June 4 Funeral Set For Fallen Rio Rancho Police Officer - The Associated Press
A funeral is scheduled next week for a Rio Rancho police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Officer Gregg Benner was gunned down Monday evening after stopping a vehicle in the Albuquerque suburb and later died at a hospital.
The man suspected of shooting Benner was arrested Tuesday.
Authorities say visitation will be held on June 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Daniels Family Sara Road Chapel in Rio Rancho.
The funeral will be June 4 at 10 a.m. at the Santa Ana Star Event Center in Rio Rancho.
Both events are open to the public.
The 49-year-old Benner was a military veteran who had been with the Rio Rancho Police Department for four years.
He's survived by his wife and five adult children.
Judge Allows Former Inmate To Dig For Buried Evidence - The Associated Press
A 23-year inmate of the now-closed Penitentiary of New Mexico Complex is being allowed to dig for evidence at the facility to prove his claims that prisoners were experimented on and poisoned there.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Samuel P. Chavez entered the prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in 1988. He filed a lawsuit in 2007 saying he lost his sight from mistreatment by prison officials and was kept in solitary confinement for a decade.
State District Judge Sarah Singleton ruled Thursday that Chavez can dig a reasonable portion of the prison grounds to find ledgers Chavez says he buried there.
He says they show inmates were experimented on and list names of people whose organs and blood were sold for profit.
The Department of Corrections denies the allegations. Warden German Franco said in court Thursday that the department isn't opposed to a search of limited scope.
Navajo Nation President's Wife Absent From Reservation – The Associated Press
The Office of the First Lady on the Navajo Nation has for years served as a ceremonial post for wives of presidents to promote healthy living, literacy and the arts.
But the recent election of Russell Begaye as president has created a shift. The vice president's wife, Phefelia Herbert, is set to assume the first lady duties with the mysterious absence of Begaye's wife.
Begaye married Kyoon Chung in 1999 in Georgia, where she still lives. He has described the marriage as a business decision without elaborating and has not responded to multiple requests from The Associated Press to clarify.
His wife has worked as a dentist who advertised her services to both English- and Korean-speaking patients. She also did not respond to inquiries at her home this week.
Number Of New Mexico Teacher Licenses Up – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Public Education Department says the state is on pace to issue around 9,600 new and renewed teacher licenses, marking a 41 percent increase since 2011.
The agency said this week that New Mexico also is expected to issue more than 2,000 new licenses this year. That will be the largest number in six years.
New Mexico Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera told state lawmakers Thursday at a New Mexico Legislative Education Study Committee meeting that the numbers show that the teaching profession is growing in the state despite complaints that teachers were leaving the field.
Democrats and teachers unions say that a new state teacher evaluation system and student testing requirement were pushing teachers out of the profession.
Deming Man Convicted Of Conspiring To Transport Immigrants – The Associated Press
A federal jury has convicted a 67-year-old Deming man of conspiring to transport immigrants who were in the country illegally.
The U.S. District Court jury in Las Cruces returned the verdict against Jose Efrain Cavazos on Thursday after two hours of deliberation at the end of a two-day trial.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, trial evidence indicated that Border Patrol agents arrested Cavazos when he responded to a call made by an agent using a phone in the possession of one of six immigrants found in Luna County on Nov. 19, 2014.
The office says Cavazos could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Martinez Announces 20 Percent Jump In Math, Science Ed Funds - The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has announced a 20 percent increase in funding aimed at bringing math and science teachers to schools in rural and impoverished areas.
Martinez told a group of math and science teachers on Friday in Albuquerque that the state now is providing $2.4 million for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math program, or STEM.
The extra money will provide professional development for teachers in rural and low-income schools.
Overall funding provides $5,000 stipends to recruit and retain math and science teachers in rural and underserved areas.
Martinez said better math and science teachers will help New Mexico's children compete for high-tech jobs in the future.
Energy Department To Investigate Los Alamos Lab Consortium – The Associated Press
Following a series of electrical accidents, the U.S. Department of Energy has ordered two separate investigations of the contractor that manages the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Energy Department will review potential violations by the Los Alamos National Security LLC consortium.
A federal Accident Investigation Board will also examine several incidents at the nuclear weapons research facility, including a May 3 accident that injured nine workers. One of those workers remains in the hospital in stable condition but severely burned.
Los Alamos spokesman Kevin Roark says the lab is working to strengthen its safety culture and will cooperate with the investigation.
Since 2003, the lab has had at least 11 electrical incidents, some with injuries.
Teen Births Down But Remain A Stubborn Problem In New Mexico – The Associated Press
New Mexico has a stubborn problem: its persistent ranking at or near the top in the nation when it comes to teen pregnancies.
A new legislative analysis suggests that state agencies develop a comprehensive plan to reduce teen births.
While the birth rates are declining like the rest of the nation, the state's overall ranking hasn't budged.
The analysis recommends lawmakers direct the Health Department to develop strategies, including identifying communities with higher teen births as priorities and setting reduction targets.
The department could implement the ideas without a change in law.
The report found teen births were concentrated in certain geographic areas and among teens who have already become parents.
Advocates who have been trying to address the issue say teen childbearing cost taxpayers at least $103 million in 2010.
Albuquerque Officers Shoot At Suspect Driving Toward Them - The Associated Press
Albuquerque police say officers opened fire on a man suspected of stealing a car when he allegedly drove directly at police.
Police say 20-year-old Rodrigo Garcia was taken to a hospital Thursday evening with unknown injuries.
Spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says events leading up to the shooting began Wednesday when Garcia was suspected of being in a stolen car that rammed an officer's vehicle.
Thursday evening, she says Garcia was spotted getting out of that stolen car, but when police moved to detain him he jumped back into it.
Espinoza says: "He then accelerated through a yard, a fence and directly at officers. Multiple officers fired rounds at Garcia."
She says a woman who had been with Garcia earlier was questioned.
Albuquerque police have faced scrutiny for more than 40 shootings since 2010.
Report Alleges Border Patrol Engaged In Abusive Behavior – The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
An American Civil Liberties Union report alleges that border patrol agents have engaged in racial profiling and intimidation tactics along southern New Mexico's border with Mexico.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the ACLU of New Mexico's Regional Center for Border Rights on Thursday released the report entitled, "Guilty Until Proven Innocent."
The report cites unjustified detentions and searches, intimidation, racial profiling, among other accusations of abusive behavior by border patrol agents.
According to the report, U.S. citizens reported 50 complaints of abuse by border agents and officers to the ACLU last year.
Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero says the allegations were never brought to the attention of Border Patrol.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Roger Maier says the organization strives to act professionally in all interactions with community.
New Mexico's Lottery Scholarships To Be Larger Than Expected - The Associated Press
The amount of assistance for New Mexico's lottery scholarships will be larger than expected thanks to higher lottery revenues.
The New Mexico Higher Education Department announced Thursday that the in-state tuition assistance for university and college students will cover around 90 percent of full tuition costs next school year.
Lawmakers had feared that the amount of assistance could drop to around 80 percent of costs due to an expected drop in lottery revenues and because bickering legislators failed to bolster the state's Legislative Lottery Scholarship program's financial underpinnings.
In addition to the higher revenues, the department says more money is available since New Mexico is seeing a drop in student enrollment.
Lottery officials say annual demand tops $60 million.
Officials: Video Of Luna County Jail Disturbance Is Missing - The Associated Press and Deming Headlight
Luna County authorities are investigating why surveillance video of a May 6 disturbance in the county jail is missing.
The Deming Headlight reports that Detention Center Director Matthew Elwell said Wednesday during a review of the incident that the video was not and would not be available for viewing.
Elwell declined to elaborate, but Sheriff John Mooradian said his office is investigating why the video is missing.
The incident began with a search of cells that prompted resistance from some inmates. Jail personnel used pepper spray and gas canisters after inmates became unruly, failed to respond to commands and kicked at doors.
The incident lasted just over two hours.
Meanwhile, inmates and families of inmates have reported poor conditions at the jail and retaliation against inmates.
Director Of Bipartisan New Mexico Education Panel To Retire - The Associated Press
The director of the bipartisan New Mexico Legislative Education Study Committee says she will retire at the end of the year.
Frances Ramirez-Maestas told committee members Thursday that she was stepping down as leader of the panel that studies educational issues and recommends public education funding levels.
Ramirez-Maestas says it was time to retire after years of service.
Dennis Roch, a Logan Republican, says the committee will look to hire a replacement who understands the legislative process and New Mexico's issues.