Lizard Protections Sought Amid US Oil Boom – Associated Press
A small lizard found among the dunes straddling New Mexico and West Texas in one of the nation's richest oil basins is at the center of a new lawsuit.
Environmentalists want the federal government to add the lizard to the endangered species list. The fight stretches back to the Bush and Obama administrations and could affect part of the multibillion-dollar energy industry in the Permian Basin.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife filed their lawsuit Tuesday. It followed a listing petition that was filed in May 2018.
The lawsuit claims more than 2.5 square miles of the lizard's habitat was destroyed in the 18 months prior to filing the petition. The groups say the need for listing is urgent as drilling continues in the region.
Energy industry officials defended their efforts to protect the species, saying Tuesday that oil companies have spent time and millions of dollars on conservation projects.
New Mexico Jury Finds Ex-Deputy Guilty Of Aggravated Battery – Associated Press
A New Mexico jury has found a former sheriff's deputy accused of kicking a man in the head guilty of aggravated battery.
Jurors returned the verdict Tuesday against David Priemazon after deliberating for six hours.
Priemazon was a 15-year-veteran of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office when prosecutors say he kicked Christopher Lucero in March 2018 following a chase through Albuquerque's South Valley.
Sam Bregman, an Albuquerque attorney who represented Priemazon, expressed disappointment over the verdict, saying he believed the jury "got it wrong."
Bregman says he appreciates that his client received a fair trial.
Priemazon faces up to three years in prison. He will be sentenced Dec. 3.
Police Recover Bronze Shoes Stolen From New Mexico Memorial – Associated Press
Authorities have recovered five sets of bronze shoes that were stolen from an Albuquerque veterans' memorial that honors those who served in the U.S. war on terror.
Albuquerque police announced that they recovered the shoes Tuesday.
Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos says investigators worked with the New Mexico Regulation Licensing Department and Acme Recycling to recover the stolen goods and return them to the veterans’ memorial.
Gallegos did not release any other details, saying the case was still under investigation. No arrests have been made.
Authorities say the shoes were worth an estimated $20,000.
Officials with the memorial said earlier this week that there's a growing need for physical security and electronic surveillance at the memorial park. They say other items have been taken in the past.
Trailblazer Of New Mexico Chile Industry To Be Honored – Associated Press
A researcher seen as a pioneer of New Mexico's chile pepper industry is being honored by the National Agricultural Center.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday that Fabián García will have a place in the Center's Hall of Fame in Kansas.
García, who died in 1948, will be the first New Mexican and Hispanic to be inducted.
In 1921, he released the "New Mexico 9," a chile that is seen as the genetic precursor of the state's chiles.
García did his research at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
As someone who faced discrimination, the Mexican immigrant offered room and board for Mexican American students at NMSU's horticulture farm.
He will be inducted in a ceremony next year. Other hall-of-famers include cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney and scientist Isaac Newton.
New Mexico Streamlines Requirements For State ID Cards – Associated Press
New application rules for driver's licenses are going into effect in New Mexico that relax identification requirements in some instances.
Requirements were streamlined on Tuesday to receive a standard driver's license that will not be valid for boarding commercial airline flights starting in October 2020. The changes are an outgrowth of new legislation and a lawsuit alleging that previous requirements unfairly denied basic identification cards to immigrants, homeless people and others.
The Taxation and Revenue Department says requirements are not changing for licenses that are compliant with federal Real ID standards.
To receive a so-called standard license, applicants must provide one document that provides proof of identity and age, and two more that prove New Mexico residency. The standard license serves as personal identification at state agencies and private establishments.
Teens Seek Emergency Climate Declaration In New Mexico – Associated Press
Student activists including several Native American high school students urged Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday to take more aggressive action to address climate change.
About 20 climate activists — mostly high school students — went to the state capitol building and called on Lujan Grisham to declare a climate emergency and set aside state income from the oil and gas industries to pay for the transition to an economy without greenhouse gas emissions.
The students delivered a letter from two climate action groups, including Youth Unified for Climate Crisis Action, that states New Mexico does not appear to be on track to meet carbon reduction goals or end dependence on fossil fuels.
State government and school districts in New Mexico rely heavily on income from oil and natural gas production. Demands by the activists include the creation of a "Just Transition Fund" from oil and gas revenues to pay for the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
The governor's chief of staff, John Bingaman, met briefly with the protesters, promising to take their concerns into consideration and highlighting the governor's commitment to a long list of initiatives and alliances to address climate change.
Lujan Grisham was attending indigenous feast day events at the Taos Pueblo community of Native Americans and sent a letter expressing solidarity with protesters.
2 Found Dead In Wreckage Of A Small Plane In New Mexico – Associated Press
Authorities say two bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane in New Mexico's Pecos Wilderness.
But State Police have not yet confirmed if the plane is the same aircraft that was reported missing last week with two people from Colorado aboard.
Search crews also haven't been able to determine the tail number because the aircraft was so badly damaged, and the two bodies have yet to be identified.
They say the crash site was in mountainous terrain with heavy tree growth at an elevation of about 10,000 feet.
Authorities have been searching since last Friday for a single-engine, four-seater plane that disappeared shortly after a refueling stop at Santa Fe Regional Airport on Thursday evening.
Aircraft Found In New Mexico, Unclear If It's Missing Plane - Associated Press
Authorities say a small plane has been found in New Mexico's Pecos Wilderness, but it's unclear it is the same aircraft reported missing last week.
A spokesperson for The Federal Aviation Administration says a plane was found Monday about 10 miles southwest of Mora.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports there's no immediate word on the condition of that plane or its occupants.
Authorities have been searching since last Friday for a single-engine, four-seater plane that disappeared after a refueling stop at Santa Fe Regional Airport.
New Mexico State Police say the plane took off from the airport at 5:49 p.m. Thursday and air traffic controllers lost radar contact with the aircraft 12 minutes later.
Aboard that plane was a pilot and passenger, both from Colorado.
Juárez Mayor To Testify On Migrants At New Mexico Hearing – Associated Press
A key group of New Mexico lawmakers will tour both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border this week and hear from the mayor of the largest Mexican city in the region about the migrant influx.
Ciudad Juárez Mayor Armando Cabada will be among those who will meet with members of New Mexico's Legislative Finance Committee during a packed agenda.
The mayor has said his city has spent $300,000 on shelter for some 12,000 migrants who are waiting to seek asylum in the U.S.
The lawmakers also will visit the Antelope Wells port of entry, a remote spot that was overwhelmed earlier this year by large groups of migrants.
The committee will stop at a shelter in Deming and talk with a rancher who says he has dealt with break-ins, litter and property damage from trespassing migrants.
GOP Hopefuls For Key US House Seat Dismiss Impeachment Talk - By Russell Contreras Associated Press
Republican candidates competing for a key U.S. House seat in southern New Mexico are dismissing impeachment talk around President Donald Trump.
The three hopefuls vying to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small say they all strongly support Trump. They say an impeachment inquiry over the president's conversation with a Ukrainian leader seeking dirt on Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden's son is a waste of time.
Former state lawmaker Yvette Herrell says she believed there was "zero evidence" Trump committed any impeachable or illegal offense.
Oil executive Claire Chase says phone call transcripts show "no valid basis for impeachment" and charged Democrats with only wanting to undermine Trump.
Businessman Chris Mathys says Trump hasn't done anything different than other presidents.
Torres Small has not come out in favor of an impeachment inquiry.
7 Mumps Cases Reported At New Mexico's Torrance County Jail – Associated Press
The New Mexico Department of Health is investigating seven mumps cases at the Torrance County Detention Facility.
Other details about the mumps cases at the jail weren't immediately released Monday.
Health officials say mumps is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air and by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs or sneezes.
The virus can also spread through shared use of drinks, cups or eating utensils and on occasion through contaminated surfaces.
People exposed to mumps may become ill up to 25 days after the exposure.
Health officials say the best way to be protected from mumps is to be vaccinated.
Personal Firewood Permits Excluded From Tree-Cutting Ban – Associated Press
People who rely on firewood from national forests in New Mexico and one in Arizona now can cut and gather it.
A federal judge on Tuesday excluded personal firewood cutting and gathering from a larger ban on timber management activities in all five New Mexico national forests and the Tonto National Forest outside metropolitan Phoenix.
Environmentalists who sued the federal government over the threatened Mexican spotted owl had asked U.S. District Judge Raner Collins to amend the ban. It's been in place since mid-September.
The U.S. Forest Service supported the narrower ban. The agency says permit sales will resume immediately.
Wood is the primary heating source for many residents in rural areas who cannot afford propane and don't have access to natural gas lines.
New Mexico GOP Lawmakers Say Firewood Ban Will Be Devastating – Associated Press
New Mexico Republican lawmakers say a federal court decision that halts firewood gathering and other forest projects will have devastating consequences.
The 21 legislators sent a letter Monday to the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying the ruling will affect thousands of New Mexicans and jeopardize fire management programs. They called the order 'indiscriminate.'
The Forest Service has suspended timber sales, thinning projects, prescribed burns and the sale of firewood permits on five New Mexico forests and one in Arizona.
The decision stems from a case in which environmentalists accused the federal government of failing to track Mexican spotted owls.
A pending motion would modify the court order to exclude firewood cutting and gathering for personal use. It's unclear when the judge will rule.
New Mexico GOP Hits US House Hopeful For 'False Statements' – Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
The Republican Party of New Mexico is sharply criticizing one of its candidates in a closely watched GOP primary for a U.S. House seat in the southern part of the state.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the state party last week accused candidate Chris Mathys of Las Cruces of making "intentional misstatements of the facts and untrue accusations" against former state Rep. Yvette Herrell.
The party says Mathys was wrong for describing a bill introduced by Herrell during New Mexico's 2015 legislative session as "pro-abortion."
The bill called for a ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.
Herrell, who lost to Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in 2018, is seeking the GOP nomination again to challenge her.
Oil executive Claire Chase also is running in the Republican primary.
Monsoon Brings High Hope, Delivers Little Rain In Southwest – By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press
The monsoon season was a dud across much of the U.S. Southwest this year, bringing high hope but delivering little rainfall.
Several communities in northern Arizona had the driest monsoon season on record, including Flagstaff. Phoenix's season was the fifth driest recorded.
The seasonal weather pattern is characterized by a shift in wind patterns and moisture being pulled in from the tropical coast of Mexico. It runs from mid-June through the end of September.
Usually it means rain that can cool down scorching cities, water crops and reduce wildfire risk. But it also can be disappointing.
The Four Corners region had abnormally low rainfall. St. George in southern Utah received traces of rain.
Las Vegas, Nev., got a little more than a quarter-inch, making it the 14th driest on record.
National forests in New Mexico and Arizona largely were free of fire restrictions this summer, thanks to an above-average snowpack last winter.
The odds for the upcoming winter are tilted toward above-average temperatures but no strong signal on snow or rain.