BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER-THE LATEST
The Latest: Group behind private border wall has more plans
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — The man behind an online fundraising campaign to build a privately funded barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border says his group has 10 more projects in the pipeline but he declined to provide details about where the sections of wall would be located.
Veteran Brian Kolfage made the announcement during a news conference in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where We Build the Wall Inc. has been installing a concrete and metal barrier on private property.
Contractor Jimmy Fisher said Thursday the section will be just under a half-mile (less than 1 kilometer) long.
Kris Kobach, the group's legal counsel, said We Build the Wall plans to sign an easement allowing Border Patrol agents to patrol the private property without having to hand over ownership of the land to federal officials.

TRUMP-IMMIGRATION
Trump promise of new Mexican tariffs brings protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a surprise announcement that could derail a major trade deal. President Donald Trump has announced that he is placing a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the U.S. border.
He said the percentage will gradually increase — up to 25% — "until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied."
The decision showed the administration going to new lengths, and looking for new levers, to pressure Mexico to take action — even if those risk upending other policy priorities, like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that is the cornerstone of Trump's legislative agenda and seen as beneficial to his reelection effort.

BORDER ACTIVIST TRIAL
Lawyer: Activist on trial showed 'kindness' helping migrants
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A lawyer for a border activist being tried in federal court in Arizona says his client was just trying to be kind by helping two migrants with water, food and lodging last year.
But prosecutors said they have evidence 36-year-old Scott Daniel Warren conspired to harbor the migrants.
The prosecutors also say the migrants were not in distress when arrived at a privately-owned building used to provide aid to immigrants who crossed the desert from Mexico into Arizona.
The Arizona Daily Star reports defense attorney Greg Kuykendall said in his opening statement Wednesday that prosecutors must prove Warren intended to break the law to be found guilty of harboring migrants and conspiring to transport and harbor the two immigrant men found with him who were in the U.S. illegally.

RIDE-SHARE SHOOTING
Document: Fatal Uber shooting stemmed from 'vomit' in car
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Court documents show a fatal shooting of a New Mexico man killed by a ride-share driver stemmed from "a large amount of vomit" in an Uber vehicle.
The Albuquerque Journal reports documents submitted by the Bernalillo County District Attorney last week said the shooting was sparked by an argument over a "clean-up fee."
Police say a driver Clayton Benedict shot and killed 27-year-old passenger James Porter along Interstate 25 in Albuquerque on March 17. Benedict has not been charged and has declined to comment.
District Attorney's Office spokesman Michael Patrick says a charging decision may come in the next few weeks.
Last month, the family of Porter filed a lawsuit against Uber and Benedict over the shooting.
Uber told the Journal that Benedict no longer has access to the Uber app as a driver.

BORDER WALL-CEMETERIES
Cemeteries and family memories stand in border wall's way
SAN JUAN, Texas (AP) — Two historic graveyards are among the properties on the Mexican border that are under threat as the Trump administration rushes to build hundreds of miles of wall.
Under current plans, one of the 19th century cemeteries could be lost entirely. Some graves would have to be exhumed; others without a headstone might be paved over.
The people who would lose land have hired lawyers and staged protests. They're determined to fight in court to tie up construction and explain to the rest of the U.S. the hidden costs of a border wall.
Congress agreed last year to fund 33 miles of new walls and fencing in South Texas's Rio Grande Valley.

OIL REFINERY-EXPANSION
Oil refining company plans expansion of New Mexico facility
(Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/)
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — The only crude oil refinery in southeast New Mexico serving Permian Basin production is looking to expand.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports Dallas-based Holly Frontier announced last week plans to apply for a permit modification so it can upgrade the Navajo Refinery in Artesia.
The refinery can currently process up to 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Holly Frontier plans to add six storage tanks, a railcar loading and unloading rack, a cooling tower and other piping components. It also plans to install a renewable diesel unit.
The state Air Quality Bureau will need to modify the refinery's permit for the expansion to proceed.
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ELDERLY ADVOCATE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico chooses ombudsman for nursing home complaints
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has hired attorney and social worker Linnea Forsythe as the state's new ombudsman for long-term care to address concerns and complaints from the residents of nursing homes.
Aging and Long-Term Services Secretary Alice Liu McCoy announced the appointment Wednesday. She says the position is critical to protecting the health, safety and rights of vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities.
States are required to have an ombudsman program for long-term care under the federal Older Americans Act. The ombudsman in New Mexico relies on a network of volunteers that currently number fewer than 50.
The state's long-term care agency is attempting to expand that network of volunteers with the hiring of Forsythe.

ELDERLY ADVOCATE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico chooses ombudsman for nursing home complaints
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has hired attorney and social worker Linnea Forsythe as the state's new ombudsman for long-term care to address concerns and complaints from the residents of nursing homes.
Aging and Long-Term Services Secretary Alice Liu McCoy announced the appointment Wednesday. She says the position is critical to protecting the health, safety and rights of vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities.
States are required to have an ombudsman program for long-term care under the federal Older Americans Act. The ombudsman in New Mexico relies on a network of volunteers that currently number fewer than 50.
The state's long-term care agency is attempting to expand that network of volunteers with the hiring of Forsythe.

TROUBLED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Troubled Mora district hires 9th superintendent in 3 years
(Information from: Las Vegas Optic, http://www.lasvegasoptic.com)
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — A troubled northern New Mexico school district that has had eight superintendents in three years has hired another one.
The Las Vegas Optic reports the Mora Schools Board of Education voted last week to offer a two-year contract to Peñasco Schools Superintendent Marvin MacAuley. The move comes days after two-thirds of voters defeated a mill levy for Mora Public Schools.
Last year, the Mora Schools Board of Education fired Superintendent Ella Arellano after no school earned higher than a C grade from the state.
Former Superintendent Charles Trujillo pleaded guilty to a felony charge for falsifying credentials.
In November, the Las Vegas Optic reported Interim Superintendent Carla Westbrook-Spaniel once was arrested for public intoxication and accused of leaving two preschool-age children alone while she went to a nightclub.
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INDIAN CHILD WELFARE
US Supreme Court denies review of Arizona child welfare case
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has denied review of an Arizona case challenging a law that gives preference to American Indians in adoptions of Native children.
The order this week leaves in place a lower court ruling that dismissed a complaint from a Phoenix-based, right-leaning think tank.
The Goldwater Institute sought to keep two children with ties to the Gila River and Navajo tribes from being removed from their non-Native foster parents.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the case was moot because the children had been adopted.
The 9th Circuit didn't rule on the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
That question is before a federal appeals court in Louisiana in a separate case out of Texas that represents the most significant challenge to the 40-year-old law.

DEVON ENERGY-HOBBS
Devon Energy to open office in southeastern New Mexico
(Information from: Hobbs News-Sun, http://www.hobbsnews.com)
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Devon Energy, an independent company engaged in finding and producing oil and natural gas, is opening up an office in southeastern New Mexico.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports the Oklahoma City-based company recently announced plans to expand to Hobbs.
The Hobbs office is expected to open later this summer and will house approximately 40 of Devon's 225 employees in the currently booming oil and gas region.
It will be one of five Devon offices situated across southeast New Mexico and west Texas to support the company's Delaware Basin operations.
Devon operates in several of the most prolific oil and natural gas plays in the U.S. and Canada.
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ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
District attorney kicks off Democratic bid for Congress
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Northern New Mexico District Attorney Marco Serna is diving into his campaign for the Democratic nomination to an open Congressional race in 2020.
Serna was scheduled Thursday to kick off a campaign tour of 16 communities in the 3rd Congressional District with an event at his mother's jewelry store in Espanola.
Serna already has pledged to make solutions to the state's opioid addiction crisis a top priority if elected to Congress. As district attorney, he has helped divert some nonviolent drug offenders into counseling and supportive services as an alternative to incarceration.
Serna joins a field of at least seven Democratic candidates. Third-District Rep. Ben Ray Luján is running for U.S. Senate in 2020.
On Tuesday, Espanola native and economic development consultant Rob Apodaca announced his Democratic candidacy.

ELECTION 2020-IMMIGRATION
Immigration largely absent from Democrats' 2020 policy blitz
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential contenders are in a feverish battle to one-up each other with ever-more-ambitious plans to beat back global warming, curb gun violence and offer universal health care coverage.
But largely left out of the policy parade: immigration.
The 20-plus-candidate field is united in condemning President Donald Trump's support for hard-line immigration tactics. They've particularly bashed his push to wall off the U.S. border with Mexico and roll back asylum rights.
But only two contenders, ex-Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, have released detailed, written policies addressing the future of the immigration system.
Trump has continued to view the issue as a winner heading into 2020 and may have a clear path on it if Democratic presidential hopefuls don't eventually go deeper.

CENSUS 2020-MINORITIES
Census head vows 'independent' count amid heated politics
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Census director is promising the 2020 Census will remain independent and will avoid political pressures amid uncertainty over how the bureau will question immigrants.
U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham told reporters in Albuquerque on Wednesday bureau workers have taken a "lifetime oath" not to share private information from residents. He also vowed the bureau would make sure states with high percentages of Latinos and Native Americans receive accurate counts.
Dillingham was in New Mexico for a bureau's four-day tour of the state's rural communities and the Navajo Nation.
His visit comes as the U.S. Supreme Court reviews a possible question about whether a person is a United States citizen.
Democratic U.S, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico says all communities should feel safe about filling out the 2020 Census.

CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
US officials to put off oil leases near sacred tribal land
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has agreed to put off oil and gas leasing for a year on land that tribes consider sacred surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico.
Officials say that will allow time to finish an updated management plan to guide energy development across the region. The decision comes after Bernhardt visited the ancient site Tuesday.
The area has been central to an ongoing dispute over drilling in the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado.
Native American tribes and others are pushing for a formal buffer to protect culturally significant sites within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the park.
The management plan will include an alternative that reflects the views of Native American leaders and provisions from pending federal legislation.
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BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER
City issues cease-and-desist order for private border wall
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — A border suburb of El Paso, Texas, has issued a cease-and-desist order against construction of a privately funded border barrier.
A spokesman for Sunland Park, New Mexico, said Tuesday that the barrier being erected by We Build The Wall Inc. on private property doesn't comply with city ordinances. City spokesman Peter Ibarbo says the company had applied for a construction permit but the application was incomplete.
The company didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
In a statement to KVIA-TV in El Paso , the company says it had "done everything they need to do to be in compliance with all regulations." The company calls the stop order "a last ditch effort to intimidate us from completing this project."
​
NEW MEXICO SETTLEMENTS
New Mexico auditor cites timing as concern in settlements
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state auditor is investigating whether proper protocols were followed for state financial settlements to resolve workplace complaints by personnel including member of the former governor's security detail.
New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colón on Tuesday announced the investigation of settlement payments of $1.7 million to resolve complaints by six individuals that ranged from wrongful termination to hostile workplace issues.
The settlements involving Public Safety Department personnel were authorized last year near the end of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration.
Details have been sealed until 2023. Martinez denies involvement in the agreements.
Colón says the review aims to ensure financial settlements are made in the best interest of taxpayers.
He says the timing of settlements raises procedural concerns. Colón's office has subpoena authority.

MEMORIAL PROCESSION-CODE TALKER
Memorial procession for Navajo lawmaker traverses state
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A procession in honor of deceased state Sen. John Pinto will travel from Gallup to the state Capitol to honor the former Navajo Code Talker and politician.
The procession including State Police and the Navajo and Hopi Honor Riders motorcycle group is scheduled to accompany Pinto's casket through the communities of Shiprock, Farmington, Bloomfield, Cuba, Bernalillo and Santa Fe.
Afternoon memorial services were scheduled in the Statehouse rotunda.
Pinto died on Friday at age 94 after setting a record for serving 42 years in the state Senate.
Potential successors to Pinto in the Senate will be nominated by the McKinley and San Juan county commissions. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham makes the final appointment.
Pinto this year voted in favor of progressive initiatives on gun control and abortion rights.

MEDICAID SPENDING-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico shores up Medicaid spending rates at hospitals
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Public comments are being sought on a plan to increase annual Medicaid spending on reimbursements to hospitals in New Mexico by $169 million.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday announced the increased reimbursement rates designed to shore up professional health care networks.
All told, lawmakers have arranged a quarter-billion dollar increase in annual spending on Medicaid services starting July 1.
For hospitals, about $34 million of the $169 million increase will come from the state general fund, while the federal government pays the rest. The new announcement comes on the heels of a proposed $60 million annual increase in Medicaid reimbursements to physicians and clinicians.
Human Service Department spokeswoman Jodi McGinnis-Porter says reimbursements are set to increase by 18% for outpatient services and 9% for in-patient hospital stays.

CENSUS DIRECTOR-NEW MEXICO
Census director meets in Albuquerque ahead of 2020 count
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Census director is visiting New Mexico as the state pushes to ensure there is an accurate count of its heavily Hispanic and Native American populations.
U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham is in the state for a series of meetings. On Tuesday, he toured the border communities of Sunland Park and Chaparral before visiting Los Lunas in Valencia County.
He's expected to take part in round-table meetings Wednesday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
New Mexico's U.S. senators say the state faces a high likelihood of an undercount, which could put the state's federal funding at risk.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed an executive order calling on her Cabinet and advocacy groups to encourage census participation.

CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
Interior secretary, tribes meet amid drilling fight
CHACO CANYON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has met with tribal leaders who are supporting legislation to prevent drilling on land they consider sacred around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
The meeting Tuesday at the centuries-old site in northwest New Mexico came at the urging of Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich amid a yearslong dispute over oil and gas development surrounding the park.
Legislation sponsored by Heinrich and other members of New Mexico's all-Democratic congressional delegation would halt new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal land within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) buffer zone around the park's ancient stone structures and avenues.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has previously said that many tribes want a greater area around Chaco protected from industrial incursions.
Oil developers say robust protections already are in place.

SCIENTIST CHARGED-NUCLEAR LAB-THE LATEST
The Latest: US scientist pleads not guilty in China case
ALBUQUERUE, N.M. (AP) — A scientist for a U.S. laboratory in New Mexico has pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied about contacts with a state-run program in China that seeks to draw foreign-educated talent.
Turab Lookman of Santa Fe entered the plea Tuesday before a judge ruled that he could be released on a $50,000 secured bond with his family's home as collateral.
His travel will be restricted to the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas as he awaits trial on charges of making false statements while working at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The facility is tasked with ensuring the safety of the nation's nuclear stockpile and reducing weapons threats.
Prosecutors say Lookman had lied three times about being recruited by China's Thousand Talents Program and applying to participate in work there.
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SCIENTIST CHARGED-NUCLEAR LAB
US lab scientist charged with lying about China contact
ALBUQUERUE, N.M. (AP) — A scientist for a U.S. laboratory in New Mexico is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on accusations he lied about contacts with a state-run program in China that seeks to draw foreign-educated talent.
Prosecutors say 67-year-old Turab Lookman, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, had been asked on an employment questionnaire and by officials if he had been recruited by China's Thousand Talents Program or applied to work there. He's accused in an indictment filed last week of falsely stating that he hadn't.
Federal prosecutors say the China program had been established to recruit people with access to and knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property.
Court records did not yet list an attorney for Lookman. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER
Group vowing to build border wall puts up New Mexico segment
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — A leader with the group that's been raising funds to build a southern border wall on its own says they erected less than a mile of wall on private land in New Mexico over Memorial Day weekend.
Dustin Stockton, co-founder of the nonprofit WeBuildtheWall Inc., told The Associated Press Monday that they spent about 10 days moving dirt before starting construction Friday. He says the wall segment in Sunland Park is "mostly up" and should be completed by the end of the week.
Stockton, whose group has raised about $22 million , says they don't have a final tally yet on the cost, but he expects it'll be somewhere between $6 million and $10 million. He says the site's steep incline added to the cost.
The government's cost for the new walls its building is about $22 million a mile.

ENDANGERED WOLVES-CATTLE KILLS
Endangered Mexican wolves blamed for more livestock kills
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mexican gray wolves have been blamed for killing nearly as many cows and calves in the first four months of 2019 as they did all of last year.
Federal wildlife managers have documented 88 livestock kills from January through April in New Mexico and Arizona. Nearly 100 were reported for all of 2018.
The Associated Press has found that this year is on pace to become the deadliest for livestock since the endangered predators were first reintroduced in 1998.
The decades-long effort to return the wolves to their historic range has been complicated by poaching and continued conflicts with livestock.
Ranchers and some rural residents see the reintroduction program as a threat to their way of life, but environmentalists contend more can be done to discourage wolves from targeting livestock.

NAVAJO NATION TREATY
Coming home: Navajo to get treaty that ended imprisonment
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A 150-year-old document that allowed Navajos to return to their homeland in the Four Corners region where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet is destined for a permanent home at the tribe's museum.
Navajos had been imprisoned at a desolate tract of land in eastern New Mexico before signing a treaty with the U.S. government in 1868.
There are three known copies of the treaty, one of which had been in a Massachusetts home but was considered lost.
Clare "Kitty" Weaver is the great-grandniece of one of the negotiators who took a copy home. She says it had been mixed in with Samuel F. Tappan's papers and she only recently discovered its importance.
She reached an agreement last week to donate the treaty to the Navajo Nation. A tribal legislative committee is expected to vote Tuesday on accepting it.

CENSUS-NEW MEXICO
US Census Bureau director to visit New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Census Bureau will be in New Mexico this week.
U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich say Steven Dillingham will be in the state for a series of meetings and visits centered on the importance of ensuring an accurate count for the upcoming 2020 Census.
The senators earlier this year extended an invitation to Dillingham. They wanted to highlight the state's unique data collection challenges and discuss ways to count underrepresented communities.
They say when communities are undercounted, they receive fewer federal resources.
Dillingham is scheduled Tuesday to tour the border communities of Sunland Park and Chaparral before heading to Valencia County.
The senators also will convene a number of round-table meetings Wednesday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

OBIT-MURRAY GELL-MAN
Nobel-winning physicist Murray Gell-Man dies at 89
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Murray Gell-Mann, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who brought order to the universe by helping discover and classify subatomic particles, has died at the age of 89.
Gell-Mann died Friday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His death was confirmed by the Santa Fe Institute, where he held the title of distinguished fellow, and the California Institute of Technology, where he taught for decades. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Gell-Mann transformed physics by devising a method for sorting subatomic particles into simple groups of eight — based on electric charge, spin and other characteristics.
He also developed the theory of "quarks," indivisible components of matter that make up protons, neutrons and other particles.
Cal Tech professor Fiona Harrison called Gell-Mann one of the great theoretical physicists of his time.

FATAL BUSH CRASH-LAWSUIT
Colorado man files negligence suit in New Mexico bus crash
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Colorado man who survived a bus crash in New Mexico that killed three people including his wife last July has filed a lawsuit.
Ramon Grajeda-Beltran and Olga Hernandez-Beltran of Rocky Ford were passengers on a commercial bus traveling from Denver to El Paso, Texas that overturned after colliding with a car and then was struck by a tractor-trailer.
Hernandez-Beltran was one of three women killed in the crash on Interstate 25 north of Bernalillo. Grajeda-Beltran was among 22 injured passengers.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Grajeda-Beltran's lawsuit filed this week in state District Court in Santa Fe accuses the drivers of negligence.
It also alleges a lack of seat belts in the bus was a contributing factor in the death of his wife of more than 38 years.
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MINI ALCOHOL BOTTLE BAN
New Mexico city eyes banning miniature liquor bottles
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A northwestern New Mexico city is examining if it can ban the sale of miniature liquor bottles littering the grounds across town.
The Farmington Daily Times reports Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett recently asked City Attorney Jennifer Breakell to investigate if the city could pass an ordinance banning the small liquor bottles.
Duckett made the request during the May 14 City Council meeting. That request came after a Farmington resident showed up at a City Council meeting with a bag full of miniature liquor bottles he had picked up while walking near Ladera Elementary School.
New Mexico Petroleum Marketers Association state executive Ruben Baca says banning miniature liquor bottles from being sold would likely be a hard battle for the city to win.
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ENDANGERED WOLVES-CATTLE KILLS
Endangered Mexican wolves blamed for more livestock kills
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mexican gray wolves have been blamed for killing nearly as many cows and calves in the first four months of 2019 as they did all of last year.
Federal wildlife managers have documented 88 livestock kills from January through April in New Mexico and Arizona. Nearly 100 were reported for all of 2018.
The Associated Press has found that this year is on pace to become the deadliest for livestock since the endangered predators were first reintroduced in 1998.
The decades-long effort to return the wolves to their historic range has been complicated by poaching and continued conflicts with livestock.
Ranchers and some rural residents see the reintroduction program as a threat to their way of life, but environmentalists contend more can be done to discourage wolves from targeting livestock.

CENSUS-NEW MEXICO
US Census Bureau director to visit New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Census Bureau will be in New Mexico this week.
U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich say Steven Dillingham will be in the state for a series of meetings and visits centered on the importance of ensuring an accurate count for the upcoming 2020 Census.
The senators earlier this year extended an invitation to Dillingham. They wanted to highlight the state's unique data collection challenges and discuss ways to count underrepresented communities.
They say when communities are undercounted, they receive fewer federal resources.
Dillingham is scheduled Tuesday to tour the border communities of Sunland Park and Chaparral before heading to Valencia County.
The senators also will convene a number of round-table meetings Wednesday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

OBIT-MURRAY GELL-MAN
Nobel-winning physicist Murray Gell-Man dies at 89
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Murray Gell-Mann, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who brought order to the universe by helping discover and classify subatomic particles, has died at the age of 89.
Gell-Mann died Friday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His death was confirmed by the Santa Fe Institute, where he held the title of distinguished fellow, and the California Institute of Technology, where he taught for decades. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Gell-Mann transformed physics by devising a method for sorting subatomic particles into simple groups of eight — based on electric charge, spin and other characteristics.
He also developed the theory of "quarks," indivisible components of matter that make up protons, neutrons and other particles.
Cal Tech professor Fiona Harrison called Gell-Mann one of the great theoretical physicists of his time.

FATAL BUSH CRASH-LAWSUIT
Colorado man files negligence suit in New Mexico bus crash
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Colorado man who survived a bus crash in New Mexico that killed three people including his wife last July has filed a lawsuit.
Ramon Grajeda-Beltran and Olga Hernandez-Beltran of Rocky Ford were passengers on a commercial bus traveling from Denver to El Paso, Texas that overturned after colliding with a car and then was struck by a tractor-trailer.
Hernandez-Beltran was one of three women killed in the crash on Interstate 25 north of Bernalillo. Grajeda-Beltran was among 22 injured passengers.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Grajeda-Beltran's lawsuit filed this week in state District Court in Santa Fe accuses the drivers of negligence.
It also alleges a lack of seat belts in the bus was a contributing factor in the death of his wife of more than 38 years.
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MINI ALCOHOL BOTTLE BAN
New Mexico city eyes banning miniature liquor bottles
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A northwestern New Mexico city is examining if it can ban the sale of miniature liquor bottles littering the grounds across town.
The Farmington Daily Times reports Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett recently asked City Attorney Jennifer Breakell to investigate if the city could pass an ordinance banning the small liquor bottles.
Duckett made the request during the May 14 City Council meeting. That request came after a Farmington resident showed up at a City Council meeting with a bag full of miniature liquor bottles he had picked up while walking near Ladera Elementary School.
New Mexico Petroleum Marketers Association state executive Ruben Baca says banning miniature liquor bottles from being sold would likely be a hard battle for the city to win.
_
ALBUQUERQUE WRECK-TWO KILLED
Albuquerque police: 2 killed, 1 injured in 2-car wreck
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say two people were killed and a third injured in a two-car wreck Friday night in northeast Albuquerque.
Officer Simon Drobik says those killed were rear-seat passengers in a car that collided with a car making a left turn from Alameda Boulevard onto Pan American Freeway.
Drobik says one of the drivers was injured and transported to a hospital in stable condition.
Cause of the crash was under investigation but Drobik says the driver of the car carrying the two people who were killed showed signs of impairment.
No identities were released.

CATTLE KILLING PLANTS
Toxic plants suspected of killing cows in Four Corners
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — Ranchers in northwestern New Mexico suspect toxic plants are responsible for the recent deaths of more than a dozen cows.
The Gallup Independent reports at least 15 cows from different herds in the Shiprock area have died of a mysterious illness in the past three weeks. And ranchers say the purple plant known as the tall mountain larkspur is the likely cause.
The plant is growing in abundance on the range thanks to unusually wet weather. It is used in Navajo and Hopi religious ceremonies and as after-birth wash.
Navajo botanist and geologist Arnold Clifford says the plant is toxic to cows because of its high concentrations of alkaloid.
He says because the Shiprock range is nearly devoid of forage, cattle tend to supplement their diet with any plant species just to fill their stomachs.
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MINI ALCOHOL BOTTLE BAN
New Mexico city eyes banning miniature liquor bottles
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A northwestern New Mexico city is examining if it can ban the sale of miniature liquor bottles littering the grounds across town.
The Farmington Daily Times reports Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett recently asked City Attorney Jennifer Breakell to investigate if the city could pass an ordinance banning the small liquor bottles.
Duckett made the request during the May 14 City Council meeting. That request came after a Farmington resident showed up at a City Council meeting with a bag full of miniature liquor bottles he had picked up while walking near Ladera Elementary School.
New Mexico Petroleum Marketers Association state executive Ruben Baca says banning miniature liquor bottles from being sold would likely be a hard battle for the city to win.

ALBUQUERQUE WRECK-TWO KILLED
Albuquerque police: 2 killed, 1 injured in 2-car wreck
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say two people were killed and a third injured in a two-car wreck Friday night in northeast Albuquerque.
Officer Simon Drobik says those killed were rear-seat passengers in a car that collided with a car making a left turn from Alameda Boulevard onto Pan American Freeway.
Drobik says one of the drivers was injured and transported to a hospital in stable condition.
Cause of the crash was under investigation but Drobik says the driver of the car carrying the two people who were killed showed signs of impairment.
No identities were released.
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CATTLE KILLING PLANTS
Toxic plants suspected of killing cows in Four Corners
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — Ranchers in northwestern New Mexico suspect toxic plants are responsible for the recent deaths of more than a dozen cows.
The Gallup Independent reports at least 15 cows from different herds in the Shiprock area have died of a mysterious illness in the past three weeks. And ranchers say the purple plant known as the tall mountain larkspur is the likely cause.
The plant is growing in abundance on the range thanks to unusually wet weather. It is used in Navajo and Hopi religious ceremonies and as after-birth wash.
Navajo botanist and geologist Arnold Clifford says the plant is toxic to cows because of its high concentrations of alkaloid.
He says because the Shiprock range is nearly devoid of forage, cattle tend to supplement their diet with any plant species just to fill their stomachs.
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HANTAVIRUS-NEW MEXICO
Agency: 1st hantavirus case for 2019 reported in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials report that a 50-year-old McKinley County woman is the state's first reported case this year of hantavirus, a severely respiratory illness that can be deadly.
The Department of Health's announcement Friday that deer mice are the main carries of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico, with the virus found in mice droppings and urine.
According to the department, a person can contract hantavirus by breathing in mist or dust when droppings or urine containing the virus are stirred up and the virus is put into the air.
The department says people can also get hantavirus by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth after they have touched droppings or urine that contains the virus.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE-LIFE
Man faces life in prison for child sexual abuse convictions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a San Felipe Pueblo man faces life in prison after being convicted by a jury of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico says a life sentence is mandatory for 48-year-old Tyrone Coriz because he had a previous federal conviction for a sex crime in 1992 involving a different victim.
Federal court jurors in Albuquerque convicted Coriz in the latest case on Wednesday.

ALBUQUERQUE WRECK-TWO KILLED
Albuquerque police: 2 killed, 1 injured in 2-car wreck
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say two people were killed and a third injured in a two-car wreck Friday night in northeast Albuquerque.
Officer Simon Drobik says those killed were rear-seat passengers in a car that collided with a car making a left turn from Alameda Boulevard onto Pan American Freeway.
Drobik says one of the drivers was injured and transported to a hospital in stable condition.
Cause of the crash was under investigation but Drobik says the driver of the car carrying the two people who were killed showed signs of impairment.
No identities were released.

CATTLE KILLING PLANTS
Toxic plants suspected of killing cows in Four Corners
(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — Ranchers in northwestern New Mexico suspect toxic plants are responsible for the recent deaths of more than a dozen cows.
The Gallup Independent reports at least 15 cows from different herds in the Shiprock area have died of a mysterious illness in the past three weeks. And ranchers say the purple plant known as the tall mountain larkspur is the likely cause.
The plant is growing in abundance on the range thanks to unusually wet weather. It is used in Navajo and Hopi religious ceremonies and as after-birth wash.
Navajo botanist and geologist Arnold Clifford says the plant is toxic to cows because of its high concentrations of alkaloid.
He says because the Shiprock range is nearly devoid of forage, cattle tend to supplement their diet with any plant species just to fill their stomachs.
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DETENTION CENTER-ENERGY
New Mexico jail completes $13.9M energy savings project
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The jail that serves New Mexico's largest metropolitan area has completed a multimillion-dollar project aimed at reducing electricity demands and utility costs.
The project at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center spanned 16 months, with substantial upgrades wrapping up this month.
The work included installation of a rooftop solar panel system; replacing 7,000 lighting fixtures with LEDs and controls; converting boilers to a methane system fueled by a nearby landfill; and putting in high-efficiency electrical transformers and new heating and cooling equipment.
Officials say they'll save about $534,000 in the first year. They expect to see a nearly 50% reduction in annual utility costs, and another $79,000 in operations and maintenance costs will be saved every year.

OBIT-CODE TALKER-PINTO-THE LATEST
The Latest: Navajo leaders mourn death of state senator
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Navajo Nation officials are expressing their sadness and condolences over the death of New Mexico state Sen. John Pinto at age 94.
Navajo National President Jonathan Nez said Friday that Pinto was both a warrior and a dedicated politician who changed many lives for the better.
In a statement, Nez said people will miss Pinto and his sense of love and compassion.
Navajo Nation Chief Justice JoAnn Jayne says Pinto recently helped secure state funding for a local justice center and that the Navajo people have lost a legendary man.
National Council Speaker Seth Damon says that Pinto's life and work will have an impact that lasts for generations.

WOMAN RAN OVER-ARREST-THE LATEST
The Latest: Police make 2nd arrest in pedestrian case
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in northwestern New Mexico have made a second arrest in the case of a pedestrian who was repeatedly run over by a man who police say was fleeing after stealing from a dollar store.
Bloomfield police arrested 40-year-old Antoinette Gutierrez on Friday. She's being held on a felony charge of accessory to knowingly leaving the scene of an accident.
Detectives accused Gutierrez of instructing Eddie Hernandez to leave the scene and assisted him by getting into the driver's seat of the vehicle. She then told witnesses and the responding officers that she was the driver who struck the elderly woman.
Hernandez is facing five felony counts, including leaving the scene of an accident and causing great bodily harm by vehicle.
A witness told police that her grandmother was walking to her car Tuesday when an SUV hit her, and then it drove back and forth over her.

VEHICULAR HOMICIDE-SENTENCING
Las Cruces man gets prison sentence in ex-girlfriend's death
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces man has been sentenced to nine years in prison in a vehicular homicide case.
Prosecutors say 40-year-old Angel Saenz also must serve three years of probation with 100 hours of community service in the 2017 death of his ex-girlfriend Sonia Castillo.
He faced charges of homicide by vehicle and knowingly leaving the scene of an accident.
Saenz was convicted for running over the 42-year-old Castillo with his pickup truck in December 2017.
Authorities say Castillo died at a hospital from multiple injuries sustained in the incident.
According to police records, Castillo had requested a restraining order against Saenz the moth before the fatal hit-and-run accident.

SUPREME COURT-MURDER CASE
Court upholds Albuquerque man's 2nd-degree murder conviction
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld the second-degree murder conviction of an Albuquerque man for a fatal shooting in a dispute over a $30 drug debt.
But the state's high court threw out a first-degree felony murder conviction for the same killing.
Jason Comitz was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years for the murder and other crimes during the shooting at the home of Paul Randy Rael in February 2015.
Rael died and his son and stepson were wounded.
In its unanimous ruling Thursday, the court also affirmed Comitz's convictions of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, child abuse and sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm in the crimes.
Several other convictions were vacated.

NEW MEXICO SETTLEMENTS
Agreements prompt review of New Mexico's settlement system
(Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Questions about $1.7 million in payouts by New Mexico to settle legal claims have prompted a review of policies and procedures regarding such agreements.
Albuquerque television station KRQE reports the settlements were made near the end of former Gov. Susana Martinez's administration. She has denied involvement in the agreements.
The cases included past members of the former governor's security detail and involved what one lawyer for the plaintiffs described as damaging personal information.
Details will remain secret since the settlements are sealed until 2023.
Open records advocates tell the Santa Fe New Mexican there's no legal basis for sealing settlements that long.
The attorney general's office has received complaints regarding the settlements, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration is developing new procedures to ensure reviews are done for all claims.
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ENDANGERED WOLVES-ILLEGAL KILLINGS
Politics, killings stifle wolf recovery amid hefty price tag
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Illegal killings and political resistance have undercut the return of two species of endangered wolves despite more than $80 million in government spending.
Wildlife officials warn the red wolves of North Carolina could be gone from the wild within a decade. In the Southwest, Mexican gray wolves continue to struggle despite recent gains.
Biologists say poaching has a big effect.
The Associated Press found that over the last two decades, more than half of Mexican wolf deaths and about one in four red wolf deaths resulted from gunshots or were otherwise deemed illegal.
Their recovery has been further hindered by opposition over attacks on livestock or game animals.
A third wolf type — the Western gray wolf — has thrived since reintroduction and could soon lose federal protection.

GENDER NEUTRAL RULEBOOKS-NEW MEXICO
She can take it, but not 'him': Gender-specific nouns nixed
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first female to oversee New Mexico's multibillion-dollar mineral resources is proposing to do away with gender-specific pronouns such as "he," ''his" or "him" in state agency rulebooks.
Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says her agency will hold a public hearing Friday in Santa Fe on the proposed changes. Gender-specific pronouns would be replaced by more neutral or specific references.
Garcia Richard says current agency rules use male pronouns throughout to refer to her position. She says it's no surprise that some written wording has grown outdated at the 120-year-old agency.
The commissioner has final say on the language changes.
The State Land Office oversees energy leases across about 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) of state trust land to help fund schools, universities and hospitals.

FILM-COMEBACK TRAIL
Big names headed to New Mexico to film 'The Comeback Trail'
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar winners Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman soon will be on their way to New Mexico to start work on "The Comeback Trail."
The feature film will begin shooting in early June in Albuquerque, Tojajilee and other locations. Work is expected to last about a month and will include more than a dozen New Mexico actors and about 300 extras.
Directed by George Gallo, the film is about two movie producers who owe money to the mob. They set up an aging movie star as part of a scam to save themselves but wind up getting more than they bargained for.
The state film office will be hosting Gallo for a screening of his film "Midnight Run" on Saturday at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque.

AGRICULTURAL LEASES
New Mexico land office weighs changes to agricultural leases
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The State Land Office is considering changes to rules that govern agricultural leases.
The agency has scheduled a Friday hearing in Santa Fe to take public comments on the proposed amendments, which would modify the requirements for applications to renew an agricultural lease.
Rather than requiring applicants to provide an antiquated appraisement form to capture the value of the land, the agency would look to existing formulas to determine value and rental fees.
The changes also would allow applicants to seek a re-evaluation of the carrying capacity for grazing land.
Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says she's been looking for ways to streamline the agency's processes.
She says agriculture accounts for the agency's largest geographical business operation, with about 12,750 square miles (over 35,612 square kilometers) of state trust land used for grazing.

GENDER NEUTRAL RULEBOOKS-NEW MEXICO
She can take it, but not 'him': Gender-specific nouns nixed
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first female to oversee New Mexico's multibillion-dollar mineral resources is proposing to do away with gender-specific pronouns such as "he," ''his" or "him" in state agency rulebooks.
Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says her agency will hold a public hearing Friday in Santa Fe on the proposed changes. Gender-specific pronouns would be replaced by more neutral or specific references.
Garcia Richard says current agency rules use male pronouns throughout to refer to her position. She says it's no surprise that some written wording has grown outdated at the 120-year-old agency.
The commissioner has final say on the language changes.
The State Land Office oversees energy leases across about 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) of state trust land to help fund schools, universities and hospitals.

CONGRESS-IMPEACHMENT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico candidates diverge on oversight of White House
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver says it's time for Congress to start impeachment proceedings against President Trump over concerns about obstruction of justice.
Toulouse Oliver said Wednesday in a statement that it's time to hold the president accountable for possible obstruction of justice and that there is more than enough evidence to move forward with the impeachment process.
The rival contender for the Democratic nomination is U.S. Rep Ben Ray Luján.
He takes credit for helping build the House Democratic majority that is seeking closer oversight of the White House through investigations, legal proceedings and subpoenaed testimony.
In a statement, Luján says impeachment proceedings still are a tool that can be used by Congress if the Trump administration continues to obstruct inquiries.

ENDANGERED WOLVES-ILLEGAL KILLINGS
Politics, killings stifle wolf recovery amid hefty price tag
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Illegal killings and political resistance have undercut the return of two species of endangered wolves despite more than $80 million in government spending.
Wildlife officials warn the red wolves of North Carolina could be gone from the wild within a decade. In the Southwest, Mexican gray wolves continue to struggle despite recent gains.
Biologists say poaching has a big effect.
The Associated Press found that over the last two decades, more than half of Mexican wolf deaths and about one in four red wolf deaths resulted from gunshots or were otherwise deemed illegal.
Their recovery has been further hindered by opposition over attacks on livestock or game animals.
A third wolf type — the Western gray wolf — has thrived since reintroduction and could soon lose federal protection.

SANDIA LABS-HIRING
Official: Sandia National Laboratories sees surge in hiring
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top official with Sandia National Laboratories says the Albuquerque-based weapons research and development facility expects to hire 1,900 new employees this year.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Scott Aeilts told the Albuquerque Economic Forum on Wednesday that 1,100 of the hires will be for new positions and the rest will fill openings resulting from normal attrition.
Aeilts is associate labs director for mission services for Sandia, and he attributes the jobs surge partly due to efforts to modernize and extend the life of the country's nuclear weapons.
Sandia also plans to employ a record 500 student interns this summer, with 60 percent of those coming from New Mexico schools, and Aeilts says all of the hiring is a struggle because the economy is very competitive.

NAVAJO-DISASTER DECLARATION
Trump signs disaster declaration for Navajo Nation
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration for the Navajo Nation and directed that federal officials provide aid as reimbursement for expenses stemming from a major snowstorm and subsequent flooding in late February.
The White House announcement Wednesday said Trump on Tuesday ordered that federal aid be used to supplement tribal efforts in the affected areas.
Tribal officials said in a separate statement that tribal President Jonathan Nez signed an emergency declaration on Feb. 19 and that tribal officials asked Vice President Mike Pence and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in early March for assistance.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH-HOUSING
New Mexico behavioral health program to tackle housing needs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials in New Mexico's most populous metro area are teaming up to provide housing and intensive services for certain people with behavioral health conditions.
The goal is to reach those who are homeless or in precarious housing situations and have a recent history of frequent visits to the emergency room or detox facilities or multiple bookings into the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Bernalillo County will contribute $1 million annually for services and $2 million one-time dollars for capital investments.
The city of Albuquerque's one-time funding contribution of $2 million will help cover construction costs.
The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority also is contributing to the project.
HopeWorks, formerly St. Martins, is the social service provider that will own and operate the facility. Officials say a groundbreaking is scheduled this fall.