Feds Say Southwest, Northwest Could See Catastrophic Fires - The Associated Press
Despite a wet spring over much of the nation, the Obama administration is warning of potentially catastrophic wildfires this summer, especially in the Southwest and Northwest.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell discussed wildfire threats and fire outlook Tuesday in Denver.
Jewell says drought and climate change are increasing wildfire danger.
Federal fire managers say heavy precipitation in May reduced the likelihood of wildfires this month across much of the nation, but the danger will increase from July through September.
The Agriculture and Interior departments say federal firefighting costs are expected to range from $1.1 billion to $2.1 billion. The high end would exceed their combined firefighting budget of about $1.4 billion.
If that happens, they would have to transfer money from programs meant to reduce long-term fire danger.
Bernalillo County Corrections Officer Arrested – The Associated Press
A Bernalillo County detention officer has been arrested on charges that he had sexual relationship with a female inmate.
The Metropolitan Detention Center officer was arrested after an investigation prompted by an email from a concerned citizen. The woman who sent the email said a guard might be having a relationship with her daughter.
A news release announcing the arrest says Jeremy Bowman was booked into the county jail on 10 counts of criminal sexual penetration and for tampering with evidence. He's being held without bond in protective custody pending a court hearing set for Wednesday.
Sheriff's investigators assigned to the jail interviewed Bowman. He reportedly acknowledged a possible inappropriate relationship and was arrested Tuesday.
It wasn't clear of Bowman has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
Convicted Ex-New Mexico Sheriff Gets Certification Revoked - The Associated Press
A former northern New Mexico sheriff convicted in a road rage case is no longer a peace officer in New Mexico.
The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board voted Tuesday to revoke the officer certification for former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Thomas Rodella.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas told reporters Rodella's conviction was an embarrassment.
Rodella was sentenced in January to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as a fit of road rage. He also was ordered to pay a $200,000 fine and $10,335 in restitution.
The former lawman was elected sheriff in 2010, despite having been ousted as a magistrate judge by the state Supreme Court two years earlier for misconduct.
New Mexico AG Sets Goals For Law Enforcement Academy Board - The Associated Press
The state attorney general is asking the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy board to review its training for officers and to make sure it remains transparent.
Hector Balderas, who chairs the board that oversees the academy, said Tuesday the move was to reassure the public that law enforcement officers are prepared.
Balderas announced at the Espanola meeting the formation of two subcommittees to examine the challenges officers face and to make sure the board is compliant with transparency laws.
The eight-member New Mexico board came under scrutiny in September 2013 following a vote to give complete control over curriculum to director Jack Jones.
Jones shortened classes to 16 weeks from 22 and changed use of deadly force training, saying it would reduce police shootings in the state.
NM Nuclear Laboratories Fined For Security Violations - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Two nuclear laboratories in New Mexico are facing hefty fines for the faulty handling of classified information or material.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the federal Department of Energy has fined Sandia Corp. $577,500 for violation of control of nuclear weapons data.
Sandia Corp. is a Lockheed Martin company that serves as the private operator of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
The private contractor at Los Alamos National Laboratory was also fined $247,500 for the loss of classified material. In a separate incident, Los Alamos National Security LLC was fined $150,000 for exposure of workers to a hazardous material.
Sandia was cited for presenting information in improper lab settings, in public and on insecure computer servers.
Spokesmen for the Sandia and Los Alamos labs say they take security very seriously.
Guards At Los Alamos Nuke Lab Ratify Contract Agreement - The Associated Press
Security workers who protect Los Alamos National Laboratory have ratified a new five-year contract.
Union officials announced Tuesday that the deal was reached after both sides compromised and union workers got a no-lockout pledge from security contractor SOC-Los Alamos.
International Guards Union of America Local 69 negotiators walked out of talks last month, accusing SOC-Los Alamos of negotiating in bad faith. But the talks that began in January got back on track.
Union agent Chris Mandril says guards will begin immediately paying 15 percent of their health insurance premiums. In return, they'll receive a 10 percent match for their 401(k) contributions starting next year.
Mandril says the 401(k) match was an important retirement benefit that puts Los Alamos guards on par with security workers at other federal nuclear facilities.
Fund Established For Victims In Cherry Picker Accident - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Funds have been established to help pay for funeral and hospitalization costs for the families involved in a cherry picker accident that left a man and two children dead, and three other children injured.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Contributions can be made at Nusenda Credit Union branches in New Mexico.
The accident occurred when 56-year-old Ken Raschick was giving neighborhood kids a demonstration of the elevated lift May 24. A strong gust of wind toppled the cherry picker, crashing about 50 feet to the ground.
Ken Raschick and his 12-year-old nephew died at the scene. Later 7-year-old Kevin Raschick died at a local hospital.
An unidentified neighbor child was in critical condition and 10-year-old Bobby Raschick was reported in stable condition.
Xcel Energy Seeks Rate Increase For New Mexico Customers - The Associated Press
Xcel Energy has asked state regulators to raise rates for customers in New Mexico.
The electric provider says savings from lower fuel prices will help lessen the impact, but residential customers stand to see their bills increase by about 7.6 percent, or $5.72 per month.
The company says a rate hike will help it recoup some of the more than $1 billion it has spent this year and plans to invest next year in power lines, substations and generating equipment.
Over the next five years, the company says the investments are expected to have a $2 billion economic impact in the region.
If state regulators approve Xcel's request, customers would likely see their rates increase next summer.
Xcel says the last time rates were changed was in April 2014.
Approval Given For Gambling Compacts With New Mexico Tribes - The Associated Press
Gambling compacts negotiated by the state and a handful of American Indian tribes have cleared their final hurdle.
The U.S. Interior Department reviewed the compacts but took no action. Under federal law, the agreements are considered approved by the agency as long as they're consistent with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
The assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, Kevin Washburn, spelled out some concerns the department had with the compacts in a four-page letter sent Tuesday to Gov. Susana Martinez and tribal leaders.
Washburn pointed to an apparent increase in revenue sharing rates for some tribes, but he acknowledged that the agreements had the support of the tribes.
Under the compacts, the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache nations and three pueblos can operate casinos for another two decades.
Sheriff: Albuquerque-Area Homicide Victim's Car Found - The Associated Press
Bernalillo County authorities say they've located a homicide victim's missing car.
Sheriff's officials said Tuesday that Albuquerque police located 22-year-old Jared Clark's car in an apartment complex on the city's northwest side.
Clark was found lying on a road in the Albuquerque area on Sunday, apparently killed by a gunshot wound.
Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Aaron Williamson says homicide detectives believe the suspects or suspects drove Clark's Ford Mustang away from the spot where his body was found.
Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's homicide detectives.
Hurricane Remnants To Bring Heavy Rain To Parts Of NM - The Associated Press
The National Weather Service says heavy rain is possible in central and western parts of the state as the remnants of Hurricane Blanca move east.
The weather service on Tuesday afternoon issued a flash flood watch for much of northwest New Mexico but warned that heavy rain in other areas also could trigger flooding. Mountainous areas of northern and western New Mexico will see the most rain with as much as two inches possible.
Between a half-inch and one inch of rain is expected to fall north and west of Albuquerque through Wednesday evening. Lingering showers are possible after that.
Lightning-Started Wildfire Reaches 50 Percent Containment - The Associated Press
A lightning-started wildfire in southwestern New Mexico continues to wind down amid favorable weather conditions.
Fire managers say crews now have containment lines around 50 percent of the fire. It's has burned more than nine square miles of the Coronado National Forest in extreme southwestern New Mexico.
The number of assigned personnel dropped from nearly 300 to approximately 270 on Monday, and officials say more will be released Tuesday because of recent rain and because the fire is no longer growing.
The fire has burned mostly grass and brush just across the state line from southeastern Arizona.
AG Looks To Speed Up Behavioral Health Investigation – The Associated Press
The New Mexico attorney general's office is seeking forensic auditors to help with the investigation into allegations of fraud and abuse involving nonprofits that provided behavioral health services to needy New Mexicans.
Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Wednesday in Espanola that he has issued a request for proposals in hopes of speeding up the investigation.
Balderas' office is continuing to investigate 12 of 15 nonprofit providers as a result of an audit done by the state Human Services Department in 2013.
That audit alleged $36 million in state Medicaid funding was mishandled by the providers. That prompted Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration to freeze Medicaid payments to the providers while the attorney general's office launched an inquiry.
With more resources, Balderas says the investigation could be complete in six months.
Multi-Agency Effort Nets Arrest Of 60 Probation Violators – The Associated Press
Dozens of probation violators are back in jail as part of an arrest warrant roundup being conducted by law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal level.
The Roswell Daily Record reports 60 arrests were made over the weekend in the third phase of a five-part crackdown on individuals who have violated their probation.
Roswell Police spokesman Todd Wildermuth says investigations led law enforcement officers to residences where most of the wanted individuals were arrested, with 16 in or around Roswell.
The United States Marshals Service, FBI and New Mexico State Police are a few of the agencies taking part in the effort focused on six southeast New Mexico counties.
Spring Rains Could Cause Later Fire Season – The Associated Press
Forecasters say more wet weather is making its way to New Mexico, which could result in a second fire season from August to October.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports fire management officer for the Santa Fe and Carson national forests, Bill King, says grass growth and wet snows from the rainy spring can dry out quickly.
The middle of June is typically when New Mexico can expect its peak fire season. The larger fire season, which can take out tens of thousands of acres, usually ends in early July.
But recent wet weather has delayed big fire season worries.
King says the state is still in a drought and another bad fire season could be in store later this year.
Bernalillo Officials Approve Jail Oversight Board – The Associated Press
A new nine-member board will handle investigations into allegations of violence and staff misconduct at Metropolitan Detention Center, one of the 40 largest jails in the country.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Bernalillo County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the board on Tuesday.
Members will have expertise in law, finances, medicine or behavioral health. Five will represent each district and four will be at-large members.
Lt. Stephen Perkins leads the corrections officers union and says he's concerned about the qualifications for board membership.
He says members should have corrections experience because something that appears shocking to an outsider might be perfectly legal.
County Attorney Randy Autio recommended approval of the measure. He says it will provide strong oversight if the county ends its 20-year litigation over the jail's conditions.
Man Accused Of Killing Officer Indicted On Federal Charges – The Associated Press
A New Mexico man accused of fatally shooting a Rio Rancho police officer during a traffic stop has been indicted on federal firearms charges.
U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez announced Thursday that a federal grand jury indicted 28-year-old Andrew Romero for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
A criminal complaint says Romero was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition since he previously has been convicted of multiple felonies, including voluntary manslaughter.
Romero is facing multiple charges, including murder, in the death of Officer Gregg Benner last month. If convicted, he could face a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
According to a criminal complaint, Romero acknowledged shooting at Benner but says he didn't know whether he struck the officer.