SUSPECT FOLLOWED
Customers follow robbery suspect, provide location to police
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Las Cruces police say three customers followed a man from a Taco Bell restaurant which had been robbed and were able to tell officers the location of an apartment that the man entered after knocking on the door.
Police say the man who ran from the restaurant was tailed by one customer on a bicycle and that two other customers in a vehicle at the drive-thru window saw the bicycle chase and also followed the man.
Police say officers arrived at the apartment and arrested 41-year-old Gustavo Cedeno on suspicion of robbery Monday night.
He remained jailed Friday. Online court records don't list a defense attorney who could comment on the allegations.

​TEN COMMANDMENTS-SANTA FE
Biblical monument in Santa Fe draws little attention
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — In the wake of a long-running legal dispute in northwestern New Mexico over a Ten Commandments monument on public property, officials in Santa Fe are taking another look at a similar display that has gone relatively unnoticed for years.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the six-foot tall stone tablets are located in Ashbaugh Park in front of a city fire station. Weathered streaks make the etched words difficult to read.
City officials say they can't recall receiving complaints about its placement on city property. They're not sure where the monument came from, or when, and which department was responsible for the land where it sits.
City spokesman Matt Ross says in the wake of the dispute over the monument in Bloomfield, the Santa Fe city attorney's office is reviewing the case.
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SANTA FE POST OFFICE-HOMELESS
Santa Fe post office closes lobby overnight due to homeless
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The downtown post office in New Mexico's capital city is locking up its lobby overnight because homeless people have taken to finding shelter there.
Postal Service spokesman Peter Hass says the overnight closure of the downtown Santa Fe post office's lobby stems from vandalism and safety concerns voiced by customers.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the closure between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. beginning Wednesday comes as chilly overnight temperatures begin to cause homeless people to seek refuge indoors.
Assistant Director Sue Carr of the Interfaith Community Shelter in Santa Fe says more people are spending the night at the shelter as the weather gets colder.
The shelter's overnight capacity is 123 people.

NAVAJO-RANCH PURCHASE
Navajo finalizes purchase of south-central Colorado ranch
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation says it has closed on the purchase of a large ranch in south-central Colorado.
Tribal lawmakers approved the $23 million purchase earlier this month.
Navajo President Russell Begaye said Friday the tribe will change the name of the 25.5-square mile (66-sq. kilometer) Wolf Springs Ranch to a Navajo name.
The ranch is located in Huerfano and Custer counties in what is part of the tribe's aboriginal homeland. Tribal Vice President Jonathan Nez says the tribe bought the ranch to expand its land capital beyond the boundaries of the reservation.
The property taxes will be paid through a tribal trust fund.
The ranch has more than 230 head of cattle and 300 buffalo.

STATE SENATOR-FRAUD
Political corruption case heads to trial in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Democratic former New Mexico state senator is scheduled for trial next week on corruption charges in a high-stakes showdown with state prosecutors.
Ex-Sen. Phil Griego is accused of using his position as a lawmaker and political insider to profit from the sale of a state-owned building in downtown Santa Fe. Jury selection is schedule to start on Monday at a state district court in Santa Fe.
Griego resigned from the Legislature in 2015 at the conclusion of a Senate Ethics Commission investigation.
The office of Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas is pursuing charges of fraud, bribery and ethical misconduct against Griego.
New Mexico voters decide in November 2018 whether to create an independent state ethics commission to evaluate accusations of misconduct against public officials.

AIR FORCE COLONEL DISCIPLINED
Air Force officer says he was disciplined for his beliefs
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Air Force colonel says he was wrongly disciplined after refusing to sign a certificate of appreciation to the same-sex spouse of a retiring master sergeant.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Leland Bohannon, who cited his religious beliefs for not signing the document, was relieved of his command of the inspection agency at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. A superior officer also sent a letter recommending against his promotion after an Equal Opportunity complaint against him was substantiated.
A religious liberties group is representing Bohannon and demands that the complaint is reversed and that related unfavorable materials are removed from his service record.
The certificate is an unofficial document traditionally given to the spouses of retiring military members. Bohannon has since been transferred to Washington, D.C.
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LAB WORKERS-RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION
Los Alamos lab workers contaminated by radioactive material
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Workers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory were contaminated after radioactive particles were released into the air inside the lab's plutonium facility.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the lab accident last month was the second time in four weeks that the same crew was exposed to radioactive material. The clothes of three workers were contaminated as was the skin on one of them.
Lab spokesman Matt Nerzig says the three workers did not receive a measurable dose, and the public was not in danger. He says the worker with the skin contamination "was successfully and thoroughly decontaminated — mostly by washing off the contamination with water."
A report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board states the workers were wearing protective clothing and air purifying respirators.
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LOS ALAMOS-SCHOOL THREAT
Teen accused of school threat released from juvenile custody
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy accused of threatening to "shoot up" Los Alamos High School has been released from juvenile custody and allowed to attend an alternative education program.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports that the student will attend an alternative program at the school district's administration building and was ordered to stay away from the high school except to attend welding classes at a nearby University of New Mexico branch campus.
Under other conditions of his release, the student cannot have a weapon on school grounds, must wear a monitoring bracelet and not have contact with the high school principal.
The student is accused of making the alleged shooting threat Oct. 18 after he was expelled for vandalizing school property while out on another conditional release from a Sept. 12 incident,

10 COMMANDMENTS NM
Biblical monument in Santa Fe draws little attention 
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — In the wake of a long-running legal dispute in northwestern New Mexico over a Ten Commandments monument on public property, officials in Santa Fe are taking another look at a similar display that has gone relatively unnoticed for years.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the six-foot tall stone tablets are located in Ashbaugh Park in front of a city fire station. Weathered streaks make the etched words difficult to read.
City officials say they can't recall receiving complaints about its placement on city property. They're not sure where the monument came from, or when, and which department was responsible for the land where it sits.
City spokesman Matt Ross says in the wake of the dispute over the monument in Bloomfield, the Santa Fe city attorney's office is reviewing the case.

SUSPECT FOLLOWED
Customers follow robbery suspect, provide location to police 
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Las Cruces police say three customers followed a man from a Taco Bell restaurant which had been robbed and were able to tell officers the location of an apartment that the man entered after knocking on the door.
Police say the man who ran from the restaurant was tailed by one customer on a bicycle and that two other customers in a vehicle at the drive-thru window saw the bicycle chase and also followed the man.
Police say officers arrived at the apartment and arrested 41-year-old Gustavo Cedeno on suspicion of robbery Monday night.
He remained jailed Friday. Online court records don't list a defense attorney who could comment on the allegations.

STATE SENATOR-FRAUD
Political corruption case heads to trial in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Democratic former New Mexico state senator is scheduled for trial next week on corruption charges in a high-stakes showdown with state prosecutors.
Ex-Sen. Phil Griego is accused of using his position as a lawmaker and political insider to profit from the sale of a state-owned building in downtown Santa Fe. Jury selection is schedule to start on Monday at a state district court in Santa Fe.
Griego resigned from the Legislature in 2015 at the conclusion of a Senate Ethics Commission investigation.
The office of Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas is pursuing charges of fraud, bribery and ethical misconduct against Griego.
New Mexico voters decide in November 2018 whether to create an independent state ethics commission to evaluate accusations of misconduct against public officials.

AIR FORCE COLONEL DISCIPLINED
Air Force officer says he was disciplined for his beliefs
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Air Force colonel says he was wrongly disciplined after refusing to sign a certificate of appreciation to the same-sex spouse of a retiring master sergeant.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Leland Bohannon, who cited his religious beliefs for not signing the document, was relieved of his command of the inspection agency at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. A superior officer also sent a letter recommending against his promotion after an Equal Opportunity complaint against him was substantiated.
A religious liberties group is representing Bohannon and demands that the complaint is reversed and that related unfavorable materials are removed from his service record.
The certificate is an unofficial document traditionally given to the spouses of retiring military members. Bohannon has since been transferred to Washington, D.C.
___
LAB WORKERS-RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION
Los Alamos lab workers contaminated by radioactive material
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Workers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory were contaminated after radioactive particles were released into the air inside the lab's plutonium facility.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the lab accident last month was the second time in four weeks that the same crew was exposed to radioactive material. The clothes of three workers were contaminated as was the skin on one of them.
Lab spokesman Matt Nerzig says the three workers did not receive a measurable dose, and the public was not in danger. He says the worker with the skin contamination "was successfully and thoroughly decontaminated — mostly by washing off the contamination with water."
A report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board states the workers were wearing protective clothing and air purifying respirators.
___
LOS ALAMOS-SCHOOL THREAT
Teen accused of school threat released from juvenile custody
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy accused of threatening to "shoot up" Los Alamos High School has been released from juvenile custody and allowed to attend an alternative education program.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports that the student will attend an alternative program at the school district's administration building and was ordered to stay away from the high school except to attend welding classes at a nearby University of New Mexico branch campus.
Under other conditions of his release, the student cannot have a weapon on school grounds, must wear a monitoring bracelet and not have contact with the high school principal.
The student is accused of making the alleged shooting threat Oct. 18 after he was expelled for vandalizing school property while out on another conditional release from a Sept. 12 incident.

GAMBLING REVENUES
New Mexico horse-racing tracks see drop in slot revenue
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Slot machine revenue at New Mexico horse-racing tracks has declined to its lowest point since the opening of the state's newest track in 2005, but no one is certain what's driving the drop.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that state economists expect the revenue from slots at tracks to continuing dropping over the next five years.
One of the state's top finance experts, Sen. John Arthur Smith says the decline is tracking with a decline in the lottery, indicating that the state gambling industry has matured and is not growing.
The net win from track slots during the last fiscal year was about $226 million, down from $241 million the previous year and down from about $265 million in 2015.
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GAY RODEO-PHOTO ESSAY
Gay rodeo draws cowboys, drag queens to Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dozens of cowboys and cowgirls are competing in the World Gay Rodeo Finals this weekend after riding bulls, roping calves and dressing goats in Las Vegas.
More than 70 people from across the U.S. participated in Sin City's gay rodeo last month. The International Gay Rodeo Association circuit is now in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the finals.
Chris Tobin of Denver participated in various events at the Las Vegas rodeo, including bull and steer riding. He says he wasn't raised a cowboy, but participating in rodeos has become his passion after he discovered the sport three years ago.
Under association rules, men and women can participate in all events, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Circuit events feature typical rodeo events as well as nontraditional ones such as goat dressing, where contestants try to slip a pair of briefs on a goat.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Dona Ana County official enters race for lieutenant governor
The Democratic race for New Mexico lieutenant is getting crowded, with a member of the Dona Ana County Commission being the fifth and latest hopeful to join the contest.
Billy Garrett has served on the county commission since 2011. He announced his candidacy for the state office Friday.
Other candidates for the Democratic nomination include state Sen. Michael Padilla of Albuquerque, retired Eagle Nest teacher Jeff Carr, former state House Majority Leader Rick Miera of Albuquerque and juvenile probation officer David McTeigue of Rio Rancho.
The party's nominee will run on a ticket with the Democratic nominee for governor.
Former Indian Affairs Department Secretary Kelly Zunie is running for the Republican Party nomination.

ALBUQUERQUE-CARJACKING-CRASH
Albuquerque police: Carjacked vehicle in crash during chase
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a vehicle carjacked at gunpoint collided with another vehicle, causing life-threatening injuries.
Police say the crash occurred Saturday morning when the stolen vehicle ran a red light during a pursuit.
Additional details aren't immediately available.

AMAZON-NEW HQ-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico lawmakers back Albuquerque's Amazon bid
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Nineteen New Mexico lawmakers say they're ready to work with Amazon to create "one of the best places on earth to work and live."
The New Mexico House Republican Caucus sent a letter Friday to the founder of the e-commerce giant, Jeff Bezos, in support of the city of Albuquerque's bid to host the company's second headquarters.
It comes a day after proposals were submitted by cities across the U.S. and Canada. They're all clamoring at the prospect of landing an estimated $5 billion in investments by Amazon and as many as 50,000 jobs.
Boasting about hundreds of miles of bike trails, the Santa Fe Opera and the highest number of resident PhDs per capita, the lawmakers say no other state can match New Mexico's range of cultural and recreational experiences.

WILDFIRE-SQUIRREL HABITAT
Estimated population of squirrel plummets after wildfire
PHOENIX (AP) — State officials say an endangered squirrel species' estimated population has apparently plummeted since a major wildfire burned much of its habitat atop a southeastern Arizona mountain last summer.
The state Game and Fish Department says an annual multi-agency survey of the Mount Graham red squirrel produced an estimate of only 35 squirrels, which is only 14 percent of the 252 squirrels estimated in 2016.
Department officials the lightning-ignited fire caused unprecedented impacts to the squirrel habitat but they caution that they're not sure whether their standard survey methods provided an accurate estimate in severely burned areas.
Officials say surveyors observed some squirrels where they didn't live previously.
The department says officials are now considering steps to help the squirrel population's chances for survival.
The species was declared endangered in 1987.

STUDENT KILLED-APPEAL DENIED
State high court upholds man's conviction in 2012 killing
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has turned down an appeal of a Cibola County man convicted of killing an Albuquerque man whose body was dumped in a large hole left from a collapsed lava tube at El Malpais (mal-pie-EES') National Monument near Grants in west-central New Mexico.
Bryce Franklin of San Rafael was convicted of first-degree murder and in the 2012 killing of 23-year-old Fernando Enriquez, an architecture student at the University of New Mexico.
Franklin was sentenced to life in prison plus 7.5 years.
Franklin's appeal argued that his constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated because his trial didn't start for 32 months after he was indicted, but the state high court concluded otherwise in its ruling Thursday.
Another man charged in the case testified against Franklin.

NAVAJO GIRL KILLED-THE LATEST
The Latest: Navajo leader supported death penalty in case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye says he told prosecutors that the tribe would have supported the death penalty for the killer of an 11-year-old girl.
Tom Begaye was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole as part of a plea deal in the 2016 rape and murder of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike. Russell and Tom Begaye are not related.
The tribal leader told The Associated Press he told prosecutors the tribe would have supported the death penalty.
Tribes for decades including the Navajo Nation have almost always rejected that option.
Begaye says his tribe should consider backing the death penalty in killings of children and police officers.​