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Headlines: Barelas Steps Up For Homeless, Forgotten Latino Scholar May Get School...

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Homeless Allowed To Stay On Vacant Lot Near Former Tent SiteThe Associated Press

Homeless people evicted from an encampment on city-owned property in downtown Albuquerque are being allowed to move to a nearby vacant lot owned by a neighborhood association.

Police and city officials earlier this week issued eviction notices giving people staying in the so-called "Tent City" to leave by Thursday.

The Barelas Neighborhood Association has given the campers permission to stay on piece of property that the association owns a few blocks away.

The city's action was prompted by complaints about drug use and disturbances at the encampment.

New Mexico House Panel OKs No Smoking In Cars With Kids BillThe Associated Press

Legislation that would make it illegal for parents and others to smoke in a motor vehicle when a child is present has cleared its first hurdle.

The House Heath Committee voted 6-3 Thursday to advance the measure.

Democratic Rep. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces and Sen. Peter Wirth of Santa Fe are sponsoring the measure.

With all the research related to the dangers of secondhand smoke, Steinborn says smoking with a child strapped in the back seat really amounts to a form of child abuse.

The legislation would amend the state's motor vehicle code to prohibit smoking in any motor vehicle when a minor is present. Smoking would include cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The penalty would be $250.

Some lawmakers had civil rights concerns and suggested the fine was too high.

Video Footage Points To Single Drum Breach At Nuke DumpThe Associated Press

An official with the U.S. Energy Department says new video footage appears to confirm the radiation leak at the federal government's underground nuclear waste dump in New Mexico stemmed from the breach of a single drum of waste.

The head of the DOE's Carlsbad Field Office, Joe Franco, updated reporters on recovery efforts at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant during a conference call Thursday.

He says a final report has yet to be issued, but investigators were able to get a good look between and across the stacks of waste where the drum ruptured thanks to a special camera boom.

The repository has been closed since last February, when the container of waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory ruptured and contaminated 22 workers along with parts of the underground facility.

Civil Rights Organizations Sue NM To End Tax Refund PolicyThe Associated Press

A national and a statewide civil rights group have filed lawsuits against New Mexico and the state's tax department alleging that refunds are being withheld illegally from people filing taxes using federal tax ID numbers.

Two suits filed in state court Thursday on behalf of a couple and two other workers seek refunds and an injunction to block what the organizations call an "unlawful and discriminatory practice."

Plaintiffs' attorneys say the state Taxation and Revenue Department in 2012 began a policy of denying tax refunds to New Mexico residents who file returns using their federally-issued tax ID.

They say the state has sent at least 14,500 letters to filers citing discrepancies on their returns and seeking supporting documents. Meanwhile, the same people have been receiving federal refunds from the IRS.

Santa Fe Councilors Want To Ban Sales Of Mini Booze BottlesThe Associated Press & The Santa Fe

A majority of the Santa Fe City Council's members are proposing a new citywide ban on the sale of small bottles of liquor called miniatures.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the draft ordinance is intended to combat litter and that the council members' support indicates that it has enough backing to become law.

It would prohibit the sale of single-serving containers of alcoholic beverages in sizes of eight ounces or less but exempt packages of four or more.

The proposal is tentatively scheduled for a council vote April 8.

Mayor: 'Double-dip' Bill May Help Albuquerque PoliceThe Associated Press & The ABQ Journal

The mayor of New Mexico's largest city says return-to-work legislation for law enforcement could help shore up the ranks of Albuquerque's understaffed police department.

Mayor Richard Berry tells the Albuquerque Journal the proposal also would give smaller cities and counties a larger hiring pool.

The legislation would open a narrow exception to laws that discourage double dipping by allowing municipal police officers, New Mexico State Police and undersheriffs to retire for a brief period and then return to work without having to suspend their pensions.

Critics of the bill say the practice would change retirement behavior and threaten the future of the state employees' retirement fund.

Lawmakers Want To Clear Way For Comment At Public MeetingsThe Associated Press

Officials hosting public meetings would be required to allow time for public comment under a measure introduced by two New Mexico lawmakers.

The measure by Republican Rep. Jim Smith of Sandia Park and Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto of Albuquerque would amend the state's Open Meetings Act to require public bodies to set aside a reasonable amount of time for people to speak.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government is throwing its support behind the legislation.

The foundation's executive director, Susan Boe, says although most public bodies already allow for public comment, problems arose in the state over the last year. She pointed to two federal court decisions in which New Mexico public bodies violated a citizen's First Amendment rights during a public comment period.

Santa Fe Again Considers Requiring Fee For Paper BagsThe Associated Press

Santa Fe is again considering the idea of requiring stores to charge shoppers 10 cents for paper bags.

The city initially considered requiring a fee for paper bags as part of a 2013 ordinance that generally prohibits stores from providing single-use plastic bags.

The proposed fee for paper bags was intended to help promote use of reusable bags, but it was removed from the ordinance because it was considered an illegal tax.

The idea has been revived because officials say not enough shoppers are using reusable bags.

City Attorney Kelly Brennan said the current proposal for a fee for paper bags would be permitted because merchants would get a portion of the money to recover their costs.

City Council committees are expected to consider the proposal in March.

'Forgotten' Latino Scholar May Get Albuquerque School - The Associated Press

A noted Mexican-American scholar and civil rights advocate who is virtually unknown is his hometown of Albuquerque may finally get a New Mexico school named after him.

An Albuquerque Public Schools committee voted yesterday to name a new Kindergarten through 8th-grade school in honor of George I. Sanchez.

The educator was born in Albuquerque in 1906, and worked as a teacher in New Mexico before becoming one of the nation's most influential Latino scholars. His 1940 classic "Forgotten People" was one of the first studies to document how Hispanics were losing land and influence to poverty.

A dozen or so schools in Texas and California are named after Sanchez. However, there are none in New Mexico.

New Mexico House Approves Social Promotion Bill - The Associated Press

The New Mexico House of Representatives has voted to approve legislation that would end the social promotion of third-graders who are not proficient readers.

The bill passed 38-30 yesterday after three hours of debate. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The legislation is backed by Gov. Susana Martinez. Her plan to end social promotion faces opposition from Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who says student retention should be based on teachers' assessments, not test scores.

Opponents also say retaining students damages them psychologically and intervention can be done without retention.

Rio Rancho Police: 'Several" Suspicious Deaths At Home - The Associated Press

Police in the Albuquerque suburb of Rio Rancho say they're investigating the deaths of "several" people at a home.

Police aren't saying exactly how many people are dead, releasing cause of deaths or providing any details.

However, police Lt. Paul Rogers said there's no threat to the general public at this time. He says police continue their investigation.

Police were called to the home late Wednesday, and Rogers said responding officers saw people who appeared to be dead.

Emergency medical personnel then confirmed that the people were dead, and police secured the home.

Rogers said police then obtained search warrants to further search the home.

Bills Aimed At Protecting Young Athletes From Brain Injuries - The Associated Press

Two state senators have introduced measures aimed at protecting young athletes from brain injuries.

The measure sponsored by Democrat Bill Soules of Las Cruces would require special training for student athletes. Schools also would have to provide brain injury information, to be signed by parents and students before participating in sports.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez wants to extend existing brain injury protocols to youths who participate in non-scholastic athletic activities. That would include requiring coaches to receive proper training should an athlete suffer a concussion.

Young athletes who exhibit symptoms of brain injuries would also be prohibited from participating in sports without a medical release.

The lawmakers cited statistics from the National Academies of Science, which reported 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports and recreation head injuries occur every year in the US.

Mexican Boy With Massive Tumor Living In New Mexico Now - The Associated Press

An 11-year-old Mexican boy who had portions of a massive tumor removed in New Mexico is living comfortably in Rio Rancho with his family as he prepares for more treatment.

Kristean Alcocer of the First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho said Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano and his family are staying in a rented Rio Rancho home thanks to donations from church members.

Alcocer says members also helped the family with the purchase of a 2006 Pontiac Mountaineer van.

Last year, doctors at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque removed a third of the boy's watermelon-sized tumor during the surgery.

In July 2012, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations assisted in picking up Jose and his parents from a neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez — one of the deadliest cities in the world because of drug cartels.