remote locations and winter range areas like the Carrizo Mountains. Officials say the Navajo ecosystem can't support the number of feral horses that currently exist.

NEW MEXICO-ENDANGERED SPECIES
New Mexico biologists scheduled to review endangered species
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Game and Fish Department is preparing to begin a lengthy review of dozens of species of animals and plants that are classified as threatened or endangered by the state.
It will be up to the state Game Commission when it meets Thursday in Las Cruces to approve the start of the biennial review.
Based on the best available information, department biologists determine for each listed species whether its status should be "uplisted" from threatened to endangered, "downlisted" from endangered to threatened, or remain unchanged from the previous review period.
Public comments will be taken before and after the department issues its draft review.
There's a separate process for determining whether species should be added to or removed from the list.

SENATOR EMBEZZLED-SENTENCING
Man who embezzled from state senator gets prison sentence
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities say a man convicted of stealing money and jewelry from state Sen. Mary Kay Papen has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison.
Dona Ana County District prosecutors sought the maximum sentence of 13 1/2 years for Steve Siddall, but a judge suspended six years of the term.
They say the 46-year-old Siddall once served as Papen's campaign treasurer and was given access to her bank accounts.
Last December, a Las Cruces jury convicted Siddall on one count of forgery over $2,500, five counts of forgery and two counts of larceny over $500.
He was found guilty of forging checks and stealing thousands of dollars from Papen plus two pieces of valuable jewelry from her.
Prosecutors still are seeking more than $10,000 in restitution.

NAVAJO WATER DISPUTE
Water districts challenge judge in Navajo settlement
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Water districts in northern New Mexico are seeking to disqualify a judge and overturn a major water settlement award to the Navajo Nation.
A motion filed Monday with the New Mexico state Court of Appeals seeks to disqualify James Wechsler as the presiding judge in the San Juan Basin water rights adjudication for failing to disclose prior legal work on behalf of the Navajo Nation.
The court challenge from more than 20 community water districts highlights Wechsler's work in the 1970s for DNA Legal Services and describes DNA as an extension of the Navajo Nation. DNA Legal Services is an independent, nonprofit law firm that at times has been at odds with tribal government.
The motion filed by attorney Victor Marshall seeks to invalidate San Juan River water rights.

NAVAJO NATION-WILD HORSE HUNT
Navajo Nation cancels plans for wild horse hunt in Arizona
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Navajo Nation canceled a planned wild horse hunt aimed at thinning a herd in an Arizona area after a protest against the hunt was planned.
The Farmington Daily Times reports a notice on the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife's website says the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources rescinded on Monday a proclamation declaring the 2018 feral horse management hunt, which was designed to remove 60 horses from the Carrizo Mountains near Teec Nos Pos in northeast Arizona.
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye says the hunt will be postponed.
Horse advocates, including members of the Facebook group Indigenous Horse Nation Protector Alliance, organized a rally for Friday in Window Rock, Arizona, to protest the hunt.
A 2016 study conducted by the Navajo Fish and Wildlife Department says there are more than 38,000 feral horses on Navajo Nation land.
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KERNER COMMISSION-50 YEARS
Report: Inequality remains 50 years after Kerner Report
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Barriers to equality are posing threats to democracy in the U.S. as the country remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty worsens, says a study examining the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report.
The new report released Tuesday blames U.S. policymakers and elected officials, saying they're not doing enough to heed the warning on deepening poverty and inequality as highlighted by the Kerner Commission a half-century ago, and it lists a number of areas where the country has seen "a lack of or reversal of progress."
"Racial and ethnic inequality is growing worse. We're resegregating our housing and schools again," former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris of Oklahoma, a co-editor of the new report and last surviving member of the original Kerner Commission created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. "There are few more people who are poor now than was true 50 years ago. Inequality of income is worse."
The new study titled "Healing Out Divided Society: Investing in America Fifty Years After the Kerner Report" says the percentage of people living in deep poverty — less than half of the federal poverty level — has increased since 1975. About 46 percent of people living in poverty in 2016 were classified as living in deep poverty — 16 percentage points higher than in 1975.
And although there has been progress for Hispanic homeownership since the Kerner Commission, the homeownership gap has widened for African-Americans, the report found. Three decades after the Fair Housing Act of 1968 passed, black homeownership rose by almost 6 percentage points. But those gains were wiped out from 2000 to 2015 when black homeownership fell 6 percentage points, the report says.
The report blames the black homeownership declines on the disproportionate effect the subprime crisis had on African-American families.
In addition, gains to end school segregation were reversed because of a lack of court oversight and housing discrimination. The court oversight allowed school districts to move away from desegregation plans and housing discrimination forced black and Latino families to move into largely minority neighborhoods.
In 1988, for example, about 44 percent of black students went to majority-white schools nationally. Only 20 percent of black students do so today, the report says.
The result of these gaps means that people of color and those struggling with poverty are confined to poor areas with inadequate housing, underfunded schools and law enforcement that views those residents with suspicion, the report said.
Those facts are bad for the whole country, and communities have a moral responsibility to address them now, said Harris, who now lives in Corrales, New Mexico.
The new report calls on the federal government and states to push for more spending on early childhood education and a $15 minimum wage by 2024. It also demands more regulatory oversight over mortgage leaders to prevent predatory lending, community policing that works with nonprofits in minority neighborhoods and more job training programs in an era of automation and emerging technologies.
"We have to have a massive outcry against the state of our public policies," said the Rev. William J. Barber II, a Goldsboro, North Carolina pastor who is leading a multi-ethnic "Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival" next month in multiple states. "Systemic racism is something we don't talk about. We need to now."
The late President Johnson formed the original 11-member Kerner Commission as Detroit was engulfed in a raging riot in 1967. Five days of violence over racial tensions and police violence would leave 33 blacks and 10 whites dead, and more than 1,400 buildings burned. More than 7,000 people were arrested.
That summer, more than 150 cases of civil unrest erupted across the United States. Harris and other commission members toured riot-torn cities and interviewed black and Latino residents and white police officers.
The commission recommended that the federal government spend billions to attack structural racism in housing, education and employment. But Johnson, angry that the commission members didn't praise his anti-poverty programs, shelved the report and refused to meet with members.
Alan Curtis, president of the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation and co-editor of the new report, said this study's attention to systemic racism should be less startling to the nation given the extensive research that now calls the country's discriminatory housing and criminal justice systems into question.
Unlike the 1968 findings, the new report includes input from African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and women who are scholars and offer their own recommendations.
"The average American thinks we progressed a lot," said Kevin Washburn, a law professor at the University of New Mexico, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and one of the people who shared his observations for the report. "But there are still some places where Native people live primitive lives. They don't have access to things such as good water, electricity and plumbing."
Like the 1968 report, the new study also calls out media organizations for their coverage of communities of color, saying they need to diversify and hire more black and Latino journalists.
News companies could become desensitized to inequality if they lack diverse newsrooms, and they might not view the issue as urgent or newsworthy, said journalist Gary Younge, who also gave input to the report.
"It turns out that sometimes 'dog bites man' really is the story," Younge said. "And we keep missing it."
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Associated Press writer Russell Contreras is a member of the AP's race and ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras.

ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT-NEW MEXICO
Report: New Mexico sees increase in anti-Semitic incidents
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A civil rights group says harassment, vandalism and assaults against Jewish people and institutions have increased for a third straight year in New Mexico.
The Anti-Defamation League released figures Tuesday showing there were 15 reported anti-Semitic incidents in the state in 2017, up 37 percent from 2016. In 2017, New Mexico had six instances of vandalism, and nine cases of harassment and threats.
The count included two bomb threats received at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque, swastika graffiti found in a Los Alamos National Laboratory bathroom, and a report that a wedding vendor sent anti-Semitic messages to a potential client.
Nationwide, the group found a 57 percent increase in reported anti-Semitic incidents — the biggest jump in more than two decades. There were 1,986 total reported incidents in 2017.

FRAUDULENT SPENDING-AUDIT
New Mexico auditor: Small-town employee misused credit card
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state auditor says a review of a New Mexico town's finances found a former employee fraudulently used a city-issued credit card.
State Auditor Wayne Johnson said in a statement Monday that he worked with Silver City officials and an independent accountant to launch the investigation into irregularities in the former employee's credit card purchases that were first noticed in 2016.
He says the special forensic audit found more than $12,000 in potentially fraudulent charges on the credit card. The audit also found the city did not have enough financial controls in place to prevent fraudulent spending.
He did not identify the employee.
Silver City, in western New Mexico, is home to about 10,000 people.

DISQUALIFIED CANDIDATE-NEW MEXICO
Judge says petition signatures invalid for candidate
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Democratic primary for New Mexico's southern congressional district remains a two-way race after a judge upheld the disqualification of a signature petition for Angel Pena of Las Cruces.
Secretary of State's Office spokesman Joey Keefe said Monday that the agency's decision to strike 10 pages of signatures was upheld by a state district court judge, leaving Pena without enough signatures to run.
Keefe says signature page headers that contain the candidate's name apparently were altered in violation of state statute to correct a printing mistake.
Pena could not be contacted immediately. The decision can be appealed to state Supreme Court.
Attorney Xochitl Torres Small and Madeline Hildebrandt are seeking the Democratic nomination. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce is not seeking re-election to Congress as he runs for governor.

TROUBLED ALBUQUERQUE MOTEL
Troubled Albuquerque motel being targeted for closure
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A troubled Albuquerque motel that has drawn scorn for attracting drug trafficking and prostitution is being targeted by the city of Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced Monday that city officials have begun the process to declare the Sahara Motel as a public nuisance.
Keller says the Sahara Motel has been a crime hotspot for far too long.
Officials say since October 2017, the property has had 22 calls for service ranging from suspicious person calls, to shots fired to domestic disturbances.
The city is seeking a court order to close the property in southeastern Albuquerque amid a pending lawsuit.
The Sahara Motel did not immediately return a phone message.

WPX ENERGY-NEW MEXICO
Oklahoma-based WPX Energy sells northwest New Mexico assets
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — An Oklahoma independent oil and gas company has moved out of northwest New Mexico.
The Daily Times of Farmington reports the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based WPX Energy Inc. recently announced the sale of the last of its Four Corners assets to the tune of $700 million.
The company says WPX sold its holdings in the Gallup oil play to an undisclosed third party in a transaction that is expected to close by the end of March.
WPX spokesman Kelly Swan says the sale involves some 150 oil wells on about 100,000 acres.
Swan says WPX has been shifting its focus and funneling its resources to its operations in the Permian Basin of southeast New Mexico and west Texas and in the Williston Basin of North Dakota over the past few years.

KERNER COMMISSION-50 YEARS
Report: Inequality remains 50 years after Kerner Report
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A new study examining the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report says barriers to equality are posing threats to democracy in the U.S. as the country remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty worsens.
The report released Tuesday blames U.S. policymakers and elected officials. It says they're not doing enough to heed the warning on deepening poverty and inequality as highlighted by the Kerner Commission a half-century ago.
The new report says the percentage of people living in deep poverty — less than half of the federal poverty level — has increased since 1975. The report says the homeownership gap has widened for African-Americans and gains to end school segregation were reversed because of a lack of court oversight and housing discrimination.

DRUG TRAFFICKING PLEA
Texas man pleads guilty to drug trafficking in New Mexico
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Texas man has pleaded has pleaded guilty to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges in New Mexico.
Prosecutors say 38-year-old Jesus Gerardo Prieto Jr. of El Paso appeared Monday in federal court in Las Cruces.
Prieto was arrested in October 2017 at the checkpoint in Las Cruces by U.S. Border Patrol agents who seized more than 430 grams of methamphetamine and nearly 120 grams of heroin that were concealed inside Prieto's vehicle.
He was subsequently charged in a five-count indictment last month.
Prosecutors say Prieto pleaded guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
They say Prieto faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison and could get a life term.
Prieto remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

POLICE BRUTALITY-LAS CRUCES
Las Cruces settles brutality, civil rights case for $1.4M
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A southern New Mexico city has settled a police brutality case for $1.4 million.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that a couple had sued the city, alleging police brutality and civil rights violations.
Jillian Beck said police slammed her face onto rocks, and injured her nose and wrist after responding to a dispute between neighbors. Andrew Beck alleged he illegally was detained in the January 2013 incident when he tried to help his wife.
A jury awarded the couple $1.6 million a year ago.
The city had been expected to appeal the decision. Instead, it settled months ago.
The Becks' attorney recently said the couple is healing from the trauma and she's hopeful the case brings positive change.
A city spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

KIRTLAND-GROUNDWATER
Officials install well to help fuel leak at military base
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials working to clean up groundwater contaminated by a jet fuel leak on a New Mexico military base hope a new extraction well will cut off the source of the contaminated plume.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the well is the closest of four extraction wells to the source of the spill on the northern edge of boundaries at Kirtland Air Force Base.
Kathryn Lynnes, the Air Force's senior adviser on the cleanup project, says the new extraction well will pump at a slower rate than the other three to avoid pulling other contaminants located near the source area.
The spill was the result of a leaking, underground pipe used to transport fuel that was discovered in 1999.
Since the beginning of the cleanup effort, more than 330 million gallons of contaminated groundwater have been pulled from the plume and purified.
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AGENCY-QUESTIONABLE SPENDING
Audit raises eyebrows on northern New Mexico agency spending
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico state representative candidate is facing questions for her role at using public money for questionable expenses including alcohol, baseball tickets and upscale dinners.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports an audit recently found that Andrea Romero, executive director of the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities, spent money on $1,850 dinner in Washington, D.C., $307 bill for a dozen Major League Baseball tickets and other gatherings where alcohol was purchased.
The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities is an agency made of nine northern New Mexico cities, counties and pueblos surrounding the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Romero says the questions around her spending are politically motivated. A group tied to Rep. Carl Trujillo, whom Romero is challenging, filed open records request on the agency's spending.
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NEW MEXICO TEEN KILLED-ATTENDANCE
New Mexico teen's school absence unnoticed before his death
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico boy who authorities say endured years of abuse and was found buried along the side of a rural highway had not attended school for several months.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported earlier this week Jeremiah Valencia's mother, Tracy Pena (PEN-ya) pulled him out of a Las Vegas, New Mexico, middle school in February 2017 and told school officials she would enroll him in a Santa Fe school, but she never did and the school and state did not notice.
Police say Valencia had been out of school for at least seven months before he died.
Officials say they did not discover the 13-year-old's body until two month after his estimated death in November because no one reported Valencia as missing.
Pena's boyfriend, Thomas Ferguson, is accused of beating Valencia to death.
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PLANE CRASH-FARMERS
Family: Canadian grain farmers died in Utah plane crash
MONTICELLO, Utah (AP) — The family of Canadian grain farmers has identified the four people killed in small plane crash in Utah.
Jon Kaupp told KSL-TV in Salt Lake City late Saturday that his father, 64-year-old pilot Bill Kaupp, was among those killed in the southeastern Utah crash.
Kaupp says 28-year-old Clint Kaupp, 28-year-old Tim Mueller, and 66-year-old Ron McKenzie also were killed. He says they were all grain farmers from Alberta, Canada, and they were headed to Albuquerque to look at a plane that Bill Kaupp wanted to buy.
Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol spokeswomen Jen Knellinger says the Piper Lance crashed in an area rutted with canyons about halfway between Monticello, Utah, and Dove Creek, Colorado.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

WAGE THEFT COMPLAINTS
Wage theft reports up in New Mexico city with high wage laws
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico city with one of the highest minimum wage in the country has seen wage theft complaints spike in the past three years.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports last year Santa Fe saw 16 employees accuse an employer of paying less than the minimum guaranteed by the city's Living Wage Ordinance.
Through a public records request, the New Mexican found that 2017 total was up from 14 complaints in 2016, and 12 complaints the year before that.
Those complaints undermine the good tidings that will accompany the hike in the city minimum wage scheduled to take effect next week.
The rate for all employees within Santa Fe city limits will rise to $11.40 on Thursday.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25.
It's $7.50 in New Mexico.
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CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
Alamogordo Republican to appear 1st in GOP House race
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A GOP New Mexico state lawmaker has earned 58 percent of the Republican delegates in a congressional race in southern New Mexico that is drawing national attention.
State Rep. Yvette Herrell, Alamogordo Republican, won most of the delegates on Saturday in Albuquerque at the party's pre-primary convention.
Monty Newman, a former Hobbs mayor and former state GOP chairman, finished second, with support from about 26 percent of the delegates.
Herrell's delegate count means her name will appear first on primary election ballots June 5.
The three other candidates in the race fell below the 20 percent threshold required to win an automatic spot on the ballot. Those candidates will make the ballot anyway since they will likely turn in enough petition signatures.

BORDER CHECKPOINTS
Border Patrol's checkpoints overlooked in debate over wall
LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Agents who work at one of the Border Patrol's checkpoints in South Texas, north of the U.S.-Mexico border, say that the checkpoint is undersized and sometimes overwhelmed by traffic.
It's a situation challenged constantly by smugglers, sometimes with deadly consequences.
Top Border Patrol officials say President Donald Trump's proposed border wall would help cut the number of overall smuggling cases. But critics say that plan overlooks checkpoints and other critical needs at the border.
The Trump administration budget proposal doesn't directly address needs at most checkpoints. It proposes zeroing out new spending on tactical infrastructure like roads, fences and remote video surveillance.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, says Trump administration officials are taking away money "from proven law enforcement systems to put it into this 14th century solution."

MOM-DRUNKEN DRIVING CRASH
Police: New Mexico mom's DWI crash killed twin son
(Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com)
BLOOMFIELD, N.M. (AP) — A northwestern New Mexico woman is facing a number of charges after police say her drunken driving rollover crash caused the death of her six-year-old twin son.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports Candace Jim was arrested Saturday following a deadly crash a mile west of U.S. Highway 550 near Bloomfield, New Mexico.
New Mexico State Police say the 40-year-old Jim over-corrected after crossing the westbound lanes and rolled over her jeep.
Police say Jim's three children were ejected from the vehicle. The six-year-old boy died at the scene.
Authorities say his twin sister was airlifted to a trauma center for life-threatening injuries. A nine-year-old girl has non-life threatening injuries.
Jim was arrested on child resulting in death and other charges.
It was not known if she has an attorney.
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NEW MEXICO-SCHOOL SECURITY
Farmington advocates want trained teachers to carry guns
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A group of protesters gathered at the Farmington school district's central office in northwest New Mexico to protest gun violence and advocate for trained teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Monday that Holly Gregory, a substance abuse counselor and a substitute teacher for Bloomfield Municipal Schools, organized the recent protest in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida. She said the shooting that left 17 people dead opened a sore wound for her community, which was rocked in December from a shooting that left two students dead at Aztec High School.
Gregory said advocates are making steps to work with Four Corners school administrations on policies that would allow trained teachers to carry guns in schools, among other safety measures.
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NEW MEXICO-SCHOOL SECURITY
Farmington advocates want trained teachers to carry guns
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A group of protesters gathered at the Farmington school district's central office in northwest New Mexico to protest gun violence and advocate for trained teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Monday that Holly Gregory, a substance abuse counselor and a substitute teacher for Bloomfield Municipal Schools, organized the recent protest in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida. She said the shooting that left 17 people dead opened a sore wound for her community, which was rocked in December from a shooting that left two students dead at Aztec High School.
Gregory said advocates are making steps to work with Four Corners school administrations on policies that would allow trained teachers to carry guns in schools, among other safety measures.
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LOS ALAMOS-TOXIC METAL
Report cites Los Alamos lapses in handling of toxic metal
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new federal report says Los Alamos National Laboratory violated regulations to protect workers from exposure to a metal that can cause lung disease and cancer.
The Energy Department inspector general's report says the nuclear weapons lab didn't properly track beryllium and didn't assure that contaminated areas were safe before work continued.
Lab spokesman Matt Nerzig says Los Alamos hasn't scaled back measures to protect workers but is "addressing the recommendations" in the inspector general's report.
The National Nuclear Security Administration says its oversight was insufficient due to staffing issues but that it doesn't know that shortcoming caused exposures at Los Alamos.
Terrie Barie of the Alliance of Nuclear Workers Advocacy Groups says the problems at Los Alamos are disappointing, and Sen. Tom Udall says he's concerned by the report.

EXCESSIVE FORCE AWARD
Ex-ranger ordered to pay judgment for excessive force case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a former U.S. Forest Service ranger to pay nearly $600,000 to a disabled Army veteran and another camper for violating their civil rights by using excessive force during their 2014 arrests in mountains east of Albuquerque.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that U.S. District Judge Judith Herrera awarded the judgment to Adam Griego and Elijah Haukereid in their suit against David Chavez.
According to Herrera's findings Tuesday, Chavez handcuffed Griego and slammed his face into the hood of Chavez's truck and his head into a door frame. Chavez threatened Haukereid with a stun gun and a dog before handcuffing him.
Chavez didn't appear during the trial to fight the lawsuit. He previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal civil rights charge and was sentenced to probation.

RULING-DWI TEST
New Mexico ruling cites limit on police duty in DWI testing
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico State Supreme Court has overturned a lower court and ruled that police don't have to help drunken-driving suspects arrange to exercise their right under state law to have an independent blood-alcohol test.
The decision Thursday stems from Stefan Chakerian's 2008 arrest by Albuquerque police and says police only must advise suspects of their right to have a test and not interfere with exercising the right.
An officer provided Chakerian with access to a phone, a telephone directory and a pen, but Chakerian testified he didn't arrange an independent test because too much time had passed and he didn't know whom to call.
The Supreme Court's decision overturns a Court of Appeals ruling that said police must "meaningfully cooperate" with a suspect's desire to have an independent test.

CARLSBAD-IRRIGATION SEASON
Carlsbad farmers expecting full irrigation allotment
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Officials say reservoirs in eastern New Mexico are full enough to provide a full allotment of irrigation water to farmers in the Carlsbad area.
Federal and state water managers discussed the reservoir levels during a conference call earlier this week, and the Bureau of Reclamation announced Thursday that it would begin moving water down the Pecos River from Brantley Reservoir to Avalon Reservoir next week.
Avalon was drained at the end of 2017 to allow for inspections and for the Carlsbad Irrigation District to do maintenance. The bureau will begin filling the reservoir Feb. 28.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports this will be the first time in four years that farmers who depend on the irrigation district will get a full allotment.
Still, district manager Dale Ballard worried that a predicted dry year could mean lower levels in the future.

US ATTORNEY-NEW MEXICO
Judge swears in new top federal prosecutor for New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The state's chief federal judge has sworn in a new U.S. Attorney for New Mexico.
A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutors' office in New Mexico said in a statement Friday that U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson was sworn in earlier that day during a private ceremony at the federal courthouse in Santa Fe.
President Donald Trump nominated Anderson in November to fill the post, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination earlier this month.
Anderson will oversee federal prosecutions and federal interests in civil cases in the state.
He is a former federal prosecutor who primarily focused on white-collar crimes before leaving for private practice in 2013. He most recently was an attorney with the law firm Holland & Hart in Santa Fe.

NEW MEXICO-TEEN KILLED
Autopsy finds teen may have been burned, sexually assaulted
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Court documents related to the homicide case of a 13-year-old New Mexico boy who endured years of abuse reveal he may have also been sexually assaulted and burned.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that, according to newly released search warrants, an autopsy of Jeremiah Valencia's body details that portions of it had possibly been burned.
A grand jury last week indicted the boy's stepfather, Thomas Wayne Ferguson, on first-degree murder and other charges.
The boy's mother, Tracy Ann Pena, and Ferguson's 19-year-old son, Jordan Nunez, are also charged.
Authorities say Ferguson of repeatedly torturing the teen and beating him to death last November. His body was found buried off a rural highway near Nambe.
Detectives got permission this week to search additional property owned by the suspects.
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NEW MEXICO-SCHOOL SECURITY
Farmington advocates want trained teachers to carry guns
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A group of protesters gathered at the Farmington school district's central office in northwest New Mexico to protest gun violence and advocate for trained teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Monday that Holly Gregory, a substance abuse counselor and a substitute teacher for Bloomfield Municipal Schools, organized the recent protest in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida. She said the shooting that left 17 people dead opened a sore wound for her community, which was rocked in December from a shooting that left two students dead at Aztec High School.
Gregory said advocates are making steps to work with Four Corners school administrations on policies that would allow trained teachers to carry guns in schools, among other safety measures.
___
LOS ALAMOS-TOXIC METAL
Report cites Los Alamos lapses in handling of toxic metal
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new federal report says Los Alamos National Laboratory violated regulations to protect workers from exposure to a metal that can cause lung disease and cancer.
The Energy Department inspector general's report says the nuclear weapons lab didn't properly track beryllium and didn't assure that contaminated areas were safe before work continued.
Lab spokesman Matt Nerzig says Los Alamos hasn't scaled back measures to protect workers but is "addressing the recommendations" in the inspector general's report.
The National Nuclear Security Administration says its oversight was insufficient due to staffing issues but that it doesn't know that shortcoming caused exposures at Los Alamos.
Terrie Barie of the Alliance of Nuclear Workers Advocacy Groups says the problems at Los Alamos are disappointing, and Sen. Tom Udall says he's concerned by the report.

RULING-DWI TEST
New Mexico ruling cites limit on police duty in DWI testing
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico State Supreme Court has overturned a lower court and ruled that police don't have to help drunken-driving suspects arrange to exercise their right under state law to have an independent blood-alcohol test.
The decision Thursday stems from Stefan Chakerian's 2008 arrest by Albuquerque police and says police only must advise suspects of their right to have a test and not interfere with exercising the right.
An officer provided Chakerian with access to a phone, a telephone directory and a pen, but Chakerian testified he didn't arrange an independent test because too much time had passed and he didn't know whom to call.
The Supreme Court's decision overturns a Court of Appeals ruling that said police must "meaningfully cooperate" with a suspect's desire to have an independent test.

US ATTORNEY-NEW MEXICO
Judge swears in new top federal prosecutor for New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The state's chief federal judge has sworn in a new U.S. Attorney for New Mexico.
A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutors' office in New Mexico said in a statement Friday that U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson was sworn in earlier that day during a private ceremony at the federal courthouse in Santa Fe.
President Donald Trump nominated Anderson in November to fill the post, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination earlier this month.
Anderson will oversee federal prosecutions and federal interests in civil cases in the state.
He is a former federal prosecutor who primarily focused on white-collar crimes before leaving for private practice in 2013. He most recently was an attorney with the law firm Holland & Hart in Santa Fe.

CARLSBAD-IRRIGATION SEASON
Carlsbad farmers expecting full irrigation allotment
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Officials say reservoirs in eastern New Mexico are full enough to provide a full allotment of irrigation water to farmers in the Carlsbad area.
Federal and state water managers discussed the reservoir levels during a conference call earlier this week, and the Bureau of Reclamation announced Thursday that it would begin moving water down the Pecos River from Brantley Reservoir to Avalon Reservoir next week.
Avalon was drained at the end of 2017 to allow for inspections and for the Carlsbad Irrigation District to do maintenance. The bureau will begin filling the reservoir Feb. 28.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports this will be the first time in four years that farmers who depend on the irrigation district will get a full allotment.
Still, district manager Dale Ballard worried that a predicted dry year could mean lower levels in the future.

SCHOOL THREATS
Farmington police officers to boost presence in schools
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Farmington police is increasing its presence in the city's public schools in the wake of last week's mass shooting at a Florida school.
Farmington Municipal School District officials announced Friday that uniformed officers and even police Chief Steve Hebbe will make unannounced visits to schools.
Officers will walk through the campus and engage with students and faculty.
Police spokeswoman Georgette Allen says the public shouldn't be alarmed if they see several patrol vehicles outside a school. The heightened police presence is in addition to already employed school resource officers.
The plan will last for at least the rest of the school year.
Allen says the idea stemmed from conversations police and district officials had about how to collaborate in light of recent talk about school shootings.

NEW MEXICO-TEEN KILLED
Autopsy finds teen may have been burned, sexually assaulted
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Court documents related to the homicide case of a 13-year-old New Mexico boy who endured years of abuse reveal he may have also been sexually assaulted and burned.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that, according to newly released search warrants, an autopsy of Jeremiah Valencia's body details that portions of it had possibly been burned.
A grand jury last week indicted the boy's stepfather, Thomas Wayne Ferguson, on first-degree murder and other charges.
The boy's mother, Tracy Ann Pena, and Ferguson's 19-year-old son, Jordan Nunez, are also charged.
Authorities say Ferguson of repeatedly torturing the teen and beating him to death last November. His body was found buried off a rural highway near Nambe.
Detectives got permission this week to search additional property owned by the suspects.
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GRADUATION RATES-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico high school graduation rate holds steady
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The percentage of New Mexico students who graduate high school is holding steady at 71 percent.
Public Education Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski announced new graduation data Friday, saying he was particularly encouraged by the notable leap among Hispanic students over the last several years.
He said the graduation rate for Hispanic students was less than 60 percent in 2011. That continued its upward trajectory in 2017 and now stands at nearly 71 percent.
Ruszkowski said the bar has been raised over the years and that New Mexico's students and families are responding.
The state has long ranked near the bottom when it comes to the number of students who finish high school. New Mexico marked an all-time high after the 2016 school year when it first recorded an overall 71 percent graduation rate.

ROUTE 66-TRANSIT-AUDIT
State auditor plans review of Albuquerque's Route 66 transit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The state auditor says he's launching a special audit of the planning and funding behind a new Historic Route 66 rapid transit route in Albuquerque.
State Auditor Wayne Johnson's announcement came Thursday, a day after Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller's office confirmed the city's inspector general also had placed the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project under review.
The state auditor and city's inspector general have said they are focusing on funding and contracting related to the project, known as ART.
Both have cited concerns that some federal funding for the project has not materialized, despite assurances from now-former Mayor Richard Berry's administration.
ART is up and running, though parts of it remain under construction. It's designed to build a system of express buses and canopy-covered stations along Central Avenue in Albuquerque.

TEN COMMANDMENTS-HOBBS
Hobbs residents rally around 'Ten Commandments' marker
(Information from: Hobbs News-Sun, http://www.hobbsnews.com)
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — A group of religious residents in a southeastern New Mexico city is rallying around a Ten Commandments monument from public property.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports the residents crowded a commissioners' meeting this week in Hobbs, New Mexico, to speak out against a another group's effort to take down the marker.
The move came after members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation said the Hobbs monument violated the separation of church and state.
The city of Bloomfield, New Mexico, recently removed its Ten Commandments monument following a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Rev. Rodney Warren, pastor of Life Temple United Pentecostal Church in Hobbs, says the monument has been a significant part of the Hobbs community for more than 50 years.
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SUPREME COURT-RETIREMENT
New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Chavez to retire
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Edward Chavez will retire next month.
The court announced Thursday that Chavez's retirement will be effective March 9 and that a nominating committee will meet in April to interview applicants and recommend potential candidates to Gov. Susana Martinez.
A Santa Fe native, Chavez was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2003 by then-Gov. Bill Richardson. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1978 and went on to attend and graduate from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Chavez previously spent two decades in private practice and served as president of the Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque, chairman of the UNM Mental Health Center and chairman of the Disciplinary Board. He also was an adjunct professor at the UNM School of Law.

DRY NEW MEXICO
Drought forces painful choices for New Mexico ranchers
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Some stretches of New Mexico have gone months without meaningful moisture, leaving farmers and ranchers to make difficult decisions as long-term forecasts call for drought to intensify across the already arid state.
Experts with the National Weather Service talked of pitiful snowpack levels in the mountain ranges that feed the state's rivers ahead of the release Thursday of the latest drought map.
The map shows all but a small sliver of southern New Mexico is grappling with some level of dryness, with extreme drought increasing in the northwest corner of the state.
Officials with the federal Farm Service Agency in New Mexico say many ranchers are scrambling to buy up as much alfalfa as they can to supplement feed supplies while others from Cuba to Carrizozo are being forced to cut their herds.

LAS CRUCES-SCHOOL THREAT ARREST
Las Cruces student arrested after Snapchat photo with rifle
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces high school student has been arrested after allegedly posting a photo of himself holding a rifle and referencing school shootings, making it the third threat arrest of a New Mexico teen.
Las Cruces police said Thursday that 18-year-old Ernest Padilla has been booked on one count of unlawful carrying a deadly weapon on school premises.
Administrators discovered the photo on social media app Snapchat on Wednesday afternoon. An accompanying message stated "Mexican school shooter" along with the abbreviations for "just kidding."
Police found a butterfly knife and brass knuckles on Padilla and recovered a rifle from his home.
Also on Wednesday, a San Juan County teen made a bomb threat and a 16-year-old Belen boy threatened to carry out a school shooting the next day.

BELEN-SCHOOL THREAT
Belen police: Student into custody in school shooting threat
BELEN, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in Belen say a 16-year-old student is in custody after allegedly threatening to carry out a school shooting at Belen High School, resulting in a two-hour delay of the start of classes Thursday.
Police say the threat was made Wednesday night via social media and that investigators tracked down the student by tracing the social media account.
Police Chief Scott Conner told the Albuquerque Journal that the student said he had no intention of shooting up the school and only made the threat "to see what kind of response he would get from the school and law enforcement."
The Associated Press generally does not publish the identities of juvenile suspects.
Police presence at the school was stepped up Thursday morning.
Belen is 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Albuquerque.

MURDER CASE-NOT GUILTY
New Mexico man accused of 2013 murder found not guilty
(Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com)
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man accused of a 2013 murder was found not guilty after less than an hour and a half of jury deliberation.
The Roswell Daily Record reports Steve Guardado of Roswell was acquitted of first-degree murder Wednesday in the killing of Stoarmy Joel Vargas.
Guardado had been accused of murdering Vargas on Oct. 25, 2013, allegedly in retaliation after losing his friend, Victor Oaxaca, just two days earlier in a separate homicide.
Guardado denied killing Vargas or even going to the victim's home.
Deputy district attorneys Michael Thomas and Kristen Cartwright declined to comment.
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MAIL-IN BALLOTS-NAVAJO
Navajos settle Utah voting rights case over mail-in ballots
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Navajos who once worried they'd have to drive hours to cast their ballots in Utah say a new settlement is a step forward as tribes challenge what they call discriminatory voting practices around the United States.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said Thursday the settlement that requires tribal-accessible polling places and Navajo-language help is a victory for voting rights after a switch to mail-in voting left behind native voters.
Southern Utah's San Juan County says they're committed to fair elections, but took the steps themselves without the lawsuit that they blasted as a waste of taxpayer money.
The county is also appealing an order to re-draw voting districts that a federal judge found discriminated against native voters.
Similar legal clashes have been waged recently in Nevada, Alaska and the Dakotas.

NEW MEXICO WEATHER
Snow expected in northern New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A winter storm warning and winter weather advisories are in effect for parts of northern New Mexico, with more than 10 inches of snow expected in the high mountainous terrain near the Colorado border.
The National Weather Service says a front over the coming days is expected to hover over a wide stretch of the state's northern border.  A winter weather advisory that went into effect Wednesday isn't expected to be lifted until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Three inches to a half-foot of snow also is expected in parts of the San Juan and Jemez mountains, as well as the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains above 9,500 feet.
Chama and Taos are among towns expected to get snow.
The weather service says conditions will make road travel difficult around Taos, and hazardous — if not impossible — around Chama.

ALBUQUERQUE-AIRPORT NOISE
More Albuquerque air traffic noise expected amid runway fix
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest airport will close a number of runways for repairs and Albuquerque residents will hear the difference for a while.
Albuquerque International Sunport officials announced Wednesday that the airport's primary runway will be closed for repairs for at least 60 days to fix cracking concrete slabs.
Officials say that means southeast Albuquerque will experience an increase in air traffic and noise.
The number of flights in and out of the Albuquerque International Sunport will not be impacted.
The Albuquerque International Sunport is owned by the city of Albuquerque.

ENDANGERED WOLVES
Survey: Mexican gray wolf population grows by 1
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — There are at least 114 Mexican gray wolves roaming the American Southwest.
That's one more than was recorded during the previous survey, and U.S. wildlife managers say lower survival rates among pups are primarily to blame.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday released the findings of its annual population survey, which included tracking wolves in parts of Arizona and New Mexico over the winter and more recent monitoring flights.
The latest figure includes 26 pups that survived through the end of last year. In 2016, the number of surviving pups was nearly double that.
Officials lamented the numbers were not what they were hoping for.
Environmentalists pointed to stagnation in the population over the last few years, saying managers need to rethink their approach to recovering the species.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Legislature gets flurry of harassment complaints
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Legislature received a flurry of reports about possible sexual misconduct, harassment and discrimination during the recently concluded legislative session.
In response to a public records request, the Legislative Council Service that serves as legal counsel to the Legislature said there were five direct complaints or reports by observers of potential misconduct during the legislative session that ended Feb. 15.
No probable cause was found to warrant a formal charge and few details were released.
House lawmakers were the focus of one complaint of discrimination and one report of possible sexual harassment. Two reports of possible sexual harassment were made by legislative staff against staff colleagues.
New Mexico lawmakers underwent harassment training and overhauled their anti-harassment policy on Jan. 15 to include outside counsel in evaluations.

SHERIFF'S SETTLEMENT-ELDERLY MAN'S DEATH
Bernalillo County sheriff settles lawsuit over man's death
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County sheriff's documents show the department has paid $1.5 million to the family of an 88-year-old Albuquerque man who died after a confrontation with deputies.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday that documents obtained through a public records request show the sheriff's office agreed to a one-time payment to Fidencio Duran's family in a lawsuit settled last year.
Duran was carrying a knife in his neighborhood the day after his wife's September 2015 death when he came into contact with deputies.
Deputies fired 60 pepper balls at Duran, and he suffered broken bones after deputies' K-9 knocked him down.
He later died from pneumonia resulting from his injuries.
His family's attorney says they also are considering litigation against the pepper ball gun manufacturer.
A sheriff's spokeswoman declined comment on the settlement.
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GAS STATION KILLING-LAST SUSPECT
Authorities arrest last suspect in fatal Edgewood shooting
ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say they've arrested the seventh and final suspect in the robbery killing of an attendant at an Edgewood gas station along Interstate 40.
The New Mexico State Police says 30-year-old Daniel J. Martinez of Albuquerque was arrested Tuesday in southeast Albuquerque in the Feb. 11 shooting of 62-year-old Michael Pelkey at a Smith's Fuel Center.
The other six people were arrested Friday and Saturday and authorities say tips from the community helped produce the arrests.
All seven suspects were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and other crimes.
Edgewood is 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Albuquerque.

SCHOOL SHOOTING THREAT
Police tighten security following school shooting threat
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Police are increasing their presence at a high school outside Albuquerque after a shooting threat was made against the school.
Rio Rancho police say they are investigating after someone posted a message on social media Tuesday night, threatening to "shoot up Rio Rancho High School."
Officials say district security and police officers will be placed at the school Wednesday and additional precautionary measures will be taken.
District Superintendent V. Sue Cleveland says the threat is being taken seriously, and school officials are working with police to investigate the source of the threat.
In a statement, Cleveland says schools across the country have been grappling with threats intended to create chaos, and it's "appalling that individuals would capitalize on recent tragedies to insight fear and anxiety among students and parents."

LOST CASH RETURNED
Roswell woman turns in $300 left at ATM
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man has been reunited with cash he left at an ATM after a woman found it and turned it in to police.
Roswell police say the man called authorities Monday to report he had left $300 on top of the machine. His call came in just as the woman had dropped by the station to turn in the money.
She told officers there was no receipt or other information with the money to identify the owner but that she had noticed a man making a transaction while she waited her turn.
She recognized the man and his vehicle when he arrived at the station.
Roswell police spokesman Todd Wildermuth says it was an example of the good deeds that are done daily by the city's residents.

WIND FARMS-AGREEMENT
Xcel Energy's wind farm plans hit regulatory roadblock
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A hearing examiner is urging New Mexico regulators to reject an earnings proposal related to Xcel Energy's two planned wind farms along the Texas-New Mexico border.
At issue is a proposal that would allow the utility to recover lost earnings that accumulate between the time when the wind farms actually come online and when the state Public Regulation Commission approves new rates for cost recovery and profits on the projects.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the utility would collect lost earnings through a surcharge on customers' bills once new rates take effect.
Hearing examiner Elizabeth Hurst says the proposal amounts to retroactive ratemaking.
The interim rate design is part of a settlement negotiated with consumer advocates and others. Without it, utility officials say they might have to abandon the $1.6 billion project.
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NEW MEXICO SCHOOL SHOOTING-AUTOPSY
Autopsy details fatal wound of New Mexico school shooter
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A gunman in a deadly New Mexico school shooting had no drugs or alcohol in his system the day of the rampage and an autopsy revealed bruised knuckles along with faint ink markings on his leg that included a swastika symbol.
Autopsy and toxicology results for William Atchison were released Monday in response to a public records request.
Despite the markings, authorities reiterated Tuesday that the 21-year-old former student did not target specific victims and that notes left behind by the gunman detailed a plan for opening fire inside the school.
Atchison killed two students — Francisco I. Fernandez and Casey J. Marquez — at Aztec High School in December before firing randomly in a hallway and a computer lab. He then killed himself.
The report details a gunshot wound through Atchison's mouth and through the back of his head.

NEW MEXICO-REGENTS FLAP
New Mexico State regents respond to call for resignations
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The top two regents New Mexico State University are defending a recent vote to limit some administrative powers of the school's outgoing chancellor after critics called for their resignations.
Democratic Senate President Mary Kay Papen last week drafted a letter calling out the regents. It was signed by more than 40 legislative colleagues.
Regent Chair Debra Hicks and Vice Chair Kari Mitchell responded this week with their own letter, saying the resolution in question directs Chancellor Garry Carruthers to make only interim appointments for positions that become vacant during his remaining term. Those appointments will be determined in consultation with Hicks.
The regents argue it's best practice for universities going through a leadership transition and that it's critical for the new chancellor to be able to select as many members of his or her team as possible.

GOVERNOR'S DEPOSITION-NEW MEXICO
Judge orders New Mexico governor to submit to deposition
DEMING, N.M. (AP) — A state district court has ordered New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to answer questions under oath in a defamation lawsuit linked to the eviction of a group from a political even in 2014.
The Deming Headlight reports that Martinez must submit to a deposition in a lawsuit brought by Scott and Colette Chandler against the governor's State Police security detail.
Martinez is not a defendant in the lawsuit. However, a district court judge rejected arguments that she is protected from answering questions.
The Chandlers owns the Tierra Blanca Ranch program for troubled youth that has been the dogged by allegations of abuse and neglect. The Chandlers and supporters appeared in 2014 at a campaign event at Deming's Grand Motor Inn to deliver a petition to the Governor and were removed.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-PUBLIC DEFENDER
New Mexico deputy public defender facing harassment claims
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two female attorneys in southeastern New Mexico have accused Chief Deputy Public Defender Chandler Blair of sexual harassment.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the New Mexico Disciplinary Board has declined to take action on complaints filed by the women's supervisors. However, a complaint is pending with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and one woman has asked the state Supreme Court to review the Disciplinary Board's decision.
Blair, second in command of public defenders around the state, has denied any inappropriate contact with either woman.
Blair's boss, Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur, said he couldn't discuss the issue.
The Disciplinary Board contends there is insufficient evidence, but the board's legal counsel also noted that state professional conduct rules only address the behavior of lawyers related to their representation of clients, not in their workplace.
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GAS STATION KILLING-REMAINING SUSPECT
NM State Police arrest last of 7 in Edgewood fatal shooting
ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police say they have arrested the last of seven suspects in last week's killing of an attendant during an armed robbery at an Edgewood gas station along Interstate 40.
The police department said on its Twitter feed Tuesday that 30-year-old Daniel Martinez was arrested in southeast Albuquerque just after 1 a.m.
Police previously arrested six people in connection with the Feb. 11 shooting of 62-year-old Michael Pelkey at a Smith's Fuel Center.
They are: Daniel J. Gonzales, 29; Morgan Ramirez, 30; Donald Herbert Gregory, 46; Veronica M. Martinez, 30; Eileen G. Sandoval, 48; and Misty Roseanne Nevarez, 29. All are from Albuquerque, except for Gregory who is from Edgewood.
Edgewood is 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Albuquerque.

MURDER CONVICTION UPHELD
Court upholds murder conviction in 2014 killing in Roswell
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld a murder conviction in a 2014 killing in Roswell.
The court on Monday rejected the arguments of Steven Lee Lucero in the beating and stabbing death of Isaiah Sanchez.
Authorities say Sanchez was lured into his Roswell home as part of a plan to steal his truck.
Lucero was accused of taking Sanchez's truck, wallet and $15 in cash.
The engine and rims from Sanchez's truck were later put on Lucero's truck.

FATAL CRASH-MAYHILL
2 die in vehicle crash near Mayhill, 3rd person injured
MAYHILL, N.M. (AP) — Two people died in a one-vehicle crash near Mayhill when the driver struck a tree and rolled down an embankment.
New Mexico State Police say 63-year-old Vicky Eudy of Alamogordo and 53-year-old Mark Torrez of Artesia were both fatally injured in the crash late Friday morning.
Another person in the car suffered injuries that weren't believed to be life-threatening.
Police say the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash.
Alcohol isn't believed to be a factor.

DOUBLE FATALITY-CRASH
2 killed in head-on crash on US 285 near Loving
LOVING, N.M. (AP) — Two men in a pickup truck were killed when their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a semi-truck near Loving.
New Mexico State Police say 39-year-old Michael Ponce of Roswell and 60-year-old Fernando Garcia Martinez of Carlsbad were killed in Sunday's crash.
The semi-truck had crossed the center line on U.S. 285 and side-swiped another semi-truck before the head-on collision with the pickup truck.
Neither driver of the semi-trucks was injured.
The crash is under investigation.
Alcohol isn't believed to be a factor in the crash.

MELEE-WRESTLING TOURNAMENTS
Melee breaks out at wrestling tournaments in Rio Rancho
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A melee broke out among fans at the state high school wrestling tournaments in Rio Rancho.
The Albuquerque Journal reports two women at the center of a heated dispute disagreed on who instigated the melee Saturday night.
One is the mother a Belen High School wrestler. The other was the mother of a St. Pius High School wrestler.
The exchange escalated quickly and nearly blew up into a full-fledged fight in the stands.
There was a good deal of yelling and shouting and pushing, and not confined to just the two women.
National Guard members who were there to help in handing out medals to wrestlers were among those who climbed into the stands to defuse the situation and help escort fans away.
There were multiple fan ejections.
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MARTINEZ-LEGISLATURE LEGACY
New Mexico governor's tense tenure with lawmakers nears end
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The rocky relationship between New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and state lawmakers is coming to a close as she prepares to leave office and both sides ponder what could have been.
Democratic leaders say they wish there was better communication with the Republican governor and wonder if they could have done more.
Martinez says her only regret is that lawmakers didn't pass more of her legislation during her eight years in office.
Lawmakers wrapped up work Thursday after approving a bipartisan package of public safety reforms and spending bills.
Democratic House Speaker Brian Egolf says the latest legislative session was Martinez's best because she communicated more with lawmakers.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth says he believes Martinez lacked the leadership to work with lawmakers on solutions for the struggling economy and crime.

TOY GUN-CHURCH SERVICE
Man causes scare at Las Cruces church by brandishing toy gun
(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A man caused a scare at a Las Cruces church by brandishing a toy gun during a mass.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the man walked up an aisle of St. Genevieve Church on Sunday and began displaying erratic behavior.
Witnesses told the newspaper that the man, who wasn't believed to be a regular attendee, raised an orange toy gun, which popped a few times.
He wasn't believed to have pointed the toy weapon at anyone or issued a verbal threat.
A group of men from the church surrounded the man and escorted him out of the building.
Police say the man was intoxicated.
They say he discarded the toy gun as he left the building and entered a nearby cemetery, where he was detained.
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SECRETARIES OF STATE-2018
Republican gains in secretary of state posts jolt Democrats
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Democrats are focusing renewed attention and money to help win secretary of state seats, two-thirds of which are held by Republicans.
For the first time in years, the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State expects to target a handful of races in 2018, likely in swing states that could prove important in the 2020 presidential election.
Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill chairs the group. She has watched how Republicans made an effort to control 30 secretary of state offices across the U.S. in recent years, spending millions in the process. She expects to target several key races.
It's the latest salvo in a battle in some states over voter fraud, identification requirements and purging of voter rolls.

GAS STATION KILLING-REMAINING SUSPECT
Search continues for last suspect in fatal Edgewood shooting
ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say they're still searching for the seventh and final suspect in a robbery killing of an attendant at an Edgewood gas station along Interstate 40.
New Mexico State Police arrested a sixth person in connection with the case Saturday.
Five others were arrested previously in the Feb. 11 shooting of 62-year-old Michael Pelkey at a Smith's Fuel Center.
The suspects were identified thanks to tips from the community.
State Police say the lone remaining suspect is a 30-year-old man who remains at large.
Investigators still aren't sure what suspect fatally shot Pelkey.
Edgewood is 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Albuquerque.

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT-TUMULTUOUS YEAR
Agency managing vast US lands experiences year of upheaval
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A year of upheaval at the U.S. Interior Department has seen dozens of staff members re-assigned, key positions go unfilled, rules governing industry shelved and a sweeping reorganization proposed for its 70,000 employees.
The agency's evolving status quo has met with praise from energy and mining companies and congressional Republicans.
They welcome the change from perceived heavy-handed regulation under President Barack Obama.
But the realignment has met resistance from Democrats, conservation groups and some Interior employees.
They say Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has elevated corporate desires above the agency's duty to safeguard public lands and resources.
Zinke says he wants more decisions made at regional levels to streamline an agency that oversees more than 780,000 square miles (2 million square kilometers) of public lands and much of the nation's natural resources.

GAS STATION KILLING-REMAINING SUSPECT
Search continues for last suspect in fatal Edgewood shooting
ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say they're still searching for the seventh and final suspect in a robbery killing of an attendant at an Edgewood gas station along Interstate 40.
New Mexico State Police arrested a sixth person in connection with the case Saturday.
Five others were arrested previously in the Feb. 11 shooting of 62-year-old Michael Pelkey at a Smith's Fuel Center.
The suspects were identified thanks to tips from the community.
State Police say the lone remaining suspect is a 30-year-old man who remains at large.
Investigators still aren't sure what suspect fatally shot Pelkey.
Edgewood is 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Albuquerque.

TEN COMMANDMENTS-BLOOMFIELD
City must pay $700K for lawyer fees in Ten Commandments case
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A northwest New Mexico community is considering using online fundraising to pay the $700,000 it owes from a lawsuit that stemmed from a dispute over a Ten Commandments monument that was formerly located outside of Bloomfield City Hall.
The Farmington Daily Times reports the U.S. Supreme Court in 2017 sided with a lower court that ordered the monument's removal, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution and represented a government endorsement of religion.
The city of Bloomfield must now pay the legal fees for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the complaint in 2012 on behalf of two Bloomfield residents, Janie Felix and Buford Coone.
City Manager Eric Strahl says Bloomfield has until June 30, 2021, to pay the $700,000 it owes for the American Civil Liberties Union's legal fees.
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LAS CRUCES-POLICE SHOOTING
Homicide suspect fatally shot by Las Cruces police officers
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting involving a homicide suspect in Las Cruces.
Las Cruces police were looking for 23-year-old Nathaniel Montoya in connection to the death of a 29-year-old man found unconscious Friday night after some sort of fight between the two men.
Police spotted the suspect's vehicle Saturday afternoon and they say Montoya was the driver and failed to stop for officers.
A high-speed chase ensued until police say Montoya crashed his van into vehicles at a gas station.
At least one officer fired several rounds and police say Montoya died at the scene.
They say a pedestrian was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The shooting will be investigated by a task force that includes New Mexico State Police.

OIL AND GAS-ABANDONED WELLS
State agency plans to increase plugging abandoned wells
(Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/)
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico agency that regulates oil and natural gas development says it has a plan to start plugging more of the hundreds of abandoned wells located across the state.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports the state Oil Conservation Division is seeking to plug 41 wells on state land and 19 on private land during the current fiscal year.
State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn says the remediation of an abandoned well and the reclamation of the land costs about $100,000. Dunn challenged the division last month to increase plugging the 600 wells he says are abandoned on state trust land.
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Secretary Ken McQueen says many of the 600 wells are compliant. He says the division is committed to monitoring wells and addressing problematic operations.
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US ATTORNEY-NEW MEXICO
US Senate confirms appointment of state's next US attorney
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's appointment of John Anderson as U.S. attorney for New Mexico.
Anderson is a former assistant U.S. attorney who more recently practiced law in Santa Fe.
Once he takes office, Anderson will replace Damon Martinez, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. Martinez was dismissed in March by the new administration.
James Tierney has been acting U.S. attorney in the meantime.
The Senate signed off on Anderson's appointment with a voice vote Thursday on a slate of presidential appointees.

CANADIAN TRAINING-NEW MEXICO
Canadian squadron heading home after training in New Mexico
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — A Royal Canadian Air Force squadron is headed home to Alberta after visiting Holloman Air Force Base to take advantage of more favorable weather conditions in southern New Mexico.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that F-18 jets flown by 401Tactical Tactical Fighter Squadron from Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake trained alongside Holloman's F-16s to learn about each other's air combat tactics.
Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Col Forrest Rock says the cold and snow in Canada limits the unit's training at home during winter.
Rock says the squadron exceeded the number of flight hours and sorties it had planned and was able to re-qualify several types of missions thanks to training facilities at Holloman.
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RIO GRANDE-IRRIGATION SEASON
Water managers along Rio Grande prep for irrigation season
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (AP) — Federal water managers say they're preparing for the upcoming irrigation season in southern New Mexico.
The Bureau of Reclamation said Friday water releases from Elephant Butte Dam will begin on Feb. 23 and releases from Caballo Dam to the south will follow on March 16.
Officials are warning that dry riverbeds below both reservoirs will take on water quickly. They're asking the public to stay out of the river channels for their safety.
Flows are expected to fluctuate through the spring and summer months according to downstream irrigation demands.
Due to a dismal snowpack in the mountains that fed the Rio Grande, little inflow is forecast for Elephant Butte this spring. The latest map shows snowpack levels in New Mexico are far below normal for this time of year.