MLK COMMISSION-INVESTIGATION
Audits of MLK Commission delayed due to investigation
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Audits of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission for the past three years cannot be completed due to an ongoing investigation by state prosecutors.
State Auditor Wayne Johnson on Friday released the audit for the 2014 fiscal year but included a disclaimer because there wasn't enough information to render an opinion.
The 2015, 2016 and 2017 audits are pending because state auditors don't have access to adequate financial records to substantiate the balances presented on the commission's financial statements.
The commission had requested waivers for 2015 and 2016. Johnson denied the request, saying that completing the past due audits will help provide the public with a clear view of the financial picture.
The former head of the commission was indicted earlier this year on fraud, embezzlement and other charges.

ROLLING STUDY HALLS
New Mexico district tapped for 'rolling study halls' program
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Google is partnering with the Santa Fe public school district to give students with long commutes the ability to ride buses outfitted with Wi-Fi and an onboard tutor.
Democratic U.S. Congressman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel got a demonstration Friday of the "Rolling Study Halls" program.
Students participated in a coding activity during the bus ride. Then, the school district hosted a discussion with Lujan and Rosenworcel about the digital divide.
Lujan says if airline passengers can access the internet at 30,000 feet, students on the ground should also have Wi-Fi in their buses to get homework done.
Lujan has introduced legislation aimed at broadening access by allowing the commission's E-Rate program to reimburse schools that place Wi-Fi technology on school buses.

ALBUQUERQUE-HOMELESS EMPLOYMENT
Albuquerque has employed hundreds of homeless since 2015
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque officials say a program aimed at providing work to people who are homeless has resulted in 6,666 one-day-long jobs since September 2015 for people living on the streets or panhandling.
Mayor Tim Keller's office release the figure Friday in a statement that credited the "There's a Better Way" program with giving people a chance to earn a fair wage for daily work.
The program launched by former Mayor Richard Berry transports workers to a Solid Waste Management Department job site, where they clear litter and weeds. St. Martin's Hospitality Center, a local nonprofit, tries to connect them with services at the end of the day.
The mayor's office says the program over the past three years has employed 1,575 workers in total, and 76 have gained permanent employment as a result of the program.

ALBUQUERQUE GIRL KILLED-THE LATEST
The Latest: DA clears man of murder charge in girl's death
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors have dismissed murder and sexual assault charges against a man arrested two years ago in the death of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl whose dismembered remains were found in her family's apartment.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez says there is no physical evidence that Fabian Gonzales raped Victoria Martens. Instead, a lab analysis found another unidentified male's DNA on her body.
Witness statements and cell phone data also show Gonzales and the girl's mother, Michelle Martens, were not at the apartment when the girl was killed.
Both had been charged with murder in the girl's death until Friday, when Martens pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death and Torrez announced the new revelations.
Court records indicate a third suspect, who is Gonzales' cousin, still awaits trial on murder and other charges.

IMMIGRATION SEPARATING FAMILIES-THE LATEST
The Latest: ACLU says government wrong to detain families
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ACLU is disputing a Trump administration claim that it has to detain families indefinitely because of a court ruling barring it from separating them.
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said requirements in a case settlement known as the Flores agreement don't conflict with the order issued in San Diego on Tuesday that required the government to reunify immigrant families separated at the border.
The Department of Justice said in a court filing Friday in Los Angeles in the decades-old Flores case that the ruling requires it to keep families detained in order to keep them together.
Gelernt said the government has a constitutional obligation to release parents who don't pose a flight risk or danger, and that parents can choose to release their children if they don't want them to be in a family detention center.
The administration's zero tolerance policy has resulted in the separation of thousands of kids from their parents at the border.

HELICOPTER CRASH-ZIMBABWE OPPOSITION LEADER
Autopsy lists Zimbabwe opposition leader's crash wounds
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An autopsy shows a key Zimbabwe opposition leader suffered skull and rib fractures in a fiery helicopter crash that killed him, his wife and three others in New Mexico earlier this year.
State medical investigators released autopsies for Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, on Friday, nearly six months after they died in the wreck outside Raton as they were traveling to a friend's property in the area.
The autopsy for Heather Bennett showed she suffered head and chest injuries, as well as burns that covered most of her body.
Autopsies for the other crash victims killed were released last month.
The Bennetts' deaths were met with an outpouring of grief in Zimbabwe after the crash. A white man who spoke fluent Shona, Bennett had won a devoted following among Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change.

ARMED ROBBERY-SUSPECT KILLED
Suspect yells 'I have a gun' before being shot by police
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a suspect in an armed robbery yelled that he had a gun before he was shot and fatally wounded by an officer during a chase that ended in front of a grocery store.
Police have released details and body camera footage from the June 16 shooting involving Richard Rivera.
Rivera and a woman were suspected of holding up a Verizon store and then fleeing in a stolen van. Police say Rivera fired at officers during the chase.
The van was finally stopped and video shows an officer running after Rivera while yelling at him to stop. He fired as Rivera approached the grocery store entrance.
Surveillance camera footage shows Rivera looking back and reaching for his right hip before the shots are fired. Police say Rivera had left the gun in the van before running.

NEW MEXICO BUDGET-COURTS
New Mexico courts to resume full business hours
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's state courts will have enough money to resume full business hours for the public for the new fiscal year that starts in July.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Judith Nakamura made the announcement Friday, saying she's grateful lawmakers provided resources in the state budget for courts to meet their constitutional and statutory obligations.
Monday marks the start of the first business day for the 2019 fiscal year, but court officials say several clerk's offices have already started offering a full eight hours for customer service.
Funding and staffing shortages in recent years had forced about half of magistrate courts statewide to close clerk's offices for a portion of one day each week. A third of district courts also reduced the hours that clerk's offices were open to the public.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on protests against U.S. immigration policies in New Mexico (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
Police have handcuffed a dozen protesters and ushered them out of the New Mexico Statehouse in the culmination of a peaceful, hours-long demonstration against the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy and the governor's supportive stance.
Miles Conway, a union official who helped organize the protests, said Thursday that protesters who refused to leave the Capitol were led from the building and released with citations for trespassing. Earlier in the evening, three protesters who refused to leave the governor's offices at the end of the business day were arrested by State Police and charged with resisting arrest.
Eleanor Chavez, Marlene Perrotte and Susan Schuurman were driven away in a police patrol car.
Scores of protesters arrived at the state Capitol in the afternoon in coordination with demonstrations in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of people were arrested. The Santa Fe protesters urged Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to end the deployment of the New Mexico National Guard at the border with Mexico and demand that President Trump show respect for the rights of asylum seekers and immigrant families.
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8 p.m.
Protesters against President Trump's zero-tolerance policy on immigration are refusing to leave the New Mexico Statehouse as dozens of state police officers await their departure.
Protesters from faith-based groups gathered Thursday inside the Capitol to condemn Republican New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's support for immigration policies under the Trump administration and ignored requests to leave as the building was closed to visitors.
Three women who refused to leave the governor's office on the top floor of the Capitol were led out of the building in handcuffs by state police and driven away. State Police Lieutenant Victor Villa said they are being charged with resisting arrest.
Roman Catholic seminarian Rhonda Newby says the governor has been complicit in the Trump administration's cruel treatment of immigrant families and asylum seekers. She and a dozen others sat in a circle and sang hymnals. Protesters kept the phone number for an attorney scrawled on their forearms in case of arrest.
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6:00 p.m.
New Mexico State Police officers have detained three people at the state Capitol who were protesting the separation of immigrant parents from their children.
The three female protesters were placed in handcuffs and driven away in a patrol car after declining to leave the governor's office as it closed for the day. State Police officers at the scene declined to state the basis for the detentions, referring questions to the chief of state police.
One woman in handcuffs chanted "reunited the families" and "shame on Susana," in reference to New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. Participants in the protest say they object to Martinez's support for President Trump's immigration policies.
Martinez is traveling in Taiwan this week.

IMMIGRATION PROTESTS-NEW MEXICO-THE LATEST
The Latest: State Police break up protest at Capitol
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police have handcuffed a dozen protesters and ushered them out of the New Mexico Statehouse in the culmination of a peaceful, hours-long demonstration against the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy and the governor's supportive stance.
Miles Conway, a union official who helped organize the protests, said Thursday that protesters who refused to leave the Capitol were led from the building and released with citations for trespassing. Earlier in the evening, three protesters who refused to leave the governor's offices at the end of the business day were arrested by State Police and charged with resisting arrest.
Eleanor Chavez, Marlene Perrotte and Susan Schuurman were driven away in a police patrol car.
Scores of protesters arrived at the state Capitol in the afternoon in coordination with demonstrations in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of people were arrested. The Santa Fe protesters urged Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to end the deployment of the New Mexico National Guard at the border with Mexico and demand that President Trump show respect for the rights of asylum seekers and immigrant families.

NEW MEXICO SUPREME COURT-JUSTICES
2 New Mexico Supreme Court justices aren't seeking retention
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two New Mexico Supreme Court justices aren't seeking retention in the upcoming general election for new eight-year terms.
Petra Jimenez Maes and Charles Daniels will continue to serve until their terms end at the end of this year.
Because the two justices didn't file for retention Thursday, their positions become vacant as of Jan. 1 and will be filled through a merit selection nominating system provided for in the New Mexico Constitution.
Maes was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1998 and she served as chief justice twice — from 2003-05 and 2012-14.
Daniels was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2007 after a 38-year career as a lawyer with a courtroom practice in criminal and civil cases.
He served as chief justice in 2010-12 and 2016-17.

ATOMIC BOMB TEST-HEARING
New Mexico residents testify on atomic bomb fallout
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates have urged Congress to acknowledge the sacrifice of New Mexicans believed to be sickened by uranium mining and nuclear weapons testing and authorize compensation for them.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez and the co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium testified during a hearing Wednesday in Washington.
A measure sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Udall proposes expanding eligibility for radiation exposure payouts. Current law covers claims from areas in Nevada, Arizona and Utah that are downwind from a different test site.
Tina Cordova, co-founder of the consortium, said many who lived in the area weren't told about the dangers of the Trinity Test on generations of residents.
They could benefit from the proposal, along with post-1971 uranium mine workers in Northwestern New Mexico.
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TAXATION SECRETARY-EMBEZZLEMENT
Corruption charges filed against ex-New Mexico tax secretary
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The former head of New Mexico's Taxation and Revenue Department has been charged with embezzlement and multiple corruption and ethics violations in her role as Cabinet secretary.
State district court documents show that Demesia Padilla was charged Thursday with embezzlement of more than $20,000 and five counts of violating ethical principles of public service. The charges include computer access with intent to defraud.
James Hallinan, a spokesman for Attorney General Hector Balderas, says the office cannot comment on pending criminal matter beyond publicly filed documents.
State prosecutors raided tax agency offices in 2016 to investigate allegations that Padilla gave preferential treatment to a former client of her family accounting business. Padilla resigned shortly thereafter.
Unnamed taxation department employees told investigators they were instructed by Padilla to stop a business audit.

COLORADO RIVER-DROUGHT-THE LATEST
The Latest: Western states urged to plan for water shortage
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona water officials have outlined an ambitious plan to stave off shortages of Colorado River water or at least lessen the impact.
They're hopeful the state's water users can reach agreement by the end of the year on what's known as the drought contingency plan.
Arizona loses some Colorado River water when Lake Mead on the state's border with Nevada falls below 1,075 feet. And it's close.
A drought contingency plan among the river's lower basin states would help lessen the burden and spread the cuts more widely at different lake levels.
The Central Arizona Project and the Arizona Department of Water Resources are forming a committee to work out the details.
They briefed others on the plan Thursday in Tempe.

IMMIGRATION-SEPARATING FAMILIES-THE LATEST
The Latest: Senate panel OKs head of agency overseeing kids
CHICAGO (AP) — A Senate committee has narrowly approved the nomination of Lynn Johnson as assistant Health and Human Services secretary for family support despite protest by the panel's senior Democrat.
The position includes heading the agency that has custody over the children being held near the U.S.-Mexico border who were separated from parents seeking asylum.
The 16-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee sends Johnson's nomination to the full Senate.
Earlier Thursday, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said he would vote against the Trump nominee.
Wyden said at a Finance Committee hearing that Johnson, who headed Colorado's child welfare program, "green-lighted a law allowing foster kids to be placed in juvenile detention facilities."

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO-PROVOST
UNM provost accepts post at Georgia Institute of Technology
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico says its provost who also served as the school's president for a short time this past year is leaving to become the Georgia Institute of Technology's executive vice president for research.
Chaouki Abdallah leaves New Mexico after a 30-year career at UNM. He became interim president in January 2017, and served in the role until February of this year.
His tenure as the school's top administrator included a high-profile and difficult period in which head football coach Bob Davie was suspended for 30 days following investigations into his program.
Abdallah returned to being provost after Garnett Stokes became president. The Board of Regent recognized Abdallah's work by officially naming him UNM's 22nd president, despite his temporary appointment.
Abdallah is a Georgia Institute of Technology alumnus.

NEW MEXICO CONGRESS
Democratic congressional candidate gets Biden's endorsement
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden is endorsing the Democratic contender in the race for New Mexico's sprawling 2nd Congressional District.
Water attorney Xochitl Torres Small of Las Cruces announced Biden's support Thursday, saying the former vice president led by example and reached across the aisle to solve the challenges. She said Congress needs more of that kind of leadership.
In a statement, Biden says Torres Small knows the struggles of rural America and would bring common-sense solutions to Washington, D.C.
Torres Small is running against GOP state lawmaker Yvette Herrell in a general election campaign that is expected to center around President Donald Trump and immigration.
The unpredictable district has leaned Republican in recent years and the race will help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

TAX PAYMENTS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico gets $42M through tax compensation program
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government is sending to New Mexico more than $42 million as part of a program designed to compensate local governments for the inability to collect property taxes on federally-owned land within their boundaries.
The U.S. Interior Department announced the funding Wednesday, saying it marked the largest amount ever allocated through the payments in lieu of taxes program.
Thirty-two local governments in the state will share in the funding, which helps to pay for public safety, social programs and other basic services.
The annual payments are calculated based on the acreage of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and the population of that county or jurisdiction. Federal lands include national forests, national monuments and parks, national wildlife refuges and areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

KIDS COUNT REPORT
Report: New Mexico falls to last place in child well-being
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An annual report shows New Mexico falling to last place in child well-being as the number of children in the state living in poverty and without health insurance increased.
The Kids Count analysis released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on economic, education, health, family, and community trends for children over a roughly six-year period ending in 2016.
It also showed the state lagged in education, with three-quarters of fourth graders not proficient in reading. High schools in 2016 graduated only 71 percent of students on time.
New Mexico has struggled for years in the rankings, although this year's report was the first since 2013 in which the state fell from 49th to last place.

NEW MEXICO WILDFIRES
Fire danger prompts New Mexico county to cancel fireworks
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — A Fourth of July fireworks show in Los Alamos County has been canceled due to dry conditions and extreme fire danger as crews battle blazes elsewhere around New Mexico.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports that County Fire Chief Troy Hughes broke the news Tuesday to the Kiwanis Club, which puts on the show in the community of White Rock. Hughes said the forecast provides no indication that the area will receive any significant rainfall soon.
Much of the northern half of New Mexico is dealing with extreme to exceptional drought conditions.
The Fourth of July event at Overland Park draws thousands of people from the area and is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Kiwanis Club. The club said the fireworks will be stored and used next year.

MOBILE VOTING-NEW MEXICO
County clerk plans 'mobile voting units' for seniors
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico county clerk says she's launching a mobile voting unit for elderly voters in the state's most populous area.
Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover says she aims to have the unit parked outside a different senior center each day during the early voting period this fall.
Early voting is set to begin Oct. 20. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.
She says she wants to make it easier for seniors to vote, especially those who may have difficulty or an inability to get to polling sites.
The mobile voting site also would be open to all registered Bernalillo County voters who want to use them.
Originally from Carlsbad, Stover was elected Bernalillo County clerk in 2016.

TRUMP-IMMIGRATION-THE LATEST
The Latest: Administration struggling to comply with order
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is struggling to comply with a federal judge's order requiring that thousands of migrant children who were forcibly separated from their parents be reunited within 30 days.
The hard deadline set Tuesday night by a U.S. District Judge in San Diego has touched off a flurry of activity at federal agencies already coping with the aftermath of Trump's order halting the separation of families.
In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw said all families must be reunited within 30 days, and children under 5 must be reunited with their parents within 14 days.
It remained unclear how the administration would meet that deadline, given the amount of red tape and confusion that has hung over the reunification process.

​By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says government workers can't be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining, dealing a serious financial blow to organized labor.
     The justices are scrapping a 41-year-old decision that had allowed states to require that public employees pay some fees to unions that represent them, even if the workers choose not to join.
     The 5-4 decision Wednesday fulfills a longtime wish of conservatives to get rid of the so-called fair share fees that non-members pay to unions in roughly two dozen states.

KIDS COUNT REPORT
Report: New Mexico falls to last place in child well-being
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An annual report shows New Mexico falling to last place in child well-being as the number of children in the state living in poverty and without health insurance increased.
The Kids Count analysis released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on economic, education, health, family, and community trends for children over a roughly six-year period ending in 2016.
It also showed the state lagged in education, with three-quarters of fourth graders not proficient in reading. High schools in 2016 graduated only 71 percent of students on time.
New Mexico has struggled for years in the rankings, although this year's report was the first since 2013 in which the state fell from 49th to last place.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS-TRIBES
New Mexico pueblos affirm support for national monuments
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Native American leaders are reaffirming their support for two national monuments in the state that were among those reviewed last year by the Trump administration.
The All Pueblo Council of Governors passed a resolution Tuesday in support of the Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monuments.
Federal officials announced in December that the boundaries of the monuments would remain intact, and that modifications would be made to protect the long-standing culture of grazing and to ensure hunters and anglers don't lose access.
The council says it would be opposed to any changes as the monuments have protected significant cultural sites and have increased visitation.
The council also voiced opposition to a decision to shrink the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. That case has spurred lawsuits.

IMMIGRATION-SEPARATING FAMILIES-THE LATEST
The Latest: Judge orders families reunited within 30 days
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge in California has ordered U.S. border authorities to reunite separated families within 30 days.
If the children are younger than 5, they must be reunified within 14 days of the order, issued Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego issued the order in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. The lawsuit involves a 7-year-old girl who was separated from her Congolese mother and a 14-year-old boy who was separated from his Brazilian mother.
Sabraw also issued a nationwide injunction on future family separations, unless the parent is deemed unfit.
More than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents in recent weeks and placed in government-contracted shelters. President Donald Trump last week issued an executive order to stop the separation of families and said parents and children will instead be detained together.
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IMMIGRATION-STATES LAWSUIT-THE LATEST
The Latest: Federal ruling may affect states' lawsuit
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge in California has ordered U.S. border authorities to reunite children with their separated families and it wasn't immediately clear how the ruling would affect a similar lawsuit from 17 states.
A judge in San Diego on Tuesday said migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border must be reunited within 30 days of the ruling issued late Tuesday. Any child younger than 5 must be reunified within the next 14 days.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw also issued a nationwide injunction on future family separations.
California, Washington, New York and other states joined Washington, D.C. on Tuesday in filing a lawsuit that would force the Trump administration to reunite the separated families.
Immigration authorities have sparked global outrage by separating about 2,300 children from their loved ones.

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS SECRETARY LEAVING
New Mexico Dept of Workforce Solutions secretary leaving job
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Celina Bussey will be leaving her job soon.
Gov. Susana Martinez announced Tuesday that Bussey will step down effective Aug. 10 to serve as the chief workforce development officer at Central New Mexico Community College.
Martinez appointed Bussey in 2011 shortly after taking office.
During Bussey's tenure, the governor's office says New Mexico became the first state in the nation to implement a modernized, integrated unemployment insurance tax and claims system.
Deputy Secretary Erin Thompson will serve as acting cabinet secretary after Bussey's departure.

AP-US-IMMIGRATION-YOUTH-SHELTERS
Shelter chief says he's 'ready now' for migrant reunions
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The chief executive of the nation's largest shelters for migrant youths says he's "ready now" to start reuniting hundreds of children with their parents.
Juan Sanchez of the nonprofit Southwest Key Programs spoke to The Associated Press hours before a judge on Tuesday gave U.S. border authorities 30 days to bring 2,000 children back together with families separated as part of the Trump administration's recent crackdown on illegal immigration.
Earlier Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar refused to be pinned down on how long it would take. He said his department does extensive vetting of parents to make sure they're not traffickers masquerading as parents.
Sanchez says he opposed the family-separation policy, but for the sake of the children he felt his organization needed to take them in.

NEW MEXICO PRIMARY
New Mexico election results certified, 2 recounts ordered
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico election officials have certified the results from the June primary and have ordered an automatic recount in two contests.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced the certification after the State Canvassing Board met Tuesday in Santa Fe.
One recount involves the Republican primary contest in Public Regulation District 5. Candidates Ben Hall and Chris Mathys are within 1 percent of each other's total votes.
The other recount will focus on the Democratic contest for an Albuquerque-based House seat currently held by Republican Rep. Larry Larranaga. Democrats William Pratt and Nicholas Martin are vying for the chance to run against Larranaga.
Under state law, elections for districted offices must be automatically recounted if the margin between the top two vote-getters is less than 1 percent.
The recounts will begin this week.

KIDNAPPING-FIREARMS SENTENCE
Carlsbad man gets prison term in a kidnapping, firearms case
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Carlsbad man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on kidnapping and firearms charges in New Mexico.
Prosecutors say 43-year-old Richard Fierro was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Las Cruces.
Fierro was arrested in November 2016 on a criminal complaint charging him with violating firearms laws in Carlsbad.
According to the complaint, Fierro forced two children into his vehicle at gunpoint, crashed the vehicle and attempted to flee the scene before being taken into custody.
Carlsbad police say a subsequent search of Fierro's vehicle turned up a firearm, ammunition and marijuana.
Fierro was indicted in February 2017 for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He pleaded guilty to charges in the indictment last October.

Jun 26, 2018 
By MARK SHERMAN ,  Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.
​
The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court's first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by his four conservative colleagues.
Roberts wrote that presidents have substantial power to regulate immigration. He also rejected the challengers' claim of anti-Muslim bias.

But he was careful not to endorse either Trump's provocative statements about immigration in general and Muslims in particular.
"We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Roberts wrote.

The travel ban has been fully in place since the court declined to block it in December. The justices allowed the policy to take full effect even as the court fight continued and lower courts had ruled it out of bounds.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent that based on the evidence in the case "a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus." She said her colleagues arrived at the opposite result by "ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are United States citizens."

Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan also dissented.

The policy applies to travelers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim countries: blocking travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. A sixth majority Muslim country, Chad, was removed from the list in April after improving "its identity-management and information sharing practices," Trump said in a proclamation.

The administration had pointed to the Chad decision to show that the restrictions are premised only on national security concerns.
The challengers, though, argued that the court could just ignore all that has happened, beginning with Trump's campaign tweets to prevent the entry of Muslims into the United States. Just a week after he took office in January 2017, Trump announced his first travel ban aimed at seven countries.

That triggered chaos and protests across the U.S. as travelers were stopped from boarding international flights and detained at airports for hours. Trump tweaked the order after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused to reinstate the ban.

The next version, unveiled in March 2017, dropped Iraq from the list of covered countries and made it clear the 90-day ban covering Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen didn't apply to those travelers who already had visas. It also eliminated language that would give priority to religious minorities. Critics said the changes didn't erase the ban's legal problems.
The current version dates from September and it followed what the administration has called a thorough review by several federal agencies, although it has not shared the review with courts or the public.

Federal trial judges in Hawaii and Maryland had blocked the travel ban from taking effect, finding that the new version looked too much like its predecessors. Those rulings that were largely upheld by federal appeals courts in Richmond, Virginia, and San Francisco.

Roberts wrote that presidents have frequently used their power to talk to the nation "to espouse the principles of religious freedom and tolerance on which this Nation was founded."

But he added that presidents and the country have not always lived up "to those inspiring words."

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.

The 5-4 decision is the court's first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by his four conservative colleagues.
Roberts wrote that presidents have substantial power to regulate immigration. He also rejected the challengers' claim of anti-Muslim bias.

The court may have signaled its eventual approval in December, when the justices allowed the policy to take full effect even as the court fight continued and lower courts had ruled it out of bounds.

Roberts was careful not to endorse either Trump's provocative statements about immigration in general and Muslims in particular.
"We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Roberts wrote.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent that based on the evidence in the case "a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus." She said her colleagues arrived at the opposite result by "ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are United States citizens."
​
Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan also dissented.

NEW MEXICO WILDFIRES
Most of northern New Mexico forest to close
TAOS, N.M. (AP) — Most of the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico will be closing soon due to persistent dry conditions and the threat of wildfire.
The Camino Real Ranger District is already closed. Other areas that include the Questa, Tres Piedras, El Rito and Canjilon districts will close Wednesday.
Officials say the closure will remain in effect until the forest receives significant moisture and conditions have improved.
The Jicarilla district is exempt from the closure but fire restrictions will remain in place there.
The Santa Fe and Cibola national forests also are closed.
Violations of the closure orders carry a mandatory appearance in federal court and are punishable as a misdemeanor by a fine of $5,000 and/or imprisonment.

ALBUQUERQUE-SOLAR PROJECT
Albuquerque officials plan $25M in solar panels for city
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque officials say they plan to invest $5.2 million on solar panels for a dozen public buildings under a broader plan to make New Mexico's largest city more reliant on renewable energy.
Mayor Tim Keller announced the first phase of a $25 million solar project Monday, saying the panels will be installed this summer at four fire stations, a community center, golf course, and the Albuquerque Police Academy and Forensics Lab. The plan is to have the work completed in September.
The Albuquerque Main Library will have solar panels installed by February.
Officials say they want Albuquerque to reach a point where 25 percent of energy used to power city-owned buildings comes from renewable resources. Only 3 percent of the city's power currently comes from renewable energy.

MAN DOUSED WITH GAS-ARREST
Albuquerque police arrest man who doused self with gasoline
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque have arrested a man who they say doused himself with gasoline and made suicidal statements.
They say the man was taken into custody Monday afternoon and was being taken to the University of New Mexico psychiatric center for evaluation.
The name and age of the man wasn't immediately released.
Officers were called about a man who was trespassing at a business.
They found a man in a car and he wouldn't provide his registration and insurance information.
Police say as the officer went back to his car to issue some citations, the man poured at least a gallon of gasoline on top of himself from a container.
The man yelling at officers for several hours and flicked his lighter before being arrested.

NEW MEXICO TAX REFORM
Report: Tax incentives level playing field in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers got their first look at a computer model designed to help them analyze the consequences of overhauling a tax system that many acknowledge is outdated and burdensome.
Experts with the national accounting firm Ernst & Young presented a report on the state's tax system and discussed the computer model Monday during a meeting of a legislative revenue and tax policy committee.
New Mexico hired the firm in 2017 to develop the model as proposed tax-law changes were fueling the debate on how to diversify the economy.
With the model finally in hand, some lawmakers say they will have more confidence in proposing tax changes during the 2019 legislative session.
The report indicates New Mexico's overall tax system doesn't appear competitive but that reliance on tax credits and other incentives help to level the playing field.

FORMER JAIL DIRECTOR-PLEA
Ex-Dona Ana County jail director pleads no contest to charge
(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The former longtime director of the Dona Ana County Detention Center has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
The Las Cruces Sun News reports that three other marijuana possession charges against Chris Barela were dismissed as part of the June 13 plea deal.
Under the plea, Barela's marijuana possession charge will be dismissed and no conviction will appear on his record if he successfully completes his probation.
Authorities launched an investigation of Barela after receiving a tip that he was regularly buying marijuana.
Detectives set up a sting in which Barela allegedly bought marijuana from undercover operatives.
Barela was placed on leave from the detention center and resigned in September.
He had been the head of the jail since December 2005.
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TEACHER SHORTAGE
School districts in New Mexico on the hunt to fill jobs
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — School districts in New Mexico are on the hunt to fill positions for the coming 2018-2019 school year in response to a teacher shortage.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Albuquerque Public Schools has the highest overall need in the state, with 380 teacher and 90 educational assistant job openings for a student body of about 84,000.
Las Cruces Public Schools has 79 postings, including 21 for special education teachers.
Santa Fe Public Schools has 84 openings, but the district didn't break down the data by subject.
And Rio Rancho had about 66 open positions. The district says 26 positions were in the application process at the time and were likely to go through, potentially dropping the district's vacancies to 40.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The former longtime director of the Dona Ana County Detention Center has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
     The Las Cruces Sun News reports that three other marijuana possession charges against Chris Barela were dismissed as part of the June 13 plea deal.
     Under the plea, Barela's marijuana possession charge will be dismissed and no conviction will appear on his record if he successfully completes his probation.
     Authorities launched an investigation of Barela after receiving a tip that he was regularly buying marijuana.
     Detectives set up a sting in which Barela allegedly bought marijuana from undercover operatives.
     Barela was placed on leave from the detention center and resigned in September.
     He had been the head of the jail since December 2005.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News