States To Extend Deadline On Colorado River Drought Plan - Associated Press
With drought continuing and reservoirs shrinking, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the Colorado River had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of 2018.
Officials now say they're not going to make it — at least not in time for upcoming meetings in Las Vegas involving representatives from New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and the U.S. government.
Arizona has been the holdout, with farmers, cities, tribes and lawmakers still negotiating how the first state to feel the pinch would deal with water cutbacks when a shortage is declared, probably in 2020.
And a final agreement will have to pass the Arizona state legislature, which doesn't convene until January.
Federal water managers are set to extend the deadline.
New Mexico Republican Party Selects Pearce As Next Chairman - Associated Press
The New Mexico Republican Party's next chairman will be U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who didn't run for re-election in order to make what proved to be an unsuccessful try for governor.
Current GOP Chairman Ryan Cangiolosi announced that the party's state central committee selected Pearce "by an overwhelming margin" while meeting Saturday in Albuquerque.
Businessman John Rockwell also sought the party's top leadership post.
Cangiolosi congratulated Pearce and said the party will be in capable hands and "positioned to succeed thanks to his extensive experience in management and New Mexico politics."
The state GOP had multiple losses in November, topped by Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham's win over Pearce in the race to succeed termed-out Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.
The party chairman oversees staff, coordinates fundraising and helps identify political candidates.
Belen Mayor To Donate $10k For Eyed Judy Chicago Museum - KRQE-TV, Associated Press
The mayor of a small New Mexico city has announced he will donate a year of his salary to help open a museum in town dedicated to a feminist artist.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports Belen Mayor Jerah Cordova recently announced he would give around $10,000 toward an effort to erect a museum celebrating artist Judy Chicago.
The contemporary artist backed out of a deal with the city of Belen to open a museum showcasing her art following a backlash. Some residents protested the museum idea and said Chicago's artistic focus on female genitalia would be "inappropriate" for children.
But supporters began an online drive to raise money for the museum.
Chicago, a Belen resident, has garnered international acclaim for her work.
Cordova says the museum would help spark economic development in the city.
Traces Of Spanish Conquistador Said Found At New Mexico Site – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Officials say an ongoing metal detector survey of the Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo has uncovered evidence that Spanish conquistador Francisco Vazquez de Coronado explored the area.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the survey of the area recently uncovered the first evidence that places Coronado's group there in the form of copper arrow points from crossbows, lead musket balls, chain mail fragments and other artifacts.
The historical artifacts likely tell the story of many Rio Grande pueblos as Coronado and his expedition swept through the area in the winter of 1540.
But New Mexico Historic Sites regional manager Matthew Barbour says the artifacts do not suggest Coronado camped at the location. He says the artifacts suggest he killed people there.
New Mexico Sect Co-leader Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison – Gallup Independent, Associated Press
A co-leader of a rural western New Mexico paramilitary religious sect is going to prison after previously pleading no contest to child abuse charges.
James Green was sentenced Friday in Grants on convictions stemming from abuse of a Ugandan child brought to the United States illegally and from a 13-year-old boy's 2014 death at the sect's commune from a probable infectious disease.
District Judge Cindy Mercer sentenced Green to 13 and a half years in prison but suspended three and a half years, and the Gallup Independent reports that Green could get out of prison in about four years with credit for time served and for good behavior in prison.
Green's wife, Deborah Green, was sentenced to 72 years in prison after being convicted of child abuse and other charges in the case.
2 Trains Derail In Collision Near Belen Rail Runner Station - Associated Press
Two Burlington Northern Santa Fe locomotives were involved in a train collision near the Belen Rail Runner Station in New Mexico.
BNSF officials say two trains were derailed in Saturday's incident and it doesn't appear that there were any leaks or spills of any cargo.
Two BNSF staff members were taken to a hospital for treatment, but no life-threatening injuries were reported.
Company officials didn't immediately say how the collision occurred.
BNSF crews still are at the scene evaluating the work needed to remove damaged locomotives and cars.
Police Use Beanbags To Resolve Standoff At Santa Fe Shelter – Associated Press
Police ended a standoff with a woman at a Santa Fe homeless shelter after firing nonlethal beanbag shots.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reportsofficers were called to Pete's Place on Sunday evening about a woman threatening to assault one of the volunteers with garden shears.
Capt. Anthony Tapia says police tried for several minutes to persuade Veronica Salas, who urged officers to shoot her, to put the shears down.
Tapia says police then deployed two beanbag rounds, hitting the woman in the torso and the back. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Tapia says the male volunteer declined to press charges. However, Salas will face charges of aggravated assault on an officer, trespassing and methamphetamine possession.
It was not known Monday if she had an attorney.
New Mexico Revises Rules For Obtaining Driving Credentials – Associated Press
New Mexico has issued new rules that will ease identification requirements for people who want driving credentials or an alternate ID card.
The Albuquerque Journal reportsthat the state Motor Vehicle Division on Friday announced applicants for driving authorization cards won't need to provide a Social Security card or two forms of identification.
The MVD will also accept a broader range of documents as proof of age and identity.
The revisions are part of a court-approved settlement stemming from a dispute by civil rights groups over the state's two-tiered system of issuing drivers' licenses.
Opponents of the 2016 law say immigrants and the homeless don't always have the extensive documents required for a driver's license compliant with the federal REAL ID Act.
Oil Sector Boosts State Government Fortunes In New Mexico – Associated Press
A surge in income from New Mexico's oil sector is providing a financial windfall to state government as the governor's office passes from Republican to Democratic control.
State government economists on Monday said state revenues will outpace current spending obligations by $1.1 billion or 17 percent for the fiscal year that begins in July as lawmakers prepare to craft a budget.
State financial reserves are expected to exceed $2.5 billion by mid-2019, bolstered by unusually large federal mineral lease payments. The savings are equal to 40 percent of annual state general fund spending.
Democratic Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham has placed a high priority on increasing resources for public education as she prepares to succeed termed-out Republican Gov. Susana Martinez on Jan. 1.
New Mexico City Celebrates $450M Drinking Water Project – Associated Press
A $450 million drinking water project that was first conceived decades ago has reduced reliance on groundwater for New Mexico's most populous region by almost 70 percent as the pressures of drought persist.
Utility officials are celebrating as the San Juan-Chama Project has been in operation for 10 years now.
Once thought of as a boondoggle, the project has delivered nearly 137 billion gallons (518 billion liters) of purified water to Albuquerque and has helped to spur a significant recovery of the aquifer beneath the city.
The project also serves other communities and farmers along the Rio Grande through a system of diversion dams, tunnels and other infrastructure.
Officials say the project has provided a much needed hedge against the demands of a growing population and predictions of drier times.