69 Dismissals So Far From Speedup Of Bernalillo County Cases - The Associated Press and KOAT-TV
The Albuquerque area's top prosecutor says dozens of criminal cases have been dismissed at least temporarily since new state-mandated deadlines kicked in about a month ago.
According to KOAT-TV, the 69 dismissed cases cited by Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg include ones against people charged with sex crimes involving children.
Under the state Supreme Court's rules that so far apply only to Bernalillo County, cases must move through the courts more quickly than has been the case previously. If the cases don't, they are dismissed, but they can be refiled.
Part of the intent of the rules is to ease jail crowding.
Brandenburg has asked the Legislature for a $2 million increase in her budget to hire additional workers to keep up with the mandates.
NM House Votes To Expand Solar Power Tax Credits – The Associated Press
You might soon be able to get a tax credit even if you are leasing a solar power system for your home or small business.
The New Mexico House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously approved the legislation by Republican Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes of Albuquerque. It now moves to the Senate.
Currently, a tax credit applies only to purchase of a solar panel system, not leasing one. Both solar thermal and photovoltaic systems are covered.
Maestas Barnes says the tax credit "extends the availability of solar technology and promotes the use of clean energy to all New Mexicans."
The bill is applicable to taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2015. Tax credits will not apply for installations completed after Dec. 31, 2016.
Navajo Lawmaker Firm On Stance Against Legalizing Marijuana – The Associated Press
A lawmaker on the country's largest American Indian reservation has introduced a bill to reaffirm the tribe's stance against legalizing marijuana.
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie says legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use contradicts Navajo values and tradition.
His bill introduced this week comes in response to an announcement last year by the U.S. Department of Justice to allow American Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana within certain guidelines.
Navajo lawmakers can take action on Yazzie's bill following a public comment period.
Yazzie has said legalizing marijuana would drive up crime rates and drug addictions on the vast reservation that extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
Other tribes across the country carefully are debating whether to approve marijuana sales and use.
Planted Chile Acreage Dropped 10 Percent In New Mexico – The Associated Press
Federal officials say planted chile acreage in New Mexico dropped 10 percent last year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that final production numbers came in at 58,700 tons in 2014 compared to 65,000 the previous year.
The value of New Mexico chile was estimated at $38.7 million, compared to $49.5 million in 2013.
Farmers blame the drop on drought, labor shortages and other market changes.
In addition, the department said there was a decrease for all varieties in acreage harvested from the 2013 crop year. Paprika harvested acreage dropped from 3,400 acres in 2013 to 3,100 harvested acres in 2014.
New Mexico Increasing Trust Land Grazing Fee By 20 Percent – The Associated Press
New Mexico's fee for using state trust land for grazing is going up by about 20 percent.
The Roswell Daily Record reports that state Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn has set the per-animal per-month fee at $4.80 starting Oct. 1, up from $3.99.
Dunn said record-high cattle prices figured into the increase. The commissioner sets the rate by considering market conditions and using a formula determined by New Mexico State University.
The state's fee increase will raise the total income to land trust beneficiaries to just over $8 million. There are 8.7 million acres included in the agricultural leasing program.
Trust land is used for the benefit of public schools, universities and other public institutions.
SolarCity To Offer Financing In New Mexico – The Associated Press
A California-based company is expanding to New Mexico in hopes of growing the number of homes outfitted with solar panels.
With its sunny reputation, SolarCity officials say New Mexico has the potential to be one of the best markets in the nation.
SolarCity announced its plans Wednesday. They include opening an operations center in Albuquerque this month and hiring at least 30 employees for sales and installation.
SolarCity operates in more than a dozen states. The company's loan program is aimed at making solar cheaper and more attractive to homeowners than leases under which the solar companies own the system.
The program works by addressing solar's big drawback: high upfront cost. A loan spreads that cost over 20 or 30 years, making the payments look more like monthly electric bills.
NM Senate OKs Buying Lottery Tickets Using Debit Cards - The Associated
You might be able to buy a lottery ticket in New Mexico using your debit card in the future.
The Senate voted 25-16 to pass a bill to move in that direction in an effort that supporters say will help boost lagging ticket sales and thus pump more lottery money toward college tuition scholarships.
The legislation does away with a requirement that 30 percent of gross lottery revenues be transferred to the tuition fund. It now calls for officials to transfer net revenues monthly for deposit into the fund.
The bill by Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming garnered debate with some lawmakers saying it was risking funds that were required to be transferred, while supporters said allowing debit card use would be good for lottery sales.
New Mexico Solitary Confinement Reform Bill Passes Panel – The Associated Press
A New Mexico House panel has passed a solitary confinement reform proposal with no recommendation a week after a heated exchange sparked by a Democratic member ended a meeting.
The House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee voted 6-0 on Tuesday to move along a measure that would ban the use of solitary confinement on juveniles and inmates suffering from mental illness.
A meeting on the bill ended abruptly Thursday after Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero refused to stop talking over the objections of Chairman William Rehm, who then adjourned the meeting. She questioned why anyone would oppose it, which led to the heated exchange.
Caballero, a Democrat, faced criticism last month when she compared the federal Real ID Act and repeal of the state's immigrant driver's license law to the Holocaust. She later apologized.
New Mexico Senate Approves Bill To Eradicate Bullying - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Senate has approved an anti-bullying bill spurred by the 2013 suicide of a teenager who was bullied at school.
The bill approved unanimously Tuesday calls for the creation of a five-member board to oversee grant applications to eradicate bullying in New Mexico schools, colleges and communities.
The Carlos Vigil Memorial Act would create a fund to be administered by the University of New Mexico Board of Regents.
Bill sponsor Sen. Jacob Candelaria of Albuquerque says bullying is an issue that "warrants a state response."
A Twitter post by 17-year-old Carlos Vigil of Los Lunas about enduring bullying garnered widespread media attention after he committed suicide.
Among the act's purposes is to "cultivate a statewide culture where bullying is not accepted."
AP, New Mexico Governor Settle Open Records Case - The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has agreed that monthly reports detailing the spending of security officers relates to public business and falls under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
That is according to a settlement between Martinez and The Associated Press. The parties filed papers on Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the AP.
The news organization sued the governor in 2013 for refusing to release records about her work and travel schedules, cellphone calls and the expenses of her security detail.
As part of the settlement, Martinez agreed to release monthly procurement card statements — similar to credit card records — for the security officers who travel with her.
Account numbers, names and arrival and departure dates were redacted for security reasons.
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Dept.: Shots Fired During Chase - The Associated Press
Bernalillo County authorities say shots were fired during a Tuesday morning chase that resulted in the capture of a man who tried to elude deputies who wanted to check out a suspicious van.
Sheriff's Sgt. Aaron Williamson said a police helicopter followed the van to a road's dead end, where a female got out and ran off.
According to Williamson, the male driver got back in the van and drove off after trying unsuccessfully trying to steal another vehicle.
Williamson said shots were fired during the pursuit and that a deputy fired at least one shot.
The pursuit ended with the driver being captured after he stopped the vehicle and ran off.
Williamson said investigators are trying to determine why the suspects fled.
Further information was not immediately available.
Police: UFC Watch Party Turns Violent, Fingertip Bitten Off - The Associated Press
A UFC viewing party turned violent after police say a man bit off a family member's fingertip during a drunken brawl.
Authorities say 28-year-old Manuel Aragon was arrested Sunday following a bizarre fight at a west Albuquerque home.
According to a criminal complaint, Aragon became angry after family members started insulting him about his job. The complaint says Aragon then bit off the right index fingertip of Rey Gutierrez and hurled rocks into Gutierrez's eye, causing "permanent disfigurement."
Aragon's girlfriend told police Gutierrez and two others punched and kicked Aragon while he was down on the ground.
Aragon was charged with two counts of aggravated battery and taken to the hospital before being booked into the county jail.
It was not known if Aragon had an attorney.
New Mexico Couple Gets Engaged, Then Stranded On Mountaintop - The Associated Press and KOB-TV
An ecstatic New Mexico couple who got engaged on top of Sandia Peak had to curtail their celebrations after getting stuck for hours because of high winds.
KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports that Arthur Edelhoff and Lindsay Duncan of Corrales took the tram up the mountaintop early Sunday evening.
After taking happy engagement photos, the couple were told that they had to wait for the 40-mph wind to die down before they could return.
Jay Blackwood, the assistant manager of the Sandia Peak Tram, says around 140 people were stranded for about four hours.
Edelhoff says they didn't get off the mountain until 10:30 p.m.
Sentencing Reset For Accomplice In Arizona Prison Break - The Associated Press
Sentencing has been delayed for a woman who helped three inmates flee an Arizona prison in 2010 by throwing cutting tools over the perimeter fence.
Casslyn Welch had been set to appear before Mohave County Superior Court Judge Steven Conn on Wednesday. The date was reset to March 11 after a medical issue arose in her attorney's family.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Welch will serve 20 years on an escape charge and two counts of robbery. Conn has said it will run concurrent to her 40-year sentence in a federal murder case that stemmed from her time on the lam.
Welch pleaded guilty in the federal case to charges that included carjacking resulting in the deaths of an Oklahoma couple in New Mexico.