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Trustee Hopeful Plead Guilty To Felony, Gallup's Low Water Levels Drawing Attention From Officials

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Due to lack of water, the earth is cracked and dry.

Gary Johnson Mulling Run For US SenateAssociated Press

Former Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson is considering jumping into the race for U.S. Senate in New Mexico as the current Libertarian candidate prepares to drops out.

Johnson’s consultant Ron Nielson told The Associated Press on Friday that the former New Mexico governor is "strongly considering" running for U.S. Senate if Libertarian candidate Aubrey Dunn quits the race.

Aubrey's son, attorney Blair Dunn, told the AP that his father was dropping out of the race and would release more details on Monday.

Libertarian Party of New Mexico Chair Chris Luchini said it was his understanding that Dunn was quitting.

The 65-year-old Johnson would go against Democratic incumbent Sen. Martin Heinrich and Republican Mick Rich in November.

Johnson garnered 3 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential election.

Michigan Man Convicted Of Murder In Albuquerque StabbingAssociated Press

A Michigan man whose case figured in a New Mexico ruling on pretrial detention of murder defendants has been convicted in a 2017 fatal stabbing in Albuquerque.

The state Attorney General's Office says Muhammad Ameer of Flint faces a mandatory life sentence after being convicted Friday of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the killing of 30-year-old Aaron Sieben near a gas station.

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in Ameer's case that judges can't deny a defendant bail because that person is accused of a crime that would have qualified for capital punishment had the state still allowed death sentences.

The ruling said first-degree murder isn't currently a constitutionally defined capital offense that would authorize a judge to categorically deny bail. New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2009.

New Mexico College Trustee Hopeful Pleaded Guilty To FelonyAssociated Press and Las Vegas Optic

An applicant for a northern New Mexico community college board of trustees once pleaded guilty to jury tampering.

The Las Vegas Optic reports District 2 Luna Community College Board of Trustees hopeful Mark Dominguez pleaded guilty in February 2009 to jury tampering, a third-degree felony.

Under an agreement with the court, he was able to avoid having a felony conviction on his record by completing a conditional discharge period ordered by Judge Abigail Aragon.

Luna Interim President Ricky Serna told the Optic all applicants will be screened to be sure they meet the requirements to be a trustee, including whether they have a felony conviction.

Gallup's Low Water Levels Drawing Attention From OfficialsAssociated Press and Gallup Independent

City officials say the groundwater in one of the largest cities near the Navajo Nation is being mined at a faster rate than it can recharge thanks to drought conditions.

The Gallup Independent reports Gallup, New Mexico, officials said Tuesday that groundwater levels in the city have dropped about 200 feet over the past 10 years. Officials say within the decade, the supply is not expected to meet current water demands.

Gallup city councilors are considering proposals aimed at reducing water use. Water bill hikes and contingency plans to restrict water use are among the plans being considered.

EPA Seeks Dismissal Of Gold King Mine Spill LawsuitAssociated Press

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking a federal court in New Mexico to toss out a lawsuit over a mine waste spill in Colorado that polluted rivers in three states.

The agency said in a motion this week that workers are already working on the cleanup of the accidental release of contaminated water from an EPA-monitored Colorado mine and a federal court doesn't need to interfere.

New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation are suing the EPA in federal court over the spill.

The 2015 Gold King accident in southern Colorado occurred at an inactive mine where polluted water had been accumulating for years before am agency crew accidentally released it during cleanup work.

The spill sent a yellow-orange plume of toxic heavy metals into rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and on Native American lands.