News

A California-based law firm representing ranchers is suing to have two New Mexico plant species removed from federal protection.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a federal lawsuit last week and said the Kuenzler hedgehog cactus and gypsum wild-buckwheat should either be "downlisted" or delisted and removed from government protection all together. Both plants are found in southeastern New Mexico.

The village of Magdalena is scrambling now that its sole drinking water well has gone dry.

Village Marshal Larry Cearley says the water table has dropped almost 20 feet since January due to the persistent drought that has plagued nearly all of New Mexico for the last three years.

And the community's one well has collapsed, leaving about 1,000 residents and several businesses without water Wednesday when the level dropped below the well's pump.

  KUNM Call In Show 6/6 8a: The 2013 wildfire season is in full swing in New Mexico. Drought is extreme across much of the state and two fires sparked by downed power lines are still growing in the Santa Fe National Forest. We'll have updates on the Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge fires, and take a look at what utility companies are doing to prevent power lines from starting more fires.  

We'd like to hear from you! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

277-5866 (locally in Albuquerque)

The Environmental Protection Agency says they'll be inspecting properties on Acoma Pueblo in western New Mexico for radioactive materials. The assessment is one of numerous being conducted in the southwest, and in Indian Country.

Since 2009, the EPA says they've been doing structural assessments of properties near former uranium mills and mines, including the Navajo Nation, Laguna Pueblo and now Acoma Pueblo.

The Bureau of Land Management plans to impose tougher fire restrictions across seven counties in central New Mexico starting Monday.

The restrictions will affect BLM lands in Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, McKinley, Sandoval, Socorro and Valencia counties.

Officials say ongoing drought and increased fire danger have prompted the restrictions. The goal is to decrease the likelihood of human-caused wildfires.

Three lawyers from Clovis have been recommended to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez for possible appointment to a district court judgeship.

A bipartisan Judicial Nominating Commission screened applicants last week in Clovis and submitted three candidates to the governor.

The nominees are Wesley Pool, who's operated his own law firm since 2003; former Clovis City Commissioner Fred Van Soelen; and Brian Scott Stover, who's been a prosecutor in the 9th Judicial District Attorney's Office since 2006 and deputy district attorney in the 5th Judicial District in 1999 to 2005.

School officials are asking for name suggestions for a planned elementary school on Santa Fe's south side.

A Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education committee is seeking nominations until next Tuesday for the new elementary school that will serve Latino immigrant students.

The committee says it wants to name the school after an individual or historical figure linked to the state and to the field of education.

A group of retired educators are seeking to have the school named after George I. Sanchez, a New Mexico-born pioneering scholar and civil rights leader.

An independent panel of scientists that spent two years reviewing the U.S. government's controversial management of wild horses is poised to release a series of recommendations to combat skyrocketing costs and help quell decades of conflict on public rangelands.

The study being made public on Wednesday is expected to touch on a wide range of fronts, from mustang roundups and fertility control to better ways to calculate the preferred size of the free-roaming herds and their impacts on the range in 10 Western states.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she may ask the Legislature to expand a state law to require DNA testing of people arrested for misdemeanor crimes.

The Republican governor made the comments Monday to The Associated Press after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Maryland law for collecting a DNA sample from people arrested for serious crimes.

Martinez, a former prosecutor, said the ruling provided a solid legal foundation for a New Mexico law requiring a DNA sample from adults arrested for any felony.

A judge has barred a telephone call alleging insurance fraud in the trial of former Albuquerque police officer accused of killing his wife in 2007.

But state District Judge George P. Eichwald also ruled this week that prosecutors will be allowed to present "numerous paramours" about alleged extramarital affairs by Levi Chavez before the death of his wife.

Chavez is accused of killing 26-year-old Tera Chavez with his department-issued handgun in their Los Lunas home, and of trying to make her death look like a suicide.

State health officials have issued an advisory for those areas of northern New Mexico that are affected by smoke from two wildfires.

The state Department of Health says the communities that are most affected include Pecos, Jemez Springs and La Cueva.

Visibility could be reduced to less than 3 miles and potentially unhealthy conditions could occur overnight and into the early morning.

Health Secretary Retta Ward says the smoke can irritate a person's eyes and respiratory system as well as intensify chronic heart and lung problems.

A University of New Mexico psychology professor is under fire after he tweeted that people battling obesity don't have the willpower to finish doctorate degrees.

Geoffrey Miller wrote on Twitter Sunday that obese doctoral applicants who don't "have the will power to stop eating carbs" won't "have the willpower to do a dissertation." The tweet has since been deleted and his Twitter account has been made private.

Officials with the New Mexico State Parks division have decided to close Fenton Lake due to safety issues related to firefighting efforts.

Helicopters are using the lake for water to fight the Thompson Ridge Fire in the Jemez Mountains. The blaze has charred about 7 square miles since being sparked Friday by a downed power line.

The lake will remain closed through June 20, and that may be extended depending on firefighting needs.

A landfill in southern New Mexico, rumored to be the final resting place of the 1982 Atari video game ET, is about to be excavated. Rita Daniels reports, the big dig for ET, is part of a Canadian Television companies attempt to document the game, and its role in crashing the fledgling home gaming industry.

  UPDATE 6/9 12:30p: A wildfire in northern New Mexico prompted a section of state highway to be closed after embers crossed a protection line and caused the blaze to grow.

The growth in the Thompson Ridge fire burning in the Valle Caldera National Preserve and the Santa Fe National Forest near Jemez Springs led to the closure of New Mexico Highway 4 from the junction at Route 126 to the junction at State Route 501.

The blaze had grown to more than 32 square miles by Sunday morning. It was 40 percent contained.

Children who depend on free meals at school in New Mexico have a place to go this summer now that the state's summer meals program is up and running. 

The pre-packaged meals usually include a sandwich, carrots or another veggie, milk or juice and fruit, and for kids who might not otherwise get lunch at home during the summer months.  New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department doles out the money to schools and local government agencies that hand out the meals at  central locations in dozens of cities.  Henry Varela is CYFD's spokesman.

New Mexico's state land office has signed a water agreement with the city of Carlsbad.

The agreement was signed by State Land Commissioner Ray Powell and Carlsbad Mayor Dale W. Janway at a ceremony.

It assures the city secure and long-term access of state trust lands for its water supply for the first time.

The agreement grants easement to multiple sites on state trust land in the Carlsbad area for placement of new water wells that will supplement the existing municipal well system.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has traveled to the nation's capital to participate in an educational policy forum on student reading.

The governor's office said Martinez will join governors from Mississippi and Delaware at the forum hosted by the Washington Post on Tuesday about state efforts to improve student reading by the third grade. Education superintendents from several states also are to participate.

New Mexico State University President Garrey Carruthers has named deputy provost Greg Fant as interim executive vice president and provost.

The executive vice president and provost is the chief academic officer at NMSU and serves as the university's chief executive in the president's absence. Carruthers named Fant to fill the post while he searches for a permanent provost. Last week Carruthers indicated he might hire one of the candidates he recently beat out for the job as university president.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she's confident there's no federal investigation of her administration's handling of a lease for a horse-racing track and casino on state land in Albuquerque.

Martinez made the comment Monday when asked about the FBI recently questioning her former campaign finance director, Andrea Goff.

Goff said in a statement over the weekend she had answered FBI questions related to the Downs at Albuquerque and other matters

The Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge wildfires continued to gain ground yesterday.

Fire crews in New Mexico battled gusty winds and decreasing humidity as they fought to contain the two wildfires burning in the Santa Fe National Forest. 

Nearly 200 homes in the area have been evacuated. Forestry spokesman Dan Ware says because the fires remain unpredictable, it's unclear when evacuees will be allowed to return home.

Growth of the Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge wildfires burning in New Mexico have slowed since last week, however unfavorable weather conditions today could change that.  So far, the fires have burned more than 15 square miles and are now 5% contained.

Light winds and high humidity allowed fire crews to make considerable progress containing the blazes on Sunday.

However dry and windy conditions are in the forecast through the evening, which officials say could make fire activity more volatile.

Donations of food and other material for firefighting crews in northern New Mexico aren't being sought.

Dan Ware of New Mexico State Forestry says there's been an outpouring of donations but that fire managers say the teams are fully supplied with meals, beverages and equipment as well as medical gear.

According to a statement issued by Ware, the American Red Cross' evacuation in the Pecos High School gym is fully stocked and unable to accept further donations.

And Ware says volunteer fire departments also no longer are in need of donations.

The trial of a former Albuquerque police officer accused of killing his wife and making it look like a suicide is scheduled to begin.

The much-anticipated murder trial of Levi Chavez is finally scheduled to start Monday in Sandoval County and is expected to renew attention on an embattled Albuquerque Police Department.

The department has faced heat from critics over a string of high-profile abuse cases that recently prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation.

New Mexicans will soon be able to buy beer, wine and cocktails earlier on Sunday at restaurants and bars.

A new law takes effect June 14 allowing liquor to be sold at 11 a.m. rather than noon.

However, the change only applies to bars and restaurants. Noon remains the Sunday starting time for buying liquor at supermarkets, convenience stores and other locations for off-premise consumption.

A mountain biking, hiking and equestrian trail near Las Cruces has been added to the National Trails System.

Interior Secretary Jewel Hall announced that the Sierra Vista Trail in the Organ Mountains and 27 others trails around the country have been added to the system.

Built by the Bureau of Land Management, local mountain biking and running groups and other volunteers, the 29-mile trail runs the length of the west side of the mountains.

The mayor of Santa Fe wants President Barack Obama to issue a proclamation establishing a La Bajada Mesa National Monument south of the city.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/17LHcLp) that Santa Fe Mayor David Coss has introduced a resolution seeking the designation.

The land in question consists of 128,000 acres adjacent to the Caja Del Rio Plateau and runs from La Bajada Mesa south to the Cerrillos Hills State Park, north to the Santa Fe River Basin, and across the Caja del Rio Plateau to the Rio Grande.

Officials in Las Cruces will consider increased restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/13wG0W1) that the City Council will consider approval of a proclamation on Monday declaring extreme or severe drought conditions.

City Fire Marshal Ted Sweetser says city ordinance gives the Las Cruces Fire Department the authority to impose restrictions on fireworks based on drought conditions.

The two wildfires burning in the Santa Fe National forest in New Mexico have grown considerably over the weekend. Since igniting last week the fires have burned more than 9,000 acres and remain 0% contained.

State forestry officials say while the Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge wildfires are still growing, crews on the ground are making good progress on building containment lines around the blazes.

Nearly 200 homes are threatened by the blazes and have been evacuated, although no structures have been burned.

Officials at a financial-troubled New Mexico school district are facing heat after the district purchased new vehicles for employees.

The Farmington Daily-Times reports the Central Consolidated School District faced criticism this week for purchasing six vehicles, four of which were brand new, for between about $19,000 and $26,000 each.

District spokesman James Preminger says the purchases were necessary since some old vehicles were in such bad shape and new vehicles were needed.