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Council Members Criticize APD Monitor, NM Ex-Lt. Gov. Denish Endorses Haaland For Congress

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3 Council Members Criticize Albuquerque Police Monitor- The Associated Press & The Albuquerque Journal

Three members of the Albuquerque City Council want the city auditor to review the performance of the independent monitor charged with making sure Albuquerque police are implementing reforms.

The Albuquerque Journal reports council members Brad Winter, Ken Sanchez and Don Harris say police monitor James Ginger has been in the city only sporadically since being named to the post in early 2015. They said Monday that Ginger averaged only 42 days per year in Albuquerque while his contract calls for 200 days a year.

The city's police force is working to correct findings by the U.S. Department of Justice that its officers use excessive force and too often resort to deadly force.

Ginger files periodic reports with a federal judge overseeing a settlement between the city and the Justice Department.

New Mexico Ex-Lt. Gov. Denish Endorses Haaland For Congress- The Associated Press

Former New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is supporting Debra Haaland for an open U.S. congressional seat in central New Mexico.

Denish announced her support Monday as Haaland tries to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress.

Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, is seeking to succeed U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, an Albuquerque Democrat who is stepping down to run for New Mexico governor. Haaland is facing seven others in a Democratic primary for a seat that includes Albuquerque.

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris of Oklahoma, who now lives in Corrales, New Mexico, and is the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission, also has endorsed Haaland.

Analysis shows college affordability at risk in New Mexico- The Associated Press

New Mexico government analysts are warning that shrinking enrollment and limited funding at many public state colleges and universities may lead to tuition increases that few local students can afford.

A report released Tuesday from staff at the nonpartisan Legislative Finance Committee shows that a shrinking portion of the state budget is being devoted to higher education as enrollment declines.

Lawmakers are being warned of the need for greater efficiencies to avoid tuition and fee increases that threaten college affordability.

The report suggests the state seek greater efficiencies in higher education by allowing colleges to merge and to combine purchases and services.

It recommends allocating a much greater share of state funding based on performance goals. Those goals can reward institutions where students increasingly complete their college degrees and certificates.

Satirical 'Ask A Mexican' Column To End After Decade Run Associated Press

The "Ask A Mexican" column, a satirical weekly installment about U.S. Latinos that once ran in more than three dozen alternative weekly newspapers across the country, is coming to an end.

The column's founder, Gustavo Arellano, told The Associated Press on Monday the final version will appear online for Albuquerque's Weekly Alibi. The column will not appear in the OC Weekly of Fountain Valley, California, a publication where the column began.

Arellano resigned from the OC Weekly this month after he refused the newspaper's ownership's request to layoff half of the publication's staff.

Arellano says the OC Weekly owns the column and he has rejected an offer to continue it as a contractor.

The column, which began in 2004, drew national attention for asking readers to submit questions to Arellano about Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans.

This story corrects a previous version to say column began in 2004.

Navajo Nation 'rejects' DOJ move not to prosecute ex-officer- The Associated Press & The Gallup Independent

The Navajo Nation says the tribe is angry the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to prosecute a former Winslow officer for fatally shooting a 27-year-old woman.

The Gallup Independent reports Navajo Nation attorney Katherine Belzowski announced last week the tribe might file a lawsuit against the Winslow Police Department after the U.S. Department of Justice opted not to pursue charges.

Police say former Officer Austin Shipley shot Loreal Tsingine (SIN'-uh-jin-ee) last year after responding to a shoplifting complaint. Authorities say Tsingine was holding a pair of medical scissors when he shot her.

Tribal officials and activists had urged federal officials to look into the treatment of American Indians in towns like Winslow that border reservations.

A Department of Justice spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.

Al Hurricane, 'Godfather Of New Mexico Music,' DiesAssociated Press

Al Hurricane, known as the "Godfather of New Mexico music" for developing a distinct sound bridging the state's unique Hispanic traditions with country and rock, has died. His son, Al Hurricane, Jr., told The Associated Press that his father died Sunday from complications related to prostate cancer.

He was 81.

Born Alberto Nelson Sanchez on July 10, 1936, in the tiny village of Dixon, New Mexico, he was raised for a time in Ojo Sarco before moving Arizona and later Albuquerque. He learned to play the guitar thanks to his mother and his father, a miner.

Hurricane began his music career by singing in Albuquerque Old Town restaurants before forming his own band, Al Hurricane & the Night Rockers, in 1962.

He's later recorded more than 30 albums.

The Latest On A Police Chase That Ended In A Crash In Albuquerque- The Associated Press & The Albuquerque Journal

A 23-year-old man critically injured when a Jeep fleeing from Albuquerque police slammed into the car he was riding in has died.

Authorities say 23-year-old D'Markus Blea suffered skull, rib and vertebrae fractures in the accident early Saturday. His aunt and police reports obtained by the Albuquerque Journal Monday show he has died.

Blea's girlfriend has extensive injuries but is expected to survive.

Officers say the Jeep was stolen Friday night during an armed robbery and was spotted several hours later. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled. They say the Jeep driver ran multiple red lights before crashing into Blea's car.

Five of the six young people in the Jeep were injured. The driver suffered a broken leg and hasn't yet been charged.

Police: Man Not Expected To Survive Injuries From Collision Associated Press

A 23-year-old man isn't expected to survive injuries he suffered in Albuquerque when the sedan he was traveling in was struck by a stolen Jeep that had run a red light during a police pursuit.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that six others were hospitalized in the collision early Saturday.

Authorities say 23-year-old D'Markus Blea suffered skull, rib and vertebrae fractures.

At least two people in the Jeep are accused of trying to wipe their finger prints off the vehicle. Both have been jailed.

Officers say the Jeep was stolen Friday night during an armed robbery and was spotted several hours later.

Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled.

Police say the Jeep driver ran multiple red lights before crashing into Blea's car.

Northern New Mexico Man Faces 7th DWI Charge Associated Press

A northern New Mexico man is facing his seventh drunken driving charge.

The Las Vegas Optic reports Christobal Jaramillo was arrested last week after a Game and Fish officer said he unable to maintain lanes along I-25 near Bernal, New Mexico.

The arrest is the 38-year-old Jaramillo's seventh drunken driving offense. He was booked on an aggravated drunken driving charge.

Authorities say Jaramillo admitted to police he had taken two suboxone, an opioid, about three hours earlier.

Police say Jaramillo performed poorly on at least one field sobriety test and had a pill bottle with him that had the labeling scratched out.

It was not known if Jaramillo had an attorney.

Inmate Costs At Northwestern New Mexico Jails To JumpAssociated Press

The cost for Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington to house inmates at northwestern New Mexico jails will increase about 20 percent soon.

The Daily Times of Farmington, New Mexico, reports the jump comes after San Juan County Commissioners approved a contract with a Nashville, Tennessee, company to provide inmate medical care at county detention facilities.

County Operations Officer Mike Stark says increase is due to the $4.48 million annual contract for Correct Care Solutions. The company provides medical services for the adult and juvenile detention centers and the alternative sentencing locations.

Correct Care Solutions took over the contract from the San Juan Regional Medical Center on July 1, which had a contract of about $2.1 million annually to provide medical series for the three detention centers.

States To Ask Judge To Keep Health Subsidies Cut By TrumpAssociated Press

An attempt by 19 states to force President Donald Trump to pay health care subsidies will go before a federal judge in San Francisco.

State attorneys general, led by California Democrat Xavier Becerra, will try on Monday to convince U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria that the payments are required by law.

The payments allow for lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers who get coverage under former President Barack Obama's health care law. Trump abruptly cut them off earlier this month, saying "Obamacare" is imploding. He says they should be explicitly authorized by Congress.

Becerra says Trump is illegally trying to sabotage Obama's health care law.

Taos Businesswoman Says 24 Of Her Pet Birds Have Been KilledAssociated Press

A woman who owns a meditation retreat in Taos says 24 of her pet birds had been killed and stacked on each other.

The woman nicknamed "Kitty" told Albuquerque TV station KOB that she raised the ducks, geese and chickens from an early age.

The woman wouldn't provide her full name.

She says she discovered feathers torn and scattered around the property and limbs torn from their bodies.

One duck survived.

KOB reports the animal pen is outside in the open with the gate accessible and short enough for someone to climb over.

"Kitty" says she has talked to police and filed a report.

And while she says it's possible an animal may have attacked the birds, she says the fact they were stacked together indicates a human was involved.

Dem Attorneys General Unite Against Concealed-Carry Gun LawAssociated Press

Democratic attorneys general from 17 states are calling on Congress to abandon legislation backed by the National Rifle Association that would allow concealed-carry gun permits issued in one state to be valid in all states.

The top prosecutors from states including New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa and California sent a letter to congressional leaders on Sunday warning that federal reciprocity proposals would "lead to the death of police officers and civilians, the proliferation of gun traffickers, and acts of terrorism and other mass violence."

The warning comes as the gun lobby continues to press for looser gun restrictions even in the weeks after an attack in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead.

A spokeswoman for the NRA's lobbying arm says the measure remains the organization's "top legislative priority."