New Mexico governor seeks pay increase for public schools - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday she will pursue a 7% pay increase for educators and staff at K-12 public schools as well as higher minimum salaries for teachers at various career stages.
The proposal would boost salaries for more than 50,000 public school workers across the state at an annual cost of about $280 million. The Legislature convenes in January to craft a general fund spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2022.
"New Mexico educators deserve better compensation," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "It's as simple as that. ... I want our educators to be the best-compensated in the region."
The governor's office estimated the proposed changes would increase the statewide average for teacher pay to just over $64,000 a year.
New Mexico's minimum teacher salaries would increase to between $50,000 and $70,000, depending on experience and certifications. Current minimums ranging from $41,000 to $60,000 were set in 2019.
The proposed changes would bring New Mexico roughly in line with the recent national average for teacher pay of about $64,000.
Teacher salaries vary significantly by state and region, from about $47,000 on average last year in Mississippi to $85,000 in California, according to research published by the National Education Association union for educators.
Democratic Sen. George Muñoz of Gallup, chairman of the lead Senate budget writing committee, said the governor's proposal is likely to fall within budget recommendations from the Legislature that have not been finalized.
"I think we've already planned for that in the Legislature," said Muñoz, adding that he hopes to extend the 7% increase to state employees. "We have the money. Let's try and get them some help."
School districts across much of New Mexico are grappling with an aging workforce and shortage of teachers. Public schools in New Mexico rely primarily on state government spending.
Lujan Grisham signed a 6% pay increase for public school personnel in 2019. Further proposals for major pay hikes were scaled back at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic as a precaution against financial instability.
New Mexico's general fund is relatively flush with cash due to a surge in oil and natural gas income and higher than expected gross receipts tax revenues as consumers spend federal stimulus checks and tap into other recovery aid.
Recent budget forecasts for the coming fiscal year predict a $1.4 billion surplus in state government income over current spending obligations.
New Mexico hits highest COVID hospitalizations this year - KUNM News
New Mexico health officials Wednesday reported that 643 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state. Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said at a briefing that that’s the highest hospitalizations have been so far this year.
The state reported 1,887 new cases and a rising positivity rate – now over 13.5%.
Twelve more people in New Mexico have died from the virus. Dr. Scrase said unvaccinated New Mexicans are dying from the virus 15 years younger on average than those who are fully vaccinated.
At today’s briefing, health officials noted that those who received their vaccination series after June 1, 2021, are 4 times less likely to have a breakthrough case than those vaccinated earlier in the year.
Redistricting session to start Monday – By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The special legislative session re-drawing New Mexico’s political maps will begin Monday, Dec. 6, said Sen. Mimi Stewart, the Senate’s president pro tempore.
Stewart told Source New Mexico that there’s been no formal announcement yet about the session as a “courtesy” to legislators who are fundraising. A state law effective in January 2020 prohibits lawmakers from fundraising the moment the governor issues a proclamation announcing the session.
Stewart expects Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to announce the session Thursday.
“The governor has not made the formal decision yet, because as soon as she does that, then no one can raise any money,” Stewart said. “So she gives everyone a break with fundraising and does the call at the last minute.”
Austin Weahkee, a member of a tribal coalition with keen interest in the redistricting process, said he and his group have have been left in the dark in recent weeks about next steps. He worked with the state’s 19 Pueblos to agree on proposed maps that would reflect Native Americans’ voting power in the state and their population growth here over the last decade.
“We worked so hard to get to a consensus, and now we don’t know where we’re at,” Weahkee said. “We’re been sort of in limbo for the past, like, basically month and a half or so with what the plans are.”
Stewart said she has always been open about the fact that the session will begin Monday, Dec. 6, adding that it’s been widely reported in recent weeks. A review of recent news reports shows two mentions of the “expected” Dec. 6 session.
A working group representing local Pueblos drew up maps for the consideration of the nonpartisan Citizen Redistricting Committee, a newly formed seven-member group that heard hours of public and expert testimony on where political boundaries are under-serving residents.
Some of the resulting recommendations that the Legislature will consider largely meet the tribal coalition’s priorities, Weahkee said, but others don’t. Lawmakers have the final say on which maps to adopt, and they could even introduce maps produced outside of the committee’s process.
Stewart said the session will begin next week with a close look at the committee’s maps, and she’s unaware of any outside maps to be introduced on the Senate side. She said she supports what she’s seen so far in terms of tribal priorities for political districts in Northwestern New Mexico, but she needs more information.
“Probably each the House and the Senate will both introduce a map that is based on the CRC map, but that may have just a few changes,” she said.
She said she’s already identified changes the Senate will need to make to committee maps in cases where two legislators are drawn into the same district, forcing those senators to either quit or run against each other.
For example, the proposed committee map for Albuquerque has Sen. Bill O’Neill’s house in Sen. Katy Duhigg’s district. Stewart said they’ll have to find a way to fix that.
“There’s plenty of solutions,” Stewart said. “You can just go in and do a little bit of redrawing of some of the lines.”
But she said the Legislature will do its best to honor the committee and the tribal maps.
“There are just some great things that they’ve done, and so we will try to follow those maps and minimize the changes,” she said.
Investigators track ammunition in fatal film set shooting - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Authorities pursued new leads Tuesday on possible sources of live ammunition involved in actor Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of a western movie, as they searched the premises of an Albuquerque-based firearms and ammunition supplier.
The search took place after a provider of firearms and ammunition to the ill fated movie production for "Rust" told investigators that he "may know" where live rounds came from, describing ammunition he received from a friend in the past that had been "reloaded" by assembly from parts.
A revolver fired by Baldwin during a "Rust" rehearsal on Oct. 21 killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and left a projectile lodged in the shoulder of director Joel Souza, for doctors later to remove. Baldwin was told the revolver was "cold" and had no live rounds, investigators say.
Seth Kenney and his business PDQ Arm & Prop provided movie-prop ammunition and weapons to the "Rust" production. Kenney told a detective on Oct. 29 that "a couple years back, he received 'reloaded ammunition' from a friend," and that the ammunition stood out in his memory because of a star-shaped company logo, according to an affidavit from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office that is leading the investigation.
Kenney could not be reached independently for comment. A sheriff's office spokesman declined to elaborate on details in the search warrant.
Investigators initially found 500 rounds of ammunition at the movie set on the outskirts of Santa Fe — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and what appeared to be live rounds. Industry experts have said live rounds should never be on set.
Investigators have described "some complacency" in how weapons were handled on the "Rust" set. They have said it is too soon to determine whether charges will be filed, amid independent civil lawsuits concerning liability in the fatal shooting.
Tuesday's search-warrant affidavit contains some new details about the handling and loading of the gun that killed Hutchins before it was handed to Baldwin by an assistant director.
Investigators say that the armorer on the film, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, loaded the gun with five dummy rounds on Oct. 21, but struggled to add a sixth round before a lunch break, when the revolver was locked in a truck. The final round was added after lunch when the gun was cleaned.
Gutierrez Reed "stated the guns were checked on set, however she 'didn't really check it too much' (the firearm), due to it being locked up at lunch," according to the new affidavit.
Another movie crew member — the prop master for "Rust" — told investigators that ammunition was purchased from at least three sources for the production.
Jason Bowles, an attorney for Gutierrez Reed, called the search for evidence in Albuquerque a huge step forward toward determining the source of ammunition on the "Rust" set.
Investigators also described conversations with Gutierrez Reed's father — sharpshooter and movie consultant Thell Reed, who isn't listed as a participant on "Rust."
Thell Reed said that prior to the "Rust" production he supplied Kenney with a can of live ammunition, during a firing-range training session for film actors. Reed said Kenney took a can of that ammunition back to New Mexico.
After the shooting, the prop master on the set shook a box of dummy rounds on the set for their characteristic rattle and said they did not rattle, possibly indicating live rounds.
Baldwin to ABC about shooting: 'I didn't pull the trigger' - Associated Press
Alec Baldwin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview airing Thursday that he did not pull the trigger on a prop gun he was holding on a New Mexico film set when it went off, killing a cinematographer.
"I didn't pull the trigger," Baldwin said. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never."
It is Baldwin's first sitdown interview since the Oct. 21 shooting on the set of the western film "Rust." Authorities have said Baldwin was told the gun was safe to handle but continue to investigate how a live round ended up in the weapon.
ABC released a clip Wednesday that shows Baldwin breaking down in tears while describing Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed on the set. Director Joel Souza was also wounded.
He said in response to a question about how a live round ended up on the set: "I have no idea. Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property."
The interview will air as part of an hourlong special on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday and stream on Hulu later that evening.
Investigators have described "some complacency" in how weapons were handled on the "Rust" set. They have said it is too soon to determine whether charges will be filed, amid independent civil lawsuits concerning liability in the fatal shooting.
ABC said a two-hour special "20/20" next week will examine the investigation into the shooting in more depth.
Federal commission adds three Native American languages to voter registration resources – By Shaun Griswold, Source New Mexico
Access to voting information got a little bit easier for some Native Americans.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has released new national voter registration forms that are available in Diné, Apache and Yup’ik languages. This is the first time the federal commission released voting materials with any type of Native American translations.
The commission is a bipartisan federal group responsible for developing guidance and meeting the requirements of the Help America Vote Act, which also include bilingual registration, voting notices, forms and other election materials.
Resources in 21 languages are now available with the addition of the three just added.
“With access to election materials translated by Native speakers from within their own communities, Native American voters will have a better understanding of the election process and greater accessibility,” according to a press statement from the commission.
According to a report the commission published, more than 25% of Native Americans 5 -years and older speak a language other than English.
New Mexico created theNative American Voting Task Force in 2017 to boost participation. The group is made up of 10 members representing Navajo, Apache and Pueblo citizens. They meet to address voting needs from their community and report their recommendations to the Secretary of State.
The task force identifies eight Native American languages spoken by sovereign communities in New Mexico and has partnered with local groups to provide greater access to elections, including using traditional languages in voting resources.
Language restrictions were just one of the barriers federal commissioners identified as leading to low participation for Native American voters in the United States.
In the same report, they also pointed to a lack of broadband connectivity, complications around non-traditional mailing addresses, poor access to existing polling sites, and that polling locations must be available to provide Native American communities adequate voting opportunities under the law.
3 finalists selected for next president of Framingham State - Associated Press
Three candidates to become the next president of Framingham State University will tour the campus in coming days.
The school announced the three finalists Wednesday, the MetroWest Daily News reported.
Current President F. Javier Cevallos said in March he would retire in August, and a search for his replacement has been going on since July, the newspaper reported.
The first candidate to visit campus will be Roxanne M. Gonzales-Walker, who is provost and vice president of academic affairs at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas.
The two other candidates are Allia L. Carter, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, and Nancy S. Niemi, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland.
A search committee considered 80 applications and selected 12 candidates to interview, the newspaper reported. Details about the visits of the three finalists can be found on the university's website.
Navajo police chief leaves for same job in hometown in NM - By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press
The police chief of the Navajo Nation is stepping down to oversee a much-smaller police department in the town where he grew up.
Phillip Francisco took over the Navajo Nation Police Department in 2016 after the position had been vacant for several years, with various officers temporarily at the helm. The 45-year-old said Tuesday he's leaving at the end of December to become police chief in Bloomfield, New Mexico.
The Navajo department has a staff of about 200, less than half of what it needs to adequately police the 27,000-square-mile reservation that's larger than 10 U.S. states.
Navajo President Jonathan Nez credited Francisco with re-establishing the tribe's police academy in Chinle, leading an effort to boost salaries for officers and maintaining the police force that's been affected by COVID-19 deaths and retirements.
Francisco said much of the work has been in crisis management with not enough staff, violent crime that is fueled by substance abuse, the coronavirus pandemic and having to answer to tribal lawmakers.
The Navajo police department gets an average 232,000 calls per year, and responding to them can take hours because of the remoteness of the reservation where most roads are unpaved, according to a recent assessment of the department. Officers make more than 26,000 arrests per year, the assessment said.
"I think I have done a lot of things, but I haven't been able to do some of the innovative programs that reduce crime," Francisco said.
Eugenia Charles-Newton, the chairwoman of the Navajo Nation's Law and Order Committee, said she didn't believe Francisco effectively communicated with the committee or had a solid plan on how to improve public safety on the reservation.
"I'm glad that he's going to a place where he's going to be happy, but the true measure for me is asking this question: 'Has the criminal rate decreased since he's been chief?'" she said.
The assessment recommended a Navajo police force of at least 500, management training and coming up with ways to recruit and retain personnel. Part of the solution also is treatment centers, mental health facilities, economic development and instilling values that deter people from crime — efforts that stretch beyond but can include the police department, Francisco said.
"To really affect change and safety in these communities, we need to start addressing the cause," he said.
Daryl Noon, who had been a deputy chief under Francisco, will take over as the Navajo Nation police chief.
"We have a lot of things rolling in the right direction, and now it's building on that," Francisco said. "I'm confident the department is in a better place."
A major factor in Francisco's decision to leave is that he has 17 years vested in the New Mexico state retirement system, and needs another five or so to retire with full benefits, he said. He starts his new role in January.
"This opportunity is pretty big," Francisco said. "It's my hometown where I grew up and my parents live."
The Bloomfield Police Department has a staff of about 20, covering the city of about 8,000 in northwestern New Mexico. Francisco will succeed David Karst who retired as the police chief there in August.
"Everyone you speak to just has high accolades for him (Francisco), and I just find him to be very professional, a great personality," said City Manager George Duncan said. "I think he's a nice fit here in our community."
Ancient juniper trees illegally cut in New Mexico monument - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Several dozen ancient alligator juniper trees have been illegally cut down at El Malpais National Monument in western New Mexico and authorities with the National Park Service are trying to find out who's responsible.
Known for their unique furrowed bark, alligator junipers grow very slowly. A seed can take up to 18 months to mature after pollination and the growth rate for young trees is about 0.6 inches (1.5 centimeters) per decade, slowing as they get older.
Officials said the trees that were cut down were likely hundreds of years old.
Lisa Dittman, a spokeswoman for the national monument, said Tuesday that officials don't know why the trees are being targeted or what they're being used for. Rural New Mexico residents frequently cut wood in the fall to help with winter heating needs, but cutting trees at El Malpais is illegal.
The cutting of alligator junipers affects biodiversity within the monument and officials said the area will take many decades to recover.
The initial illegal tree cutting discovery was reported in 2020. But park law enforcement monitoring the area and over the past year have reported additional trees cut down, with the latest incident happening in October.
Park employees are encouraging the public to submit any information that would help with the investigation to the National Park Service's tip line.
The National Park Service recently cut brush and trimmed trees in the same area of the monument to prepare for a series of prescribed fires to restore fire into the ecosystem, targeting the buildup of vegetation that can lead to large catastrophic fires.
The park focuses on the protection of alligator junipers before thinning is done.
The largest of the southwestern junipers, the alligator juniper is found in western Texas, in parts of northwestern New Mexico and in north-central Arizona near Flagstaff. The species also extends into northern and central Mexico.
Research has shown that alligator junipers can live up to 500 years. The trees stop growing when moisture conditions are unfavorable but begin growing again with adequate moisture, a characteristic that enhances the species' ability to survive in harsh, arid environments.
However, scientists have found that mortality can increase after several consecutive years of drought.
Court date reset for UFC star Jon Jones in Vegas case -Associated Press
A court date was reset to January for former UFC champion Jon Jones to learn whether he'll face criminal charges following his September arrest on allegations that he scuffled with his fiancée and damaged a Las Vegas police vehicle at Caesars Palace.
Neither Jones nor attorneys were in court Tuesday when a judge pushed back the date for prosecutors to file a criminal complaint.
Jones' attorney's name was not reflected in the court record. Jones remains free on $8,000 bail.
He was arrested before dawn Sept. 24 on misdemeanor domestic battery and felony damaging a vehicle charges after allegedly grabbing his fiancée by her hair and smashing his own head on the hood of a police patrol vehicle, leaving a dent and chipped paint, according to a police report.
Jones lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended a UFC Hall of Fame induction at the Park MGM hotel the night before his arrest.
Jones (26-1, 1 no-contest) had three stints as UFC light heavyweight champion from 2011 to 2020. He's widely considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.
However, because of arrests, suspensions and disputes with the UFC, he has fought only eight times in recent years. He beat Dominick Reyes in February 2020 but relinquished the light heavyweight title last year.
Police: Tree branch murder weapon in fatal Albuquerque brawl
Albuquerque police have arrested a man suspected of bludgeoning another man to death with a tree branch multiple times while he was laying on the ground.
Police arrested 50-year-old Kewa Pueblo man after the attack on Monday in southeast Albuquerque and that he confessed to the attack, according to Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.
The suspect faces an open count of murder.
The male victim of the attack wasn't immediately identified by police.
According to a police report, the men knew each other, had been drinking and had had physical fights in the past.
Albuquerque has seen a record number of homicides this year, crossing the 100 mark earlier this month.
Navajo Nation reports 41 more COVID-19 cases, but no deaths -Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 41 more COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths for the second consecutive day.
The latest daily virus figures brought the tribe's totals to 39,477 cases since the pandemic began.
The known death toll remains at 1,542.
Based on cases from Nov. 12-25, the Navajo Department of Health on Monday issued an advisory for 65 communities due to uncontrolled spread of COVID-19.
Tribal President Jonathan Nez said some public health experts believe the newly discovered omicron variant is already in the U.S.
Nez has again called for everyone on the vast reservation to get fully vaccinated or get a booster shot and wear masks.
"We cannot afford to have another surge in new cases," Nez said in a statement Tuesday.
Health care providers and facilities across the Navajo Nation are administering COVID-19 vaccines and appointments are readily available.
The reservation covers 27,000 square miles and extends into parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.