Eastern New Mexico University searching for next president – Associated Press
The president of Eastern New Mexico University has announced plans to retire this summer.
Patrice Caldwell started as a faculty member at the university based in Portales in 1980. She served in various department leadership roles before becoming president.
She told the university's Board of Regents on Friday that she will retire on July 1. Caldwell had deferred plans to retire during the pandemic, the university said.
The university credited Caldwell with launching programs for freshmen, and in nursing and social work.
Nearly 5,000 students were enrolled at the main campus last fall, according to the school's website. The university also has campuses in Roswell and Ruidoso.
The Board of Regents said it already has started a nationwide search to replace Caldwell.
New Mexico to fund free college for more students this fall – By Cedar Attanasio, Associated Press / Report for America
New Mexico is expected to expand one of the country's most generous free college programs for nearly all adults.
This week Democratic majorities in the Legislature approved one-time funding of $75 million for a year-long program intended to help residents return to college if they couldn't finish in the past, start even if they've been out of high school for a while, and have more help covering costs of school like fees and living expenses in addition to tuition.
If New Mexico can afford to keep paying for the program after the first year, people would be able to move to the state, establish residency, and get a free degree.
New Mexico's Lottery Scholarships already offer free tuition to two and four-year colleges for residents who are also recent graduates of local high schools, but only if they can pay for their first semester and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA.
The new funding, stacked on top of state and federal subsidies, would cover that first semester for Lottery Scholarship recipients as well as expand the Opportunity Scholarship program, which began as a small pilot project during the pandemic to pay for more than just tuition.
Supporters of expanding the Opportunity Scholarship say it's the most generous program in the country, with the widest eligibility.
It's estimated to be able to fund up to 35,000 students to pursue two and four-year degrees, as well as college certificates in high-demand areas like nursing, computer science and construction. Tuition and fees will be covered, even if they're only studying part-time. And for those who qualify for federal aid, the money can go straight to students to cover living expenses.
THE PERKS
Around 20 states in the U.S. cover the cost of college tuition, but that doesn't make it free. Fees, books, housing and food usually add to what families have to pay to send their kids to college, or the debt they have to take out. New Mexico is the first to help pay for those other costs of college, and is also the first to fund certificate programs.
The program also funds living expenses for students with financial need, albeit indirectly, and only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The Opportunity Scholarship grants kick in before federal awards, allowing them to flow directly to the students and further reduce college debt. With tuition and fees covered, federal awards of between $500 and $6,000 per year can go toward the cost of books, rent and food.
ELIGIBILITY
The law is intended to help residents who didn't go to college right after high school, didn't finish their degrees, or can't access grants due to the typical requirement of attending full time.
While federal aid is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, New Mexico's college subsidy programs are open to all residents, including foreigners on temporary visas and those in the country without legal permission.
Pretty much any adult who has lived in the state for 12 months and wants to earn college credits will be eligible for the new program, as long as they don't already have a bachelor's degree.
Both major scholarship programs require students to maintain a 2.5 grade point average, with some exceptions to make up classes or due to family or medical hardship.
FUNDING
Anyone thinking about moving to New Mexico for the college perks should know that the Legislature only approved funding for the program for one year, starting in July.
Even lawmakers who voted to support the scholarship have expressed concerns about its funding sustainability because $52 million comes from one-time federal pandemic relief.
If oil prices drop before the Legislature meets again in January or if the political winds shift following the midterm elections in November the Opportunity Scholarship could be eliminated or scaled back.
Those who voted against the program pointed out that broad eligibility has made similar programs expensive and often unsustainable.
New Mexico's Lottery Scholarship for local high school graduates offered free tuition between 1996 and 2016, but it's been touch and go since then, with the state adjusting benefits each year based on state budgets that fluctuate with oil and gas prices.
The Lottery Scholarship is fully funded for the next four years, according to state higher education officials. For the Opportunity Scholarship, there's no guarantee, though at least some of the funding is recurring.
Man charged in 3 Texas deaths indicted in roommate's slaying – Associated Press
A man accused of killing three people whose dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Texas in September was indicted Friday in the killing of his roommate, who was found dead in another fire months earlier.
The Tarrant County district attorney's office says a grand jury indicted Jason Alan Thornburg, 41, on charges of murder and arson in the death of Mark Jewell, 61.
Thornburg was indicted in December on a charge of capital murder of multiple people in the deaths of David Lueras, 42, Lauren Phillips, 34, and Maricruz Mathis, 33. Their bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth.
During an interview with police, he confessed to killing those three as well as his roommate and girlfriend, according to his arrest warrant. He told officers he had in-depth knowledge of the Bible and believed he was being called to "commit sacrifices," according to the arrest warrant.
Thornburg's roommate died in a suspicious house fire in Fort Worth in May, the arrest warrant said. At the time, the medical examiner had not been able to determine Jewell's cause of death.
During the police interview in September, Thornburg said he slit Jewell's throat, then uncapped a natural gas line and lit a candle, according to the arrest warrant.
When police asked Thornburg about any other sacrifices, he brought up his girlfriend, according to the arrest warrant.
Tanya Begay, a Navajo woman from Gallup, New Mexico, has been missing since taking a trip to Arizona with Thornburg in 2017.
The FBI on Friday had no update on her case.
Thornburg remained jailed in Fort Worth on $1 million bond. His attorneys did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.
Navajo Nation maintains mask mandate as New Mexico drops it – Associated Press
The Navajo Nation is maintaining a mask mandate to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, even as the last of the states that surround the reservation dropped the requirement.
The 27,000 square-mile (70,000 square-kilometer) reservation extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made a surprise announcement Thursday to lift the state's mask mandate for indoor public spaces. Utah's requirement for most public settings was short-lived. Arizona never had a statewide mask mandate.
The Navajo Nation implemented a mask mandate early on in the pandemic. Residents and visitors are required to wear masks in public, and schoolchildren also must mask up.
Navajo President Jonathan Nez said the tribe must do everything it can to help those who are treating the infected. He encouraged those on the reservation to double mask and get fully vaccinated.
"Please be very cautious, encourage your elders to take precautions and continue to pray," he said in a statement Friday.
The tribe reported 11 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Friday and two more deaths, bringing the total numbers to 52,023 cases and 1,641 deaths.
Prosecutor: Agreement dismisses charge against undersheriff – Associated Press
A northern New Mexico senior sheriff's official has agreed to retire in exchange for dismissal of a felony charge accusing him of ordering deputies to draw their guns against other officers, a special prosecutor said.
The charge accusing Rio Arriba County Undersheriff Martin Ray Trjujillo of solicitation to commit aggravated assault upon a police officer was dismissed Monday at the prosecution's request, according to court records.
Prosecutor Andrea Reeb said the charge can be refiled if Trujillo does not follow and retire at the end of February, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Reeb, district attorney in the Clovis-based 9th Judicial District, is special prosecutor in Trujillo's case.
The May 2020 incident in which Trujillo was charged involved a confrontation involving then-Sheriff James Lujan and officers from two other agencies who were attempting to seize his cellphone for an investigation.
Reeb said she and law enforcement officials thought the agreement to not prosecute Trujillo if he retires was a good resolution because Lujan had involved him. "Everybody thought it was time to let it rest.," she said.
Lujan resigned after being convicted in December of two felony counts and being sentenced to prison.