Rio Rancho Police Officer Shot, Killed, Suspect In Custody – The Associated Press and KOB-TV
A suspect has been arrested in the shooting of a Rio Rancho police officer on Southern Boulevard near the public library.
KOB-TV reports the 49-year-old, 4-year veteran was shot Monday night and died at the University of New Mexico hospital.
Police say the officer pulled over a man and woman at an Arby's. The suspect fled.
Police says the circumstances surrounding the shooting are under investigation.
The Rio Rancho Police Department says this is the first time an officer has been shot and killed in the line of duty in the department's history.
Police Detail Traffic Stop That Ended In Officer's Death – The Associated Press
Authorities say the man suspected of killing a police officer in an Albuquerque suburb had an extensive criminal record, including a manslaughter conviction.
Rio Rancho Police Chief Michael Geier identified the suspect as 28-year-old Andrew Romero. Charges are pending.
Officer Gregg Benner was at the end of his shift Monday when he was gunned down during a traffic stop shortly after 8 p.m. The police chief says Romero was a passenger in the stopped vehicle.
The chief says Benner had stopped the vehicle after a short chase through a parking lot. When the officer approached, he was shot with a handgun.
Benner was hit multiple times in the torso and didn't have a chance to draw his weapon.
The 49-year-old officer was a military veteran who had been with the Rio Rancho Police Department for four years.
Man, Child Who Died In Cherry Picker Accident Identified – The Associated Press
Police have identified the man and boy who were killed when the cherry picker they were in toppled over during a strong wind gust.
Police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza identified the man as 56-year-old Ken Raschick. The 12-year-old boy was his nephew.
Three other children were also injured in Sunday's accident.
Authorities say Raschick's 10-year-old son is in stable condition and his 7-year-old son is in critical condition.
A 10-year-old neighbor is hospitalized in critical condition.
Police say no charges are pending and the department's crimes against children unit is investigating.
More Moisture In New Mexico A Boon For Farmers, Fish – The Associated Press
Some parts of New Mexico are still drying out from last weekend's rain, but residents of the drought-stricken state have little to complain about since conditions haven't looked this good in years.
Extreme drought is gone from New Mexico and nearly one-third of the state is drought-free.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said Tuesday it's been nearly five years since conditions were this favorable.
Back-to-back showers and late season snowfall have helped to fill streams and reservoirs, which is good news for farmers and fish.
Along the Rio Grande, federal water managers have decided to take advantage of the natural spike in river flows to release more water to boost spawning of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow.
Officials say crews have been collecting minnow eggs for the past week.
New Mexico Prosecutors To Seek Charges Against Ex-Officers – The Associated Press
New Mexico prosecutors announced Tuesday they will ask a grand jury to indict two former Las Cruces police officers recently fired following an investigation into an alleged incident of police brutality.
State Attorney General Hector Balderas and District Attorney Mark D'Antonio said their offices intend to jointly prosecute ex-Officers Richard Garcia and Danny Salcido.
Lawyers for Ross Flynn have said he was severely beaten while handcuffed in a police holding cell on Dec. 23.
Flynn was later hospitalized with a skull fracture. He had been arrested after allegedly pointing a rifle at his neighbor over a parking space and then ignoring officer's commands at the scene.
Attorneys representing Garcia and Salcido in a civil lawsuit filed by Flynn and his mother did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Town Blames Weather, Bad Press For Limited Rally Crowd – The Associated Press
Red River officials say bad weather and press from a May 17 fight in Waco, Texas that left nine dead contributed to the smaller than usual crowd at the town's annual Memorial Day motorcycle rally.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Marshal David Smith says law enforcement was confident violence from the May 17 fight between the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and the Cossacks wouldn't spill over to the rally, and that he kept officers' presence similar to previous years.
New Mexico State Police Sgt. Bill Thornock says the crowd really thinned out when it started snowing Sunday.
About 300 members of the Bandidos attended the rally wearing patches from Colorado, Texas and New Mexico.
The rally is in its 44th year and can bring in up to 15,000 visitors.
Bernalillo Jail Chief Wants Officers To Use Less Force – The Associated Press
A Bernalillo County jail chief has called on corrections officers to use force less often, but the officers' union says the policy change will limit their ability to handle unruly inmates.
The Albuquerque Journal reports jail chief Phillip Greer issued the instruction about six weeks ago. He says the goal is to reduce the chance of injury to staff and inmates.
The president of the union for jail employees says the directive runs the risk of undermining correction officers' authority. He says officers must be able to maintain institutional control.
Jail officials say that use-of-force incidents increase when a new jail captain is assigned to a particular area, as inmates try to push boundaries. But, they said use of force had been down in April due to the new directive.
Fatal Cherry Picker Accident Occurred During Demonstration - The Associated Press
Authorities say a cherry picker accident in Albuquerque that killed two people and injured three others happened while a man was giving boys in the neighborhood a demonstration of the elevated lift.
Police spokesman Simon Drobik says the cherry picker carrying the group toppled over from a gust of wind and its boom crashed to the ground. All five were thrown from the lift.
The man in his 50s and a 12-year-old boy died in Sunday's accident.
Two boys, ages 7 and 10, are in critical condition. Another 10-year boy is in stable condition.
Drobik says there were probably too many people inside the lift's bucket, and the legs used to stabilize the lift hadn't been extended.
Work Begins On Interim Ventilation System At Nuke Dump - The Associated Press
Workers at the federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico are installing a temporary ventilation system that will increase airflow in the underground facility.
The system will include two above-ground filter units and fans that will be connected to ductwork that feeds the underground portions of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The plant has been closed for more than a year following a radiation release that stemmed from a chemical reaction among waste improperly packed inside a drum at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Since the February 2014 mishap, all air exiting the underground passes through filters. Ventilation of the underground is reduced based on the filter capacity.
Officials say more airflow will allow more workers to be in the underground at any given time.
Former Rio Rancho Teacher Files Lawsuit Over Her 2012 Firing - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A former Rio Rancho teacher says in a lawsuit that she was fired as a result of her involvement with a union and her outspoken criticism of school district officials.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that school officials countered that former Eagle Ridge Middle School teacher Lisa Christopherson acted in a disrespectful way toward her students that led to her firing in August 2012.
Christopherson's lawsuit alleges officials violated a law that protects employees who speak out against workplace fraud, abuse or waste from employer retaliation.
She claims after she publicly spoke out about class sizes and a mold problem at her school that officials instructed her principal to solicit statements about a parent's complaint that Christopherson had made an inappropriate statement to a student.
Officials deny Christopherson's characterization of the district's actions.
Downtown Portales To Shut Down For Movie Shoot - The Associated Press and KRQE-TV
Downtown Portales will be closed to traffic Tuesday and get temporarily taken over by Hollywood.
KRQE-TV reports that crews from the action film "Comancheria" will be shooting on parts of 1st and 2nd streets.
The crime drama stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster. Pine and Foster play brothers — one an ex-con and the other divorced dad — who plot a bank heist to save their family's farm from foreclosure.
Bridges is slated to portray a lawman pursuing them.
The closures will be in effect from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
San Juan County Septic Pump Companies Facing State Fines - The Associated Press and Daily Times
The New Mexico Environment Department is ramping up enforcement of required certification for septic pumping companies in San Juan County.
The Daily Times in Farmington reports that the department plans to fine non-compliant companies $100 per violation or face court action.
Department documents show only three of 22 septic pumping businesses in the county are properly certified.
State environmental regulators say the companies have until June 15 to get certified before receiving violation notices.
The department is renewing its efforts following a study released in February that found evidence of human feces in the San Juan and Animas rivers.
However, the department has no employees solely assigned to enforce the regulations.
Officials are hopeful to contract a company to track violations for an online database.
Shiprock Boy With Genetic Condition Gets Liver Transplant - The Associated Press and Daily Times
A 2-year-old Shiprock boy who suffers from a rare genetic condition recently received a liver transplant in California.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that Kaiden Charley was diagnosed with a condition that affects his ability to absorb nutrients and move food through his body.
His doctors hope the new liver will help slow the progression of the condition.
Over the first year of Kaiden's life, he developed like any other child. But after the symptoms began to show, he started regressing.
Now, he is starting to make progress once again, trying to sound out words and walk.
Dona Ana County's Onion Crop Looks Stellar - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
Dona Ana County's onion crop is looking stellar so far this harvest season.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the onion harvest tends to begin in the final week of May but this season actually kicked off last week.
Agriculture officials say the crop hasn't suffered much from disease or pests.
Luna and Dona Ana counties are the main growing areas in New Mexico for onions.
New Mexico produced about 306 million pounds of onions in 2014.
Both the amount and the production value were up from 2013, though both figures tend to fluctuate — sometimes significantly — from year to year.