Sisters, kids found in Santa Ana Pueblo died of hypothermia
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Autopsies released Tuesday show that two sisters and their three children who were found dead on tribal land in January died of hypothermia.
The FBI says it did not find any evidence of foul play in the deaths of Vanessa George and her two children, Zoe and Chloe, and her sister Leticia George and daughter Haleigh.
Authorities discovered the women and children in a rugged area of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Their damaged truck was found at the end of a dirt road.
The case unfolded when family members asked police to check on the two women and their children. Police arrived at the home they were renting in Albuquerque to find no one there. Cellphones and other belongings were left behind, prompting police to issue a flier about the women's disappearance.
NEW MEXICO-BUDGET CRISIS-THE LATEST
The Latest: New Mexico Legislature concludes special session
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Legislature has concluded a special session after Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation that resolves a state budget crisis for the coming fiscal year.
The Legislature adjourned on Tuesday as Democratic lawmakers expressed lingering concerns about the health of state finances.
Martinez restored funding Friday to all state colleges and universities that she had vetoed earlier by tapping money from suspended infrastructure projects.
The Republican governor has rejected a string of tax increases proposed by the Democratic-led Legislature that were designed to further bolster state finances and protect the state's credit rating.
SHOOTING DEATH-ALBUQUERQUE
Police investigate woman's shooting death in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police are investigating the shooting death of a woman last week in Albuquerque.
Investigators say 27-year-old Celina Arrellanes was found shot late Wednesday night.
Arrellanes later died at a hospital from her injuries.
No suspects have been arrested.
MESA-NAME CHANGE
Pueblo applies to rename mesa 20 miles west of Bernalillo
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The people of the Santa Ana Pueblo want to rename a mesa about 20 miles west of the town of Bernalillo as part of an effort to reclaim ancestral lands.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the San Felipe Mesa was likely named by Spanish conquerors to honor King Philip II of Spain.
Under the proposal, it would be known by the name used by used by ancestors.
The pueblo has applied to have the name changed on all federal maps to Kene-ewa.
It's a process that requires approval from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, though local maps can be changed without such a process.
Nationally, other Native American communities and others have been working to rename locations to fit with their history or overturn cruel or exploitative names.
UNM-INTERIM PRESIDENT
University of New Mexico extends contract for interim leader
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico has extended the contract of the school's interim president for up to another 12 months.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the university's governing board recently changed Chaouki Abdallah's title from acting to interim president and formally signed him to a term that could span the next year.
His new contract keeps him as interim president through May 31, 2018, or until the Board of Regents appoints a new president. Regents could make a decision by late October.
Regents President Rob Doughty said Abdallah has done an excellent job for the past five months and has earned the respect of people throughout the UNM community.
Abdallah took over in January after Bob Frank stepped down with five months left on his contract.
THE DAILY TIMES-EDITOR
Farmington newspaper names next newsroom leader
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The Daily Times in Farmington has named the editor of an award-winning publication in Wyoming as its next leader.
The northwestern New Mexico newspaper on Monday announced the appointment of John Moses as editor . He arrived in Farmington last week.
Moses most recently served as editor of the Jackson Hole News & Guide and local news coordinator for its sister paper, the Jackson Hole Daily.
He has managed newsrooms from the San Francisco Bay area to rural Alaska, where he and his wife founded the Alaska Pioneer Press, a monthly newspaper and website that once served a sparsely populated region about the size of West Virginia.
A native of Northern California, Moses also worked as managing editor of a daily paper in Juneau, Alaska.