MISSING TORTOISE-RETURNED
Missing 115-year-old tortoise returned to New Mexico owner
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 115-year-old desert tortoise that disappeared from its garden at a New Mexico senior living community was returned.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the tortoise, Diablo, was returned Friday to Manzano del Sol Village. He had ventured to the backyard of a nearby home after a family bought the shell-wearing wanderer from kids at a local park.
Millie Tjeltweed, who owns Diablo, says she doesn't know the circumstances of the tortoise's disappearance.
Tjeltweed says the family that purchased Diablo called the senior living community after seeing a news report on the tortoise's disappearance. Tjeltweed and some administrators from the facility went over to the home, and Tjeltweed was able to verify that it was her pet of 35 years.

TRUCK STOP-FIGHT
Proposed truck stop near Santa Fe faces setback amid protest
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposed truck stop near Santa Fe that is drawing opposition from some residents has suffered a setback.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Santa Fe County rejected the developer's application Friday, finding it incomplete. That means partners in the venture would have to file a new application next month.
County spokeswoman Kristine Mihelcic says the Pilot Flying J Co. application lacked a plan and profile stamped by a New Mexico-registered engineer for site access.
The proposal to construct a 24-hour travel center southwest of the Interstate 25 interchange with New Mexico 14 has inflamed nearby residents.
They have packed meetings held this summer by the national truck stop giant and hope to establish a firewall of community opposition early in the development review process.

ALBUQUERQUE POLICE SHOOTINGS
Family of woman shot by Albuquerque police eye DNA gun test
(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The family of a woman shot and killed by an Albuquerque police officer is asking a court to force him to take a DNA test.
KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports the family of Mary Hawkes believes former officer Jeremy Dear planted the gun police say Hawkes was holding when Dear shot her.
Lawyers for the family say Hawkes' DNA didn't show up on the gun.
The court is expected to rule in late August on whether Dear will have to take a DNA test or not. The request comes as part of a wrongful death lawsuit the family has filed against Dear and the city of Albuquerque.
Dear's lapel camera turn off before he shot and killed her three years ago.

GIRL KILLED-SHOOTING
Teen girl dies in Las Cruces shooting
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (AP) — Police in Las Cruces are investigating the shooting death of a teenage girl.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports she died after at least one shot was fired from the street toward a home on Monte Vista Street.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Her age and name were not immediately released.
The street was closed for the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR CUTS WEEDS
NMSU chancellor gets on tractor to cut weeds
(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The chancellor of New Mexico State University got so tired of looking at weeds on campus he decided to remove them himself.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the university's grounds crew took Chancellor Garrey Carruthers on his offer this week to take out a tractor and a disk to cut some weeds. He told the university's grounds crew that if they didn't have time to cut those weeds he'd do the job.
University spokeswoman Justin Bannister says Carruthers hopped into a John Deere tractor and spent almost an hour cutting weeds in the field to the west of the Las Cruces Convention Center.
The former New Mexico governor tweeted he was having "great fun" and could "do this all day.
His family owns a farm in northwest New Mexico.

LAS CRUCES POLICE CHIEF
Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya to retire on Dec. 23
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya has set his retirement date for later this year.
City Manager Stuart Ed announced Friday that Montoya will retire on Dec. 23.
He was named police chief in December 2013.
Montoya is a 26-year veteran of the Las Cruces Police Department.
He holds a bachelor's degree from New Mexico State University and graduated from the Las Cruces Police Academy in 1991.
During his career, Montoya served as a patrol officer, traffic officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and deputy chief in charge of the department's operations and budget.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS-NEW MEXICO
Zinke tours New Mexico to review monuments
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke steered clear of a heavily attended public forum about the future of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico, as he traveled the state in a nationwide review of 27 national monument designations by previous presidents.
The meeting at the Las Cruces Convention Center on Thursday evening was heavily attended by supporters of the nearby national monument as well as some critics.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reported that Zinke held closed-door conversations with local residents and officials. He did not overtly state support or opposition for reducing the size of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument.
Zinke is scheduled Friday to meet with supporters of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico that is credited with boosting tourism.

HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL-MARTINEZ
Gov. Martinez urges Congress to keep trying on health care
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is urging Congress to keep trying to fix the Affordable Health Care Act.
Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto said Friday the Republican governor believes lawmakers need to find a solution that abolishes the "damaging fees" imposed on working families and businesses by Obamacare.
Cueto said Martinez also wants taxes on medicine and medical devices removed.
He said Martinez still believes that the Affordable Health Care Act "has been a complete disaster" because it raises premiums on families and businesses.
The U.S. Senate failed early Friday to pass a measure aimed at repealing parts of the health care law passed under President Barack Obama.

UNIVERSITY WEEDS
NMSU chancellor gets on tractor to cut weeds 
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The chancellor of New Mexico State University got so tired of looking at weeds on campus he decided to remove them himself.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (https://goo.gl/e2tNVf) the university's grounds crew took Chancellor Garrey Carruthers on his offer this week to take out a tractor and a disk to cut some weeds. He told the university's grounds crew that if they didn't have time to cut those weeds he'd do the job.
University spokeswoman Justin Bannister says Carruthers hopped into a John Deere tractor and spent almost an hour cutting weeds in the field to the west of the Las Cruces Convention Center.
The former New Mexico governor tweeted he was having "great fun" and could "do this all day.
His family owns a farm in northwest New Mexico.

​NATIONAL MONUMENTS-NEW MEXICO
Zinke tours New Mexico to review monuments
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke steered clear of a heavily attended public forum about the future of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico, as he traveled the state in a nationwide review of 27 national monument designations by previous presidents. 
The meeting at the Las Cruces Convention Center on Thursday evening was heavily attended by supporters of the nearby national monument as well as some critics.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reported that Zinke held closed-door conversations with local residents and officials. He did not overtly state support or opposition for reducing the size of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument.
Zinke is scheduled Friday to meet with supporters of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico that is credited with boosting tourism.

BAIL-LAWSUIT
New Mexico Supreme Court sued over pre-trial detention rules
(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is being sued over its recently issued pre-trial detention rules that allow defendants to be held without chance of bond.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a group that includes five state legislators and the Bail Bonds Association of New Mexico filed the lawsuit Friday.
The suit seeks injunctive relief and damages plus a preliminary injunction to block the Supreme Court rules pending outcome of the litigation.
According to the lawsuit, the state's high court has restricted "the liberty of presumptively innocent defendants without offering the one alternative to substantial pre-trial deprivations that the Constitution expressly protects — monetary bail."
The Journal reports state Sens. Richard Martinez, Bill Sharer and Craig Brandt plus state Reps. Bill Rehm and Carl Trujillo are plaintiffs in the suit.

HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL-MARTINEZ
Gov. Martinez urges Congress to keep trying on health care
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is urging Congress to keep trying to fix the Affordable Health Care Act.
Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto said Friday the Republican governor believes lawmakers need to find a solution that abolishes the "damaging fees" imposed on working families and businesses by Obamacare.
Cueto said Martinez also wants taxes on medicine and medical devices removed.
He said Martinez still believes that the Affordable Health Care Act "has been a complete disaster" because it raises premiums on families and businesses.
The U.S. Senate failed early Friday to pass a measure aimed at repealing parts of the health care law passed under President Barack Obama.

JUDGE-SECRET RECORDINGS
New Mexico judge faces criminal complaint for secret tapings
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A criminal complaint has been filed against a suspended New Mexico magistrate court judge accused of secretly recording private conversations at a courthouse.
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office confirmed Friday the office filed a criminal complaint and summons against Connie Johnston in the Eleventh Judicial District Court in San Juan County.
The complaint accuses Johnston of six counts of reading or copying a telegraph or telephone communication of another and violating the Governmental Conduct Act.
The New Mexico Supreme Court suspended Johnston in 2015 from her position as an Aztec Magistrate Court judge.
In March, a district court judge found Johnston in contempt after she failed to provide recordings and transcripts of private conversations captured in the Aztec Magistrate Court building.
Johnston's attorney, Sean Olivas, did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press.

MILITARY-TRANSGENDER-STATES
19 attorneys general seek military transgender protections
HONOLULU (AP) — The top legal officers in 18 states and the District of Columbia are asking Congress to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination against transgender service members.
Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin sent the letter dated Thursday. It asks the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees to include transgender protections in the National Defense Authorization Act. Eighteen other attorneys general also signed the document.
The letter says President Donald Trump's policy banning transgender service members from the military "violates fundamental constitutional and American values."
Attorneys general from the following joined Hawaii in signing the letter: California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

FRAUD RESTITUTION
Las Cruces man to pay about $371K restitution in fraud case
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces man accused of defrauding two elderly persons since 2015 has been ordered to pay more than $371,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors say Raiden Castro pleaded no contest Thursday to 18 counts of fraud.
Castro was accused of defrauding a 79-year-old Las Cruces woman out of more than $300,000 in 2015 and 2016 and a 93-year-old Las Cruces man out of more than $60,000 in December 2016 and January 2017.
He was arrested in January.
According to police investigators, Castro approached potential customers as the owner of landscaping and detailing businesses and befriended them before embezzling cash from them.
Castro has been ordered to undergo a 60-day diagnostic evaluation before sentencing.
Prosecutors say they intend to ask for 25 years in prison, with all but 10 years suspended.

ANIMAL SHELTER-NEW MEXICO
Bernalillo County's animal shelter set to open summer 2018
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County's first animal shelter is scheduled to be completed the by the end of summer 2018.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the shelter will be 17,140 square feet (1,600 square meters) and will have room for about 120 dogs, 67 cats and several other types of animals, including larger ones like horses.
It will also offer veterinary care, pet adoption, microchipping, spaying and neutering in addition to other services.
Misha Goodman, the animal care services director for Bernalillo County, says the county plans to have several other volunteer and recreational opportunities made available to residents, including a possible camp for children.
County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada says the project will cost $7.8 million. It was approved by voters through bonds that were on the ballot in 2012, 2014 and 2016 general elections.

POLICE SHOOTING-BERNALILLO COUNTY
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Dept.: Carjacking suspect dead
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department says a carjacking suspect was fatally shot in an encounter with deputies after abducting two people and injuring a deputy.
The Sheriff's Department says the incident happened Friday morning in the Isleta Pueblo area as law enforcement officers sought a man who initially was sought for attempting to steal a golf cart.
According to the department, the suspect broke into a home and abducted two people who then were seen and heard pounding on a window of their car and screaming for help.
The department says shots were fired by at least one pursuing deputy after the stolen vehicle was stopped but then pinned a deputy who was on foot.
The deputy was hospitalized with at least one broken bone. The hostage weren't hurt.

CHILDREN IN HOT CAR-ARRESTS
1 of 2 kids left in hot car dies; day care workers arrested
PORTALES, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in Portales say two in-home day care workers who are mother and daughter were arrested on suspicion of child abuse after two young children were left in a hot car. One child is dead and the other clinging to life.
Police say responding officers found the children not breathing Tuesday afternoon. The children's ages weren't released.
Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover says police believe the two children were left in the vehicle after one of the workers returned from taking six children to a park.
Neighboring Clovis' high Tuesday was 95 degrees.
Police say 67-year-old Mary E. Taylor and 31-year-old Sandi Taylor were arrested and jailed on suspicion of child abuse and jailed pending court appearances. It's not immediately known if they have attorneys

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR'S RACE
Emily's List propels Congresswoman's bid for governor
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The president of Emily's List says the advocacy group for Democratic female candidates who support abortion is determined to help Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham win the race for governor of New Mexico in 2018.
Emily's List President Stephanie Schriock said Wednesday during a visit to New Mexico that her organization already is helping to raise money for Lujan Grisham's campaign and providing strategic support.
Emily's List contributed $66,000 to New Mexico state legislative candidates and $100,000 to the Democratic caucus in 2016 elections as Democrats took back majority control of the Statehouse.
Schriock says the organization is backing Lujan Grisham in the Democratic primary as it seeks to increase the number of Democratic female governors beyond two, and ensure Democratic influence over the upcoming legislative redistricting process.

BUDGET CRUNCH
New Mexico extends surge in state tax revenues
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state government is reporting a fourth straight month of increased tax revenues compared with last year.
Revenue figures published on Wednesday show the state's fiscal footing growing stronger in May. The Legislative Finance Committee says government income from taxes, fees and investments increased by 32 percent in May to $589 million over the same month last year.
The recent rebound in state revenues is being led by taxes, rents and royalties from the oil and natural gas industries, along with sales-style taxes on business receipts.
Revenues from personal and corporate income taxes have fallen as high paying oil oilfield jobs dissipate and the state gradually reduces corporate tax rates.
The state has struggled to avoid a budget deficit over the past year amid a stagnant economy.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS-NEW MEXICO
Interior secretary to visit Las Cruces amid monuments review
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is scheduled to visit Las Cruces this week in connection with the Trump administration's review of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.
Zinke is slated Thursday to meet with supporters and opponents after touring the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument by helicopter. He is not scheduled to attend a town hall meeting at the Las Cruces Convention Center.
The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument are among 27 monuments where a review ordered by President Donald Trump might remove protections previously considered irreversible.
The review is rekindling a fierce debate about oversight of lands marked by ancient petroglyphs and towering mountain spires.
The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association is urging Trump to eliminate certain large-scale national monuments.

ESCAPED INMATE
Federal inmate escapes from a New Mexico detention facility
BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a federal inmate has escaped from the Sandoval County Detention Facility in New Mexico.
County Sheriff's officials say Ryan Griffin was being held on undisclosed federal charges at the time of the escape.
They didn't immediately provide details about the escape Wednesday, saying only that it is under investigation.
Sheriff's officials say Griffin has cut his hair and is clean shaven now.
Authorities say they are searching for Griffin in an area of Bernalillo.

PUBLIC DEFENDER SHORTAGE-THE LATEST
The Latest: No quick decision on public defender caseloads
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is taking no immediate action on a petition from public defenders who say they are overwhelmed by cases from poor defendants, indicating that more than a day is needed to deliberate complex issues.
In oral arguments before the court on Wednesday, Assistant New Mexico Attorney General Regina Ryanczak said evidence is insufficient to prove that public defense attorneys are stretched too thin to provide effective legal representation.
Supreme court justices peppered Ryanczak and others with questions about what might be done to ease pressure on busy public defenders. Ryanczak suggested easing requirements for a speedy trial.
David Henderson of the Law Offices of the Public Defender says caseloads for public defenders in Lea County last year vastly exceeded recommended limits. He says poor defendants were left without legal representation at bail proceedings.

MEDICAID FRAUD-ELDER ABUSE
New Mexico's AG cracking down on Medicaid fraud, elder abuse
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has unveiled new public service announcements designed to crack down on statewide Medicaid fraud and elder abuse.
The AG's Office announced Wednesday that Balderas plans to contact state agencies and Medicaid providers regarding the new initiative and asking for the partnership of both the providers and agencies in the new initiative.
Balderas also will be reaching out to the community for information through two new public service announcements.
He says the new commercials will help New Mexicans better identify and report Medicaid fraud, and neglect and abuse in facilities.
Approximately 40 percent of New Mexicans access Medicaid benefits and Medicaid dollars pay for seven in 10 babies born in the state.

SHADY DEAL-SANTA FE
Shady deal? Santa Fe shade tents chided for lack of shade
(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A shady deal in Santa Fe is drawing scrutiny because it's not a complete cover up.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a $320,000-state-funded project that installed 94 prefabricated shade structures around New Mexico's capital is being criticized for not covering playground equipment or picnic tables. And depending on the time of day, the shade cast is minimal.
Resident Elisa Boyles says the tent-like, 12-foot by 12-foot tarps mounted on metal poles were useless. That's because she says the structures don't seem to provide much shade where the kids play as intended.
Santa Fe County commissioner Anna Hansen defended the shade structures and says they are "quite attractive" and do provide at least some shade when the sun is in the right spot.

NAVAJO CHIEF JUSTICE-RESIGNING
Acting chief justice for Navajo Nation to resign over health
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The acting chief justice for the Navajo Nation is stepping down.
The Daily Times of Farmington, New Mexico, reports the Navajo Nation Judicial Branch recently announced Allen Sloan is resigning at the end of July.
Sloan told the Daily Times that health concerns prompted his retirement.
Sloan, who is originally from Coalmine Canyon, Arizona, has worked with the branch for 28 years. He has been acting chief justice since July 2015.
Sloan's retirement leaves Associate Justice Eleanor Shirley as the only permanent member of the high court on the largest American Indian reservation in the country.
The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and two associate justices.

ENDANGERED FISH-RECOVERY
Scientists find 'salmon of the southwest' in San Juan River
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A fish that federal officials say was once widely known as the "salmon of the southwest" is showing signs of recovering its diminished population in the San Juan River basin.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Monday scientists say they have found evidence the Colorado pikeminnow is reproducing in the San Juan River, and the offspring are surviving.
This conclusion is based on data gathered last year following the spring peak release from Navajo Dam.
A release by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services says scientists found more Colorado pikeminnow in the San Juan River than in previous years. They also found 23 yearling fish. Prior to last year, only one juvenile fish had been caught by scientists since work began in the 1990s to restore habitat.

ALBUQUERQUE-THREE SHOT-THE LATEST
The Latest: Albuquerque police: 14-year-old fatally shot
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a 14-year-old boy was the person fatally shot when two other people were wounded in the parking lot of a pizza parlor.
The family of Martin Recio says he was at the restaurant for dinner with friends when he was shot Friday night. The other victims are said to be in serious but stable condition.
Sister Amanda Recio tells the Albuquerque Journal https://goo.gl/y95JM4 ) that hearing of her younger brother being shot ripped her heart from her chest.
Police say they haven't made an arrest but previously said witnesses told of seeing somebody run away after multiple gunshots were fired.

PUBLIC RECORD-SCHOOL DISTRICT
School district spent $90K in fight over records on probe
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — The school district serving the Gallup area spent $90,000 successfully fending off a legal challenge to its decision to withhold documents associated with an investigation of a former superintendent.
The Gallup Independent reports that Gallup-McKinley County Schools spent the money through May 31 on legal fees leading up to a judge's ruling that the documents sought by the newspaper were not public under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
The district said it withheld the documents because they contained personal information of an employee or employer, and District Judge Lyndy Bennett said the documents were exempt because they were "rife with opinion regarding the employer/employee relationship and performance assessments."
The district has not disclosed why Frank Chiapeti was fired as superintendent.

FATAL TUBING ACCIDENT
2 people die in separate tubing accidents in Colorado
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say two people have died in tubing accidents in Colorado this week.
Golden police say a 48-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, flipped off of her inner tube and went underwater Friday afternoon. She resurfaced downstream and was pulled from the water.
Firefighters and park rangers performed CPR, but the woman died at a hospital.
Meanwhile, The Durango Herald reports https://goo.gl/gwrpwF 31-year-old Manuel Gallegos, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was taken off of life support Thursday. Gallegos, who was not wearing a life jacket or helmet, was critically injured when he fell out of his inner tube at the Animas River Whitewater Park in southwestern Colorado on Sunday.
His death has been ruled an accident.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
Monsoon ends fire restrictions in Cibola National Forest
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — No fire restrictions remain in effect in the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands as fire danger has been reduced due to monsoon precipitation.
Forest officials say restrictions that were in place on two ranger districts that include the Sandia and Manzano mountains near Albuquerque and its environs have been canceled.
Fire Management Officer Anthony Martinez of the Mountainair Ranger District says most people have respected the fire restrictions and that there have been a few abandoned campfires.

OJ SIMPSON-RACIAL DIVIDE
'Let 1994 go': Simpson case's racial symbolism now a relic
Millions of Americans watched O.J. Simpson's parole hearing last week, but audiences were not as emotionally invested in the ex-football player's fate as they were a generation ago.
Simpson's 1995 acquittal in the deaths of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman bitterly polarized Americans around race.
But interest in Simpson has waned as attitudes have changed and black Americans are wrestling with more familiar injustices.
Simpson is expected to be released from a Nevada prison in October after he was granted parole Thursday.
His 2008 conviction on robbery and assault charges carried a maximum sentence of 33 years and was largely seen as payback for the acquittal verdict.
While the issues around race and policing remain today, Simpson's racial symbolism is largely seen as a relic.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
Monsoon ends fire restrictions in Cibola National Forest
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — No fire restrictions remain in effect in the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands as fire danger has been reduced due to monsoon precipitation.
Forest officials say restrictions that were in place on two ranger districts that include the Sandia and Manzano mountains near Albuquerque and its environs have been canceled.
Fire Management Officer Anthony Martinez of the Mountainair Ranger District says most people have respected the fire restrictions and that there have been a few abandoned campfires.

UNEMPLOYMENT-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico marks private-sector job growth
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico labor officials are touting the largest gain in private-sector job growth in over a decade.
Figures released Friday by the Department of Workforce Solutions show a 3 percent increase in the private sector, representing 18,900 jobs.
Much of the growth was fueled by a boost in private service-providing industries, particularly the leisure and hospitality sectors. State officials say the increase of 4,300 jobs in those sectors from May to June was unusual.
Overall, 11 industries have added jobs since December 2014.
Officials say the uptick has put New Mexico at No. 7 in the nation when it comes to private-sector growth.
As for unemployment, the seasonally adjusted rate for June decreased to 6.4 percent.
The state has struggled with high unemployment numbers, only recently ending its stretch at the top of the nation's jobless rankings.

TAXI DRIVER KILLED-THE LATEST
The Latest: Stabbing suspect paranoid about "Illuminati"
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say a man suspected of fatally stabbing a cab driver in Albuquerque believed he was being followed by the Illuminati.
Police say 46-year-old Victor Ortiz believed he was being watched and that someone was going to steal his money and drugs.
Ortiz then attacked the driver with a sword. Police haven't identified the victim.
They say a witness took the cabdriver to the hospital but that he died of his wounds.

CHILDREN-PROTECTIVE CUSTODY
New Mexico hopes to ease transition for children in custody
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Teddy bears, blankets, crayons, games and a safe place to sleep.
New Mexico's top officials wanted to pack as much as possible into a new center designed to ease the trauma often experienced by children when authorities are forced to remove them from their homes and place them in state custody.
Gov. Susana Martinez and Children, Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson on Friday toured the center in Albuquerque. They showed off a brightly-colored play area and separate rooms for sleeping, relaxing and playing.
Previously, social workers had few emergency options other than unaccommodating office space.
As many as 900 children a year require the services now offered at the center. Statewide, that number tops 2,600 and officials say improvements are being made at other locations.
The center in Albuquerque is outfitted thanks to donations from businesses and volunteers.

IMMIGRANT STUDENTS-UNCERTAINTY
Democratic attorneys general urge Trump to keep DACA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has joined 19 other attorneys general to urge President Donald Trump to keep a program that gives temporary status to young immigrants who are in the country illegally.
The attorneys general sent a letter to Trump on Friday and it comes after 10 other attorneys general urged the president to end the program.
The new letter says the 800,000 immigrant students covered under the program have been a "boon" to universities and employers.
Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told Hispanic lawmakers that the program that protects young immigrants from deportation is likely illegal, though he is personally supportive.
The Obama-era Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrival Program, or DACA, gives hundreds of thousands of young people brought into the country as children protection from deportation and a work permit.

SANTA FE-POLICE SHOOTING
New Mexico police release officer-involved shooting details
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe police say a man who was shot by an officer at an apartment complex had thrown homemade explosives at officers and stabbed a social worker during a standoff.
State police identified the man as 24-year-old Anthony Benavidez. Lt. Elizabeth Armijo said in a written statement he had recently been evicted from apartment complex he broke into on Wednesday. Officers had been negotiating with Benavidez before he threw the explosives. Armijo says two SWAT officers shot Benavidez after they entered the apartment to arrest him.
Benavidez and the caseworker were taken to the hospital, where Benavidez died. The caseworker was later released.
The names of the officers involved in the shooting were not released. Santa Fe Police Department Spokesman Greg Gurule says five officers have been placed on leave.

FLASH FLOODING-NEW MEXICO
Forecasters: Flooding likely in New Mexico through weekend
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Forecasters say flash flooding is likely in New Mexico through the weekend due to monsoon moisture and a weather disturbance moving westward across the state.
The National Weather Service says thunderstorms are expected over central and western New Mexico into Friday evening and then become more numerous Saturday, Sunday and into early next week.
According to the weather service, the likelihood of flash floods is strongest Friday in western New Mexico and across New Mexico from the southwest to the northeast Saturday.
The forecasters say there's also a possibility that multiple instances of flash flooding will occur across central and eastern areas on Sunday.
Also, the potential for flash flooding may linger over the south-central mountains and the eastern plains on Monday as the disturbance moves into Texas and Mexico.