Attorney Accuses New Mexico Sheriff Of Retaliation – Associated Press
The New Mexico Attorney General's office says it will review a request for an investigation into Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, who's accused of retaliating against a deputy after he testified in a wrongful death lawsuit against the department.
Attorney Sam Bregman, who is representing the girlfriend of a man shot and killed by another deputy in the department, sent a letter to the attorney general Thursday requesting that Gonzales be prosecuted and removed from office.
Bregman accuses Gonzales of opening an internal affairs investigation into Deputy Leonard Armijo, who provided an unfavorable deposition about the sheriff and his department during court proceedings for the pending wrongful death lawsuit.
The sheriff's office says it's handling an investigation into alleged misconduct with an "honest and fair fact-finding process" just as it handles all similar cases.
Child Welfare Workers Being Trained On Sex-Trafficking Signs- Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
New Mexico child welfare workers are being trained on how to spot signs of child prostitution after the arrest of two Albuquerque parents suspected of prostituting their 7-year-old daughter.
A subsequent review of the case found 25 prior referrals about the girl and her family dating back to 2004, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported Thursday.
New Mexico Children Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson said this week that the review prompted recommendations for employee discipline and policy changes.
The training is part of the changes, she said. It will teach protective services workers and juvenile justice workers what signs to look out for and dispel myths on sex trafficking.
She admits she didn't realize how prevalent the crime was when she was selected to lead the state agency in 2015. Before, she thought it only involved adult women who were brought into the country.
Judge Says Lawsuit Over Federal Nuke Lab Cleanup Can Go Forward- Associated Press
A federal judge is allowing part of a watchdog group's lawsuit over cleanup efforts by Los Alamos National Laboratory to move ahead.
The court has denied a motion by Los Alamos National Security LLC and U.S. Energy Department, a co-defendant, to dismiss Nuclear Watch New Mexico's claims for civil penalties.
In court documents filed Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Judith Herrera said both agencies failed to prove violations wouldn’t happen again.
Herrera did, however, drop part of the complaint asking for injunctive relief.
NukeWatch first filed a complaint in May 2016.
The group says the defendants committed 13 violations when fulfilling a 2005 cleanup agreement with state officials.
Forecasters Say Slow-Moving Storms May Result In Flash Floods- Associated Press
Forecasters warn that slow-moving storms will cause the potential for flash flooding across western and central New Mexico during afternoons and evenings through this weekend.
The National Weather Service says the danger is highest downstream of wildfire burn scars such as along U.S. 64 between Ute Park and Cimarron and in urban locations such as the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas.
According to forecasters, the most common period for heavy rainfall will likely occur between 1-8 p.m. and expected thunderstorms' slow movement will be capable of producing rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour.
Illinois Meat Supplier To Bring 1,200 Jobs To Sunland Park- Associated Press
An Illinois meat supplier has chosen New Mexico for its first out-of-state expansion, bringing more than 1,200 jobs to a border community.
Stampede Meat and Sunland Park city officials touted the expansion Friday, saying it will make the protein processing company one of the biggest manufacturers in the state.
Stampede says it is investing more than $36 million to take over a facility previously occupied by Tyson Foods.
Since Tyson left in 2015, city economic developers have been trying to remarket the site.
Gov. Susana Martinez says the expansion will "bring new life and new jobs" to the community.
Based in Bridgeview, Stampede Meat started as a steak supplier in 1995.
The company supplies various prepared meats as well as vegan alternatives to restaurants, food service distributors and other outlets.
New Mexico Ex-Tax Secretary Delays Plea In Corruption Case- Associated Press
The former head of New Mexico's Taxation and Revenue Department has been arraigned in court on embezzlement and corruption charges related to her time in office without entering a plea.
Demesia Padilla appeared in court Friday to face felony counts of embezzlement, computer access with intent to defraud and engaging in an official act for personal gain, along with five misdemeanor charges linked to ethics violations.
Defense attorney Paul Kennedy said a plea was not appropriate without a showing of probable cause. Padilla was released pending evidentiary hearings in October.
Padilla resigned in 2016 after state investigators raided tax department offices. The office of Attorney General Hector Balderas alleges that Padilla advocated as tax secretary for abatement of a tax penalty against a former client of her accounting firm.
Zuni, Dulce Continue To Struggle On Student Test - Associated Press
Some rural New Mexico school districts with large Native American student populations continue to struggle on the state's standardized test even as Native Americans statewide show progress.
An analysis of state Public Education Department data by The Associated Press found that the Zuni and Dulce school districts had the highest percentage of students last year scoring "level 1" — the lowest available ranking and well below the proficient mark.
State numbers show 45 percent of Zuni Public School District students tested in level 1 in math while 32 percent scored the same level in reading.
Meanwhile, the Dulce Independent Schools on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation had 44 percent of its students test level 1 in math and 37 percent in reading.
The results are from the test known as Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.
New Mexico Students Score Higher On Reading, Math Tests - Associated Press
Reading and math scores are on the rise in New Mexico as thousands of additional students met proficiency standards during this year's round of testing.
The numbers released Thursday show more than 31 percent of students tested this spring are proficient or better in reading and more than 21 percent are proficient or better in math.
That marked jumps of around 2 percentage points from the previous year, and officials with the state Public Education Department say the gains are even more notable than in 2015, when students first began taking the standardized assessments.
Still, the numbers show that since the introduction of assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, less than a third of all New Mexico students are proficient.
Struggling New Mexico Hospital Places Workers On Furlough – Gallup Independent, Associated Press
A struggling hospital in western New Mexico near the Navajo Nation has placed some employees on furlough this summer.
The Gallup Independent reports Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital CEO David Conejo announced last week that 20 of the hospital's 540 employees are on furlough to reduce cost.
The furloughs are for 12 weeks and employees will be brought on board at the end of September.
Conejo says furlough employees will be allowed to keep benefits.
Last year, some employees took a 10 percent cut in hours and pay while others were laid off for the summer season.
The hospital has continued to struggle to stay in the black because of costly clinics.
Santa Fe Mayor Opposing Trump's Census Citizenship Question – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
The mayor of New Mexico's capital is urging residents to oppose the Trump administration's plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber this week introduced a resolution that would publicly say the city opposed the citizenship question. Critics and immigrant rights advocates say the question is a discriminatory measure meant to scare off immigrants from completing the all-important decennial census form.
Democrats say it also would undermine an accurate count and improve Republican political fortunes.
More than a dozen state attorneys general and several cities and counties have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the citizenship question.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the government wants to ask about citizenship "to protect voters."
Prosecutors Say Detective Falsely Reported Child Rape Suspect – Deming Headline, Associated Press
A detective in southern New Mexico is facing charges of falsely reporting a child rape suspect.
The Deming Headlight reports Bobby Brookhouser, an 18-year veteran of the Luna County Sheriff's Office, is facing charges of perjury, a fourth-degree felony, and a misdemeanor charge of false reporting.
Brookhouser is accused of filing an arrest warrant and criminal complaint stating a suspect in a 2017 child rape case admitted to the crime.
But court documents say the suspect never gave a verbal confession.
Luna County Sheriff's Office Captain Jose Martinez says the 57-year-old Brookhouser is on paid administrative leave.
No attorney is listed for Brookhouser in court records.
Pension Board Withdraws Planned Raises For Top Executives – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The Educational Retirement Board has withdrawn its plans for raises for top executives overseeing New Mexico's pension system for teachers and other educators.
The Albuquerque Journal reports two of the raises would have exceeded 40 percent.
Gov. Susana Martinez's administration refused to carry out the raises.
Educational Retirement Board Executive Director Jan Goodwin told state lawmakers Wednesday that her board has accepted the denial and is no longer pursuing the raises. She was one of four staffers in line for the increases, ranging from 9 percent to 49 percent.
Under the proposed raises, Goodwin's pay would have increased 46 percent, to $240,000 a year. The deputy director would have received a 49 percent pay increase, to $179,000.
Cibola Lifts Fire Restrictions As Wildfire Danger Decreases – Associated Press
The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands is lifting fire restrictions because widespread precipitation from the monsoon has substantially reduced the fire danger.
Cibola's announcement Thursday say the restrictions will be lifted at 8 a.m. Friday and that the decision resulted from consideration of moisture levels, recent and predict rainfall and other weather conditions.
Cibola's lifting of fire restrictions follows recent moves by the Carson and Santa Fe national forests in northern New Mexico to reopen trails, campgrounds and other areas that were closed because of wildfire danger.
Officials the monsoon season can increase the possibility of flash flooding, especially in areas that have been burned.
Northern New Mexico City Sees Another Lawsuit From Ex-Worker – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated
A northern New Mexico city is facing another lawsuit from a former employee in yet another controversy involving its mayor.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Martin Gonzales, a former public works director of Las Vegas, N.M., is suing the city government, claiming he was fired after he refused to illegally hire contractors. In court documents, Gonzales says Mayor Tonita Gurulé-Giron wanted those contractors for certain city projects.
He claims that shortly after Gurulé-Giron was elected in 2016 she told him "to use a specific contractor for an upcoming public works construction project."
A Gurulé-Giron spokeswoman says the mayor is examining the lawsuit.
Earlier this year, former Las Vegas City Attorney Dave Romero and former City Manager Elmer Martinez filed their lawsuits over their terminations shortly after Gurulé-Giron took office.