New Mexico Agency Says 30 Residents Diagnosed With Salmonella – Associated Press
State health officials say 30 New Mexico residents have been identified as being diagnosed with salmonella after preparing raw ground beef at home since late August.
The Department of Health said Tuesday the illness duration averaged 13 days and that about one in four patients were hospitalized.
Department spokesman Paul Rhien said officials were still investigating the source of the New Mexico infections.
Meat producers in several states in the West have recently recalled varying amounts of ground beef for health reasons.
The department says salmonella can be spread through cross-contamination from raw meats to counter tops, utensils and cutting boards, and it urges washing hands and utensils after handling raw meat
Early symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhea and stomach pain. Other symptoms may include nausea, chills or headaches.
Ex-Teacher Found Guilty On 1 Of 3 Counts Of Sexual Contact – Associated Press
A former Santa Fe art teacher was convicted of one of three counts of criminal sexual contact stemming from accusations by former students that he inappropriately touched them during class.
Aaron Dean Chavez was charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13 for three incidents that occurred while he was a teacher at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School.
Chavez denies inappropriately touching his students.
District Attorney Marco Serna says a Santa Fe County jury Monday was deadlocked on two of the counts.
Chavez was convicted of the more serious of the crimes, unclothed contact with a 6-year-old girl who testified that while she was in Chavez' first-grade class in 2016 he tucked her shirt in to her underwear, touching her genitals and buttocks under her clothes.
Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Ex-Air Force Airman In New Mexico Accused Of Computer Fraud – Associated Press
Prosecutors say a former Air Force airman in New Mexico could be facing up to 10 years in federal prison for computer fraud.
Michael Weber made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Albuquerque.
He remains in federal custody pending Wednesday's preliminary hearing and detention hearing.
Authorities say the 22-year-old Weber was arrested Tuesday morning by FBI agents at a home in Alamogordo.
According to a criminal complaint, Weber allegedly placed a program, information, code or command known as a "spam bot" onto a government-issued cellular phone assigned to his supervisor at Cannon Air Force Base on Jan. 16.
The "spam bot" allegedly caused the cellular phone to receive a long string of messages allegedly intended to cause damage to it.
Democrat Haaland Keeping Money Edge In US House Race– Associated Press
Democrat Debra Haaland is maintaining her fundraising edge over her Republican and Libertarian opponents for an open U.S. House seat in central New Mexico.
New Federal Election Commission filings show the Laguna Pueblo member and former state Democratic Party chairwoman raised $159,954 during the first two weeks of October. Meanwhile, Republican former state lawmaker Janice Arnold-Jones pulled in $21,510 and Libertarian Lloyd Princeton raised $444.
According to the filings, Haaland's campaign reported having $143,028 cash on hand on Oct. 17. Arnold-Jones reported $30,104 cash on hand while Princeton had $625.
Haaland is seeking to become the first Native American female elected in Congress along with Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham is campaigning for governor and is not seeking re-election to the Albuquerque-based district.
Election Watchers Gear Up For Vote In New Mexico – Associated Press
Poll watchers and poll challengers who monitor elections in New Mexico as a safeguard against fraud and unintentional problems are preparing for Election Day.
The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office ended its registration period Monday for poll watchers. Watchers track compliance with the state election code, while other monitors known as challengers can contest the eligibility of individual voters within parameters.
All monitors are prohibited from interfering with voting. Early balloting is under way in New Mexico ahead of the Nov. 6 election.
An election-related organization may appoint watchers with advance notice to the secretary of state.
A handbook to election monitoring in New Mexico says watchers and challengers must be qualified voters in the county where they conduct election monitoring. Challengers wear party-specific identification badges.
Embezzlement Case Against Former Top Tax Official In Court - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Prosecutors on Monday began presenting evidence tied to embezzlement charges against the former top-ranked taxation official for New Mexico as a judge decides whether to move forward to trial.
State prosecutors have accused former Taxation and Revenue Department Secretary Demesia Padilla of advocating to end a tax penalty against a client of her former private accounting firm. At the court hearing, record-keepers from private banks testified as prosecutors sought to enter a variety of financial records as evidence.
Defense attorney Paul Kennedy repeatedly challenged the relevance of the documents. Padilla and her attorney declined to enter a plea.
Padilla, the state's top tax official for five years under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, resigned in 2016 after a law enforcement raid on tax department offices. Complaints to a fraud hotline at the state auditor's office and unsigned letters from state employees prompted the investigation.
The attorney general's office alleges that Padilla advocated for Harold's Grading & Trucking — a client of the accounting firm where Padilla once worked. Those and other actions resulted in a reduction of Padilla's own tax liability, state prosecutors say.
She also is accused of making unauthorized transfers totaling $25,360 from the trucking firm's bank to her credit card account. Criminal charges include computer access with intent to defraud, along with several misdemeanor charges linked to state ethics laws.
The allegations against Padilla are the latest in a string of high-profile corruption cases in state government in recent years.
Navajo To Appeal Dismissal Of Case Against Wells Fargo– Associated Press
The Navajo Nation is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit it filed against Wells Fargo, accusing the company of engaging in predatory and unlawful practices.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month at the request of Wells Fargo.
The company argued that many claims were addressed through a previous consumer protection action, and that the tribe lacked standing to file other claims.
The tribe filed a notice of appeal Friday with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Navajo President Russell Begaye has said the tribe will not back down in its efforts to hold Wells Fargo accountable for harming Navajo people and especially tribal elders.
Wells Fargo has five branches on the reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, and 12 others within a 30-minute drive.
Judge Orders New Mexico Health Dept To Allow 2 Dispensaries – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The New Mexico Department of Health has been ordered by a federal judge to provide official designation for two medical marijuana dispensaries owned by a nonprofit pot producer.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday that a judge also told the department to issue the appropriate license amendments to New Mexico Top Organics-Ultra Health Inc. for any proposed dispensaries, past or future, that meet the statutory criteria.
Ultra Health already has built dispensaries in Los Lunas and Espanola.
According to the Journal, the health department objected to the Los Lunas dispensary in part because the store is located inside a senior living facility and felt the Espanola store didn't demonstrate it could stock an additional dispensary location.
Health Department officials say they're reviewing the judge's decision and considering possible steps for appeal.
Navajo Nation President Endorses Former Leader Over His VP – Associated Press
The Navajo Nation president is endorsing a man he beat for the job in the last election cycle to succeed him.
Russell Begaye announced his endorsement of Joe Shirley Jr. on Monday at a campaign event in Albuquerque.
He says Shirley, who served two terms as president, has the experience to guide the tribe through an economic blow when a coal-fired power plant on the reservation closes next year.
Shirley is facing Begaye's vice president, Jonathan Nez, in the Nov. 6 election.
Nez and Begaye distanced themselves months ago as they campaigned separately for the presidency. Begaye placed fifth among a record field of 18 candidates.
Nez's campaign manager, Clara Pratte, says she doesn't expect the endorsement to have a major impact. She says Begaye is not a popular president.
Recent Violent Crime In Española Raises Officials' Concerns - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
Española officials are gathering to talk about why there has been a spate of violent crimes in recent months, including several homicides.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Mayor Javier Sanchez, police, educators and local charities met Monday to discuss stemming community violence.
Sanchez says there have been four killings since he was elected in March. He says that's a shocking rate for a town with a population of 10,000.
The most recent case was the Oct. 4 shooting death of 18-year-old Cameron Martinez.
Police say suspects mistook Martinez for someone else and opened fire as he was riding in another vehicle.
Seven people, all between the ages of 16 and 22, have been arrested.
Participants in this week's conference plan to hold more meetings to talk about solutions.