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New Mexico News for Friday March 31, 2017

3/31/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment

MEXICAN WOLF CAPTURED
Mexican wolf from reintroduction effort captured in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) — A female Mexican wolf from an ongoing reintroduction effort in Mexico has been captured on private ranch land in southeastern Arizona.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials say the wolf captured Sunday has been relocated to the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility in New Mexico, where it is in good health.
Management agencies in the U.S. and Mexico will determine the most appropriate long-term management action for the young wolf.
Authorities say the wolf was born last year at a captive wolf breeding facility in Cananea, Mexico, and released last October about 90 miles from the international border.
The last collar radio transmission was Feb. 14 from 21 miles south of the international border with New Mexico.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS HOSPITALIZED
Authorities: Alamogordo student gives Xanax to classmates

(Information from: Alamogordo Daily News, http://www.alamogordonews.com)
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Alamogordo police are conducting a criminal investigation after an estimated 16 Chaparral Middle School students were transported to a hospital after a classmate gave them prescription medication.
Alamogordo Public Schools officials say an eighth grade student brought a bottle of Xanax to school Thursday morning and distributed the medication.
Xanax is a sedative used to treat anxiety or a panic disorder.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that students who ingested the medication were taken to the hospital by either ambulance or a parent.
School officials say the hospitalized students are doing OK.
They say disciplinary action will be brought against the student who brought Xanax to school and they will evaluate the students who took the medication.

STOLEN MAIL-PLEA
Albuquerque woman facing prison for stealing from mailboxes

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Albuquerque woman is facing up to a five-year sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing mail.
Prosecutors say 36-year-old JoAnn Bell of Albuquerque had a change of plea hearing Thursday in federal court.
Bell was arrested last September.
She was accused of stealing mail from U.S. Postal Service mail collection boxes outside of the post offices in Albuquerque.
Prosecutors say Bell used a device she fed into the mailbox to "fish" mail out.
Bell was arrested after authorities found her asleep with the device and stolen mail in her lap in a vehicle parked outside a post office.
Her sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled, but prosecutors say Bell faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

FUEL TANK-COCAINE
$1M of cocaine found in truck's fuel tank at border crossing

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials say an officer's suspicions and use of a drug-smelling dog and an X-ray system led to the discovery of cocaine with an estimated street value $1 million at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing.
Customs and Border Protection officials say 31 pounds (14 kilograms) of cocaine were found Wednesday in a pickup's fuel tank at the Santa Teresa port of entry in southern New Mexico.
Officials say an officer making a secondary examination noticed irregularities in the vehicle's appearance and that the dog then alerted for the presence of narcotics. The X-ray system showed anomalies within the fuel tank. It was removed and opened, resulting in the discovery of 12 cocaine-filled packages.
The driver, a 22-year-old American male from El Paso, Texas, was arrested. His name wasn't released.

NEW MEXICO OFFICER KILLED
Man accused in officer's slaying rejects plea deal

(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — An Ohio man accused in the 2016 slaying of a police officer in New Mexico has rejected a plea agreement, clearing the way for a trial later this year.
Jesse Denver Hanes appeared Wednesday in federal court in Las Cruces. He told the judge he couldn't plead guilty to something he didn't do.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the proposed agreement called for Hanes to plead guilty to 14 charges in pending cases out of New Mexico and Ohio.
The victims — Hatch Police Officer José Chavez and Theodore Timmons of Ross County, Ohio — were shot and killed just weeks apart last summer.
Had Hanes accepted the offer, prosecutors say he would have been spared a possible death sentence in Ohio. New Mexico does not have the death penalty.

UNIVERSITY TIGHTENS BUDGET
University of New Mexico looking to tighten its budget

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Acting University President Chaouki Abdallah says it's time to tighten the University of New Mexico's purse strings.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Abdallah spoke at a campus town hall meeting last week and told the audience that less state funding and enrollment declines have caused the university to exercise money-saving measures at a campus town hall meeting this week.
With the university expecting state funding to drop again this year, Abdallah is looking into everything from employee furloughs to consolidating UNM's class schedule into four days. The university has already implemented a hiring freeze.
New Mexico state government is facing its own budget crunch. Lawmakers said earlier this month that without new revenue streams, additional funding cuts to public school and state agencies are inevitable.

CHILD PORN WOMAN SENTENCED
New Mexico woman gets 15-year-old term for making child porn

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A 28-year-old southeastern New Mexico woman who admitted making child pornography faces 15 years in prison.
Kyla Lashawn Norby of Hobbs was sentenced Wednesday in Las Cruces after pleading guilty June 22 to production of child pornography.
Norby also must pay $210,000 of restitution to the victim.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Norby's arrest in January 2016 resulted from an investigation begun after an Odessa, Texas, man disclosed to authorities that Norby made a toddler child sexually available to him.
The office says a search of the man's cellphone revealed incriminating photos that Norby sent to the Texas man.

BUDGET CRUNCH-THINGS TO KNOW
Republican administration in New Mexico seeks spending cuts

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Concerns about New Mexico's short-term cash reserves are taking center stage as state lawmakers await veto decisions by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez on a budget for the coming fiscal year.
Top finance officials under Martinez said Wednesday that a $102 million operating reserve cushion leaves the state perilously close to insolvency as the fiscal year comes to a close in June.
Martinez says she is preparing plans to possibly furlough state government workers as soon as April, and reduce service days at state museums, parks and motor vehicle offices.
Leading Democratic lawmakers are calling the governor's reaction overblown and an unnecessary threat to state workers. Legislators have their own concerns about dwindling state cash as the federal government delays a $70 million payment on an oil and gas lease sale.

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New Mexico News for Thursday March 30, 2017

3/30/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment

PILOT DIES
American Airlines pilot dies after medical episode on flight

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An American Airlines pilot died after having a medical episode just before landing in Albuquerque.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the captain declared a medical emergency on flight 1353 a couple of minutes before landing at Albuquerque International Sunport on Wednesday evening.
A spokesman for the airline tells the newspaper that the captain landed the flight from Dallas-Fort Worth without incident. The plane taxied normally to a gate and was met by paramedics. American Airlines first officer William "Mike" Grubbs was pronounced dead.
In 2015, an American Airlines pilot died on a flight from Phoenix to Boston.

MAN WITH MACHETE ARRESTED
Albuquerque police arrest man who had machete outside store

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say a man who allegedly threatened customers outside an Albuquerque grocery store with a machete has been arrested.
The man's name wasn't immediately released Wednesday night.
Police say they received reports of an armed man at the store in southeast Albuquerque about 4:45 p.m.
When officers responded, police say the suspect ran into a backyard of a house.
That prompted officers to set up a perimeter around the area.
A police dog searched for the suspect and found him hiding in bushes.
Police say the machete was recovered from bushes.
They say the man has been taken to a hospital and will be booked on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY
Police: Bogus money being circulated in New Mexico, Arizona


ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico and Arizona are warning the public about counterfeit money that is being passed around.
Roswell police say multiple local businesses have been victimized the past few days when fake bills in denominations ranging from 10s to 100s were used to purchase items.
In Arizona, Mohave County Sheriff's officials say bogus currency has been passed in Lake Havasu City the past few weeks.
Investigators believe the counterfeit bills in both states are coming from or being produced by the same source.
They say all of the bills have what looks like oriental writing in a reddish color on parts of them.
The writing has been scratched out on some bills.
In addition, authorities say the fake bills are slightly smaller than legitimate folding money.



LEGISLATION
New Mexico creates repair fund for state trust lands

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor has signed legislation to gradually set aside up to $5 million to help repair damaged or polluted state trust lands.
The bill signed by Gov. Susana Martinez on Wednesday creates the State Trust Lands Restoration and Remediation Fund. The account can be tapped to clean up illegal dumping, restore watersheds from wildfire damage or deal with invasive plant species.
Republican Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn proposed the legislation as his agency grappled with waste-water spills by a financially troubled oil-well company and wildfire recovery efforts.
The new fund gets 1 percent of revenues from the state's land maintenance fund, or about $580,000 annually.
The maintenance fund is the source of the State Land Office's operating budget and receives money from activities ranging from cattle grazing to oil extraction.

PECAN WEEVIL
Pecan weevil affecting some residential trees in New Mexico

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The state Department of Agriculture says a small number of residential pecan trees are being affected by pecan weevil in five eastern New Mexico cities.
Pecan weevil is a significant insect pest of pecan and is not recognized as being established in New Mexico commercial orchards.
Recently, pecan weevil has been identified in residential trees in Clovis, Roswell and Lovington.
Additional pecan trees were identified with pecan weevil in Artesia and Hobbs.
As a result, the agriculture department has extended the original 60-day quarantine, adding an additional 90 days.
To limit the spread of pecan weevil from infested residential trees to commercial orchards, movement of pecans produced within the city limits of Clovis, Roswell, Hobbs, Artesia and Lovington are restricted.

METH TRAFFICKING SENTENCE
Arizona man gets 63 months in prison in New Mexico drug case

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — An Arizona man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking in New Mexico.
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Carlos Matta Heredia of Phoenix received a 63-month prison term Wednesday in a Las Cruces court, followed by three years of supervised release.
Heredia was arrested last May after authorities found about six pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Luna County.
Authorities say Heredia admitted he was transporting the drugs with the intention of delivering them to another person.
Heredia pleaded guilty in September to charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

FLASH DROUGHT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico hit by 'flash drought' weather phenomenon

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Across New Mexico, unusually warm March weather and virtually no rain for a month combined to create a weather phenomenon called a flash drought.
The conditions resulted in dust storms that closed highways, warnings for some to stay inside and rapid mountain snow melting that could compromise drinking water supplies and farmers' irrigation needs.
Flash droughts leave top layers of soil bone dry.
Other affected areas include pockets of Arizona and Utah plus northern California and parts of the Midwest.
National Weather Service hydrologist Royce Fontenot says New Mexico's flash drought is ending as quickly as it began thanks to rain this week.
It's too early to say whether more severe drought conditions could affect New Mexico as summer nears.
Forecasters hope for a wet monsoon season.

BAIL BOND REFORM-DA
DA seeks answers from New Mexico Supreme Court on bail rules

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The top prosecutor for New Mexico's most populous judicial district wants the state Supreme Court to clarify the circumstances under which certain defendants can be held without bail pending trial.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez announced Wednesday that he'll be filing a writ with the high court.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Torrez's move came after he watched a federal proceeding in which a U.S. magistrate ordered Paul Salas held pending trial. Salas is accused of 47 armed robberies in the Albuquerque area.
Salas is facing state and federal charges. In state court, prosecutors tried to get him held without bail but a judge instead set bond at $100,000, which Salas didn't post.
Last year, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing state judges to hold certain defendants without bail pending trial.

ROSWELL-5 KILLED
AG: Man accused of killing family is returned to New Mexico

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A man accused of killing his family in Roswell last summer has been extradited and is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas made the announcement Wednesday.
Juan David Villegas-Hernandez was taken into custody by Sonora state police in June after investigators in Roswell said the 34-year-old shot and killed his wife, Cynthia Villegas, and their four daughters.
The bodies were discovered by relatives who stopped by the family's home after not hearing from them for several days.
Court documents say Cynthia Villegas had just asked her husband for a divorce. A criminal complaint provided some details about an unhappy and unemployed husband worried about infidelity and a wife fearful of a man who had become controlling and threatening.
It's not immediately known whether Villegas-Hernandez has a lawyer.

DEPUTY SHOOTS DEPUTY
Detective says resources were denied in deputy shooting case


LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A detective assigned to investigate a 2014 deadly shooting involving two Santa Fe County sheriff's deputies says she was deliberately obstructed by her supervisors because she had previously reported sexual misconduct within the detectives' unit at the Las Cruces Police Department.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/2nktMQw) Detective Irma Palos leveled the allegations in a whistleblower lawsuit filed last fall.
The retrial of Tai Chan, the former deputy accused of killing his partner, is set for May. Authorities have said the shooting followed an alcohol-fueled argument during a stopover in Las Cruces while the deputies were transporting an inmate.
Palos' allegations call into question the integrity of the investigation.
The city of Las Cruces in a separate court filing disputes the accusations. The city wants Palos' complaint to be dismissed.




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New Mexico State News for Wednesday March 29th, 2017

3/29/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment 

CLIMATE PLAN-NEW MEXICO-THE LATEST
The Latest: New Mexico AG opposes Trump's executive order


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has joined other attorneys general to oppose President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order aimed at unraveling a federal plan restricting greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Balderas and the others said the Clean Power Plan is essential to mitigating climate change's effect on public health and the environment. They also warned that court action is a possibility.
Trump argues that the order would revive the coal industry and create a level playing field for energy interests.
Environmentalists in New Mexico say renewable energy and energy efficiency programs have created jobs in the state and that continuing on that path would boost job growth and reduce pollution.

UNM PRESIDENT SEARCH
UNM extends its search for new president until at least fall


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico is pushing back its search for a new president until at least this fall.
The selection of UNM's 22nd president originally was expected to happen by this spring.
But according to a statement issued Tuesday by the president of UNM's Board of Regents, the committee charged with evaluating candidates and picking semifinalists wants to slow down the process and extend it into the 2017-18 academic year.
The search committee wants more time to review and evaluate candidates.
Chaouki Abdallah currently serves as the school's acting president.
Former UNM President Bob Frank announced last September that he would not seek another term when his five-year contract expired and stepped down in December.


ACLU-BORDER OFFICE
ACLU to move border rights office to El Paso from Las Cruces


LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union plans to move a regional center on border rights to El Paso, Texas, from Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The ACLU says it will move the regional office 46 miles (74 kilometers) south to El Paso in September to expand its presence and influence in the region and that it'll keep a small presence in Las Cruces.
The office is a collaboration of ACLU affiliates in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and San Diego.
ACLU of New Mexico Executive Director Peter Simonson says El Paso is "an epicenter of border enforcement activity and all the civil and human rights problems that come with it. "
Simonson says ACLU of New Mexico is exploring whether to open a small office in Las Cruces after the regional office moves.


1995 MURDER RETRIAL
Man deported after 1995 murder conviction gets new trial


(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A man who was in prison for 10 years and deported to Mexico for killing his girlfriend is getting a new trial for the woman's death.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Jose Vallecillo's 1995 conviction in the death of Deborah Anaya was tossed out in January after he told the judge that his past lawyer failed to tell him that his no-contest plea would send the then-legal resident back to Mexico after his jail time.
Vallecillo says he would not have taken the plea if he had known it would lead to deportation.
He is slated to appear in court on Tuesday for a motion hearing.
Vallecillo returned to the United States two years after his deportation and is currently in jail for that re-entry.


SECRETARY OF STATE-RECORDS
Attorney claims AG's office is ignoring records requests


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat last year is accusing the state Attorney General of withholding public records out of political spite.
Blair Dunn has filed three separate lawsuits accusing Attorney General Hector Balderas' office of violating the Inspection of Public Records Act. Dunn says Balderas is letting his staff ignore Dunn's requests because of politics.
Attorney General's Office spokesman James Hallinan says Dunn mistyped the email address for requesting public records and that his requests were never received. He says that now that the office has received Dunn's requests, they are being handled.
Dunn is seeking emails or other communications employees of the Attorney General's office had with two people who have pending whistleblower lawsuits against the Secretary of State's Office.

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New Mexico News for Tuesday March 28, 2017

3/28/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment 

LEGISLATIVE REVIEW-THE LATEST
The Latest: Governor says New Mexico is facing a crisis soon

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez says New Mexico is facing a crisis and soon will not be able to sign checks or pay contracts and that employee furloughs are possible.
She outlined the state's dire fiscal situation during a luncheon with business leaders, real estate professionals and others Monday in Albuquerque.
The two-term Republican governor criticized the Democrat-controlled Legislature, saying lawmakers chose to craft a budget that relied on raising taxes and fees to the tune of $350 million. She repeated her promise not to sign any of the tax increase measures.
She also vowed to call lawmakers back for a special session and said they would have to address budget problems stemming from the current fiscal year as well as the stalemate over next year's budget.

NURSES TACKLE SUICIDE
Project aims to help school nurses tackle suicide rates

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Researchers in New Mexico, California and Maryland are working with public school nurses in hopes of curbing suicide rates within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community by making school grounds safer.
University of New Mexico pediatrics professor Mary Ramos and colleagues at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the University of California-San Diego are leading the four-year project.
The researchers note that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. and those rates are three to four times higher for lesbian, gay and transgender students than their peers.
The team hopes a model for change led by school nurses will result in more schools creating safe environments.
The project is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.



ROSWELL COLD CASE
Roswell police issue arrest warrant in 2005 double murder

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Police in Roswell have issued an arrest warrant for an imprisoned man suspected of killing two brothers nearly 12 years ago.
They say 33-year-old Gabriel Thyberg is believed to have fatally shot 50-year-old Reynaldo Jimenez and 54-year-old Robert Jimenez in the kitchen of their east Roswell home in May 2005.
Police say Thyberg allegedly was angry that the brothers had previously refused to give him heroin when he didn't have the money to pay for it.
Thyberg currently is incarcerated in the federal prison in Herlong, California after a conviction.
He's scheduled to be released in November 2020.
Roswell police and the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's Office say they're working to have Thyberg temporarily transferred to New Mexico custody so he can be arrested and prosecuted on the double-murder case.

TRINITY SITE-PROTEST
Biannual Trinity Site tour to be met with protest

(Information from: Alamogordo Daily News, http://www.alamogordonews.com)
TULAROSA, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico residents living near the test site of the first atomic bomb plan to hold a demonstration as visitors caravan to the Trinity Site for a tour.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that the Tularosa Basin Downwinders advocacy group will be protesting Saturday.
On July 16, 1945, scientists from the then-secret city of Los Alamos successfully exploded the first atomic bomb at the Trinity Site. The bomb later was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The group says the test altered the gene pools of residents in surrounding communities. Members say descendants have been plagued with cancer and other illnesses.
The group has been lobbying for compensation and apologies from the federal government for years.
The Trinity Site is open to the public only on the first Saturdays in April and October.


NAVAJO NATION-FATAL STABBING
Man pleads guilty in killing of man who went to aid woman

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Navajo Nation man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of another Navajo man who was stabbed during a fight when he went to the aid of a woman who was his friend and the other man's girlfriend.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 23-year-old Nochise Martinez will be sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty Monday in federal court in Albuquerque.
An FBI agent's affidavit says the victim was stabbed multiple times when he went to the home of Martinez's girlfriend after she texted him to ask for help because Martinez was breaking windows of her home and car.
The victim was killed Dec. 31 in the area of Ramah, New Mexico.
Court records only refer to the victim as "John Doe."

TERRORIST GRAFFITI
'Terrorist' written outside Muslim man's New Mexico business

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe police say they cannot arrest the man they suspect of writing the word terrorist in front of a Muslim man's store.
Business owner Mohamed "Ziggy" Rzig says he found the word written in chalk outside the Pyramid Cafe on Sunday.
Santa Fe Police Department Lt. Sean Strahon says the act is not being considered a hate crime and because no physical damages were made, prosecutors cannot press charges.
Rzig says a man to his cafe Saturday upset and called him and his employees terrorists. Since the cafe has no outdoor cameras, Rzig has no evidence to prove that the same man wrote the word.
Strahon says the suspect appears to be mentally ill and added that department has been trying to get him help.


FATAL STABBING-SANTA FE
Santa Fe man suspected of fatally stabbing neighbor

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing death of his neighbor in Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Matthew Rodriguez was arrested Saturday and is being jailed without bond.
Police haven't yet determined a motive for the killing but Lt. Sean Strahon says the suspect has admitted to stabbing the 64-year-old victim with a knife.
Police had responded to Smith's duplex to find the victim injured. The man was taken to a hospital and later died.
The victim, who has not yet been identified, had lived in a van parked in the driveway of a home next door to Rodriguez's residence.
Jail records show Rodriguez has a history of arrests for only minor crimes.

CARLSBAD SINKING
Efforts coalesce to avoid cavern collapse in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A state Cabinet secretary says New Mexico is only a few steps away from being able to backfilling a giant underground cavern before it collapses underneath a community of mobile homes and critical transportation routes in southern New Mexico.
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Ken McQueen said Monday that his agency will be prepared as soon as July to help commission engineering plans to shore up a cavity left by the extraction of a salt formation. The formation has been washed away to use as brine by the oil and gas industry for drilling operations.
Funding for the remediation plans still requires the governor's signature and local matching dollars.
Carlsbad City Councilor Richard Doss represents residents at the threatened crossroads and says tensions are high over a possible evacuation.

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New Mexico State News for Monday March 27, 2017

3/27/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 6:05 a.m.

BOY KILLED-HOUSE FIRE
Las Cruces mobile home fire leaves boy dead

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a 3-year-old boy has been killed in a mobile home fire in Las Cruces.
The child's parents were able to escape the Sunday morning blaze with their 7-month-old daughter without serious injuries.
Firefighters were able to get into the single-wide mobile home where they found the boy unresponsive. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

FATAL STABBING-SANTA FE
Santa Fe man suspected of fatally stabbing neighbor

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing death of his neighbor in Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Matthew Rodriguez was arrested Saturday and is being jailed without bond.
Police haven't yet determined a motive for the killing but Lt. Sean Strahon says the suspect has admitted to stabbing the 64-year-old victim with a knife.
Police had responded to Smith's duplex to find the victim injured. The man was taken to a hospital and later died.
The victim, who has not yet been identified, had lived in a van parked in the driveway of a home next door to Rodriguez's residence.
Jail records show Rodriguez has a history of arrests for only minor crimes.

CAR WASH SHOOTING
Man critically injured in shooting at Albuquerque car wash

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police are investigating a shooting at a car wash that has left a man in critical condition.
Officer Fred Duran says one person has been taken into custody following the Sunday evening incident.
Witnesses reported that the victim, who has not yet been identified, was shot three times.
Shawn Tillman told the Albuquerque Journal he was nearby when he heard the gunshots followed by a woman's scream. He then ran to the car wash, where he says he rendered aid to the victim until medics arrived.
Police have not yet released details about what prompted the shooting.

POWER PLANT JOBS
Expected power plant closures spark unemployment fears

(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — One of three coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners region of the southwest has been partially shut down and the other two could close in the next five years.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the change likely means cleaner air in the region where the borders of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. But it also means hundreds of lost jobs for plant workers and coal miners, many of them members of the Navajo and Hopi tribes.
The Public Service Company of New Mexico, the state's largest utility company, announced last week that it is considering closing the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington as soon as 2022 and is already planning to shut down half of its coal-fired units.

LAS CRUCES HOMICIDE-BOND
Prosecutors want bond for Las Cruces suspect increased

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in Las Cruces say a judge has denied their request to hold a 19-year-old man suspected of brutally killing a man with a shovel on no bond.
They say Taylor James "TJ" Enriquez had his bond reduced to $100,000 and that a judge refused to increase it.
Enriquez faces charges of murder, false imprisonment and battery in connection to the late February death of 23-year-old Alberto Nunez-Lopez of Mesquite.
Police were dispatched to a home around 8 p.m. Sunday and found a man with multiple lacerations to his head and neck.
Police say it appears the two men got into a fight and Enriquez allegedly used a shovel to strike Nunez on the head and then a bottle to strike the victim's neck.

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New Mexico State News Sunday March 26, 2017

3/26/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 09:55 a.m.

TRUMP VISITOR LOGS
Senators seek visitor logs from White House, Mar-a-Lago

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's two U.S. senators are joining several fellow Democrats in calling for the visitor logs at the White House and other properties President Donald Trump frequents be released publicly.
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed have introduced the "Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act," or Mar-a-Lago Act. It's a not-so-subtle reference to Trump's Florida estate, where he's met with various dignitaries.
The lawmakers say the legislation is in response to the Trump administration's refusal to extend President Barack Obama's policy of releasing visitor logs at the White House, 90-to-120 days after they were created.
It would also apply to other Trump Organization properties.
Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico and Tom Carper of Delaware and Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois are also co-sponsoring the bill.


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New Mexico News for Saturday March 25, 2017

3/25/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 9:20 a.m. MDT 

LAS CRUCES HOMICIDE-BOND
Prosecutors want bond for Las Cruces suspect increased

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in Las Cruces say a judge has denied their request to hold a 19-year-old man suspected of brutally killing a man with a shovel on no bond.
They say Taylor James "TJ" Enriquez had his bond reduced to $100,000 and that a judge refused to increase it.
Enriquez faces charges of murder, false imprisonment and battery in connection to the late February death of 23-year-old Alberto Nunez-Lopez of Mesquite.
Police were dispatched to a home around 8 p.m. Sunday and found a man with multiple lacerations to his head and neck.
Police say it appears the two men got into a fight and Enriquez allegedly used a shovel to strike Nunez on the head and then a bottle to strike the victim's neck.

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GOES UP​
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's unemployment rate went up in February, ensuring the state would again have the country's highest percentage of unemployed workers.
Statistics released by state and federal officials on Friday show that New Mexico's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in February, up from 6.7 percent in January.
The national unemployment rate is 4.7 percent.
Only Alaska and Alabama have jobless rates in the six-percent range.
Reports indicate that government jobs declined by 500 positions. State leaders have often said New Mexico depends too heavily on government jobs.
The downturn in the oil and gas industry has also negatively affected the job rate.

LAS CRUCES TWO NEW DEPARTMENT HEADS
Las Cruces has new city attorney, economic development head 

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Las Cruces has a new city attorney and a new director of the just-created economic development department.
City Manager Stuart Ed announced on Friday that Jennifer Vega-Brown will be the new city attorney while Philip San Filippo will run the economic development department.
Vega-Brown comes from Rio Rancho, where she worked as city attorney and assistant city attorney. She used to be assistant county attorney and public information officer for Bernalillo County. Vega-Brown starts the job on April 10.
San Filippo has already been running the new department on an interim basis and officially starts the job on March 27. He's the prior executive director of Visit Las Cruces and also has experience in the private sector.

ARTESIA HOMICIDE-ARREST
Third man arrested in beating death of Roswell man

(Information from: Artesia Daily Press, http://www.artesianews.com)
ARTESIA, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a third suspect in the killing of a 49-year-old Roswell man.
The Artesia Daily Press reports that the Eddy County Sheriff's Office arrested 21-year-old Ryan Morgan of Artesia on Wednesday in connection to the beating death of Danny Mendes on March 5.
Mendes was found on a roadway and died of blunt force trauma to the head. Police described his killing as a bludgeoning.
Police have also arrested 26-yearold Michael Jimenez and 21-year-old Shabriel Lopez in connection the case.
Authorities believe the men drove to a remote area after partying and committing burglaries. Morgan told police he hit Mendes in the back of the head with a hammer but that Jimenez kept hitting him. It's unclear what prompted the beating.
Morgan is facing one count of first-degree murder.

STATE POLICE OFFICER-DWI
NMSP officer resigns following wreck, aggravated DWI arrest

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico State Police officer resigned after being arrested in an alleged off-duty DWI wreck in which Roswell police said his SUV struck two parked vehicles and flipped over March 17.
Paul Flores pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated DWI, careless driving and negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Defense attorney Luke Ragsdale said Friday he couldn't discuss details of the case or why Ragsdale resigned but said Flores denies driving under the influence.
Roswell Police Department spokesman Todd Wildermuth said the weapons count accuses Flores of possessing his NMSP-issued weapon in his vehicle while driving under the influence.
An NMSP spokesman, Sgt. Chad Pearce, said Flores had been at the home of another NMSP officer before the wreck and had worked for the department for 14 years.

SPRING STORM-NEW MEXICO
Northbound I-25 closed in Raton area of northern New Mexico

RATON, N.M. (AP) — Northbound Interstate 25 is closed in northern New Mexico near the Colorado line due to blizzard or white-out conditions from the bottom of a spring storm in Colorado.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation says northbound I-25 was closed Friday morning between Raton and Raton Pass, which is on the state line.
The National Weather Service says snowfall and strong winds will continue in the Raton area and other mountain areas of northern New Mexico through midday Friday.
Forecasters say snowfall amounts will be light to moderate but that visibility will be near zero at times due to snow and blowing snow.
Strong winds are expected much of central and eastern New Mexico through Friday.

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New Mexico State News Friday March 24, 2017

3/24/2017

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Analysis: Uninsured rate in New Mexico would climb again 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An analysis by New Mexico insurance regulators projects "a major potential impact" from Republican plans to overhaul former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.
The state Office of the Superintendent of Insurance released its report Friday as Congress prepared for a vote on the proposed overhaul.
Among many things, the bill would eliminate unpopular fines on those who do not obtain coverage and the often generous subsidies for those who purchase insurance. The proposal also would end Medicaid expansion.
State regulators estimate that the rolls of those with individual coverage plans would shrink by thousands and the uninsured rate in New Mexico would double to 18 percent by 2026 if the changes are enacted. That's close to the rate of people without insurance before the current law took effect.

Martinez to consider bill to combine local elections 
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A piece of legislation awaiting Gov. Susana Martinez's signature would reshape the political landscape for school boards, cities and other nonpartisan local governments in New Mexico by consolidating elections and putting them before voters in November every other year.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that currently, such elections draw little attention, with some garnering zero ballots.
Political analyst Brian Sanderoff says combining school board and municipal elections could boost turnout significantly. School elections draw maybe 5 percent turnout on their own, but Sanderoff says municipalities attract up to 45 percent.
Municipalities would have the option of opting out of the combined elections. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull says Rio Rancho will likely take that option.
Martinez has until April 7 to sign the bill or it automatically is vetoed.


Feds: Woman falsely claimed millions in false tax return 
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Federal authorities say a 71-year-old Rio Rancho woman who admitted filing a false tax return claiming a refund to the tune of $958 million for one year's taxes has been sentenced.
Frances Jo Mehner was sentenced Wednesday to 207 days in federal prison, which she has already served.
Mehner pleaded guilty to filing a false for federal tax refunds, admitting that in January 2010 she presented a tax refund claim of $958 million that she was not entitled to.
Mehner's plea agreement says she owes no restitution to the government based on her guilty plea.
Authorities say Mehner will have to comply with several special conditions during her term of supervised release, including filing in a timely, accurate way and communicating with the IRS through an attorney.


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New Mexico News Thursday March 23, 2017

3/23/2017

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Albuquerque man charged with 47 felony charges 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Albuquerque man is accused of committing 47 armed robberies in a five-month period.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that police arrested 46-year-old Paul Salas March 16 after he robbed a Verizon Wireless store of cash, 22 new iPhones and a tracking device.
Police say they used the tracking device to follow Salas into a parking garage and arrest him.
Police have also connected him with robberies at several other local businesses including ice cream shops, taco joints, auto parts stores and sandwich chains. Authorities say Salas has admitted to being involved to all 47 robberies.
Prosecutors say Salas is also a fugitive out of Arizona, where he also faces charges of attempted sexual contact with a minor.
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New Mexico News for Thursday March 23, 2017

3/23/2017

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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 6:20 a.m. MDT 
NEW MEXICO DROUGHT
Drought threatens return with warm, dry weather
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Forecasters with the National Weather Service say warm temperatures and dry weather are combining to create a flash drought across parts of New Mexico.
They issued the warning this week after weighing current conditions. They say the month of March has been bleak when it comes to precipitation and a ridge of high pressure sitting over the state is partly to blame.
Hydrologist Royce Fontenot says temperatures have been well above normal, with several locations setting records. The northeastern community of Clayton topped out at 87 on Saturday, surpassing the record of 81 set in 2004.
Snowpack in southern Colorado — the headwaters of the Rio Grande — is still above normal, but officials are reporting that much of the snow in New Mexico is melting quickly.

CARLSBAD CAVERNS-VISITORS
Carlsbad Caverns sees uptick in visitors
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Carlsbad Caverns is celebrating the highest number of visitor in 15 years.
The national park says it saw higher-than-average visitation for the 2017 spring break season, hosting over 42,000 people in the first three weeks of March.
That's a 44 percent increase in visitors compared to the same period in 2016.
The park is known for its underground limestone caves. Former President Barack Obama and his family visited last summer.

KIDNAPPER-SENTENCED
New Mexico man sentenced in kidnapping of elderly woman
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The Dona Ana County District Attorney says a Las Cruces man has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for kidnapping an elderly woman and stealing her car.
The DA says 44-year-old Andrew Serna of Fairacres was sentenced in the October 2015 case in which he burglarized an 82-year-old woman's home, holding her against her will and stealing her car after dropping her off at a convenience store.
Serna pleaded no contest to kidnapping, residential burglary, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and larceny.
The DA's office had asked for 15 years.

TAOS COUNTY-SHERIFF SERGEANT CHARGED
Taos County sheriff's sergeant charged with fraud
TAOS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a sheriff's office sergeant is facing 21 felony counts of fraud, falsification of documents and perjury.
Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe says Sgt. Ricky Romero was charged Wednesday and that the department has launched an internal investigation.
The charges were brought forward by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, which conducted the investigation. The AG's offices alleges that Romero was taking payments from Medicaid for caring for an elderly person while at the same time billing the sheriff's office for work.
Authorities say the double-dipping took place between April 2012 and September 2013.
Romero has been a Taos County employee for over 16 years.

TRIBAL POLICE OFFICER SHOT-THE LATEST
The Latest: Suspect in Navajo officer's death will be held
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has determined there's probable cause for prosecutors to pursue their case against a man accused of gunning down a police officer on the nation's largest American Indian reservation.
Kirby Cleveland is charged with killing Navajo Nation Officer Houston James Largo on March 11 following what authorities call a drinking binge and domestic violence at the defendant's home in western New Mexico.
Largo was responding to the call when he was shot. He later died from his injuries at a hospital.
Cleveland appeared Wednesday in court, where the judge ordered him held pending trial.
During his initial appearance a day earlier, Cleveland said yes when the judge asked if he understood the allegations in the criminal complaint. He has yet to enter a plea.

CHILD WELFARE
Fate of child abuse bills frustrates New Mexico official
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of New Mexico's child welfare agency is frustrated that a string of measures aimed at closing loopholes and toughening penalties for those convicted of child abuse and similar crimes failed to reach Gov. Susana Martinez's desk.
The 60-day legislative session wrapped up March 18. Left on the agenda were bills that Monique Jacobson, secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department, said would have increased accountability for those who hurt children.
One measure called for increasing penalties for intentional child abuse not resulting in death or great bodily harm.
Jacobson described photographs in which belt marks and bruises covered one boy's legs while another boy had two black eyes. She said such cases can't be minimized.
Lawmakers also let languish a measure boosting protection for social workers battered or assaulted while on the job.

XCEL ENERGY-WIND FARMS
Xcel plans $1.6 billion wind farms in New Mexico, West Texas
PORTALES, N.M. (AP) — Xcel Energy has announced plans to invest $1.6 billion to build wind farms in eastern New Mexico and West Texas.
The energy company announced Tuesday that it has filed proposals with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to construct and operate two facilities and to purchase wind under a third transaction.
Xcel plans to build a 522-megawatt wind facility about 20 miles south of Portales. The new wind farm will be the state's largest, far surpassing Xcel's other 250-watt holding in Roosevelt County. The company also plans to build a 478-megawatt farm in Hale County, Texas, just north of Lubbock.
Officials say the new wind projects will save the company's Texas and New Mexico customers about $2.8 billion over the next 30 years.

SAINTHOOD-OLD WEST NUN
TV production begins on nun who stood up to 'Billy the Kid'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Filming has begun on a television pilot about an Italian-born nun who once challenged Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs and opened schools in the American Southwest.
Saint Hood Productions announced Tuesday that production on "At the End of the Santa Fe Trail" has started in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Chama.
The company said in July it was working on a project involving the 19th-Century nun Sister Blandina Segale, whose clashes with Old West outlaws and work with immigrants has been the stuff of legend.
"At the End of the Santa Fe Trail" is a fictional account based on Segale's life and largely will use material from her 1932 book with the same name.
The Roman Catholic Church is examining Segale for Sainthood.

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