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New Mexico State News - Thursday August 31, 2017

8/31/2017

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NEW MEXICO-LIBRARY SHOOTING-THE LATEST
The Latest: Family of suspect saddened by library shooting

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Family members of the teenager accused of a deadly shooting at a public library in New Mexico say they are deeply saddened by the tragedy.
The family of 16-year-old Nathaniel Jouett released a statement Wednesday, offering their thoughts and prayers to all those affected by Monday's shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.
In the statement, Jouett's parents described the teen as a loving son, wonderful brother and a caring member of the family. As parents, they said this was something they never expected.
Court documents say investigators found a bag containing suicide notes in a desk drawer at Jouett's home.
Inside the library, police found a handgun on a shelf near Jouett as he had his hands above his head. They also found a bag containing a second handgun and ammunition.

HARVEY-NEW MEXICO ROYALTIES
New Mexico extends payment deadline for Houston oil firms

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state government is bracing for a financial hit from flooding in Texas as Houston-area oil and natural gas businesses likely struggle to make royalty and tax payments.
State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn on Wednesday warned that Hurricane Harvey's destruction will disrupt revenues due to New Mexico for oil and gas operations on state and federal land.
Dunn offered a one-month grace period for Houston-based companies to pay royalties and interest for operations on New Mexico state trust land, extending a late-September deadline into October.
New Mexico state government depends on the oil and natural gas sector for about one-third of its annual budget, through royalties, severance taxes, lease payments and fees.
An estimated 40 percent of severance taxes collected by New Mexico are paid by Houston-based companies.

GROUNDWATER BASIN STUDIES
New groundwater basin studies for Arizona and New Mexico

PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is launching two new groundwater basin studies, one in Arizona and the other in New Mexico.
Bureau of Reclamation Acting Commissioner Alan Mikkelsen says growing imbalances between supply and demand are affecting many basins throughout the West.
The Rio Grande Basin Study in New Mexico is focused on the Middle Rio Grande from the Colorado-New Mexico border to Elephant Butte Reservoir.
The basin has been fully allocated since 1907, and future potential conditions in the basin could result in decreased water supply and quality.
The Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield groundwater basins in southern Arizona encompass most of the corridor between Phoenix and Tucson.
The groundwater is being over-drafted by about 230,000 acre-feet per year and causing severe caving-in of land in the basins, putting critical infrastructure at risk.

HARVEY-NEW MEXICO FIREFIGHTERS
Las Cruces, Roswell firefighters heading to Texas

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico agencies are sending first responders to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
Las Cruces Fire Department spokesman Dan Trujillo says members of the elite Swift Water Rescue Team left Monday to help Houston-area residents in the aftermath of one of the region's worst flood disasters on record. Trujillo says they will assist local law enforcement and first responders in the area.
The fire department from Roswell also is sending firefighters to the region to help with rescue and recovery efforts.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Tuesday that it and the Catholic Charities of New Mexico are collecting donations online to be given to Catholic Charities in southeast Texas and Louisiana.

UNM-COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
University of New Mexico's communications director resigns

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico's communications director is stepping down from her post.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Dianne Anderson resigned from her post Thursday as the state's largest university's primary spokeswoman.
Anderson says she will move to Florida where her husband has taken a new job.
A familiar face in Albuquerque, she joined UNM in 2012 following a long career in local TV news, including more than 20 years total at KOAT and KRQE. She has lived in Albuquerque since 1989, but she said her children have both recently graduated moved out of state.
Billy Sparks, executive director of communications and marketing for UNM's Health Sciences Center, confirmed this week he may soon retire.

TUCUMCARI-FATAL SHOOTING ARREST
Tucumcari man accused in fatal shooting over a dead parrot

TUCUMCARI, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police say they have arrested a Tucumcari man in a fatal shooting case.
They say 46-year-old Christopher Shain Bamberg was booked Tuesday into the Quay County Detention Center on suspicion of an open count of murder.
Police say Bamberg told them a rear gate at his residence was left open and a dog entered his property and killed his parrot.
Bamberg says Justin Hoth and a woman have lived in their recreational vehicle on his property for the last two months and there has been an ongoing issue with the gate.
Bamberg says he confronted Hoth about the parrot killing and Hoth allegedly confronted him with a metal object.
According to police, Bamberg retrieved a loaded shotgun from his house and shot Hoth in the chest.

NEW MEXICO ENERGY STANDARD
Energy petition targets power plant pollution in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Attorney General's Office and consumer advocates are petitioning regulators to consider a new energy standard aimed at reducing pollution from electric utilities in the state over the next two decades.
The proposal calls for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to be cut by 4 percent a year through 2040. Supporters say that could amount to a reduction of several million tons of carbon dioxide, which is considered a prime contributor to global warming.
Steve Michel with Western Resources Advocates presented the proposal to the state Public Regulation Commission on Wednesday. It'll be up to commissioners to begin the rulemaking process.
Michel said the state's largest investor-owned utility already is in a position to comply with the proposed standard given plans to shutter part of a coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico.

CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico report questions handling of charter school funds

SANTE FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico State Auditor says the Public Education Department can't explain how it spent $20 million for administrative support for charter schools.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on Tuesday that State Auditor Tim Keller's review of funds for charter schools raises questions on how the funds are tracked and if those funds are going to the intended purpose. The $20 million the review identifies was spent over a five-year period.
The Public Education Department and school districts with charter schools are allowed to withhold 2 percent of each charter school's program costs to provide administrative assistance.
Keller says the review shows a "lack of transparency and accountability", and he called on the department to make changes.
Public Education Department officials say Keller's review is misinformed.

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New Mexico State News - Wednesday August 30, 2017

8/30/2017

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NEW MEXICO-LIBRARY SHOOTING
Teen mass shooting suspect was searching for 'inner peace'

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — A pastor says the teenager suspected of killing two people and injuring four others in a public library had been searching for "inner peace" shortly before the shooting.
Pastor David Stevens says Nathaniel Jouett, 16, started attending Living Word Church of God three months ago and appeared to be turning his life around after having contemplated suicide several months earlier.
Jouett is now awaiting charges for Monday's deadly rampage. Authorities say their work has only begun as they talk to his family and friends and comb through social media posts looking for clues as to what may have prompted the violence.
Police Chief Douglas Ford says authorities plan to charge Jouett with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony, four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count of child abuse.

RELIGIOUS SECT-CHILD ABUSE
Sect leader in abuse case refusing to eat, officials say

GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — Officials say a leader of a New Mexico paramilitary religious sect facing child sexual abuse charges is refusing to eat.
Court documents filed this week say Deborah Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps has not eaten any food or drank water for at least three days.
A motion filed in the 13th Judicial District Court in Cibola County sought to send Green to a hospital for emergency services. The motion was granted, but Green's medical condition is not known.
Green recently was indicted on various charges including kidnapping and criminal sexual penetration of a child.
Her indictment came after authorities raided her group's secluded compound in western New Mexico in connection with a child abuse and child sexual abuse investigation.
The sect was founded in Sacramento, California.

HARVEY-NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe Archdiocese collecting donations for Harvey relief

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Santa Fe and Catholic Charities of New Mexico are organizing donation efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Tuesday that the two entities are collecting donations online to be given to Catholic Charities in southeast Texas and Louisiana.
In addition, all Archdiocese of Santa Fe parishes have been invited to participate in a second collection during the weekend of Sept. 17 to aid those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

STOLEN HORSES-AK-47
Deputies: Man uses AK-47 to shoot tires in horse dispute

PAJARITO MESA, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing aggravated assault charges after authorities say he used an AK-47 to shoot out the tires of a man he accused of stealing his horses.
Court records show that David Derringer was arrested Saturday shortly following a bizarre chain of events involving free-ranging horses in a rural area near Albuquerque.
According to a criminal complaint, Derringer spotted two horses he claimed to have owned on the property of Isidro Ruiz. Derringer told Bernalillo County deputies he cut Ruiz's fence line and freed his horses.
The complaint said Ruiz returned and tried to block Derringer from leaving. The complaint says that's when Derringer pulled out his assault rifle and shot out two of Ruiz's tires.
It was not known if Derringer had an attorney.

FISCAL PROBLEMS-LAYOFFS
New Mexico county budget shortfall sparks staff reductions

GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — The Cibola County Board of Commissioners has voted to lay off a handful of county employees and take other belt-tightening steps to address a $440,000 budget shortfall.
The Gallup Independent reports County Manager Tony Boyd recommended the reduction in force along with biweekly furloughs for employees before submitting his resignation Thursday night.
County Finance Director Joseph Sanders says five layoffs and one retirement make up about half of the budget hole. He says the furloughs have to make up the difference.

DARK MONEY RULES
New Mexico hears final comments on campaign finance rules

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Campaign finance regulators in New Mexico are collecting a final round of public comments on rules that would reveal more about who gives money to groups that can spend unlimited amounts to sway elections.
The Office of the Secretary of State said it was collecting written comments on Tuesday until 5 p.m. about a proposal requiring more detailed financial disclosures from so-called dark money groups.
The last in a series of public hearings takes place Wednesday. The rules may take effect as soon as Oct. 3. Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says that early letters and public statements in favor of the rules have vastly outnumbered those in opposition.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed a bill in April containing many similar provisions.

BC-NM-NEW MEXICO-HARVEY RELIEF
New Mexico firefighters, Red Cross team deployed to Houston

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico firefighters and American Red Cross volunteers and staff were deployed to Houston to assist in Harvey relief efforts.
Executive Director of the American Red Cross in New Mexico Kathy Segura-Salas says at least nine Red Cross workers from throughout the state are on their way, as well as two Emergency Response Vehicles containing food, water, blankets, cleanup kits, and other supplies.
Las Cruces Fire Department spokesman Dan Trujillo says a six-member Swift Water Rescue Team left Monday for Houston.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez activated Monday the state's Emergency Operations Center to help in the transfer of equipment and personnel that may be requested from Texas. Martinez also directed the state Transportation and Public Safety departments to waive overweight and oversize limits for vehicles transporting equipment to Texas.

ROSWELL-BLACK CANDIDATE
Roswell gets 1st black mayoral candidate in 126 years

(Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com)
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A southeastern New Mexico city is getting its first African-American mayoral candidate in its 126-year history
The Roswell Daily Record reports that Roswell City Councilor Natasha Mackey announced Sunday her candidacy for mayor.
Mackey says she wants to serve as mayor to infuse renewed hope in the community. She also wants to make Roswell safer and improve its business climate.
The 39-year-old Mackey is a math teacher at University High School and is the first African American elected to the Roswell City Council.
Former Mayor Del Jurney and former Marine Sergio S. Gonzalez have also announced their campaigns for mayor in the March municipal elections.
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New Mexico State News - Tuesday August 29, 2017

8/29/2017

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NEW MEXICO-LIBRARY SHOOTING-THE LATEST
The Latest: Library patron says shooter told her to run

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — A woman who was in the Clovis-Carver Public Library when a man killed two people and wounded four others says the man told her to run, the Eastern New Mexico News reports.
Lisa Baird tells the newspaper that she was about 20 feet from the man as he opened fire inside the library.
"Run!," he yelled at her. "Why aren't you running? I'm shooting at you! Run!"
Baird talked to the newspaper through Facebook Messenger. She says she was talking with a library patron when she says she heard a "very loud bang."
"My initial thought was why would someone throw a cherry bomb or M80 firecracker into the library? Then I saw a young man aim his hand, which had a handgun in it, to the ground/carpet about 6 feet in front of him and he fired like four or five shots into the carpet."
Baird says she dove under a nearby desk "and tried to squish up as small as possible."
From there, Baird says she could hear the man moving around the library and firing multiple shots.
"Then I heard his pants 'shooshing' as he approached the end of the reference desk. I heard a sound like a phone or something being put on the reference counter at the end of the desk, about 4 feet from my head."
Then Baird says police entered the library and began shouting for the man with the gun to "lay on the ground" repeatedly.
Police Chief Doug Ford says the suspect did not resist after police arrived.

ROSWELL-BLACK CANDIDATE
Roswell gets 1st black mayoral candidate in 126 years

(Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com)
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A southeastern New Mexico city is getting its first African-American mayoral candidate in its 126-year history
The Roswell Daily Record reports that Roswell City Councilor Natasha Mackey announced Sunday her candidacy for mayor.
Mackey says she wants to serve as mayor to infuse renewed hope in the community. She also wants to make Roswell safer and improve its business climate.
The 39-year-old Mackey is a math teacher at University High School and is the first African American elected to the Roswell City Council.
Former Mayor Del Jurney and former Marine Sergio S. Gonzalez have also announced their campaigns for mayor in the March municipal elections.

DARK MONEY RULES
New Mexico hears final comments on campaign finance rules

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Campaign finance regulators in New Mexico are collecting a final round of public comments on rules that would reveal more about who gives money to groups that can spend unlimited amounts to sway elections.
The Office of the Secretary of State said it was collecting written comments on Tuesday until 5 p.m. about a proposal requiring more detailed financial disclosures from so-called dark money groups.
The last in a series of public hearings takes place Wednesday. The rules may take effect as soon as Oct. 3. Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says that early letters and public statements in favor of the rules have vastly outnumbered those in opposition.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed a bill in April containing many similar provisions.

FORMER JAIL GUARD CONVICTED
Ex-jail guard convicted of assaulting an inmate

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a former Bernalillo County jail guard has been convicted of assaulting a female inmate in 2015 and faces two other trials.
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office says ex-Metropolitan Detention Center guard Enock Arvizo was found guilty Monday on two counts of assault.
Prosecutors say the inmate was assaulted in March 2015 on an unoccupied part of the county district court while she was handcuffed and shackled and in Arvizo's custody.
The 33-year-old Arvizo was indicted in February 2016.
Prosecutors say Arvizo faces two more trials involving two victims on charges of criminal sexual penetration of an inmate by a person in a position of authority.
One of the imates allegedly assaulted in a courthouse elevator in April 2015.
Arvizo's next trial is scheduled for late September.

ENDANGERED WOLVES-RECOVERY PLAN
Business leaders want Mexican wolves in Grand Canyon area

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — More than 60 business leaders have urged the federal government to release endangered Mexican gray wolves into the Grand Canyon area in northern Arizona and eastern Utah.
The business leaders are submitting their request in a joint letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The federal agency is seeking public comments on its draft plan that limits the wolf-recovery efforts to just one zone south of Interstate 40 in Arizona and New Mexico.
The business leaders include owners, managers and independent contractors from the tourism and service industries in northern Arizona and southern Utah.
They say the wolf-recovery efforts will have economic and environmental benefits.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is under a court order to have a completed recovery plan by the end of November.

NAVAJO HEAD START-SUPERINTENDENT
Ousted Navajo Head Start leader alleges harassment

(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The ousted superintendent for Navajo Head Start says she was illegally dismissed from the program last month and often faced harassment.
The Daily Times of Farmington, New Mexico, reports Sharon Singer recently filed a grievance alleging that her removal violated tribal law.
Singer also says she faced harassment, intimidation and a hostile work environment by her supervisor, Department of Diné Education Superintendent of Schools Tommy Lewis Jr.
Singer was fired after a Navajo Nation investigation revealed she engaged in misconduct and misused tribal funds,
Lewis denied Singer's accusations and said the forensic audit showed financial abuse by Singer.

METH TRAFFICKING SENTENCE
Arkansas man gets prison in New Mexico for meth trafficking

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Arkansas man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison in New Mexico for methamphetamine trafficking.
Prosecutors say 24-year-old Dellrick Davonte Smith of Monticello also was sentenced Monday to five years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.
Smith was arrested in March after federal drug agents seized more than three pounds of meth from him at a bus station in Albuquerque.
Authorities say the drugs were inside bundles that were strapped to Smith's body.
Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

OFFICER SHOT-BAIL REFORM
Police shooting spurs criticism of New Mexico's bail reforms

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico sheriff is voicing frustration with how bail reforms are being implemented, saying the state's "catch-and-release" system is putting violent offenders back on the street.
Authorities say a state police officer is recovering after being hit Sunday with shrapnel from his badge after it was struck as a suspect opened fire during a traffic stop in Farmington. The officer and a San Juan County deputy returned fire, hitting and killing the suspect.
Sheriff Ken Christesen said 26-year-old William Wilson had an extensive criminal history. Court records show he was released from the county jail earlier this month pending trial on aggravated burglary and firearm charges.
The state Supreme Court earlier this year issued comprehensive procedures for judges to determine if and when defendants can be released. The rules are being challenged in court.

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New Mexico State News for Monday August 28, 2017

8/28/2017

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OFFICER SHOT-SUSPECT DEAD
New Mexico State Police officer shot, suspect dead

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico State Police officer was shot and the suspect is dead after a shooting at a bank in Farmington.
According to the New Mexico State Police's Twitter account, the shooting happened early Sunday morning.
The department says in a Twitter posting the officer was being treated for injuries and was "believed to be OK."
The department says officers from the San Juan County Sheriff's Office were also involved.
Neither the officer nor the suspect has been identified.

RELIGIOUS-SECT-CHILD-ABUSE-THINGS TO KNOW

Paramilitary sect members indicted in child abuse case

GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted four members of a New Mexico paramilitary religious sect in connection with a child abuse and child sexual abuse investigation.
The Cibola County grand jury voted late Friday to indict the four members of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps after a magistrate judge refused to lower bonds.
Sect co-leader Deborah Green is facing charges of failure to report a birth, child abuse and sexual penetration of a minor.
Peter Green faces 100 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child on suspicion of raping a girl from the time she was 7.
Two others face failure to report a birth charges.
The group, founded in California, says the allegations are totally false.

OFFICER SHOT-SUSPECT DEAD-THE LATEST
The Latest: Police officer shot, handcuffed suspect dead

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a state police officer killed a Farmington man after the man shot the officer who had just handcuffed him. The officer was hit in the badge.
New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas tells the Albuquerque Journal that the officer was treated and released at a nearby hospital.
Authorities say the officer, whose name has not been released, suffered bruising and facial injuries from badge shrapnel. He will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice.
William Wilson, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kassetas says the state police officer along with a San Juan County sheriff's deputy opened fire after Wilson fired a shot.
Authorities say Wilson was a passenger in a truck stopped about 9:30 a.m. Sunday by a San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputy. Officers were looking for the truck because they believed it had been involved in recent larcenies and burglaries, the Journal reported.
Kassetas says the state police officer, who arrived soon after as backup, talked to Wilson before cuffing Wilson's hands in front of his body.

BILLBOARD DEBATE
Alamogordo puts off decision on billboard ordinance

(Information from: Alamogordo Daily News, http://www.alamogordonews.com)
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Billboard companies have succeeded in getting commissioners in one southern New Mexico city to put off a vote on a proposed ordinance that would affect the signage.
The Alamogordo City Commission moved to table the proposal during a meeting last week after representatives from billboard companies voiced their concerns.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that the ordinance would prohibit any new billboards from being erected. Those signs already in place would need to be removed within five years. An appeals process through the city's planning commission could grant extensions.
Lamar Advertising real estate manager Matt Yoder told city leaders there's demand and that his company provides a service that people are willing to pay for. He said billboards are not just structures, but businesses that provide revenue.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTRACTS
Federal agency awards contracts for nuclear weapons work

ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal agency has awarded major contracts for efforts to modernize the U.S.' nuclear weapons, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
The Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque announced the contracts last week. The work is focused on the nation's ground-based and air-based nuclear weapons, the Journal reports
The center says that two contracts worth up to $359 million each have been awarded to the Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. for work on the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent intercontinental ballistic weapon system program.
The system will replace the Minuteman III ballistic missile, which came online in the 1970s, the Journal reports.

FOREST HEALTH-GRANTS
New Mexico forests to share $3.4M in federal grants

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Restoration projects in four of New Mexico's national forests will get a financial boost thanks to $3.4 million in federal funding.
Members of the state's congressional delegation announced the funds, saying they will be targeted at 10 projects designed to reduce the threat of wildfire and improve the health of watersheds around the state by thinning out small trees.
Projects on the Carson, Cibola, Gila and Lincoln forests will share in the grant funding. Private businesses, conservation organizations and water conservation districts will be awarded the funds to do the work.
The Pueblo of Santa Ana also will receive some of the money.

NAVAJO MINE
New Mexico mine officials, employees welcome new locomotives

NENAHNEZAD, N.M. (AP) — Employees at a coal mine in northwestern New Mexico are celebrating the arrival of two new locomotives that will help transport coal to the nearby Four Corners Power Plant.
LoRenzo Bates, a top Navajo Nation leader, touted the $5 million investment as assurance of the mine's continued operation but also acknowledged the challenges the coal industry faces from environmental regulations and renewable energy sources.
The Daily Times reports officials from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co., the Navajo Nation and Bisti Fuels Co. joined mine employees Wednesday for the unveiling ceremony for the two locomotives bought this year from General Electric.
Ernest Yazzie, one of five locomotive operators for Bisti Fuels, a subsidiary of the North American Coal Corp. that operates the mine, called the new machines "awesome."

GEORGIA UNIVERSITIES
Study: Fewer Georgia students could get college opportunity

(Information from: WABE-FM, http://www.wabe.org/)
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia is among states that have cut funding to public colleges and universities since the recession, prompting many schools to raise tuition.
WABE Radio reports that a new study by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has a dire warning for students and their families: Fewer students will be able to go to college if states don't stop the trend.
WABE reports the study found that tuition at Georgia's public schools has increased 75 percent since 2008 when adjusted for inflation.
Michael Mitchell, who co-authored the report, said Georgia did not cut per-pupil funding as much as some states did.

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New Mexico State News - Sunday August 27, 2017

8/27/2017

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​TAOS AIRPORT EXPANSION
Taos celebrates airport expansion 25 years in the making

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
TAOS, N.M. (AP) — After decades of discussion, controversy and litigation, Taos officials are finally able to celebrate a new, longer runway and expansion at the municipal airport north of town.
The Albuquerque Journal reports town leaders hailed the $26 million project as a boon for tourism and economic development at a celebration on Friday.
Mayor Dan Barrone says the project "is about new economic opportunities and partnerships that will increase accessibility between Taos and the world."
Work on the runway started in 2015, but discussion of the project began about 25 years ago.
The new runway, about 3,000 feet (914 meters) longer than the old one, is intended to increase the number of planes that can land and improve safety at an airport known for windy conditions at high altitude on the Taos mesa.

MEDICAID-SECURITY RISK
US official: New Mexico's Medicaid data has security flaws

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal inspector general says the computer system behind New Mexico's Medicaid program fell short of the U.S. government's security requirements during a review that found data was left vulnerable and operations were put at risk.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Thursday that the New Mexico Human Services Department has since fixed the issues. But the inspector general cautioned that holes in security could have compromised the program's confidentiality and integrity, although a breach of the system was not found.
The review, conducted in March 2016, came just a few years after the state government budgeted nearly $20 million to upgrade the Human Services Department's system for handling Medicaid and other benefit-program applications.
Nearly 900,000 people were enrolled in New Mexico's Medicaid program as of June.

SANTA FE HISTORIAN
Santa Fe searches for next city historian

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's capital city is searching for its next historian.
The job description on the city of Santa Fe's website calls for applicants to have an understanding of the city's cultural history from various perspectives as well as a passion for sharing information about the diverse groups and historical processes that combined to make Santa Fe what it is today.
Duties include giving lectures, producing educational resources and reviewing the historical content of city documents.
A position created in 2010, the historian receives a $10,000 stipend.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Mayor Javier Gonzales saluted writer and publisher Ana Pacheco, the most recent historian, and Jose Garcia, the city's first historian. Gonzales says the historian's importance will grow as the city continues to tackle some difficult conversations.

VANDALIZED SHRINE REPAIRED
Vandalized religious shrine near Bisbee is cleaned, repaired

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a religious shrine near Bisbee that was vandalized has been cleaned and repaired.
Cochise County Sheriff's deputies responded to the State Route 80 location on Aug. 7 and found that a large statue of the Virgin Mary was broken off its base with the top portion missing.
Three other smaller statues had the heads broken off and missing.
Sheriff's officials say all of the statues were located inside of a shelter at a pullout area off the highway.
The shelter is open to the public.
Sheriff's officials say new statues now are in place, but they're still looking for information that could lead to the arrest of the vandals.
State Route 80 is a 120-mile stretch of highway in southeastern Arizona that runs to the New Mexico border.

RELIGIOUS-SECT-CHILD-ABUSE-THE LATEST
The Latest: $500K bond stays for sect leaders in abuse case

(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — A judge has refused to lower bond on two leaders of a New Mexico paramilitary religious sect who are both facing child sexual abuse charges.
Cibola County Magistrate Judge Larry Diaz said Friday he still felt that co-leader Deborah Green and high ranking leader Peter Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training were flight risks and he wasn't comfortable with lowering their bond or changing the conditions of their release.
Both are being held on $500,000 cash surety bond in connection with child sexual abuses charges stemming for a Sunday raid of their secluded compound in western New Mexico.
Court records had mistakenly listed that Peter Green was being held on $5 million.
Cibola County Undersheriff Michael Munk says authorities believed were flight risks.

BUNGLED BOND DEAL
New Mexico restructures bond deal after mistake uncovered

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico finance officials say that the state will save substantially less money than anticipated as they fix a flawed effort to refinance state-issued bonds.
The state Board of Finance led by Gov. Susana Martinez held an emergency meeting Friday to revisit a bond deal designed to save the state as much as $9.5 million in interest by paying back creditors well ahead of a 2025 deadline.
Outside investment and legal advisers to the board realized in early August that the state was not allowed to pay off the bonds ahead of time and that interest would still be due for years to come.
In an embarrassing turn of events, further professional fees were waived as board members voted unanimously to restructure an escrow account to continue paying bond obligations.
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New Mexico State News -  Saturday August 26, 2017

8/26/2017

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SANTA FE HISTORIAN
Santa Fe searches for next city historian

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's capital city is searching for its next historian.
The job description on the city of Santa Fe's website calls for applicants to have an understanding of the city's cultural history from various perspectives as well as a passion for sharing information about the diverse groups and historical processes that combined to make Santa Fe what it is today.
Duties include giving lectures, producing educational resources and reviewing the historical content of city documents.
A position created in 2010, the historian receives a $10,000 stipend.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Mayor Javier Gonzales saluted writer and publisher Ana Pacheco, the most recent historian, and Jose Garcia, the city's first historian. Gonzales says the historian's importance will grow as the city continues to tackle some difficult conversations.

VANDALIZED SHRINE REPAIRED
Vandalized religious shrine near Bisbee is cleaned, repaired

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a religious shrine near Bisbee that was vandalized has been cleaned and repaired.
Cochise County Sheriff's deputies responded to the State Route 80 location on Aug. 7 and found that a large statue of the Virgin Mary was broken off its base with the top portion missing.
Three other smaller statues had the heads broken off and missing.
Sheriff's officials say all of the statues were located inside of a shelter at a pullout area off the highway.
The shelter is open to the public.
Sheriff's officials say new statues now are in place, but they're still looking for information that could lead to the arrest of the vandals.
State Route 80 is a 120-mile stretch of highway in southeastern Arizona that runs to the New Mexico border.

RELIGIOUS-SECT-CHILD-ABUSE-THE LATEST
The Latest: $500K bond stays for sect leaders in abuse case

(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — A judge has refused to lower bond on two leaders of a New Mexico paramilitary religious sect who are both facing child sexual abuse charges.
Cibola County Magistrate Judge Larry Diaz said Friday he still felt that co-leader Deborah Green and high ranking leader Peter Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training were flight risks and he wasn't comfortable with lowering their bond or changing the conditions of their release.
Both are being held on $500,000 cash surety bond in connection with child sexual abuses charges stemming for a Sunday raid of their secluded compound in western New Mexico.
Court records had mistakenly listed that Peter Green was being held on $5 million.
Cibola County Undersheriff Michael Munk says authorities believed were flight risks.

BUNGLED BOND DEAL
New Mexico restructures bond deal after mistake uncovered

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico finance officials say that the state will save substantially less money than anticipated as they fix a flawed effort to refinance state-issued bonds.
The state Board of Finance led by Gov. Susana Martinez held an emergency meeting Friday to revisit a bond deal designed to save the state as much as $9.5 million in interest by paying back creditors well ahead of a 2025 deadline.
Outside investment and legal advisers to the board realized in early August that the state was not allowed to pay off the bonds ahead of time and that interest would still be due for years to come.
In an embarrassing turn of events, further professional fees were waived as board members voted unanimously to restructure an escrow account to continue paying bond obligations.

POLICE SHOOTING-NEW MEXICO
Rio Rancho police identify suspect fatally shot by officers

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Rio Rancho police have identified a man fatally shot by officers during an encounter in Albuquerque.
A statement released Friday by police Capt. Ron Vigil identifies 71-year-old Henry Rivera Sr. as the man fatally shot Tuesday by Rio Rancho officers following a pursuit after an unspecified "violent crime" at a Wal-Mart store.
Vigil's statement says Rivera rammed a police vehicle and another vehicle while being pursued from an Albuquerque residence and that he threatened officers with a shotgun.
Vigil said Friday that Rivera wasn't from Rio Rancho but he said no additional was available about Rivera or circumstances of the incident, during which no officers were seriously injured.
The officers involved in the shooting were placed on standard administrative leave pending an investigation by a multiagency task force.

HOTEL MURDER-SUSPECT SURRENDERS
Man wanted in fatal shooting of woman in Roswell surrenders

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A secondary suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman inside a Roswell hotel room has surrendered to police.
They say 29-year-old Frank Moss turned himself in to authorities Friday.
Moss has been charged with tampering with evidence and intimidation of a witness.
He also is facing a charge of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Moss and 35-year-old Jeremy Hawkins are being held without bond.
Hawkins is accused in the death of his 31-year-old girlfriend, Ashley Sena.
He's being held on suspicion of murder and other charges.
Sena's body was found Aug. 4 and police say she had been shot once in the face.
Police say Moss allegedly went to the hotel room after the shooting, collected Hawkins' possessions and returned them to him.

UNM BASKETBALL SUITE REVENUE
UNM basketball suite sales fail to cover renovation costs

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Figures obtained by The Albuquerque Journal reveal that the University of New Mexico's plan to cover its yearly basketball arena renovation costs is not going as intended.
The university's original strategy was to have revenue from the sale of suites cover its yearly renovation bill of $2.4 million. But the Journal reported Thursday that a document it obtained shows only about 28 percent of last season's bill was paid for by parties unaffiliated with the university purchasing suites.
University Associate Vice President Chris Vallejos says the athletics department reported generating $816,250 in suite revenue for the 2016-17 season, but the Journal states that $145,000 of that was money transferred from elsewhere within the university's domain.
Twenty-one and a half of the arena's 40 suites were occupied last season under season-long contracts.

MARIJUANA-OVER THE FENCE
Giant marijuana bundle launched over US-Mexico border fence

DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona have seized a nearly 100-pound bundle of marijuana after spotting it flying over the border fence.
Surveillance video on Wednesday captured the large package launching through the air over the fence from Mexico to the U.S. Agents on the ground found a large, plastic-wrapped bundle worth about $48,000.
Spokeswoman Stephanie Dixon said drug smugglers are increasingly launching massive bundles of pot over the border fence, posing a danger to nearby residents and businesses because of the weight of the bundles. She said she knew of one incident in which a bundle went through the roof of a dog house.
It's unclear what smugglers used to launch this particular package, but in the past they've used home-made catapults and air cannons.
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New Mexico State News - Friday August 25, 2017

8/25/2017

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RELIGIOUS-SECT-CHILD-ABUSE
Sect leader: Commune safe, child sexual abuse claims 'fake'

(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — The leader of a New Mexico paramilitary religious sect rocked by child sexual abuse allegations says "hundreds of kids" have safely passed through the group's compound in New Mexico.
But James Green told the KOB-TV in Albuquerque on Thursday that the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps teaches children living at a secluded compound to avoid speaking with law enforcement because members have experienced "tons of persecution" over the years in California, Oregon and New Mexico.
Green told the station the compound had been subjected to drive-by shootings and unlawful raids by law enforcement agencies.
He says child sexual abuse charges filed against his wife, Deborah, were "all fake."
Deborah Green and seven other members are facing various charges in connection with a child abuse and child sex abuse investigation.
Green is asking Gov. Susana Martinez to visit the commune.

METH TRAFFICKING-SENTENCE
Arizona man gets New Mexico prison term for meth trafficking

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Arizona man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison in New Mexico for methamphetamine trafficking.
Prosecutors say 38-year-old Eugene Daniel Gonzalez of Phoenix was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Las Cruces.
He will be on three years of supervised release after his prison term.
Gonzalez was arrested last December.
According to a criminal complaint, law enforcement officers in Hidalgo County stopped a car for speeding last March and found two bags in a suitcase that contained a total of nearly 939 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
They say Gonzalez was a passenger in the vehicle.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

NEW MEXICO DROUGHT
Wet weather erases drought, dryness in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — National weather forecasters are warning of more storms around New Mexico as the state celebrates the disappearance of any signs of drought or abnormal dryness from the map.
Weekly reports on the impacts of drought across the United States show New Mexico is free from any of the colors that indicate dry conditions, marking the first time that has been the case since 1999. That's when the U.S. Drought Monitor was established.
The latest map shows New Mexico is the only western state in the clear.
Like many places in the West, the arid state struggled to recuperate from an unprecedented drought that peaked in 2013. Even in March, the sting had yet to go away as a month of record-setting temperatures and little rain left dry conditions across the eastern plains and parts of southern New Mexico.

EDUCATION SECRETARY
Ruszkowski appointed New Mexico Public Education Secretary

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The acting New Mexico Public Education Secretary since June now has been appointed to the job.
Gov. Susana Martinez announced the appointment of Christopher Ruszkowski on Thursday.
He became acting secretary in June when Hanna Skandera unexpectedly stepped down after seven years on the job.
Ruszkowski joined Martinez's administration in April 2016 as deputy cabinet secretary of the Public Education Department.
He oversaw the state's academic priorities, policy agenda and research agenda.
Earlier this year, Ruszkowski co-led the development of the New Mexico State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

BAIL REFORM
Bail reforms disrupt court routines across New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors, bail bondsmen and public defenders are describing a criminal justice system in upheaval as courtrooms across New Mexico adjust to new bail and pretrial detention rules.
Judicial officials told state lawmakers Thursday that the rules are requiring more work to determine whether defendants pose a danger or flight risk.
New Mexico adopted new rules for pretrial detention and release on July 1 after voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that allows dangerous defendants to be held until trial without bail. The amendment also ensures people don't languish in jail only because they cannot pay money to ensure they appear at trial.
New Mexico District Attorney's Association President Rick Tedrow says prosecutors in San Juan County alone are devoting an additional 26 hours a week to initial court appearances.

CAMPAIGN FUNDING SHORTFALL
New Mexico runs short on public campaign funds

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's top elections regulator is warning that scarce resources at her agency could discouraged some political candidates from choosing public campaign funding over other sources.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver told state lawmakers Thursday that her agency cannot cover an estimated $2.6 million tab to fully finance campaigns for seats on the state's court of appeals and the Public Regulation Commission overseeing utilities.
Toulouse Oliver plans to pursue additional state or foundation funding but noted that it won't be clear how many candidates are running when lawmakers convene for a 30-day session in January 2018. She fears candidates may opt out of public funding design to limit the influence of special interests on elections.
The current shortfall is estimated at $1.5 million.

TRUMP-NATIONAL MONUMENTS-THE LATEST
The Latest: Lawmaker welcomes news on monument areas

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands says Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's statement that the Trump administration won't eliminate any national monument areas is a good sign that he's staying with the intent of the law.
U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa says the Antiquities Act gives Congress the power to repeal or rescind a monument area created by a president.
She says it doesn't give a president the power to make such changes to monument areas created by previous presidents.
The Hawaii Democrat says she doesn't know what the details of Zinke's recommendations are and wonders what modifications he may be considering.

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New Mexico State News - Thursday August 24, 2017

8/24/2017

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CHANCELLOR CARRUTHERS-NMSU
NMSU's outgoing chancellor explains retirement announcement

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University's outgoing chancellor says he announced his retirement earlier this month only after being told by school regents that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
Garrey Carruthers said in a statement Wednesday that he would have liked to remain at the university.
He reportedly had publicly acknowledged his willingness to stay on for an additional two years.
But after he was informed by university regents during an Aug. 1 meeting that they didn't intend to extend his contract, Curruthers' made his retirement announcement two days later.
Carruthers' retirement is effective on July 1, 2018.
The former New Mexico governor was named as NMSU's chancellor in 2013.
The university has not announced when it will form a search committee to look for Carruthers' successor.

ETHICS REFORMS
Watchdog group grades New Mexico lawmakers

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico watchdog organization on campaign finance and government oversight issues is grading state legislators on their support for reform measures backed by the group.
Common Cause New Mexico on Wednesday published online a report card that sums up each lawmaker's voting record on three bills and two constitutional amendments during the legislative session that ended in March.
The initiatives were aimed at greater financial disclosures by independent political groups and lobbyists, automation of voter registration, and the creation of independent commissions on redistricting and political ethics complaints. Four initiatives failed or were vetoed, while voters decide on the ethics commission in November 2018 elections.
Common Cause Legislative Director Heather Ferguson wants citizens to be able see more clearly where lawmakers stood on those issues.

RELIGIOUS SECT-CHILD ABUSE-THE LATEST
The Latest: Sect accused of hiding children from police

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Documents say a member of a paramilitary Christian sect in New Mexico with members accused of child sex abuse told authorities the group blocks parents from keeping records about their children so they can be hidden from police.
Court documents obtained Wednesday say member Jamie Bridgewater told deputies that leaders of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps tried to keep parents from notifying state officials about births at the isolated compound.
Bridgewater also told Cibola County deputies that leaders James and Deborah Green ordered members to bury photos of children after the Greens were interviewed by deputies investigating allegations of abuse.
Bridgewater also told investigators children at the compound were taught to hide from law enforcement officers.
Deborah Green and another sect member are facing child sex abuse charges.
The sect denies the claims. No attorney is listed for Green.

LOWRIDER-PHOTO EXHIBIT
Lowriders subject of upcoming photo exhibit in Silver City

SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — Lowriders, the iconic cars popularized by Mexican Americans, will be the subject featured at an upcoming photo exhibit at Western New Mexico University.
The Frances McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art will host an opening reception Sept. 7 to jump-start an exhibit highlighting the classic cars over several decades.
The images will showcase New Mexican residents who have customized, detailed, painted, and upholstered symbols of Hispanic culture, creating mobile works of art.
Lowriders describe cars whose suspension has been lowered to inches from the ground. The Spanish translation is bajito or suavecito, meaning low and slow.
The art exhibition will be open through October 5 on the university campus in Silver City, New Mexico.

DEFENSE-HIGH-POWERED LASERS
'Sci-fi to real life': US invests $17 million in laser tech

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Defense Department is investing $17 million in high-powered laser technology that has the potential for practical uses on the battlefield, from destroying enemy drones to disrupting communication systems.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich announced the funding during a news conference Wednesday at a Boeing lab in Albuquerque, where many of the innovations needed to track targets and control the intensity of the high-powered lasers were developed.
A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the New Mexico Democrat said the biggest challenge has been getting colleagues in Congress and others to realize that the lasers are no longer science fiction but rather critical tools that the U.S. military can use in difficult situations.
He says the laser weapons systems are small and portable and would be more economic for the military to operate.

NEW MEXICAN-EDITOR
Santa Fe New Mexican hires Phill Casaus as new editor

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A longtime journalist and Albuquerque native has been hired as the new editor at The Santa Fe New Mexican.
The newspaper announced Wednesday that Phill Casaus will replace Ray Rivera, who is leaving Sept. 8 for a job as deputy managing editor for investigations and enterprise with The Seattle Times.
Casaus, a former editor at The Albuquerque Tribune and The Rocky Mountain News, currently works as the director of the Education Foundation for Albuquerque Public Schools, the state's largest school district. He's expected to begin his new job at the paper in mid-September.
Casaus spent many years as a sportswriter with the Albuquerque Journal before going to work for The Tribune, which served as the city's afternoon paper until it closed in 2008.

TRUMP-NATIONAL MONUMENTS
Groups make last-minute push to save national monument areas

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Conservation groups are airing TV ads, planning rallies and creating parody websites in a last-minute blitz to stop Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke from downsizing or eliminating national monument areas that cover large swaths of land and water from Maine to California.
The deadline for Zinke to announce his recommendations is Thursday following a four-month review of 27 sites ordered by President Donald Trump.
The outdoor recreation industry has hammered home its message that peeling back protections on areas where its customers hike, bike and camp could prevent future generations from enjoying the sites.
In addition, the Wilderness Society has created a parody website featuring Trump and Zinke selling luxury real estate at the sites.
Groups that want to see the areas reduced have been less vociferous, pleading their cases on social media and working behind the scenes to lobby federal officials.
They say past presidents have misused a century-old law to create monuments that are too large and stop development of energy and other resources.

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR'S RACE
New Mexico congressman cites stall tactics in court delays

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An attorney for Republican Congressman Steve Pearce is accusing elected New Mexico officials of using politically motivated stall tactics to starve his campaign for state governor of funding.
As he runs for governor in 2018, Pearce has filed a lawsuit seeking access to a $1 million campaign war chest that he assembled over the years as a congressman.
Attorney Bill Canfield said Tuesday that political maneuvering is behind a request for an extended period to respond to the lawsuit in federal court.
Democratic New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas have requested 60 days to respond as defendants instead of three weeks. They cite legal complexities and ample time before 2018 elections.
Canfield says delays gradually hurt Pearce's prospects and serve Democratic political interests.

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New Mexico State News - Wednesday August 23, 2017

8/23/2017

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SCHOOL GRADES
School grades show growing divide in New Mexico schools

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's top education officials are concerned about a growing divide between public schools that are earning top marks and those that are falling behind when it comes to student achievement and learning opportunities.
The Public Education Department on Tuesday released its annual report card for schools. While the percentage of schools earning As and Bs remained unchanged at 38 percent, 20 more schools earned Fs.
Education Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski says the findings show which districts have made an effort to adopt reforms that focus on student performance as well as mentoring programs for struggling teachers and principals.
He pointed to the Farmington, Alamogordo and Gadsden districts, saying there are no F schools in those communities after five years of work.
In the state's largest district in Albuquerque, more than a third of schools earned Fs.

TRUMP-NATIONAL MONUMENTS
Groups make last-minute push to save national monument areas

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Conservation groups are airing TV ads, planning rallies and creating parody websites in a last-minute blitz to stop Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke from downsizing or eliminating national monument areas that cover large swaths of land and water from Maine to California.
The deadline for Zinke to announce his recommendations is Thursday following a four-month review of 27 sites ordered by President Donald Trump.
The outdoor recreation industry has hammered home its message that peeling back protections on areas where its customers hike, bike and camp could prevent future generations from enjoying the sites.
In addition, the Wilderness Society has created a parody website featuring Trump and Zinke selling luxury real estate at the sites.
Groups that want to see the areas reduced have been less vociferous, pleading their cases on social media and working behind the scenes to lobby federal officials.
They say past presidents have misused a century-old law to create monuments that are too large and stop development of energy and other resources.

WILD HORSE SUMMIT
Critics maintain Utah mustang meeting a 'slaughter summit'

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal scientists and mostly rural interests are gathering at a conference in Utah this week to discuss the growing number of U.S.-protected wild horses roaming 10 Western states.
Mustang-protection advocates maintain the National Horse and Burro Summit is a thinly veiled effort to promote increased roundups and eventual slaughter of tens of thousands of animals from California to Colorado without any public input.
Utah officials, ranchers and even some federal officials have argued that swollen populations of wild horses, an icon of the American West, have created an expensive government problem of starving animals and damaged rangelands.
Horse-protection groups contend officials kowtowing to livestock interests won't look at solutions other than euthanizing mustangs.
Summit organizer and Utah State University Professor Terry Messmer says the event was put together by a broad coalition of horse advocates, not activists.

ZIKA VIRUS
Mosquitoes linked to Zika virus found in Socorro County

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say mosquitoes capable of transmitting the Zika virus have been found in New Mexico's Socorro County.
Officials with the New Mexico Department of Health and New Mexico State University said Tuesday that it's the first time a species of mosquito capable of transmitting Zika virus has been found in Socorro County.
However, there have been no identified human cases of Zika virus in the county so far.
The addition of Socorro County brings the total number of counties in the state with mosquitoes capable of spreading Zika to nine.
There haven't been any confirmed cases of Zika virus in New Mexico residents so far this year, compared with 10 cases in 2016.

HOMICIDE-MANSLAUGHTER PLEA
Man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2016 stabbing

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 58-year-old Navajo Nation man faces eight years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a 2016 fatal stabbing.
Larry June of Shiprock, New Mexico, originally was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a 53-year-old Navajo woman. But he pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Albuquerque to the lesser manslaughter charge under an agreement with prosecutors.
Court documents don't identify the victim by name but say the mortally wounded woman told others at the homicide scene that the man who stabbed her during an argument was her husband.
Documents say the victim was stabbed insider her food-preparation trailer at the site of a traditional Navajo ceremony along U.S. 491 near Sheep Springs.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says June's sentencing hasn't yet been scheduled.

LAS VEGAS-POLICE CHIEF
City of Las Vegas, police chief sparring over budget, staff

(Information from: Las Vegas Optic, http://www.lasvegasoptic.com)
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — A northern New Mexico city and its police chief are locked in a public battle over funding, staffing levels and allowing officers to coach at area schools.
The Las Vegas Optic reports the city of Las Vegas recently received a letter from Las Vegas Police Chief Juan Montano's attorney informing officials he has filed a tort claim against the city.
Attorney Raul Carrillo wrote that the claim comes amid acts against Montano around funding issues, hostile work environment, whistleblower issues and retaliation against the chief.
The letter, obtained by the Optic, said Montano's claim is a result of a "string of actions" against him.
City spokesman Lee Einer says the matter is under investigation.

KAYENTA POLICEMAN DIES
Senior officer with Kayenta police dies in car accident

KAYENTA, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation officials say a senior officer with the Kayenta Police Department has died in an off-duty car accident.
Tribal officials say Nelson Martin was killed in a crash on Monday.
His funeral was held Tuesday in Goulding, Utah.
Martin had been with the police department since 2002.
Officials say Martin was a member of the strategic reaction team and a school resource officer.
They say he worked in collaboration with the Kayenta Unified School District to provide security, prevent crime and create a safe environment for the tribe's schoolchildren.
The Navajo Nation's vast reservation spans more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

FISHING RULES
New Mexico considers changes to fishing rules

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico wildlife officials are considering changes to the state's fishing rules.
The Game and Fish Department has scheduled a series of public meetings around the state to gather comment. The first two meetings will be in the Farmington area at the end of August.
Meetings also will be held in Santa Fe, Roswell, Silver City, Taos, Las Cruces and Albuquerque.
The proposed changes include modifications to the special trout waters program; a new daily catch limit at Lake Roberts, Bill Evans Lake and Clayton Lake; and lifting the catch-and-release designation at Brantley Lake.
The state agency reviews the fishing rules every four years.

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New Mexico State News - Tuesday August 22, 2017

8/22/2017

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RELIGIOUS SECT-CHILD ABUSE
Former sect member has been trying to expose group for years

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former member of a military-style Christian sect says that for years she's been trying to draw attention to the New Mexico group whose leader has been charged with dozens of counts of child sexual abuse.
Maura Alana Schmierer told The Associated Press on Monday that she had been interviewed by investigators recently about the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps.
Schmierer left the sect in the late 1980s. She said she's "been trying to expose them for years" and appeared in a National Geographic Television show documenting her experience.
According to a criminal complaint filed Aug. 15, Peter Green of the group based in the remote community of Fence Lake faces 100 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child. Several other sect members also face various charges.

NO-BID CONTRACTS-NEW MEXICO
Audit finds New Mexico state contracts lack competition

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An audit of New Mexico state procurement practices has found that roughly $6.5 billion in annual outside contracts bypass the competitive bidding process.
New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller says current exemptions to competitive bidding practices were designed to save the state time or money. But Keller says they have ended up reducing accountability in government and fairness to outside businesses.
A special audit released on Tuesday by Keller's office found that state agencies spent $56 million on sole-source contracts during the fiscal year ending in June 2016, including circumstances that are not permitted by law.
Auditors estimated another $105 million in contracts were exempt from competition under emergency provisions.
The report also highlights gaps in the tracking of political campaign contributions from contractors hired by state agencies.

ROUTE 66-ALBUQUERQUE
Albuquerque eyes business for west Route 66

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials in Albuquerque want to attract businesses to the western part of the city's Route 66.
Business advocates and city officials will make the case for Albuquerque's Route 66 on Saturday at an event designed to draw attention to the opportunity along the historic road.
The move comes as city officials have face criticism for the construction along Albuquerque's Route 66 for a new rapid-bus route.
New Mexico has the longest stretch of Route 66 passing through urban communities.
The project is one of many efforts in New Mexico that are aimed at revitalizing areas along Route 66.
Decommissioned as a U.S. highway in 1985, Route 66 went through eight states.

US MARSHALS-NEW OFFICE
US Marshals to open new office in northwestern New Mexico

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Marshals Service says it plans to open an office in northwestern New Mexico.
Five years in the making, officials say the much-needed office in Farmington will provide a base for deputy marshals and members of the Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team as they cover the Four Corners region, where the borders of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah meet.
Each year, the team apprehends an average of 300 of the most violent fugitives wanted on federal and state charges in the region.
The team includes several partners, from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Immigration and Customs to the FBI, New Mexico State Police and local law enforcement agencies.

HOTEL MURDER-SUSPECT ARRESTED
Man wanted in fatal shooting of woman in Roswell is arrested

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman inside Roswell hotel room has been arrested and police now are searching for another suspect.
Roswell police say 35-year-old Jeremy Hawkins was taken into custody last Saturday in Albuquerque by the U.S. Marshals Service.
He's being returned to Roswell to face charges of murder, tampering with evidence, intimidation of a witness and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hawkins is accused in the death of his 31-year-old girlfriend, Ashley Sena.
Her body was found Aug. 4 and police say she had been shot once in the face.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for 29-year-old Frank Moss. He's wanted for tampering with evidence, intimidation of a witness and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

BAIL REFORM
New Mexico Supreme Court defends bail reforms from lawsuit

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is defending new pretrial detention policies from legal challenge in federal court by the bail bonding industry.
In court filings released on Monday, state judicial officials called the lawsuit a desperate attempt by the bail bonding industry to regain control.
New Mexico has begun releasing nonviolent suspects before trial who might otherwise languish in jail only because they cannot afford bail. The policy changes respond to a constitutional amendment approved by voters in November.
The Bail Bond Association of New Mexico and five state lawmakers maintain that suspects should have the right to pay bail without waiting on a judge's decision. State judicial officials want the lawsuit dismissed.
Similar bail bond reforms in New Jersey also are being challenged in federal court.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico delegates make plea for 2 national monuments

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Democratic members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have issued another plea to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to keep intact two national monuments on a list of sites being reviewed by the federal government.
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham sent a letter to Zinke on Monday, saying thousands of New Mexicans support the monuments. The deadline for Zinke to issue his recommendations is Thursday.
Some Hispanic ranchers have argued that the designations hurt families that have long fought the federal government over uses of historical land ties in colonial Spanish land grants.
Zinke visited New Mexico last month and held a series of private stakeholder meetings about the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte monument outside of Taos.

BUS SERVICE-SANTA FE
Santa Fe councilors study merging city, regional bus systems

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new analysis could lead to the merger of public transportation services in Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the $150,000 study examined potential efficiencies and service improvements that could be created through coordination between the city's Santa Fe Trails bus system and the more rural North Central Regional Transit District.
Santa Fe city councilors and the regional transit board will review the analysis. The analysis considered the possible consolidation or integration of employees, vehicles, fueling systems and garages of both transit systems.
The report found the two systems' different approaches to route frequency and fare structures would present challenges, and the current modes of service do not lend themselves to an immediate combination of routes.

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Luna County Broadcasting KDEM/KOTS Radio
P.O. Box 470 - 1700 S. Gold Ave. - Deming, NM  88031 (88030)
575-546-9011 - 575-546-9342 (fax) -
radio@demingradio.com
Webmaster :  John W. Krehbiel - john@demingradio.com 575-545-3208

Copyright 2021 | Luna County Broadcasting - Deming Radio - All rights reserved.