Reenactment Of Conquistador Reclaiming Santa Fe Will End- Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
An annual reenactment of a 17th-century Spanish conquistador reclaiming Santa Fe from Native Americans after an uprising will end amid protests that it whitewashed a dark period in New Mexico history.
Organizers of the annual Fiesta de Santa Fe said they would discontinue the event known as the Entrada after months of closed-door discussions. Regis Pecos, who has been designated to speak on behalf of the various groups, told The Santa Fe New Mexican on Tuesday these talks were about how to resolve growing discord over its significance.
The event was performed each autumn on the Santa Fe Plaza during the annual fiesta and has become a symbol of colonialism for some Native Americans, as well as a painful reminder of New Mexico's bloody past.
Police Say Native American Activist Accused Of Rape In Santa Fe- Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
Santa Fe police say a man accused of raping unconscious women and recording the assaults has been arrested in Phoenix.
Lt. Michele Williams told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Wednesday that 41-year-old Redwolf Pope had been taken into custody overnight.
A warrant accuses Pope, who police say has residences in Seattle and Santa Fe, of sexually assaulting females who appeared to have been slipped a date-rape drug.
He also is accused of surreptitiously recording guests at his apartments in both cities.
Police say they reviewed roughly two dozen photographs and four videos initially recorded on the cameras.
Pope, an attorney and Native American activist, has appeared on cable television discussing Thanksgiving and has given a TEDx Talk in Seattle on pipeline protests in North Dakota.
Suspected Prison Gang Member Convicted In 2005 Murder- Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
A federal court jury has found a suspected prison gang associate guilty of the fatal shooting of a rival drug dealer in the Albuquerque-area.
Anthony Cordova was convicted on murder and racketeering charges on Tuesday after a three-year investigation by an FBI-led team that used testimony from informants from Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico prison gang.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the 53-year-old is facing life in prison for the charges.
Cordova was arrested in 2016 in connection to Shane Dix's 2005 death.
Cordova was living in Albuquerque and taking community college welding classes at the time of his arrest.
His family says Cordova had turned his life around.
Nearly 90 people have been indicted in a federal case that stemmed from the gang's foiled attempt to kill state corrections officials.
Drought Remains, But Rains Put Dent In Southwest Fire Danger- Associated Press
The threat of wildfire in the Southwest has been significantly dampened by the monsoon season, but national fire and climatology experts said Wednesday the region is still grappling with the long-term effects of drought.
The experts focused on the situation across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, which is currently home to the largest swath of severe and extreme drought in the U.S.
The region didn't see much winter snow or spring rains. Monitors that track daily stream flows show parts of New Mexico and Colorado are still low, and several major reservoirs around the region are well below capacity.
New Mexico's governor issued a drought declaration this month, groundwater levels are dropping across much of Arizona as crops are being irrigated, and the price of hay has doubled in southwest Colorado as fires persist in other parts of that state. In Utah, several counties have drought declarations in place after having the warmest and least snowy winter since the 1800s.
New Mexico To Appeal Ruling On Adequacy Of School Funding- Associated Press
A judge's ruling won't end the legal fight over whether New Mexico's funding for public schools is adequate.
Public Education Department officials said late Monday the state will appeal state District Judge Sarah Singleton's ruling Friday that New Mexico must provide funding to public schools to ensure at-risk students receive a sufficient education.
Advocacy groups and school districts sued in 2014, accusing the state of failing to meet constitutional obligations to provide a sufficient education for all students.
The case highlighted the plight of English-language learners, Native American youth and students from low-income families.
Singleton's ruling gave the state 60 days to create a plan and set an April 15 deadline for ensuring that schools are adequately funded to provide at-risk students a sufficient education.
New Mexico Launches New Campaign Against Opioid Abuse- Associated Press
Governor Susana Martinez and the state Department of Health are launching a new campaign aimed at combating prescription opioid abuse and misuse.
State officials say the "There Is Another Way" campaign is an attempt to educate patients and caregivers about safer pain management options and alternative pain management strategies.
According to an announcement Wednesday, the campaign will use online messaging and other means to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of misusing prescription opioids.
The announcement says an additional goal is to provide information about how to recognize and treat opioid misuse.
Navajo Nation committee calls for nurses in tribal jails - Associated Press
A committee of Navajo Nation lawmakers says it has voted to ask federal officials to assign medical staff to jails on the sprawling reservation that covers parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
In a statement, the Navajo Nation Council's Law and Order Committee said Monday that it wants to ask the Indian Health Service to assign nurses to the facilities, which lawmakers say do not have resources to provide healthcare to inmates in house.
Federal figures show there are some 80 tribal jails nationwide that hold an estimated 2,500 inmates.
The Bureau of Indians Affairs manages about a quarter of them. Tribes have federal contracts to operate the rest.
An Associated Press review of jail records earlier this year found that on average health care was sought multiple times each week within the facilities.
Advocates Say Ruling Holds Promise For Native American Students - Associated Press
It's being billed as a landmark ruling that could reshape New Mexico's education system and how it gets funded.
Some advocates and policy experts say Native American students are among those who could benefit the most as the state has been tasked by a district judge to follow through with promises made years ago under New Mexico's Indian Education Act.
Regis Pecos is the co-director of the Leadership Institute at Santa Fe Indian School - he says the ruling provides a monumental opportunity for tribes in New Mexico — and potentially elsewhere — to define their vision of what education should look like.
Nationally, only 22 percent of Native American fourth-graders met proficiency levels in math, according to a 2016 report by the National Indian Education Association. That dropped to 17 percent for eighth-graders.
The group also reported that nearly one-third of Indian students attend high-poverty schools, and many live in isolated areas miles away from the nearest school.
Charity Awaits Migrant Families' Arrival In Albuquerque - Associated Press
A faith-based charity says it was asked last week by federal immigration authorities to assist and provide services to migrant families in Albuquerque after their reunification at a detention center in southern New Mexico.
Jim Barclay, the president and CEO of Lutheran Family Services, Rocky Mountains, says he was told 12 migrants — the first of roughly 300 parents and children expected in Albuquerque this week — would arrive later Tuesday from the Otero County Processing Center, where some parents were being reunited with children.
The organization says it was told Friday to prepare immediately to receive migrants, but that the arrivals had been delayed. He says he wasn't certain why.
A judge has set a Thursday deadline for the Trump administration to reunite all older children with parents after their separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Drill Rigs In New Mexico Reach All-time High - Associated Press
The number of oil and gas drill rigs operating in New Mexico has reached record levels as development in the Permian Basin booms.
The latest figures show there are 103 active rigs in New Mexico. The state previously reached that mark twice in 2014, beating the previous record of 101 in 2006.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association says the state is behind only Texas and Oklahoma when it comes to active rigs.
The group's executive director, Ryan Flynn, says more rigs mean more jobs and revenue for the state. On average, one rig employs around 50 workers.
Revenue from oil and gas royalties, taxes and fees totaled more than $1.7 billion last fiscal year. More than $930 million went to public schools and the state's universities and colleges.
Veteran Employee To Lead New Mexico Wildlife Agency - Associated Press
A veteran employee of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has been named as the agency's new director. The state Game Commission announced the appointment of Michael Sloane on Tuesday.
Sloane has worked for the agency for more than two decades. He began his career in 1994 as a wildlife culturist at a hatchery in Pecos and went on to become chief of fisheries. Sloane will manage more than 300 employees and an annual budget of more than $39 million.
Sloane was among five candidates considered after a nationwide search.