Some New Mexico Farms Apply For Pilot Project To Save Water - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
More than two dozen farms in southern New Mexico have applied for a program that will pay them not to plant their fields as water managers look for new ways to stretch resources in the drought-stricken state.
It's the first phase of a multiyear pilot project being managed by the Office of the State Engineer. State Engineer John D'Antonio has described the program as essential for ensuring the aquifers in the lower Rio Grande remain at sustainable levels in the future.
The Legislature approved funding for the effort last year and the state began accepting applications from farmers in the fall. The Interstate Stream Commission is now processing 27 contracts totaling more than $900,000 and covering just over 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of farmland.
While that represents just a fraction of the agricultural real estate that stretches from Elephant Butte Reservoir south to the Texas border, state officials are looking to develop more tools that can be used to better manage water, especially during extended drought. New Mexico also is on the hook for ensuring a certain amount of water is delivered via the Rio Grande to Texas each year as part of a decades-old water sharing agreement.
Officials pointed to the mega-drought that's persisted since the late 1990s, suggesting everything from rotating which fields are not planted to recharging underground water reserves and infrastructure improvement should be considered because agriculture is the biggest water user in the state. It represents about three-quarters of all water withdrawals in New Mexico.
The lower Rio Grande Valley has received about one-tenth of an inch (one-quarter of a centimeter) of precipitation since the beginning of the year, according to the National Weather Service. That has exacerbated the conditions that have resulted from back-to-back dismal summer monsoon seasons across the southwestern U.S. and limited snowpack over the winter.
Like New Mexico, large swaths of the Southwest are dealing with extreme and exceptional drought — the two worst categories — as water managers are warning of limited supplies from the region's major rivers, the Rio Grande and Pecos to the Colorado River.
Farmers in central Arizona's Pinal County already have been fallowing land amid the drought and improving wells to pump groundwater in anticipation of reductions that could come if a federal shortage is declared on the Colorado River. Most operations there are family farms that are among Arizona's top producers of livestock, dairy, cotton, barley, wheat and alfalfa.
In New Mexico, shrinking rivers and reservoirs also put more strain on regional aquifers as farmers are forced to pump more to irrigate their crops.
Under the pilot program, farmers will receive grants from $400 to $800 per acre to stop pumping groundwater for a year. The Office of the State Engineer will monitor the use of water through site visits, photos, remote sensing and meter readings.
Agency staff are scheduled to brief lawmakers on the effort during a meeting later this week.
Santa Fe Woman Who Fatally Shot At House Party Faces Trial – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
The trial of a Santa Fe woman accused of firing a gun into her neighbor's yard, killing a young man, is set to begin this week.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that 65-year-old Beverly Melendez was found competent to stand trial for one count of second-degree murder.
According to prosecutors, Melendez, angry over her neighbor's house party, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and got up on a stool. She opened fire over a wall separating them.
Authorities say one bullet struck 19-year-old Rodrigo Enriquez-Garay in the back. People at the party rushed him to the hospital where he died.
Defense attorneys as recently as last month filed a motion that Melendez have a second psyche evaluation. According to her legal team, a social worker observed her being forgetful and paranoid.
State prosecutors criticized the motion as an "11th-hour play."
The motion was denied.
Melendez also faces two counts of negligent use of a deadly weapon. If convicted on all charges, she faces up to 16 years in prison.
Albuquerque City Council Approves Increased Police Funding In New Budget – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press, KUNM News
The Albuquerque City Council passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year Monday that includes increased police funding, raises for city employees and support for free bus fare.
The Albuquerque Journal reports councilors swiftly and unanimously passed the $711 million spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year with little discussion or amendments.
Amid national and local calls to defund the police, the Albuquerque Police Department budget will get a 4.5% boost to current funding, totaling $222 million. Numerous community members pushed back against the increase via public comment and in writing, encouraging the reallocation of funds to social services, health care and housing.
The Journal reports Councilor Diane Gibson said she would like to see APD’s budget decrease as tasks are removed from its plate when the city ramps up the new Community Safety department. The department would dispatch behavioral health providers rather than police officers to some emergencies related to mental health, houselessness or substance use.
The new budget allocates $7.7 million to the Community Safety department. Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair said the department should begin taking calls later this year.
Council budget chair Klarissa Peña acknowledged during the meeting that APD has “a ways to go” in meeting its settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, but that officers are “really working hard to work with the community.”
The Associated Press reports a federal monitor’s report released earlier this month showed that while APD has made progress, the department continues to use excessive force too often, and regularly fails to follow its own policy for disciplining officers.
The council-approved budget also includes a 3% cost-of-living raise for municipal employees.
Councilors also reallocated funding to support covering bus fares city wide. Councilor Lan Sena said the funding should be sufficient for all passengers to ride for free.
The budget now heads to Mayor Tim Keller for final approval.
District Attorney Raúl Torrez To Run For Attorney General - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
The district attorney for New Mexico's largest metro area is seeking the Democratic nomination for state attorney general in the 2022 election, emphasizing his hands-on experience in Albuquerque as the city grapples with stubborn rates of violent crime.
Announcing his candidacy for statewide office Monday, Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez said he's been an aggressive and innovative prosecutor in the midst of a crime crisis in the Albuquerque area, where homicides are being reported this year at a record pace.
State Auditor Brian Colón also is seeking the Democratic nomination. Hector Balderas is wrapping up his second term as New Mexico's top prosecutor and consumer advocate.
The state Republican Party says it is in discussions with potential candidates for attorney general. Republicans have held the office only three times in the state's nearly 110-year history.
Torrez currently oversees about 115 attorneys at the largest law office in the state. He highlighted initiatives he pioneered to track police misconduct, take on an insurgent local militia and safeguard elections by providing rapid legal advice to police contending with possible political protests and interference at polls.
"New Mexicans are looking for somebody who's a fighter in the attorney general's office and someone who has real experience to take on the job," he told The Associated Press. "If you look at the work that we've done inside the district attorney's office, we've been able to secure additional resources, modernize that office, transform how it operates, bringing frankly new capabilities that no one had ever envisioned."
Last year President Donald Trump dispatched federal agents to Albuquerque while denouncing crime rates in several Democrat-led cities. The Albuquerque Police Department has struggled for years to address allegations of excessive force in policing, under supervision of the U.S. Justice Department through a consent decree.
Torrez said his primary focus as district attorney is in providing resources to combat violent crime.
"It's undeniable that we've got a very serious public safety challenge in Albuquerque," Torrez said. "Violent crime is unacceptably high, murders are extraordinarily high. But what we need right now are individuals with experience in different systems, and who have worked as as prosecutors and police leaders, who can draw on ideas from around the nation and try and move this community in a new direction. And I think I bring that to the table."
As a contender for attorney general, Torrez said he wants to expand the state's capacity to handle consumer-rights litigation and address concerns about the reach and influence of technology companies.
"One of the things I'd like to see is the development of a greater and more experienced core of civil litigators" inside the attorney general's office, he said.
On his campaign website, Torrez is highlighting his support for recently enacted state gun safety laws and efforts as district attorney to eliminate a backlog for processing rape-test kits, as well as efforts to publish and analyze demographic trends in policing and prosecution.
Torrez previously served as as a federal prosecutor and senior adviser at the U.S. Justice Department under under Attorney General Eric Holder during Barack Obama's presidency.
Reports of overall crime and property crime in Albuquerque declined in 2020 while the pandemic kept many people at home, as reports of personal and violent crime increased slightly.
Homicides in Albuquerque are setting a record pace this year with 42 reported so far. The deadliest year for homicides was 2019 with 80, and there were 76 in 2020.
As district attorney, Torrez last year filed suit against a self-described civilian militia group known as the New Mexico Civil Guard that he accuses of usurping police authority and acting as an unlawful military unit.
The group's armed members showed up at a demonstration in July 2020 that devolved in a melee as protesters pulled down a statue of Spanish conqueror Juan de Oñate.
Torrez says his office is partnering with a local law firm and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center to pursue the case.
Navajo Nation Reports 7 New COVID-19 Cases And No Deaths - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Monday reported seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases, but no deaths.
Tribal health officials say the latest figures pushed the total number of cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 30,722 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The known death toll remains at 1,293.
After four days of no reported coronavirus-related deaths, tribal health officials said there were five deaths Friday and one on both Saturday and Sunday.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says more than half of the reservation's adult population has been vaccinated, but people still need to stay home as much as possible, wear masks and avoid large gatherings.
"Several states have lifted even more restrictions that helped to prevent more spread of COVID-19, but we are keeping the mask mandate and social distancing protocols in place on the Navajo Nation," Nez said. "As we've seen before, the virus is unpredictable at times so we have to be very careful and continue to urge our citizens to continue taking precautions to stay safe. This week, we have seven communities that are identified as having uncontrolled spread. We have to do better and keep pushing back on COVID-19."
Santa Fe Schools Shelter In Place Due To Weather Warning - By Cedar Attanasio Associated Press / Report For America
Santa Fe Public Schools sheltered in place Monday after a warning of severe weather.
The shelter-in-place order went out around 1:40 p.m. as thunder, rain and hail pummeled the area, district spokesman Cody Dynarski said in a text message.
The district is not aware of any injuries or serious property damage, Dynarski said.
The warning from the National Weather Service also cautioned of the possibility of tornadoes, which haven't been recorded in Santa Fe county since 2017.
National Weather Service records first documented a tornado in the city of Santa Fe in 1883. It blew off two roofs and damaged a bank, records show. There have been about five since, with the weakest touching down for only a few minutes and the worst damaging some roofs.
24 Hikers Rescued In New Mexico's Organ Mountains – Associated Press
Authorities say a group of 24 hikers who became separated, disoriented and stranded in the Organ Mountains were rescued by the Las Cruces Fire Department and other law enforcement officers.
The hiking group from El Paso, Texas, was trying what authorities called an ambitious attempt to scale The Needle — one of the most difficult ascents in the mountain range near Las Cruces.
The group — made up of hikers with various trail experience — began the guided hike before dawn Sunday. Authorities say some fell behind, splintered onto different trails and became disoriented. They became stranded once the sun set and were unable to find their way off the mountain.
Hikers made several calls to 911 prompting the search and rescue mission.
One woman was injured and had to be carted down by rescuers. Authorities said her injuries are not life-threatening.
Other search and rescue members located the remaining hikers at various stages of descent. Several had relatively minor injuries, mostly scrapes and bruises, and some complained of dehydration.
New Mexico Creates Database Of Legacy Uranium Mines – Associated Press
New Mexico has created a database of uranium mines around the state, including those that are inactive and have been abandoned, state officials announced Monday.
The database was put together by the state Mining and Minerals Division as a way to give people quick access to information from a variety of sources.
Division Director Jerry Schoeppner said it was a monumental task to bring together the full scope of legacy mining in New Mexico.
With thousands of abandoned mines in the state, the dashboard allows people to search by address, by current location or by selecting points on the map to learn more about a given area.
The dashboard shows that the reclamation status of half the mines in the database is classified as unknown, while reclamation at about one-third of the mines has been completed.
Balloon Fiesta Task Force Mulls Ideas For More Landing Sites – Associated Press
A task force is recommending buying land to expand potential
A task force is recommending buying land to expand potential landing sites for the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the task force's findings are at the center of a resolution that Albuquerque City councilors are expected to pass Monday.
The resolution would authorize a working group to carry out recommendations from the Balloon Landing Task Force. Among them is spending potentially as much as $70 million on a vast tract of land that could also serve as a sports practice field or a recreational venue.
Other suggestions from the group include revamping parking lots on private properties by relocating trees, light poles and other features. That alone could cost more than $31,000 per acre.
The task force also recommends snapping up small- and medium-sized sites that could be transformed into landing sites as well as sports practice fields.
Another idea would be to broaden the Fiesta's X Marks the Spot program where private owners can mark their property as a safe place for balloonists to land.
Paul Smith, Balloon Fiesta executive director, is on the task force which has spent the past two years reviewing the issue. Smith says getting enough landowners on board would secure the hot air balloon festival's future.