New Mexico looks to end waiting list for disability services - Associated Press
Officials with the state Health and Human Services departments are awaiting federal approval to tap into a temporary funding stream to help end a 13-year wait faced by New Mexico families seeking services under a developmental disabilities program.
The officials told a panel of lawmakers this week about their plan to move about 4,100 people off the waiting list and into services in the next two years.
State funding of about $75 million a year would be needed eventually, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Dr. David Scrase, who also leads the Health and Human Services departments, called it a rare opportunity of alignment between federal funding and a critical state goal.
"We have made progress over the last two years getting more than 700 people the services they need," Scrase said in a statement. "These dollars will allow us to provide services for thousands more."
Long waits have plagued the state Developmental Disabilities Waiver program for years. In the Albuquerque area, those being removed from the waiting list have typically been watching since 2008 for the funding to become available.
Participants can receive therapy, help with employment and other services aimed at allowing them to be active members of the community. It's called a waiver program because the federal government has waived the requirement to use a nursing home or other institutional setting to provide the services.
Under the plan outlined outlined during a meeting of the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee, the state would rely on federal funding at first to pay for services for every individual on the waiting list. Then state funding would be used starting in about four years to maintain the program.
"We believe we have a blueprint to move our state forward and tackle this problem," said Jason Cornwell, director of the Developmental Disabilities Supports Division of the Department of Health.
New Mexico is seeking approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to use funding available for home- and community-based services.
Robert Kegel, whose son receives waiver services, testified that legislators should take immediate action on a variety of fronts to improve the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities.
"We've denied people the care they're absolutely entitled to," he said.
Senate Majority Whip Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, said New Mexico's strong financial position makes it an appropriate time to end the waiting list.
Strong revenue growth is projected for the coming year, and federal coronavirus relief funds have flooded the state.
"We have to figure out a plan — a plan that really works," Lopez said.
New Mexico's citizen redistricting maps sent to Legislature—Cedar Attanasio,Associated Press/Report for America
The committee responsible for proposing new political boundaries in New Mexico has sent a final report to state legislators, recommending maps to be used in redistricting.
In the report made public Friday, the Citizen Redistricting Committee recommended three maps for redistricting congressional boundaries and additional maps for state offices.
Political boundaries are redrawn every ten years to reflect population counts by the census, most recently in 2020. For the first time, New Mexico is using a citizen advisory board to temper partisan inclinations toward entrenching political power through redistricting.
"It's about the public selecting their legislators, not the legislators selecting them," Citizen Redistricting Committee Chair Edward Chávez said.
The committee reviewed 80 maps proposed by members of the public and collected thousands of comments in writing, in-person and over Zoom, including those from supporters of political advocacy groups.
Federal standards also require that the maps preserve voting power among minority groups.
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Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
Town: Nothing improper with hidden camera in police office—Associated Press
Officials in a New Mexico town deny wrongdoing in the installation of a hidden surveillance camera in a police office used by a now-former police sergeant who says her expectation of privacy was violated.
An attorney for the former Bernalillo Police Department sergeant, Monica Torres, has formally notified the town that Torres intends to file a lawsuit alleging violation of a New Mexico law requiring consent from at least one person being recorded, KRQE-TV reported.
Video obtained by KRQE showed a town worker installing the video camera in an air conditioning vent under the direction of Police Chief Broderick Sharp and a police lieutenant when Torres was on vacation in November 2020.
"I freaked out," Torres recalled to KRQE about when an office visitor spotted the camera a week or two later. "I had changed (clothes) numerous times in there,"
KRQE reported that it obtained records of a New Mexico State Police investigation prompted by a complaint by Torres.
Video from the hidden camera showed a male sergeant shutting the door to change clothes inside the office, KRQE reported.
The State Police investigation ended by concluding that no crime had been found. The matter was submitted to the District Attorney's Office of the 13th Judicial District for review. That office said a special prosecutor would decide whether to file charges.
Bernalillo officials said in a statement that the town "stands by its policies and would like to state that nothing improper was identified on our end."
Sharp declined to discuss the hidden camera with KRQE because it involved pending litigation, but he told state police agents that the installation of the camera didn't violate any rules.
"I know for a fact it wasn't illegal, it wasn't unethical, it wasn't immoral, and these guys all have the (town) policy," Sharp told investigators.
While the office was generally used only by one shift sergeant at a time, Sharp emphasized to state police agents that the office was shared. "It's not a private office."
Sharp told agents that he specifically requested placement of a camera with audio in the office because he'd heard there had been problems of theft and fighting in the office.
Torres was fired by Bernalillo after the camera incident over allegedly failing to search a suspect and mischarging the suspect. She denies the allegations and is now a Torrance County deputy.
New Mexico Police: Gun went off as couple fought, driving—Associated Press
Police say they have arrested a man believed to have shot a woman in the head while she was driving him down the highway near Grants, in western New Mexico.
The pair, believed to be boyfriend and girlfriend, started arguing Wednesday while driving down Interstate 40 in a Ford Mustang, New Mexico State Police said.
The man, aged 23, pulled out a gun during the argument as he sat in the passenger seat, and the woman, 21, tried to grab it as she drove.
"During the struggle for the firearm, it went off and struck the female in the head," New Mexico State Police spokesman Dusty Francisco said in a statement Friday.
It's unclear if the man meant to shoot the woman or just threaten her.
After the gun went off, the man grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat and "brought the vehicle to a safe stop and drove the vehicle to the Cibola General Hospital in Grants, NM," Francisco said.
The woman was later flown to a larger hospital in Albuquerque and is in critical condition.
Police said the man was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
New Mexico family seeks AG's help in deadly shooting case—Associated Press
The family of a northern New Mexico man killed in September has asked the state Attorney General's Office to take over the case, saying they have concerns that the shooter is receiving preferential treatment because he is related to two judges from the area.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that David Griego called 911 after he shot John Serna, 66, and reported he had done so in self-defense. The 70-year-old Griego said during the emergency call that Serna was about to attack him and that he had done so several times in the past.
Griego stayed on the line with an emergency operator and applied pressure to a gunshot wound on Serna's chest until help arrived.
No charges have been filed, and attempts to reach Griego for comment were unsuccessful.
"We are wanting the process to be a little bit more timely," Serna's daughter, Sahra Martinez, said in a phone interview. "We're wanting a closer look and for more attention to be focused on this so we can get some answers."
Todd Coberly, the family's attorney, recently wrote to the Attorney General's Office, questioning the claim of self-defense and detailing a loss of confidence in 4th Judicial District Attorney Thomas Clayton.
Griego is the uncle of Judges Abigail Aragon and Michael Aragon, siblings who serve on the district court in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The court's executive officer Brenden Murphy declined on behalf of both judges to comment.
Coberly wrote that Serna's family is concerned Griego is "being given preferential treatment given his relationship to the Aragons."
The Attorney General's Office said it was aware of Coberly's request but that a district attorney's office normally would have to decline to prosecute to clear the way for the attorney general to take over.
Clayton, the district attorney whose territory encompasses Mora, San Miguel and Guadalupe counties, said in a phone interview that Griego's relationship to the judges has no bearing on the case and that the investigation into Serna's death is ongoing.
"Many factors come into play as to what charges will be filed," Clayton said. "Sometimes it takes a period of time."
Griego told the 911 operator he fired three shots at Serna but said he believed only one of the bullets had struck him, in the chest.
Coberly said initial information from the state Office of the Medical Investigator revealed Griego also suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
Court records confirm the two men — who were neighbors in a small Mora County settlement called Ledoux — had been feuding for decades. Records also show the Aragons recently recused themselves from a lawsuit involving Griego.
Southwest investigates pilot who used 'Brandon' phrase—Aamer Madhani, Associated Press
Southwest Airlines said it's conducting an internal investigation after one of its pilots used a phrase that's become a stand-in for insulting President Joe Biden during the pilot's greeting to passengers over the plane's public address system.
The airline announced its investigation Sunday after The Associated Press reported the incident in a story about the growing use of the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism in conservative circles for a vulgarity targeting Biden.
The pilot's use of the phrase drew audible gasps from some passengers on the flight from Houston to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday. An AP reporter was on the flight.
Southwest Airlines Co., which is based in Dallas, said in a statement it would "address the situation directly with any Employee involved while continuing to remind all Employees that public expression of personal opinions while on duty is unacceptable."
"Southwest does not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving our customers, and one Employee's individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 Employees," the statement said.
The phrase took off after an Oct. 2 incident at a NASCAR race in Alabama won by Brandon Brown, a driver who was being interviewed by an NBC Sports reporter.
The crowd behind Brown was chanting something, and the reporter suggested it was saying "Let's go, Brandon" to cheer the driver. But it became increasingly clear to viewers that the crowd was saying, "F—- Joe Biden."
Some conservatives have pointed to the episode as an example of U.S. media covering for Biden. Since then, the phrase has been uttered on the House floor by a Republican lawmaker and used frequently by Biden critics on social media and at protests to slam the Democratic president.
help on how to move forward in their life and were being prescribed proper medication," Ortolano said. "Those people, for whatever reason may have stopped their medication, whether it be due to lack of funding or resources, and they then withdraw from getting professional help and start self medicating using street drugs, which only exacerbated their problem."
He said some of those people then went through the criminal justice system and didn't get the help they needed while incarcerated, leaving them in worse mental health than before.
Officials said LEAD will work to help stop this cycle.
Town: Nothing improper with hidden camera in police office – KRQE-TV, Associated Press
Officials in a New Mexico town deny wrongdoing in the installation of a hidden surveillance camera in a police office used by a now-former police sergeant who says her expectation of privacy was violated.
An attorney for the former Bernalillo Police Department sergeant, Monica Torres, has formally notified the town that Torres intends to file a lawsuit alleging violation of a New Mexico law requiring consent from at least one person in a recording, KRQE-TV reported.
Video obtained by KRQE showed a town worker installing the video camera in an air conditioning vent under the direction of Police Chief Broderick Sharp and a police lieutenant when Torres was on vacation in November 2020.
"I freaked out," Torres recalled to KRQE about when an office visitor spotted the camera a week or two later. "I had changed (clothes) numerous times in there,"
KRQE reported that it obtained records of a New Mexico State Police investigation prompted by a complaint by Torres.
Video from the hidden camera showed a male sergeant shutting the door to change clothes inside the office, KRQE reported.
The State Police investigation ended by concluding that no crime had been found. The matter was submitted to the District Attorney's Office of the 13th Judicial District for review. That office said a special prosecutor would decide whether to file charges.
Bernalillo officials said in a statement that the town "stands by its policies and would like to state that nothing improper was identified on our end."
Sharp declined to discuss the hidden camera with KRQE because it involved pending litigation, but he told state police agents that the installation of the camera didn't violate any rules.
"I know for a fact it wasn't illegal, it wasn't unethical, it wasn't immoral, and these guys all have the (town) policy," Sharp told investigators.
While the office was generally used only by one shift sergeant at a time, Sharp emphasized to state police agents that the office was shared. "It's not a private office."
Sharp told agents that he specifically requested placement of a camera with audio in the office because he'd heard there had been problems of theft and fighting in the office.
Torres was fired by Bernalillo after the camera incident over allegedly failing to search a suspect and mischarging the suspect. She denies the allegations and is now a Torrance County deputy.
FBI using Navajo language in campaign targeting hate crimes - Associated Press
The FBI has begun a campaign to use the Navajo language on social media to combat hate crimes.
The federal enforcement agency said Friday that it has an ad in the Navajo language on Facebook that encourages victims and witnesses to contact the FBI, which also has posted messages in the Navajo language against hate crime on Twitter.
"Our message is clear and simple: Hate has no place on the Navajo Nation or anywhere else," said Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the Albuquerque FBI Division. "For those more comfortable communicating in Navajo, we hope this outreach encourages them to call us or go online if they are aware of a hate crime."
The FBI said it also has translated into Navajo numerous posters seeking information about unsolved homicides and missing person cases.
Authorities: 2 people dead after a shooting in Albuquerque - Associated Press
Bernalillo County Sheriff's officials say at least two people are dead after a shooting in Albuquerque.
They said several other victims were taken to a hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds.
Authorities said the shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday and it is unclear how many shooters were involved.
The names, ages and genders of the two people killed weren't immediately identified.
4 shot and wounded at house party on Albuquerque's west side - Associated Press
Four people were shot and wounded in a large house party on Albuquerque's west side, but authorities said nobody was seriously injured.
Police said officers responded to the scene shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday after they received a 911 call.
Four people who were at the party suffered gunshot wounds to their legs, although police said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
They said gunfire also struck several homes and vehicles in the neighborhood, but there were no reports of injuries at those homes.
Detectives with the police department's Gun Violence Reduction Unit recovered several firearms during the investigation.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said it's the second time in two months that large house parties resulted in a barrage of gunfire.
Detectives have identified several people involved and they will work with the District Attorney's Office to pursue charges against those who are responsible, Medina added.
'She was my friend' — Alec Baldwin mourns cinematographer - By Associated Press
Alec Baldwin has spoken publicly for the first time on camera about the cinematographer he fatally shot on the movie set of "Rust," calling her a friend and saying he is in "constant contact" with her grieving family.
"She was my friend," Baldwin told photographers Saturday on a roadside in Vermont. "We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened." The video was distributed by TMZ.
Investigators believe Baldwin's gun fired a single live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Baldwin was joined by his wife, Hilaria, when he spoke to photographers and she filmed the exchange with her smartphone, often trying to get her husband to stop talking. Baldwin said he was speaking out so that the photographers would stop following his family.
Baldwin called the shooting incident a "one-in-a-trillion event" and said he had met with Hutchins' husband. "He is in shock, he has a 9-year-old son. We are in constant contact with him because we are very worried about his family and his kid. As I said, we are eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department to tell us what their investigation has yielded."
Investigators in New Mexico where the shooting occurred have said that there was "some complacency" in how weapons were handled on the movie set but it's too soon to determine whether charges will be filed.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and suspected live rounds — were found while searching the set of the Western "Rust."
Detectives have recovered a lead projectile they believe the actor fired. Testing is being done to confirm whether the projectile taken from Souza's shoulder was fired from the same long Colt revolver used by Baldwin. The FBI will help with ballistics analysis.
Souza, who was standing behind Hutchins, told investigators there should never be live rounds present near the scene.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said investigators cannot say yet whether it was negligence or by whom. She called it a complex case that will require more research and analysis.
Navajo Nation reports 67 more COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Sunday reported 67 more COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 36,817 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
The known death toll now is at 1,487.
The Navajo Department of Health had reported 105 more COVID-19 cases but no deaths Friday for the 20th time in the past 30 days and then 77 cases and one death on Saturday.
Based on cases from Oct. 8-21, the tribal health department issued an advisory notice for 48 communities due to uncontrolled spread of COVID-19.
"Unfortunately, in-person family and social gatherings are leading to more cases of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation," tribal President Jonathan Nez said. "In addition, residents who travel to cities off our Nation and let their guard down often bring back the virus to their households. We have to do better and we have to remind our loved ones to take precautions and wear a mask in public whether they are on or off the Navajo Nation."
The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles and covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Program aims to divert addicts to treatment instead of jail - By Gabrielle Arsiaga Hobbs News-Sun
When a drug user enters the criminal justice system, it only exacerbates the problem, causing a cycle that is hard for the user to get themselves out of.
"We don't have an infinite source of funds in the system. However, we have enough that we put enough into prosecuting drug offense. What happens to that drug abuser is after everything they've been through, they still haven't been treated. They're still an addict and the next time we see them they now have a mental health problem because they continue to use.
"We have not solved anything at all," said Ibukun Adepoju, a public defender for the Fifth and Ninth Judicial Districts. "Public safety is no better off than it was when that user was riding his bicycle down the street. So we have to shift our resources from the things that we think are important like arresting a person to treating the person."
This is where the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD) comes in, the Hobbs News-Sun reported.
LEAD consists of representatives from the Public Defender's Office, Hobbs Police Department, District Attorney's office, the United Way, and the Guidance Center. It was created as a way to help reduce rates of recidivism while also addressing the drug addiction problem an offender may have.
"What it brings to the community is harm reduction," said LEAD Program Director Jessica Owen. "The process for participants to get into LEAD is completely at the discretion of the police officer. Outside referrals will not come in at this time, it is strictly through law enforcement. If someone gets stopped and they have say two grams of meth, if the officer believes that person would be a good candidate for LEAD, they'll make that decision to either divert them to LEAD or arrest them."
LEAD works by removing the person before arrest. The officer is then given the opportunity to decide whether they are going to make an arrest or take the person to a case manager.
Once a person is diverted to a peer support specialist, the treatment process begins.
Owen said since it is a harm reduction program, clients aren't mandated into treatment.
"This is not an abstinence program. (Clients) are not expected to maintain abstinence," Owen said. "Clients are only required to participate with their peer support specialist as needed. If a peer support worker is not able to make contact with that individual within seven days to begin their intervention plan, that referral will then be kicked back to HPD and HPD will move forward with charges."
Exclusions for the program include the amount of drugs involved exceeding six grams; if the individual does not appear amenable to the program; the suspected drug activity involves delivery or possession with intent to deliver, and there is a reason to believe the suspect is dealing for profit above a subsistence income; the person is under 18; exploits minors; is on probation or parole; or has a disqualifying criminal history.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney Diana Luce noted her hope is to see those with substance abuse problems get the help they need while also reducing the backlog of possession cases within the criminal justice system.
"They usually have mental health or a substance abuse problem and that is why they are coming into contact with police," Luce said. "Our hope is that this program reduces police involvement, while also reducing some of the involvement of the (district attorney's office) in the whole process of competency and what the person did."
Hobbs Police Chief John Ortolano said he believes the program will bring a different but positive resource to the community.
"It'll reduce victimization while also reducing crime rates," he said. "There is a whole lot of misconceptions about programs like these and they either think it's soft on crime and it is the exact opposite.
"In policing, for decades and decades, we have tried to arrest our way out of problems by saying, 'okay the more people we arrest it'll make the problem go away.' Unless we get rid of the root cause we cannot break the cycle. Unfortunately, a lot of the problems with addiction are mental health issues and we weren't learning. We were doing the same thing over and over again, but unfortunately funding for mental health and addiction have been reducing. Therefore law enforcement has been coming into contact with these people more and more."
Ortolano went on to explain the issue does not always lie with the individual. Sometimes it has to do with a lack of training for law enforcement, and more times than not it takes a professional to deal with the issues law enforcement meets when encountering a mentally unstable addict or person, Ortolano said.
In his time as an officer, he has noticed the cycle of addiction did not just randomly come about for some people.
"They started off seeking professional help, they're getting professional help on how to move forward in their life and were being prescribed proper medication," Ortolano said. "Those people, for whatever reason may have stopped their medication, whether it be due to lack of funding or resources, and they then withdraw from getting professional help and start self medicating using street drugs, which only exacerbated their problem."
He said some of those people then went through the criminal justice system and didn't get the help they needed while incarcerated, leaving them in worse mental health than before.
Officials said LEAD will work to help stop this cycle.