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Attorney General: Spending Review Continues, ENMU's Roswell Campus Seeks $20 Million For Projects

Jimmy Emerson, DVM
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Flickr via Creative Commons

Attorney General: Spending Review Will ContinueAssociated Press

University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs is announcing his retirement, a move that comes amid criticism over spending by the athletics department.

A statement released Friday by the university says Krebs will retire June 30 and quotes him as saying he's proud of his 11 years as athletic director.

State Auditor Tim Keller announced late Thursday that his office is expanding its review into the spending of public money by the department.

The auditor was initially focused on spending related to a 2015 golf trip to Scotland that included department officials and donors.

Krebs has said the $65,000 trip was meant to strengthen relationships with donors. Critics argue that it should have been paid for by the university's independent fundraising arm.

ENMU's Roswell Campus Seeks $20 Million For Capital Projects Associated Press

Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell has asked the Board of Regents to approve a draft list of $20.2 million in capital projects through the year 2023.

The Roswell Daily Record reported Thursday that the top priorities for 2018-19 are $2.5 million for sprinkler systems for three buildings on the campus and $5 million for renovation of a building used for automotive and welding programs.

The following year, the university wants to create a new $2.5 million central, secure facility for university archives.

In 2021-22, the top priority is a $3 million upgrade of the campus electrical grid, originally created in 1940.

In 2022-23, the university plans to build a $5.2 million Physical Plant facility.

Theft Suspect Dies After Struggling With Albuquerque OfficerAssociated Press

Albuquerque police say a man who ran after an officer found him breaking into cash registers at a mall has died after a scuffle that included being shocked with a Taser stun gun.

Police say Friday's incident began when they got a call of a shoplifter at a department store at the Cottonwood Mall just after noon. When an officer arrived, another call came in about a man breaking into cash registers at a second store with a screwdriver.

The officer tried to contact the 45-year-old man, but he ran out of the store with the officer close behind. A passer-by tried to help the officer catch the suspect, but he and the officer were threatened.

Police spokesman officer Fred Duran says the officer used a Taser to subdue the man and he had some sort of medical episode. He died at the scene, and his name will be released once relatives are notified.

New Mexico Considering Changes To Medicaid Program Associated Press

State officials say keeping costs down while improving the delivery of health care for New Mexico's poorest residents is the focus as they propose changes to the Medicaid program to ensure sustainability as enrollment grows.

More than a quarter-million state residents have enrolled since the program's expansion in 2014. Now, more than 40 percent of the state's children, disabled and other low-income adults are covered.

State Human Services Secretary Brent Ernest says despite the steady increase in enrollment, New Mexico has maintained benefits by cutting costs and coordinating care.

He said those efforts will continue under a waiver being sought from the federal government.

The agency also is considering imposing some premiums for higher-income individuals and families living above the federal poverty level.

A series of public meetings on the proposed changes will begin June 14 in Albuquerque.

Records: Albuquerque Man Targeted Ex-Girlfriend With Bomb Associated Press

Court records show an 18-year-old Albuquerque man arrested for making a pressure cooker bomb was targeting his former high school girlfriend.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court Friday shows the young woman found the device under her bed after it failed to explode and called police.

Ethan Guillen faces charges of possessing an unregistered destructive device. He was ordered held Friday by a federal judge.

The complaint says Guillen told a federal agent he made black powder and put it inside the pressure-cooker along with nuts and bolts and a fuse. He then placed it under the bed and attached it to an appliance timer to kill his former girlfriend.

Defense attorney Dan Tallon questioned whether the agent accurately conveyed his client's statement because it wasn't recorded. He also said tests are needed to see if pressure cooker was legally a destructive device.

Prosecutors: No Charges In Shooting At Albuquerque Car Wash Associated Press

Authorities say a man who fatally shot another man during a confrontation at a car wash in Albuquerque will not be charged with a crime.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez said Friday that there was not enough evidence to obtain a conviction of James Morales.

Morales claimed he shot 59-year-old Earl Roybal on March 26 in self-defense. Torrez called the death a tragedy that never should have happened but said he lacks evidence to convict given the self-defense claim.

Video from the scene shows Roybal washing his motorcycle with his girlfriend nearby when a car driven by Morales rolls up. Roybal walks over and the two have a brief encounter before shots ring out.

Recordings show Morales told officers Roybal hit him first and said he had a gun.

Eastern New Mexico University's Ruidoso President Retiring - Associated Press

The president of Eastern New Mexico University's Ruidoso campus is retiring after more than seven years leading the college.

University officials announced Friday that Clayton Alred will step down once a replacement is named.

Alred has been an educator for 40 years and said in a statement that family obligations were a primary reason for his decision to step down. He called his nearly eight years leading the Ruidoso campus "the best job I've ever held."

The university has its parent campus in Portales and satellite campuses in Roswell and Ruidoso.

Fake Cheesecake Factory Sign Sparks Buzz In New Mexico City Associated Press

A construction site in southern New Mexico, which sparked buzz with a fake sign announcing it as a future home of a Cheesecake Factory, is really a future emergency center.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that officials say pranksters put up the bogus sign on a gate as a joke.

Still, the fake sign announcing "The Cheesecake Factory Fall 2017" and another one saying "Dave and Busters Coming Soon" generated excitement on social media in Las Cruces, a city of 100,000 people near the U.S.-Mexico border.

City officials dashed those hopes Thursday by confirming the site is destined to be an emergency department for Mountain View Regional Medical Center.

The Las Cruces Police Department says the pranksters could face charges.