EPA Confirms Colorado Mine Spill Contains Heavy Metals – The Associated Press
Federal environmental officials have confirmed the mustard-colored muck that surged into a river from a Colorado mine contained heavy metals including lead and arsenic, but they didn't immediately discuss amounts or health risks.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the spill also contained cadmium, aluminum, copper and calcium. EPA Regional Director Shaun McGrath did not mention whether the elements posed a health hazard but said local authorities were right to close the Animas River to human activities.
An EPA crew accidentally unleashed 1 million gallons of wastewater from the mine Wednesday. It flowed into the river through a tributary.
The Animas River is popular with boaters and anglers and runs into New Mexico. The EPA says tests also were being done there, but no information has been released.
French Couple Dead After Hike At White Sands; Child Rescued – Associated Press
Authorities say a man and woman from France have been found dead after hiking in White Sands National Monument.
Park rangers say a young boy was found alive and treated for heat exposure Tuesday, when the daytime temperature at the monument was 101 degrees.
Authorities didn't immediately release the names and ages of the three, their hometown in France or their relationship to one another.
Park rangers were on patrol about 1.5 miles from the Alkali Flat trailhead when they found the woman's body about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
They say the dead man and surviving child were located about half an hour later.
The deaths are being investigated by the Otero County Sheriff's Office.
French authorities have been notified and are assisting in the case.
Instructors: Officers In Killing Appeared To Follow Training – The Associated Press
Two former New Mexico police instructors say it appears that a pair of officers charged with murder in the shooting of a homeless man followed standard training.
Instructors Robert Johnston and David Hubbard, both retired, testified Friday at a preliminary hearing about use of force training at the cadet academy.
Johnston and Hubbard were not present at the March 2014 shooting and drew their conclusions based on a scenario presented by defense attorneys in court.
Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy face second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of James Boyd.
Police say Boyd was camping illegally in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains and that he threatened officers with knives during a standoff.
Prosecutors say police unnecessarily escalated the situation.
Testimony will resume on Aug. 17 in the hearing to decide if the two officers must stand trial.
Sheriff: French Pair Who Died In New Mexico Desert Likely Saved Son – The Associated Press
A sheriff says a French couple who perished during an afternoon hike across the searing New Mexico desert likely saved their 9-year-old son by giving him two sips for each one they took from their water bottles before the supply was exhausted.
Otero County Sheriff Benny House said Friday that the boy was in remarkably good shape when he was found alongside his dead father on a trail in the White Sands National Monument. They were located about an hour after park rangers found the mother dead Tuesday.
House identified the couple as 42-year-old David Steiner and his 51-year-old wife, Ornella Steiner. They were tourists from the small town of Bourgogne near the city of Reims, France.
The couple apparently died from heat-related causes.
Defense Witness: Police Did Everything Right In Shooting – Associated Press
A defense witness in a case against two New Mexico officers charged with murder in the death of a homeless man testified Thursday that police used the right tactics and followed standard training during the standoff.
Policing expert Ronald McCarthy based his testimony in part on his viewing of video taken by a nearby resident who saw the March 2014 encounter with James Boyd in the Albuquerque foothills.
Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy face second-degree murder and other counts. A judge previously dismissed involuntary manslaughter counts.
Defense attorneys say they acted in self-defense when Boyd threatened officers with knives.
Special prosecutors rested their case Wednesday at the hearing to decide if the defendants will stand trial.
Prosecutors Fail To Remove Witness In Police Murder Case – The Associated Press
Prosecutors in the murder case of two New Mexico police officers failed Friday to remove a witness for the defense who they say is not credible.
Judge Neil Candelaria allowed William Lewinski to go on the stand but has limited his testimony to one area.
Prosecutors say media reports and investigations have found Lewinski practices "pseudoscience" in his research on police use of force. Lewinski said his research was solid.
Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy face second-degree murder in the March 2014 shooting death of James Boyd. Police say Boyd was camping illegally in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains and that he threatened officers with knives during a standoff.
Defense attorneys say the officers acted in self-defense.
The hearing will determine whether the case will go to trial.
Navajo Lawmakers Name Longtime Judge To Top Juridical Post – The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation's longest-serving judge has been designated to oversee the tribe's Judicial Branch.
A Navajo Nation Council committee named Allen Sloan as acting chief justice this week using broad authority under the tribal code.
The code doesn't address a vacancy in the chief justice's position. The Law and Order Committee says the designation will ensure justice is administered on the Navajo Nation.
Tribal Council spokesman Jared Touchin says the resolution doesn't require action by the full council.
Herb Yazzie retired earlier this year and tapped Eleanor Shirley as the acting chief justice.
Lawmakers say the law didn't allow for that.
Sloan has been a Navajo Nation district judge for 26 years, most recently in the Tuba City district. He previously was in private practice.
Board Rejects Appeals Of New Mexico Attorney General Firings – Associated Press
The New Mexico State Personnel Board has rejected appeals by 20 former employees of the state Attorney General's Office seeking to get their jobs back.
Officials say the board on Thursday upheld an administrative law judge's recent ruling that Attorney General Hector Balderas had the authority to fire the workers and recommended that the State Personnel Office allow the firings to stand.
Balderas fired the workers when he took office last January.
The ex-workers appealed their terminations to the State Personnel Board, arguing the State Personnel Act protects their positions.
The administrative law judge said the board doesn't have jurisdiction to consider appeals because a specific state law on appointments by the attorney general governed the office's personnel matters.
Man Arrested In Shooting Outside Albuquerque Federal Building – Associated Press
The FBI says nobody was hurt after a man fired a gun outside a federal building in Albuquerque.
FBI spokesman Frank Fisher says the shooting happened Thursday around 5:30 a.m. outside the Social Security Administration building near 5th Street and Coal Avenue.
According to Fisher, gunfire was exchanged during a confrontation between the suspect and U.S. Homeland Security officers.
The man was taken into custody.
His name has not been released.
Fisher did not give any additional information, citing an ongoing investigation.
Suspicious Package Found At Las Cruces Mall – Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
A Las Cruces mall had to be evacuated after a suspicious package was found and believed to have been dropped off by a man wearing a disguise.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the package was discovered at Mesilla Valley Mall outside the entrance to a bookstore shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday.
Witnesses described the suspect to police as a tall man wearing a white wig and a "Santa Claus" beard.
Las Cruces police are investigating the incident along with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad and other state and federal authorities.
Three Las Cruces Public Schools are on "shelter in place" status.
Authorities have been on heightened alert since Sunday when explosive devices were detonated at two Las Cruces churches. No one was hurt in either explosion.
Santa Fe Commission Approves Hospital Expansion – Santa Fe New Mexican
Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center won approval from the Santa Fe Planning Commission late Thursday to build a new 65,000-square-foot inpatient wing.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the expansion will increase the number of private rooms in the hospital. Last month, the commission postponed a vote on the proposed $40 million expansion project to get questions answered.
Questioning continued past midnight before a unanimous vote to recommend that the City Council and the hospital initiate a rezoning of St. Vincent’s property to a hospital zone.
Hospital officials said private rooms would reduce infection rates and patient stress, increase patient safety and create space for overnight stays for a patient’s family members.
Tax Holiday For Back-To-School Shoppers – Associated Press
Shoppers in New Mexico can expect to save this weekend on back-to-school purchases as the state conducts its annual tax holiday.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the tax-free weekend will start on Friday at midnight and end on midnight Sunday. The holiday offers consumers a break from gross-receipts tax on school-related items.
In Albuquerque, shoppers will save about $7 of every $100 spent on qualifying items, which include clothing, shoes, computers and classroom supplies.
According to state estimates, the tax holiday saved New Mexicans $3.4 million during fiscal year 2014.
