MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico weighs automated expungement of pot offenses
SANTA FE, N.M (AP) — New Mexico would automatically erase pot convictions and reconsider sentences for some as legislators advance a package of bills to legalizing recreational marijuana. A Senate panel advanced the expungement bill Tuesday evening toward a Senate floor vote, after hours of discussion and revisions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called a special session of the Legislature to legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 and older. Automated expungement and pardon procedures are contingent on legislative approval of a framework for legal sales and taxation of recreational cannabis. Neighboring states Colorado and Arizona have legalized recreational marijuana

CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
Democrats narrow congressional nomination to 2 contenders
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two state legislators have advanced to a runoff for the Democratic nomination to defend an Albuquerque-based congressional seat left open by newly confirmed Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. State Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and Rep. Melanie Stansbury were the top two contenders on Tuesday as members of the Democratic Party central committee narrowed an initial field of eight candidates. A second vote takes place Wednesday to decide on a nominee to confront Republican state Sen. Mark Moores in a June 1 special congressional election. Democrats have held the 1st Congressional District Seat since 2009.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BALLOON FIESTA
New Mexico organizers plan for international balloon fiesta
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Organizers are planning for this year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, with ticket sales for the annual fall event expected to begin in July. The fiesta usually attracts hundreds of ballooning teams as well as hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the globe. Last year's fiesta wasn't held because of the coronavirus pandemic. Fiesta spokesman Tom Garrity said Tuesday that the board of directors is committed to New Mexico's public health mandates and plans to have health measures identified for pilots and guests by the time ticket sales begin. He also warned that the measures may be updated and will be evaluated as October approaches.

AMBER ALERT-MISSING TEEN GIRLS
Albuquerque police: 1 of 2 missing teenage girls found safe
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque say one of two teenage girls reported missing last weekend has been found safe. They say 14-year-old Zuriah Castillo was located Tuesday, but the search continues for 16-year-old Jaylynn Miller. The girls were reported missing Saturday and an Amber Alert was issued. The alert was later changed to a missing endangered juvenile advisory after police interviewed a suspect who said he wasn't involved in the girls' disappearance and it was no longer believed the teens had been abducted. Police did not immediately disclose where Castillo was located.  

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Virus variant identified in Britain found on Navajo Nation
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — A coronavirus variant first identified in Britain has been found on the Navajo Nation. Tribal health officials said Tuesday that the United Kingdom strain was confirmed in a sample obtained in the western part of the reservation. The Navajo Department of Health is working with states and other public health entities to identify any more variant cases. Navajo President Jonathan Nez says the finding reinforces the need for social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and limiting travel. The person who tested positive for the variant on the Navajo Nation had been fully vaccinated and is now recovering.

AP-US-VIRGIN-GALACTIC
Virgin Galactic rolls out latest generation of spaceship
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Virgin Galactic rolled out its latest spaceship as the company gets ready to resume test flights in the coming months at its headquarters in the New Mexico desert. The newest ship dubbed the VSS Imagine was designed and manufactured in California. Company officials say it will likely be summer before the ship begins glide flight testing at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. CEO Michael Colglazier says the addition of the new ship Tuesday marks the beginning of a Virgin Galactic fleet that will ferry paying customers and scientific payloads to the fringe of space. He said the company is still aiming for commercial operations in 2022.

DELAYED TRIAL-JURORS
New Mexico judge delays trial over jury pool's racial makeup
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has postponed a jury trial for a man accused of rape after his attorney argued his client's right to a fair trial was violated because none of the potential jurors selected were Black. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that 25-year-old Maury Elliot is accused of raping two teens and a woman in separate attacks. Jury selection for one of the cases was scheduled to start Monday. But Judge T. Glenn Ellington halted the trial after a defense lawyer said none of the 77 potential jurors were Black. Assistant District Attorney Kent Wahlquist argued that the pool's racial makeup represents Santa Fe.

ALBUQUERQUE CRASH-KIDS KILLED
Albuquerque police: 2 children killed in crash on I-25
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say alcohol and speed were factors in a single-vehicle crash in which two children were killed and two others were injured, one critically. Police said the wreck occurred at about 4 a.m. Tuesday when the vehicle struck a concrete barrier along northbound Interstate 25 after entering the freeway on a ramp from Interstate 40 at high speed. A police statement said two adults also were the vehicle and that both were injured, the driver critically. The statement said the two children killed were under age 10 but police did not provide additional information about the children or the adults.

MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico lawmakers reconvene to consider legalizing pot
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are responding to the call of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to try and forge an agreement on legalizing recreational marijuana in a special legislative session that convenes at noon on Tuesday. Legalization has won state House approval for three consecutive years but failed to gain full approval, despite support from an array of proponents. Lujan Grisham has hailed the industry's potential to create jobs and a stable new source of revenue for the state. Lawmakers are likely to bring forward two bills that provide a regulatory framework for the industry and focus secondly on social justice concerns.

SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL
New Mexico sues US over proposed nuclear waste storage plans
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is suing the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission over concerns that the federal agency hasn't done enough to vet plans for a multibillion-dollar facility to store spent nuclear fuel in the state. In a filing Monday, New Mexico says the project would endanger residents, the environment and the economy. New Jersey-based Holtec International wants to build a complex where tons of spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants around the nation could be stored until the federal government finds a permanent solution. State officials worry the state will become a permanent dumping ground for the radioactive material. The commission says it's followed procedure and an environmental review was done.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NATIVE AMERICANS
Native American health clinics offering vaccine to visitors
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Indian Health Service is shifting its vaccine distribution system to target individual hospitals and clinics with high demand for shots and taper supplies to hubs where the majority of eligible patients have received doses. Indian Health Service safety and monitoring specialist Dr. Matthew Clark said Monday the shift is designed to improve efficiency after a drop-off in vaccine demand in some regions. The agency is part of a two-pronged national effort to immunize Indigenous communities that also relies on state health agencies. Native Americans have been disproportionately sickened and killed by the pandemic, and are now at the forefront of federal vaccination efforts.

AMBER ALERT-MISSING TEEN GIRLS
New Mexico police: 2 teens not abducted but still missing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities are searching for two teenage girls last seen at an Albuquerque hotel. New Mexico State Police said Monday they no longer believe the girls were abducted. They issued a revised Amber Alert characterizing 14-year-old Zuriah Castillo and 16-year-old Jaylynn Miller as missing. The teens were in the Santo Domingo Pueblo area on Saturday shortly after 7 p.m. when they asked for a ride. They were dropped off at the Courtyard by Marriott. Castillo is described as 5-foot-5, 130 pounds with shoulder-length bleach blonde and dark brown hair and brown eyes. Miller is described as 5 feet, 112 pounds with shoulder-length brown hair dyed red and brown eyes.

LAS CRUCES-BEE SWARM
Off-duty Las Cruces firefighter gets bee swarm to buzz off
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces firefighter who is also a beekeeper is credited with safely removing a swarm of bees found inside a parked car. City officials say the incident occurred Sunday shortly after 4 p.m. outside an Albertson's supermarket. A shopper had put his groceries in his car and was about to drive when he spotted the swarm in the backseat. Firefighters called on Jesse Johnson, an off-duty firefighter with beekeeping experience. Johnson arrived with proper beekeeping attire was able to remove the bees. The whole process took about two hours. The swarm, comprised of an estimated 15,000 bees, was transported to Johnson's own property.

CODE TALKER HOLIDAY
Arizona declares state holiday to honor Native code talkers
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona bill creates a new state holiday to honor Native Americans who used their language to transmit coded messages during World War II. Aug. 14 is celebrated across the country and on the Navajo Nation as Navajo Code Talkers Day. While hundreds of Navajos were recruited as code talkers, about a dozen Hopis and members of other tribes also covertly sent messages that helped the U.S. win the war. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill Monday that makes Aug. 14 a state holiday. It marks the day Japan announced it would surrender to the Allied forces. The holiday will be observed on a Sunday when state offices already are closed. 

LEGISLATURE-FENCE REMOVED
Security fence, cops, no longer encircle New Mexico capitol
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Security fencing and state police checkpoints no longer encircle New Mexico state capitol buildings. The added security was put in place after the Jan. 6 riots in Washington D.C. and cost at least $700,000. State Police checkpoints began to disappear earlier this month as the state's annual legislative session came to a close. A security fence started coming down on Saturday. Legislators are set to convene this week to pass bills that would legalize recreational cannabis. The capitol buildings that house legislative chambers will continue to be closed to the public due to the pandemic.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico eases vaccination process for older residents
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is trying to make it even easier for residents 75 and older to get vaccinated. The state Health Department announced Monday that people in that group will no longer need event codes in order to schedule an appointment to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Instead, those who are registered with the state will get invitations to schedule appointments. They'll use their confirmation codes and dates of birth to set up appointments. Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins says a large majority of seniors in the state already have been vaccinated. In all, more than one-quarter of New Mexicans have been fully vaccinated.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico reports 167 new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 167 confirmed COVID-19 cases, but no new deaths amid continued slowing of the coronavirus outbreak. The state's pandemic totals rose to 191,048 cases and 3,925 known deaths as seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths declined over the past two weeks. In the latest numbers, Bernalillo County had 50 of the new cases. The state's largest county that includes metro Albuquerque has had 54,495 of the state's total coronavirus cases with Dona Ana County having 23,735 total cases since the pandemic started.

AMBER ALERT-TEEN GIRLS ABDUCTED
New Mexico State Police: 2 teenage girls abducted by a man
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say they're searching for two teenage girls who reportedly were abducted in the Albuquerque area. New Mexico State Police say an Amber Alert was issued late Saturday night after a man allegedly abducted the girls at a gas station in Santo Domingo Pueblo. They have identified as 14-year-old Zuriah Castillo and 16-year-old Jaylynn Miller. State Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs say a 37-year-old Albuquerque man is wanted in the case. Authorities say witnesses have provided a description of the suspect's vehicle and his license plate numbers. According to the alert, the suspect has ties to the Gallup area, but it's not known where the vehicle was headed.

MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
Marijuana takes center stage in New Mexico special session
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are embarking on an unusual legislative session that focuses on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Efforts at legalizing the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older faltered during the regular annual session that ended March 20, amid divergent views about government oversight among supporters of legalization. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called back legislators to the Statehouse to hammer out an agreement on thorny issues of tax rates on pot sales, precautions against child access and court procedures for reversing past cannabis convictions. Negotiations are well underway in private. 

CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
GOP picks Mark Moores to run US House seat that Haaland held
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A cadre of New Mexico state Republican Party leaders on Saturday chose state Sen. Mark Moores to run for the Albuquerque-based congressional seat held by Deb Haaland before she was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Moores was chosen with 40% of the 121 votes cast during a videoconference meeting by members of the Republican Party central committee who live in the 1st Congressional District. The seven-candidate field also included conservative radio talk show host Eddy Aragon, who placed second with 28% of the vote. Democrats have held the seat since 2009. But Republicans see an opening in a potentially low-turnout special election set for June 1.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajo Nation extends, loosens its health order on COVDI-19
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has extended and loosened a health order intended to help curb spread of the coronavirus. Tribal officials said the daily curfew hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. MDT while businesses can remain open until 9 p.m. MDT daily under the latest "safer at home" order issued Friday. Officials said the order also includes provisions allowing outdoor "drive-in" gatherings in which people remain in their vehicles, park at at least six feet from other vehicles, and wear masks. The tribe on Saturday reported 12 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and one more death, increasing its pandemic totals to 30,052 cases and 1,246 deaths. 

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico reports 185 additional COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Saturday reported 185 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases with only two more deaths amid continued slowing of the coronavirus outbreak. The state's pandemic totals rose to 190,887 cases and 3,925 deaths. Meanwhile, seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths declined over the past two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins University data Bernolillo and Sandoval counties each had one death from COVID-19 while Bernalillo accounted for about a third of the additional cases. Dona Ana, Sandoval, San Juan and Valencia counties also had double-digit numbers of additional cases. 

CLAIM TOSSED-RANCHER KILLS WOLF
Judge tosses New Mexico rancher's claim after he kills wolf
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed a rancher's claim that he should still have the right to use federal land in New Mexico after it was revoked for killing a wolf. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that Craig Thiessen killed an endangered Mexican wolf in Gila National Forest six years ago and has since argued he should still be allowed to graze his cattle on the 48,000 acres of public land. That argument was rejected this week by a federal judge. Thiessen pleaded guilty in 2018 for killing the wolf. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then revoked his company's permit to graze cattle on the public land.

NEW MEXICO PRISON
New Mexico plans to close women's prison in rural community
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico plans to close a women's prison located in a small rural town and transfer the inmates and workers elsewhere. Officials said Friday that timing and other details regarding the closure of the Springer Correctional Center in the Colfax County community of Springer remain to be determined. The head of the Department of Corrections said closing the prison "will allow for more fiscally responsible operation of the remaining state facilities, while maintaining safe housing for the inmate population." Numerous women have filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually harassed, assaulted or raped by guards and then ignored or retaliated against when they reported the abuse.

MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
Marijuana takes center stage in New Mexico special session
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are embarking on an unusual legislative session that focuses on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Efforts at legalizing the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older faltered during the regular annual session that ended March 20, amid divergent views about government oversight among supporters of legalization. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called back legislators to the Statehouse to hammer out an agreement on thorny issues of tax rates on pot sales, precautions against child access and court procedures for reversing past cannabis convictions. Negotiations are well underway in private. 

CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
GOP picks Mark Moores to run US House seat that Haaland held
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A cadre of New Mexico state Republican Party leaders on Saturday chose state Sen. Mark Moores to run for the Albuquerque-based congressional seat held by Deb Haaland before she was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Moores was chosen with 40% of the 121 votes cast during a videoconference meeting by members of the Republican Party central committee who live in the 1st Congressional District. The seven-candidate field also included conservative radio talk show host Eddy Aragon, who placed second with 28% of the vote. Democrats have held the seat since 2009. But Republicans see an opening in a potentially low-turnout special election set for June 1.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajo Nation extends, loosens its health order on COVDI-19
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has extended and loosened a health order intended to help curb spread of the coronavirus. Tribal officials said the daily curfew hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. MDT while businesses can remain open until 9 p.m. MDT daily under the latest "safer at home" order issued Friday. Officials said the order also includes provisions allowing outdoor "drive-in" gatherings in which people remain in their vehicles, park at at least six feet from other vehicles, and wear masks. The tribe on Saturday reported 12 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and one more death, increasing its pandemic totals to 30,052 cases and 1,246 deaths. 

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico reports 185 additional COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Saturday reported 185 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases with only two more deaths amid continued slowing of the coronavirus outbreak. The state's pandemic totals rose to 190,887 cases and 3,925 deaths. Meanwhile, seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths declined over the past two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins University data Bernolillo and Sandoval counties each had one death from COVID-19 while Bernalillo accounted for about a third of the additional cases. Dona Ana, Sandoval, San Juan and Valencia counties also had double-digit numbers of additional cases. 

CLAIM TOSSED-RANCHER KILLS WOLF
Judge tosses New Mexico rancher's claim after he kills wolf
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed a rancher's claim that he should still have the right to use federal land in New Mexico after it was revoked for killing a wolf. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Friday that Craig Thiessen killed an endangered Mexican wolf in Gila National Forest six years ago and has since argued he should still be allowed to graze his cattle on the 48,000 acres of public land. That argument was rejected this week by a federal judge. Thiessen pleaded guilty in 2018 for killing the wolf. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then revoked his company's permit to graze cattle on the public land.

NEW MEXICO PRISON
New Mexico plans to close women's prison in rural community
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico plans to close a women's prison located in a small rural town and transfer the inmates and workers elsewhere. Officials said Friday that timing and other details regarding the closure of the Springer Correctional Center in the Colfax County community of Springer remain to be determined. The head of the Department of Corrections said closing the prison "will allow for more fiscally responsible operation of the remaining state facilities, while maintaining safe housing for the inmate population." Numerous women have filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually harassed, assaulted or raped by guards and then ignored or retaliated against when they reported the abuse.

AP-US-AIRPORT-BODIES
Man held in New Jersey killing charged in New Mexico deaths
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A man accused in the beating death of a New Jersey resident he claimed sexually abused him as a child has been charged with killing his ex-wife and two of her friends whose bodies were found at a New Mexico airport. The charges came Friday following numerous interviews and searches of a house, storage units and other locations in the city of Grants, where suspect Sean Lannon, his ex-wife and their children lived. The remains of Jennifer Lannon, two of her friends and an Albuquerque man were found earlier this month in a vehicle at an Albuquerque airport parking garage. Charges related to the death of the Albuquerque man have not yet been filed.

GOVERNOR VACCINATED-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico governor gets initial vaccine shot at school gym
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has received an initial vaccination shot as the state opens eligibility to more residents. The 61-year-old governor and former congresswoman announced in a news release that she received the shot of the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine at a clinic on a school campus in Santa Fe. The state is making the vaccine available to residents ages 60 and over, essential workers and a variety of health and hospice workers. About one-quarter of New Mexico residents are fully vaccinated. Local rates of COVID-19 positivity in testing and related deaths in New Mexico have plummeted in recent months.

GOVERNOR VACCINATED-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico governor gets initial vaccine shot at school gym
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has received an initial vaccination shot as the state opens eligibility to more residents. The 61-year-old governor and former congresswoman announced in a news release that she received the shot of the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine at a clinic on a school campus in Santa Fe. The state is making the vaccine available to residents ages 60 and over, essential workers and a variety of health and hospice workers. About one-quarter of New Mexico residents are fully vaccinated. Local rates of COVID-19 positivity in testing and related deaths in New Mexico have plummeted in recent months.

​MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
Marijuana takes center stage in New Mexico special session
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are embarking on an unusual legislative session that focuses on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Efforts at legalizing the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older faltered during the regular annual session that ended March 20, amid divergent views about government oversight among supporters of legalization. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called back legislators to the Statehouse to hammer out an agreement on thorny issues of tax rates on pot sales, precautions against child access and court procedures for reversing past cannabis convictions. Negotiations are well underway in private. 

CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
GOP eyes Albuquerque congressional seat held by Haaland
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A cadre of 130 New Mexico state Republican Party leaders is deciding on a nominee to run for the Albuquerque-based congressional seat held by Deb Haaland before she was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Members of the GOP central committee who reside in the 1st Congressional District were scheduled to vote on a nominee Saturday in a videoconference meeting. At least seven candidates have sought the nomination. Prominent candidates include conservative radio talk show host Eddy Aragon and three-term state Sen. Mark Moores, a former football lineman at the University of New Mexico.

AP-US-AIRPORT-BODIES
Man held in New Jersey killing charged in New Mexico deaths
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A man accused in the beating death of a New Jersey resident he claimed sexually abused him as a child has been charged with killing his ex-wife and two of her friends whose bodies were found at a New Mexico airport. The charges came Friday following numerous interviews and searches of a house, storage units and other locations in the city of Grants, where suspect Sean Lannon, his ex-wife and their children lived. The remains of Jennifer Lannon, two of her friends and an Albuquerque man were found earlier this month in a vehicle at an Albuquerque airport parking garage. Charges related to the death of the Albuquerque man have not yet been filed.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajo Nation confirms 9 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has reported nine new COVID-19 cases for a second day. The latest numbers released Friday, including two additional deaths, raises the tribe's numbers to 30,040 cases and 1,245 known deaths since the pandemic began. Health care providers across the Navajo Nation are administering the vaccine either at drive-thru events or by appointment. Tribal President Jonathan Nez says around half of the Navajo Nation's adult population has been fully vaccinated. However, he urged the community to minimize travel, continue to wear masks and social distance. Mask mandates and daily curfews remain on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.  

AIRPORT BODIES-VICTIMS
Loved ones struggle with why New Mexico friends were killed
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jennifer Lannon loved her children, though she lost custody of them because of her struggle with prescription drug use. Matthew Miller was especially fond of his pets and had run-ins with police as he faced an opioid addiction. Their decomposing bodies were found along with that of their equally troubled friend Jesten Mata and another man inside a truck at a New Mexico airport parking garage. The gruesome discovery this month touched off a nationwide manhunt for Lannon's ex-husband in a strange case stretching from New Mexico to New Jersey that has raised questions of possible serial killings and left grieving loved ones trying to understand what happened.

VIRUS OUTBREAK EDUCATION REENTRY
New Mexico schools expand in-person learning
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An analysis by The Associated Press shows that 5% of New Mexico students from kindergarten through grade 8 can walk through school doors full time. The national average for a similar age group was around to 45% in February. A recent national survey found that the majority of Black and Hispanic students must attend school remotely, while most white students can attend in person. New Mexico isn't tracking in-person learning by race. The state education department says it's working to get all students access to full-time in-person learning by April 5, and that the vast majority of educators have gotten at least one vaccine dose.

INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY-OWNERSHIP
News outlet Indian Country Today has new a owner: itself
PHOENIX (AP) — Indigenous news organization Indian Country Today has changed ownership. The National Congress of American Indians on Friday transferred its interests in the outlet to IndiJ Public Media, a newly incorporated Arizona nonprofit. Indian Country Today has operated as an independent limited liability company under NCAI since 2017, when the Oneida Indian Nation donated the outlet to the country's oldest and largest tribal organization. It will now operate as an independent company. NCAI President Fawn Sharp called the move an "exciting time for Indian Country Today to become fiscally independent and to continue its tradition of an autonomous free press." Indian Country Today is headquartered at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

AIRPORT BODIES-VICTIMS
Loved ones struggle with why New Mexico friends were killed
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jennifer Lannon loved her children, though she lost custody of them because of her struggle with prescription drug use. Matthew Miller was especially fond of his pets and had run-ins with police as he faced an opioid addiction. Their decomposing bodies were found along with that of their equally troubled friend Jesten Mata and another man inside a truck at a New Mexico airport parking garage. The gruesome discovery this month touched off a nationwide manhunt for Lannon's ex-husband in a strange case stretching from New Mexico to New Jersey that has raised questions of possible serial killings and left grieving loved ones trying to understand what happened.

AIRPORT BODIES
Man wanted for questioning in New Mexico case is arrested
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque say a man wanted for questioning in the disappearances of three people from Grants last month has been arrested on a warrant. Albuquerque police say 45-year-old Daniel Lemos was taken into custody Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service. Grants police say they want to question Lemos in the disappearances of 39-year-old Jennifer Lannon, 40-year-old Jesten Mata and 21-year-old Matthew Miller because he knew the victims. The three were found dead March 5 in a vehicle in a parking garage at Albuquerque International Sunport along with 60-year-old Randal Apostalon in Apostalon's truck. Grants police first identified Lemos as a person of interest in late February, before the bodies were found at the airport.

IMMIGRATION-BORDER EPICENTER
Small Texas border town is thoroughfare for migrant children
ROMA, Texas (AP) — A small border town in Texas' Rio Grande Valley has become the latest epicenter of illegal crossings, where growing numbers of families and children enter the United States to seek asylum. Within an hour of darkness Wednesday, about 100 people are ferried in rafts across the Rio Grande and into the U.S. in Roma, including many families with toddlers and children as young as 7 traveling alone. They wear numbered plastic wristbands that say "deliveries" in Spanish, apparently a mechanism for smugglers to keep track of them. U.S. authorities have reported more than 100,000 encounters on the southern border in February, the highest since a four-month streak in 2019. 

BIDEN-BORDER MIGRANTS
Biden vows action on migrants as he defends border policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will take steps to more quickly move hundreds of migrant children and teens out of cramped detention facilities along the Southwest border. That from President Joe Biden Thursday as he pushed back against suggestions that his administration's policies are responsible for the rising number of people seeking to cross into the country. Biden was pressed repeatedly on the situation at the border at his first news conference since taking office. He cited a series of measures such as opening space at a Texas Army base for about 5,000 unaccompanied minors, to address the issue. But he also sought to portray the rise in migrants as little different from seasonal increases in the past. 

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajo Nation reports 9 new COVID-19 cases and 8 more deaths
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported nine new COVID-19 cases and eight additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's numbers to 30,031 cases and 1,243 known deaths since the pandemic began. The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening last week with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions. Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.  

SANDIA LABS-SOLAR
US lab to build solar power testing center in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Sandia National Laboratories has been awarded a $25 million contract to build, test and operate a new solar power test facility on its campus in New Mexico. Using a concentrated beam of sunlight to heat up sand-like particles, the system will be able to produce thermal energy for thousands of hours and will have the capacity to store six hours of energy. The contract was announced Thursday by the lab and the U.S. Energy Department. The agency's goal is to develop technology that can make concentrating solar power plants easier to build and more reliable. The New Mexico-based lab already is known for work its work on other solar and wind projects.

METHANE FIGHT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico adopts rules to curb emissions from oil industry
Associated Press (AP) — New Mexico oil and gas regulators have adopted new rules to limit most venting and flaring in the oilfield as a way to reduce methane emissions. The Oil Conservation Commission took the final vote Thursday, following a two-year process that involved testimony from environmental advocates and technical experts from the oil and gas industry. The first phase of implementation will include data collection and reporting to identify natural gas losses at every stage of the process. The rules are one part of a two-pronged approach by the state to address climate change. Still pending are rules that would target oilfield equipment that emits volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.

DR. DEATH TV SERIES-NEW MEXICO
TV series from 'Dr. Death' podcast being shot in New Mexico
The New Mexico Film Office says a new television series based on a popular true-crime podcast by the Wondery network has started production in Albuquerque and Moriarty. The UCP production "Dr. Death" stars actors Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater and is directed by Maggie Kiley, So Yong Kim and Jennifer Morrison. Film Office Director Amber Dodson said the series will be the first production to use NBCU's new studio in Albuquerque. The Film Office says "Dr. Death" is about a neurosurgeon whose operations start going wrong, prompting intervention by two fellow physicians.