Local News

A group of New Mexico inmates are helping clear up a patch of Bosque in Pena Blanca, an area devastated by the Los Conchas fire last year.

KQRE-TV reports (http://bit.ly/RwAhhp) that winter inmate crews are working to clear out that fuel as fast as possible and helping the state save money.

Inmate crews cost $300 a day, a fraction of what a private company would charge.

A dry winter and severe drought conditions are making forests vulnerable for future wildfires.

The Legislature and Gov. Susana Martinez will have slightly more than $280 million to cover budget increases and tax cuts next year under a new revenue forecast outlined to lawmakers.

The revenue estimates released Monday will serve as the financial backdrop for lawmakers when they convene next month for a 60-day legislative session.

Students at the University of New Mexico may soon be required to take at least one class on diversity.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/TEM9tO) that a draft proposal by the Provost's Diversity Council calls for a three-credit-hour diversity requirement that could go into effect in fall 2014. The class will be required for all students before graduation.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is expected to conclude its probe into former employees who allowed visitors to operate weapons at the lab's shooting range.

The Los Alamos Monitor reports (http://bit.ly/SpVbMh) that the law says four unauthorized visitors were given access the range and were allowed to "operate a variety of firearms." The lab says participants also took photos of their time on the range and posted them on Facebook. Those photos have since been taken down.

The U.S. Department of Education says New Mexico has one of the worst four-year high school graduation rates in the nation.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/SpzOdY) that new federal numbers from2010-2011 preliminary data showed that New Mexico also falls at the bottom of the pack when analyzing rates across nearly every demographic.

Nevada had the lowest graduation rate, with 62 percent graduation, just ahead of New Mexico's 63 percent rate.

Iowa had the nation's highest with about 88 percent of students graduating.

In 1986, Sister Peggy O’Neill left behind her life in the U.S. to work in El Salvador. The Central American country was in the grip of a brutal civil war. Even nuns and priests had been murdered by government death squads.  But she stayed, working with the poor in the town of Suchitoto. O’Neill, a nun with the Sisters of Charity, will be in Albuquerque this evening to talk about the center she created for young people. Centro Arte Para la Paz promotes peace through the arts, creativity, imagination and cultural exchange.  

A resignation letter from a disgruntled Albuquerque police officer was posted to a Facebook site called “Fans of the Albuquerque Police Department” on Saturday.

The post comes five days after the US Department of Justice announced a full investigation into the APD’s use of deadly force.

Governor Susana Martinez is in Mexico to attend a meeting with officials from New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

The two day meeting of the New Mexico-Chihuahua Commission concludes on Friday.

The governor's office said Chihuahua Governor Cesar Duarte attended meetings that started Thursday.

The commission is to talk about border crossings, trade, tourism, water as well as education and public safety.

New Mexico State University is set to host more than 50 Ecuadorean teachers who are seeking to learn English.

NMSU announced Thursday that the Ecuadorean teachers are scheduled to take part is a two-semester English language program funded by the Ecuadorean government. The "Go Teacher" program is aimed at improving English education in that country's schools.

School officials say the first group of teachers will study at NMSU between Jan. 15 and Aug. 15, and will likely to be followed by additional groups in later semesters.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding New Mexico nearly $1 million to reduce deaths and injuries on the state's highways.

The annual grant funding was made available through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says states can use the money for initiatives to increase seatbelt use, for anti-drunken driving campaigns and other programs aimed at making the roads safer.

Officials at Western New Mexico University say the school's nursing program has earned accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education for 10 years.

The commission found that the program met all accreditation standards. The commission's review included a visit to the Silver City campus and interviews with university officials, program faculty, students and others.

The nursing program began in the fall of 2005. It was developed so that licensed nurses could earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

New Mexico is launching a public awareness campaign to curb the growing number of whooping cough cases in the state.

The Health Department says more than 700 cases have been reported so far this year. That's up from 277 the year before.

Two children — a 2-month-old girl from San Miguel County and a 4-year-old boy from Bernalillo County — have died this year as a result of whooping cough.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial illness that attacks the respiratory system.

A former top official of the New Mexico Finance Authority has pleaded guilty to forgery and securities fraud charges for falsifying an agency financial audit that was distributed to bond investors earlier this year.

Under an agreement with prosecutors, ex-controller Greg Campbell had faced up to six years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to two counts of forgery and one count of securities fraud.

State District Judge Stephen Pfeffer placed Campbell on probation for five years.

Wildlife managers at one of the nation's premiere bird-watching spots have a mystery on their hands.

A strange looking bird with dark plumage showed up at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico earlier this month. No one seems to know exactly what it is.

Records show a gun smuggling operation run by former town officials in Columbus, N.M., had a direct link to targets of the bungled "Fast and Furious" operation run by federal officials in Arizona.

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez travels to Iowa next week to attend a meeting of the executive committee of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.