High-Speed Internet Has Yet To Reach Rural New Mexicans - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
High-speed Internet has become essential to the everyday lives of most Americans, but it has yet to reach many rural communities in New Mexico.
The New Mexican reports that some residents there say they feel taken advantage of. They are stuck with snail-paced service while being charged prices that exceed faster plans in urban areas.
A lack of competition and government incentives and the high cost of installing fiber-optic cables in thinly populated areas drive up prices for rural service.
The Federal Communications Commission last week proposed a dramatic expansion of a subsidy program designed to help low-income Americans get high-speed internet. It looks promising for low-income city dwellers but doesn't address the gaping divide between urban and rural residents.
The FCC says estimates that 14 million people in rural areas still lack access to fixed broadband service.
Ex-Los Alamos Scientist In Nuke Spy Sting Loses Appeal – The Associated Press
A federal court has denied an appeal from a former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist convicted of offering to help develop nuclear weapons for Venezuela.
The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni had no grounds since his plea deal called for no appeals.
But the 79-year-old Mascheroni argued in court papers that he had ineffective attorneys and he didn't fully understand his plea agreement. He wanted his sentencing tossed out.
In January, Mascheroni was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty.
Mascheroni and his wife, Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, pleaded guilty in 2013 to offering to help develop a nuclear weapon for Venezuela through dealings with an undercover FBI agent posing as a representative of the socialist South American country.
Official: New Mexico Water Debate To Be Shaped By Transfers – The Associated Press
Drought has eased its grip on New Mexico, but a top water official tells lawmakers the arid state still will be faced with proposals to transfer water from where it's located to those areas that need it most.
State Engineer Tom Blaine testified Monday before a legislative committee focused on water and natural resources.
Blaine mentioned a revamped proposal to pipe billions of gallons of drinking water from rural western New Mexico to more populated areas. The previous state engineer denied the initial application, saying it was too vague.
A decision has yet to be made on the latest proposal, but Blaine says serious questions need to be asked about the effects of inter-basin transfers.
Some lawmakers said New Mexico needs to do a better job of getting water to where it's needed.
Martinez Appoints New DA For Chaves, Eddy and Lea Counties – The Associated Press & The Hobbs News-Sun
Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed a new district attorney for three southeast New Mexico counties.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports reports that the Republican governor last week tapped 5th Judicial Chief Deputy District Dianna Luce to replace retiring District Attorney Janetta Hicks.
Luce will work out of Lea County and would oversee Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties.
The 50-year-old Luce served as a Lea County magistrate judge from 2004 to 2008, and has served as the chief deputy district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District since 2009.
Last month, Hicks announced she was leaving office two years into her second four-year term for personal and financial reasons.
$4,000 Charged Daily For Albuquerque Police Monitoring – The Associated Press & KOB
The first Department of Justice invoice for monitoring the Albuquerque Police Department shows James Ginger cost $4,000 per day for the first three months of his services.
KOB-TV reports Ginger issued the bill without having made any public appearances or briefings about what he's doing to monitor the police department.
This bill covers three months of work totaling almost $366,000 that the invoice lists as going toward planning, coordinating, traveling and designing methodology.
The DOJ started monitoring the department as part of an agreement reached after Albuquerque Police drew scrutiny over more than 40 shootings involving its officers since 2010.
At-Risk Children In Santa Fe To Get Free Lunches - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe school children on free or reduced-price lunch programs won't be without during their summer break thanks to a new program.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Lunch Box Express will begin delivering free sack lunches Monday to three mobile home communities on Santa Fe's south side.
The Food Depot, a nonprofit food bank that serves nine counties in northern New Mexico, is delivering the food on a Santa Fe Public Schools bus.
Each sack will contain nonperishable food, fresh produce and cold milk.
Organizers say they expect to feed at least 50 children at each site.
The program is modeled after one in Denver.
It will run until Aug. 14.
1 Dead In Shooting In Southeast Albuquerque – The Associated Press
Albuquerque police say one person has died after being fatally shot in the city's southeast area.
Police responded Sunday afternoon to a shooting on Palomas Drive near Bell Avenue.
They say officers found one victim dead.
No suspect has been located.
Farmington Woman Charged With Making, Sharing Child Porn - The Associated Press and Daily Times
Authorities say a discovery from a fatal 2012 motorcycle crash in Arizona is what led to a Farmington woman's arrest on child pornography charges.
The Daily Times in Farmington reports the San Juan County Sheriff's Office on Thursday booked 28-year-old Tristalyn Valencia on multiple counts including criminal sexual contact of a minor and sexual exploitation of children.
Sheriff's Lt. Kyle Lincoln says Valencia allegedly used a young relative to create pornography, which she then distributed.
Lincoln says that pornographic pictures of the child were on the phone of 22-year-old Tyler Crocfer, of Farmington.
Investigators found them while looking into the Phoenix crash that killed Crocfer.
Authorities recently identified the child and contacted the parents, leading to Valencia's arrest.
Number Of Campaign Finance Violations In New Mexico Unclear - The Associated Press and Daily Times
Just a few months after announcing a task force to overhaul campaign finance practices in New Mexico, state officials are still not clear on how many violations are being investigated.
The Daily Times in Farmington reports that Secretary of State Dianna Duran's office is still compiling referrals of possible violations to send to Attorney General Hector Balderas.
Balderas' office released one violation referral from Duran on Friday. More are expected to be disclosed by June 10.
Balderas and Duran formed a joint task force in February to review issues of campaign finance reporting, enforcement and the referral process.
The newspaper found Duran's office only collected 4 percent of roughly 2,000 fines imposed on candidates who were found in violation.
Furthermore, Duran waived one-third of them.
Grasshopper Population Could Decrease In New Mexico - The Associated Press and KOAT-TV
The grasshopper population could be decreasing this year. It's the latest data point in a trend that a researcher says has been thrown out of whack by climate change.
KOAT-TV reports that a University of New Mexico researcher says rain, temperature and plant growth combined last year to create perfect conditions for grasshoppers.
Dr. David Lightfoot says the insect's population can grow very rapidly.
He has tracked grasshopper numbers for more than 25 years, but says climate change has thrown them out of whack over the past decade.
Grasshopper population used to be easier to predict, but now Lightfoot says he's unsure what species will be abundant each year because the timing and amount of rainfall and increase in temperatures are having a big effect.
NMSU Wildlife Museum Receives Mexican Wolf Pelt - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
A Mexican wolf pelt that is more than 100 years has found a home at a New Mexico museum.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the pelt, native to the Southwest, will be on display at the Wildlife Museum of New Mexico State University.
It has been donated by two sisters who say the pelt has gone through several generations of their family since the early 20th century.
Curator Jennifer Frey says the pelt will be used in a museum public education program.
She says the pelt can facilitate discussions about the animal and its conservation status.
An annual federal survey released in February showed at least 109 wolves are spread among New Mexico and Arizona.
The Mexican wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976.