Authorities: Human Plague Case Confirmed In Santa Fe County
The fourth confirmed case of human plague the year has been confirmed in New Mexico.
The state Department of Health announced Wednesday that a laboratory confirmed a case of plague in a 73-year-old woman from Santa Fe County.
They say the woman was hospitalized but is back home now and recovering.
Her name isn't being released.
It's the second plague case this year in Santa Fe County. The first involved a 52-year-old woman, who died from the illness.
The state's other two cases were in Bernalillo County and the 65-year-old man and 59-year-old woman both have recovered.
Plague is a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacteria found in rodents especially ground squirrels, rabbits and pack rats.
Most human cases of plague are acquired through the bite of infected fleas.
NM Tribe To Make Federal Court Appearance In Casino Dispute
-Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Leaders of a northern New Mexico tribe and dozens of their tribal members will be traveling to Colorado for oral arguments in a long-running dispute with the state over gambling operations.
A hearing in the case of Pojoaque Pueblo is scheduled Monday before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
Pojoaque's gambling compact expired in June. The pueblo tried to negotiate a new compact with the federal government after talks with the state broke down in 2013.
Pojoaque leaders maintain that they've been treated unfairly by Gov. Susana Martinez's administration and that the state is ignoring provisions of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The state denies the claims.
Pueblo Gov. Joseph Talachy says the integrity of the gaming act is at stake along with his tribe's wellbeing.
Sen. Heinrich Eyes Audit Of Army National Guard Reenlistment – The Associated Press
Sen. Martin Heinrich is calling on the U.S. Army National Guard to conduct an audit of bonuses for men and women who recently re-enlisted.
Heinrich wrote Gen. Frank Grass a letter Wednesday asking for the review after a New Mexico man failed to receive his re-enlistment payment from 2009.
The New Mexico Democrat says the Army National Guard confirmed the man was owed $7,500 but never received the payment. Heinrich says he wanted to make sure other servicemen and servicewomen are receiving their re-enlistment payments.
National Guard Spokesman Jeremy Webster says the National Guard will work with Heinrich and his staff to alleviate their concerns.
NM Figures Show Injury Increase In Juvenile Justice System - Mary Hudetz, Associated Press
State figures show New Mexico's juvenile detention centers reported more youth-on-youth violence and use-of-force encounters this past year, while the percentage of juvenile offenders who returned to the system as adults doubled.
The figures from the fiscal year ending in June were included in a Legislative Finance Committee presentation for lawmakers Wednesday in Albuquerque.
A committee analyst says 12 percent of youth who completed sentences in the juvenile justice system in the past two years were booked into adult correctional facilities last year — up from 6 percent the year before.
Forty injuries stemming from encounters between youth and corrections staff or other youth held in detention facilities marked a slight increase from the year before. The state's child welfare agency says injuries may include those requiring medical attention, as well as bruises or scrapes.
Embattled NM Official Seeks Delay In Court Proceedings - Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
The attorney for embattled New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is declaring her client's innocence and asking a state district judge for more time to mount a defense.
Attorney Erlinda Johnson has filed a motion seeking to push back a preliminary hearing scheduled for late October.
She told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the attorney general's office has distorted the evidence and she needs more time to demonstrate that the reams of documentation provided by prosecutors don't support the alleged criminal conduct.
Duran has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges stemming from allegations that she used campaign donations for personal gain and filed false records.
Prosecutors are challenging the motion. A response filed Wednesday states there's no reason for a delay and that it's premature for Duran to raise statutory and constitutional challenges.
Navajo Nation Approves Collective Bargaining Agreement – The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the United Mine Workers of America for the union to represent 1,300 tribal employees.
The Daily Times reports that the agreement announced Monday was ratified in a mail-in ballot vote by employees earlier in the summer.
The tribe now agrees to recognize the union under the agreement as the only collective bargaining agent regarding wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.
Bob Butero, Region IV organizing director, says the three-year agreement was finalized after 15 years of negotiations. The agreement was signed by former Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly last year and was reviewed by employees before the vote this summer.
FEMA Removes Elite State Rescue Team From Federal Listing
Federal emergency managers have stripped New Mexico's elite search and rescue team of its federal status and funding.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports New Mexico Task Force 1, which was one of only 28 elite urban search and rescue teams in the county, was removed last week from the list of qualified response teams. The Federal Emergency Management Agency cited the team's ongoing struggles with finances, training and falsified training certificates.
The task force will no longer receive millions of dollars for specialized training and equipment that have contributed to the state's disaster response.
The emergency response teams each have 70 members and are trained to assess the stability of buildings during a disaster, evaluate hazardous materials and rescue victims.
State officials say they will appeal FEMA's decision.
EPA Says It Will Build Temporary Treatment Plant For Mine – The Associated Press
The Environmental Protection Agency says it will set up a temporary treatment plant for wastewater flowing from the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado after 3 million gallons surged out of the mine in August, tainting rivers in three states.
The EPA said Wednesday it needs the plant because it will be unsafe to operate the settling ponds now in use when winter temperatures dip below zero.
The EPA released documents last week saying it was considering the plant.
The $1.8 million plant is expected to start operating by Oct. 14 and run for 42 weeks. The EPA says it will cost $20,000 a week to operate.
An EPA-led crew triggered the August blowout. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were affected.
Water continues to flow from the mine
New Mexico State to reorganize amid declining enrollment
New Mexico State University President Garrey Carruthers has announced the school will restructure amid declining enrollment and a new study faulting the way staff is organized.
Carruthers told reporters Tuesday the university expects to save $53 million over the next seven years under a restructuring that seeks to streamline management and IT services.
The university has struggled recently with declining enrollment, increasing costs and shrinking federal funding for research. This year, the university increased tuition by 3 percent to help offset declining revenue.
According to New Mexico State University, this fall’s enrollment was almost 16 thousand. Officials say that's a 14 percent drop from four years ago.
Citing falling enrollment numbers, Standard & Poor's recently lowered the school's long-term rating to "AA-minus" from "AA."
