Nuclear Tech Company To Put Research Center In New Mexico -Associated Press
A California-based nuclear energy technology company has chosen New Mexico's largest city as its home for a new engineering center to support the development of its reactor technology.
Kairos Power LLC plans to take up residence at a master planned community on the southern edge of Albuquerque.
State economic development officials say the company will invest up to $125 million on the campus and create more than 65 high-paying jobs over the next few years.
The state and city of Albuquerque also have proposed pitching in millions of dollars in economic development funding for the project.
Visitor Center Along Historic Route 66 Gets More Funding -Associated Press
Elected officials in New Mexico's most populous county plan to spend another $1.5 million to further support the construction of a visitor center along historic Route 66.
Bernalillo County commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the allocation during a recent meeting. The money has been set aside pending a comprehensive marketing analysis on the center.
Officials have said the goal is to create a space that celebrates Route 66 while serving the local community.
One of the first roads in the U.S. highway system, Route 66 ran through eight states, connecting tourists with friendly diners in small towns.
Officers Report Busy Night Of Births At US Border Checkpoint -Associated Press
It was a busy night for officers stationed at a U.S. border checkpoint in New Mexico, where three women in labor turned up for help in a matter of hours.
One woman arrived in a Mexican ambulance and officers at the Columbus port of entry provided an obstetrical kit for the emergency delivery.
A U.S. ambulance crew was able to transport the second woman to a hospital before she gave birth. The last woman arrived before 5 a.m., only to drop to the sidewalk and go into delivery.
Customs and Border Protection officers helped deliver the baby girl.
The head of the Columbus port of entry commended the officers for their quick responses.
Saudi College Student Arrested On Gun Charge In New Mexico -Associated Press
A Saudi Arabian student at the University of New Mexico was arrested Friday by federal authorities on accusations of illegal possession of a firearm as a student visa holder.
Authorities say a search of his Albuquerque residence turned up a handgun. Court records show engineering student Hassan Alqahtani appeared before a federal judge Friday and remained in federal custody afterward.
The FBI says it received a tip in August at its National Threat Operations Center that Alqahtani possessed a firearm and was creating a list of people he wanted to kill that included professors at his university.
A defense attorney disputed that a seized gun belonged to Alqahtani.
Governor Taps Longtime Lawmaker To Fill State Senate Vacancy -Associated Press
State Rep. Bobby Gonzales has been picked to fill a state Senate seat vacated with the death of Democratic Sen. Carlos Cisneros in September.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nominated the Democrat from Rancho de Taos on Friday to serve the remainder of a term that runs through the end of 2020.
Gonzales is a retired educator who has served in the state House since 1995. He voted this year for a defeated bill to overturn New Mexico's unenforced ban on most abortion procedures.
He also is in favor of expanded background checks on private gun sales.
New Mexico Has Goal To Boost Rural Art, Culture Partnerships -Associated Press
A top priority for officials who oversee New Mexico's system of museums and cultural offerings will be forming more partnerships with rural communities and Native American tribes over the next year.
The secretary of the state Cultural Affairs Department recently testified before a legislative committee that oversees crafting of the state budget. She's asking lawmakers for more money, saying expanding access to arts and culture is the goal.
New Mexico has enjoyed back-to-back revenue surpluses because of the ongoing oil boom. But legislative budget hawks are warning that spending should be kept in check to weather a future downturn.
Man Pleads Guilty In Death Of Navajo Nation Police Officer -Associated Press
The man accused of gunning down a tribal police officer in a remote corner of the nation's largest American Indian reservation has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Kirby Cleveland faces a possible life sentence in connection with the death of Navajo Nation Officer Houston Largo.
The killing happened March 2017 on a dark road in western New Mexico while the officer was responding to a domestic violence call. Cleveland said during a hearing in federal court Thursday that he didn't know the person he was shooting at was a police officer.
US Officials To Review Deal On Sharing Colorado River Water -Associated Press
Federal water managers are starting to review a crucial 2007 agreement for seven Western states to share drought-diminished water supplies from the Colorado River ahead talks about revising and renewing it beginning in 2026.
U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Friday that he wants a report next December.
The 2007 guidelines established a schedule of water cutbacks to states if levels keep falling at two key reservoirs.
The review comes as the states are enacting a separate drought contingency plan signed this year. It has Arizona and Nevada committed to taking less water from the river in a bid to prop up reservoir levels and avoid more severe cuts in the 2007 guidelines.