Massive, Debated New Mexico Development Clears Major Hurdle -
By Russell Contreras, Associated Press
UPDATE 6:45p - A planned community west of Albuquerque that developers say could someday be home to as many as 90,000 people has cleared a major hurdle.
The commission in the state's most populous county voted 3-2 to approve Tuesday a master plan for a nearly 22-square-mile development known as Santolina. The development would rival some of New Mexico's largest cities once completed.
Bernalillo County commissioners narrowly approved the plan despite opposition from Albuquerque's historical Hispanic South Valley area over fears that Santolina would draw from much needed water sources.
Opponents have promised legal action over the commissioners' vote.
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The fate of a planned community west of Albuquerque that developers say could someday be home to as many as 90,000 people is in the hands of Bernalillo County commissioners.
The commission in the state's most populous county is expected to make a final decision today on a nearly 22-square-mile development known as Santolina. The development would rival some of New Mexico's largest cities once completed.
However, the plan has drawn opposition from Albuquerque's historical Hispanic South Valley area over fears that Santolina would draw from much needed water sources.
Opponents have vowed to crowd the Bernalillo County Commission meeting and promised legal action if the project is approved.
Council Delays Pay Raise Vote For Police Reform Negotiator – The Associated Press & KRQE
The costs of implementing reforms at the Albuquerque Police Department does not yet include a pay increase requested by Mayor Richard Berry for the attorney negotiating with the Department of Justice.
KRQE-TV reports the mayor has asked that attorney Scott Greenwood's pay be increased to half a million dollars. Council members postponed the decision Monday night, and had questions about the attorney's spending and his presence at a convention for Taser International.
The company's no-bid contract awarded in 2013 to supply body cameras to officers has garnered criticism in recent months.
Expense reports show Greenwood has spent part of his pay on items like expensive hotels, alcohol and $175 per hour plus mileage for his commute.
A spokeswoman for Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry released a statement in March saying Greenwood has been asked to pay back the inappropriate expenses he billed to the city.
Feds To Hold Meetings On Nuclear Dump Certification – The Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to hear from the public as it considers an application for recertification of the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico.
The agency has scheduled two stakeholder meetings in Albuquerque on Wednesday. A similar meeting was held Tuesday in Carlsbad.
The U.S. Department of Energy submitted its application for recertification just weeks after a drum of waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory ruptured in February 2014 and allowed radiation to escape.
Parts of the underground repository were contaminated and it remains closed.
The Energy Department didn't address the radiation release in its application, but the EPA has spent months seeking answers to technical questions regarding the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Recertification is part of a process that's required every five years.
Professors Appointed As Co-Deans At UNM Law School – The Associated Press
Two deans might be better than one.
That's the hope of University of New Mexico Provost Chaouki Abdallah, who says no one person can address the full spectrum of today's challenges.
Abdallah announced Tuesday that Alfred Mathewson and Sergio Pareja will serve as co-deans at the UNM law school. The professors will begin their new duties Aug. 1.
The University of New Mexico is taking a page from Case Western Reserve University law school in Ohio, which has had co-interim deans since November 2013.
Pareja described the decision as an innovative and bold approach. He joined the UNM law faculty in 2005 after nearly nine years in private practice in Colorado and Indiana.
Mathewson joined the faculty in 1983 after working as a corporate, securities and banking lawyer in Denver.
City Council Postpones More Funds For DOJ Negotiator – Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque City Councilors expressed concern that the legal bill for negotiating with the Department of Justice is nearly half a million dollars.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that councilors postponed action Monday on a proposal to add $280,000 to a contract with lead negotiator Scott Greenwood. The funds would have brought his total contract to nearly $500,000. This is to compensate him for work already performed. But some councilors are worried about how much the final bill will be and want more information on potential future expenses.
Greenwood is negotiating a settlement agreement with the Justice Department for reforms in the Albuquerque Police Department.
Suspects Plead Not Guilty In Death Of Rio Rancho Policeman – Associated Press
A man and woman accused in the fatal shooting of a Rio Rancho police officer during a traffic stop last month have pleaded not guilty.
Andrew Romero and his 30-year-old girlfriend, Tabitha Littles, entered their pleas Monday in a Sandoval County courtroom.
Romero and Littles were indicted last week in the May 25 death of Officer Gregg Benner.
Prosecutors say the 28-year-old Romero allegedly told Littles that he was going to shoot the officer before opening fire.
Police say Littles had a chance to tell Benner of her boyfriend's plans prior to the shooting in a parking lot.
Prosecutors say Romero faces nine other counts in the case, including two of tampering with evidence.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Romero's bond remains at $5 million with Littles' bond at $1 million.
New Mexico Gov. Martinez Praises Jeb Bush For Hiring Ex-Aide – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says Jeb Bush made a good move in hiring one of her former top aides as his campaign manager.
The nation's only Latina governor said Monday she considers Danny Diaz a friend and she believes Bush knows "how to pick the best."
But the Republican signaled she is nowhere near a decision in endorsing any of the many GOP hopefuls seeking the party's presidential nomination.
Bush launched a White House bid months in the making on Monday and recently named Diaz as his campaign manager.
Diaz, a longtime Republican operative going back to former President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, recently helped manage Martinez's national communications team.
Martinez says Diaz will do a very good job for Bush and she wishes him well.
New Mexico Gov. Martinez Signs Tax Incentives – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has signed into law a package of tax incentives recently approved by legislators during a special session.
The Republican governor signed the legislation during a visit to the Bioscience Center in Albuquerque.
She says the incentives will help recruit new businesses to New Mexico, make it easier for small businesses to grow and boost trade and commerce along New Mexico's southern border.
With Martinez's signature, roughly a half-dozen tax incentives already on the books are being expanded. Two new tax breaks are being created.
Last week, the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-led Senate raced through a four-hour special session following an agreement that called for a compromise on capital spending.
The tax incentives were among the three pieces of legislation that passed both chambers.
New Mexico Supreme Court Sides With Unions In Wage Case – Associated Press
Siding with a group of unions, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ordered state labor officials to revamp the way they set wages and benefits for certain public works projects.
The court issued its ruling Monday, saying a 2009 change in the law clearly requires wages and benefits for public projects to be based on collective bargaining agreements.
The New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council along with unions representing electricians and sheet metal workers first raised concerns in 2011. At the time, state officials told the court they would be able to set prevailing wages and benefits within months.
When that didn't happen, the unions filed another petition.
Albuquerque attorney Shane Youtz says thousands of New Mexico trade workers stand to get a pay raise thanks to the ruling.
More Than 3,000 Names Taken Off Curry County's Voter Roll – Clovis News Journal, Associated Press
More than 3,000 names were purged last week from Curry County's voter roll.
The Clovis News Journal reports that a document obtained through a public records request shows that people were purged if they hadn't voted before August 2012.
Curry County Clerk Rosalie Riley says she had to purge the names to comply with state law, and only eight people re-registered to vote out of 3,324.
Riley said she's placed ads in local papers and made announcements online and on radio stations in an attempt to notify voters being purged that they can still re-register before elections begin.
Riley she people started calling her office after her ads began to appear.