Capitol riot trial opens for Cowboys for Trump founder - By Michael Kunzelman Associated Press
An elected official from New Mexico went to trial Monday with a judge — not a jury — set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the day a pro-Trump mob disrupted the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory.
That's not the only unusual feature of the case against Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, whose trial in Washington, D.C., is the second among the hundreds of people charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, siege.
Griffin is one of the few riot defendants who isn't accused of entering the Capitol or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. He claims he has been selectively prosecuted for his political views.
Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the 2 1/2 years before the attack.
He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, which means a judge will decide his case without a jury. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden is scheduled to hear one day of testimony.
Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider and former pastor, helped found a political committee called Cowboys for Trump. He had vowed to arrive at the courthouse on horseback. Instead, he showed up on Monday as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back.
Griffin is charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Defense attorney Nicholas Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps.
"That is offensive and wrong," Smith told the judge during his brief opening statements.
Prosecutors didn't give any opening statements. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony.
After attending then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, Griffin and Struck walked over barriers and up a staircase to enter a stage that was under construction on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace for Biden's inauguration, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters.
"I love the smell of napalm in the air," Griffin said in an apparent reference to a line by Robert Duvall's character in the war movie "Apocalypse Now."
After climbing over a stone wall and entering a restricted area outside the Capitol, Griffin said, "This is our house … we should all be armed," according to prosecutors. He called it "a great day for America" and added, "The people are showing that they have had enough," prosecutors said.
Struck testified that he and Griffin went to the Capitol to find a place to pray. Smith asked Struck if anybody appeared to be "riled up" by the prayer that Griffin led.
"They started chanting, 'Pray for Trump,'" Struck replied. "It looks like they've been calm and they're listening to Couy."
In a court filing, prosecutors called Griffin "an inflammatory provocateur and fabulist who engages in racist invective and propounds baseless conspiracy theories, including that Communist China stole the 2020 Presidential Election."
Griffin's attorneys say hundreds if not thousands of other people did exactly what Griffin did on Jan. 6 and haven't been charged with any crimes.
"The evidence will show that the government selected Griffin for prosecution based on the fact that he gave a speech and led a prayer at the Capitol, that is, selected him based on protected expression," they wrote.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. Approximately 100 others have trial dates.
Earlier this month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Wesley Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun in the first trial for a Capitol riot defendant. Jurors also convicted him of obstructing Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement.
Reffitt's conviction on all charges could give prosecutors more leverage in negotiating plea deals in many other cases or discourage other defendants from going to trial. The outcome of Griffin's trial also could have a ripple effect, helping others to decide whether to let a judge or a jury decide their case.
Struck was listed as one of three government witnesses. Prosecutors also intend to call a Capitol police inspector and a U.S. Secret Service inspector.
A key question in Griffin's case is whether he entered a restricted area while Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. Griffin's attorneys say Pence had already departed the Capitol before the earliest that Griffin could have entered a restricted area.
"The Government responds that the Vice President's precise location ultimately doesn't matter," the judge wrote in an order issued on Friday. "Perhaps, although the lack of clarity about the metes and bounds of the restricted area and the Vice President's movements on January 6th undermine this argument."
Police: Fatal car crash followed hit-and-run, beating - Associated Press
Authorities in New Mexico were investigating Monday whether those in a car that crashed while speeding, killing two of the nine people packed inside, were involved in a hit-and-run and the beating of a homeless man reported before the accident.
Albuquerque police said it appeared alcohol, speed and the amount of people in the vehicle were all factors that led to the driver losing control and the car skidding and smashing into a concrete pillar under Interstate 40 early Sunday.
City fire and rescue crews were dispatched around 3 a.m. and said a male and a female were pronounced dead at the scene.
Of the seven injured who were rushed to hospitals, authorities said five were in critical condition and two others had minor injuries. The names of the dead and injured weren't immediately released.
Albuquerque police spokesperson Rebecca Atkins said the people in the car, who ranged in age from 16 to 20, may have been involved in at least three other incidents that sparked 911 calls over a period of less than an hour.
Around 2 a.m., officers responded to calls about a large party on Albuquerque's southeast side. Neighbors reported several individuals who were drinking, arguing and fighting, and carrying guns. As officers approached the party, they saw a black sedan leave the area.
A few minutes later, the same car was reported to police as involved in a hit-and-run crash.
Authorities then received a call about 25 minutes later saying a group of teens beat a homeless man with a pole outside a restaurant near I-40. A witness told officers two teens assaulted the man before the group fled.
It was unclear if the homeless man was seriously hurt.
Calls about the rollover came in 12 minutes later. Rescue crews had to extricate those who were trapped in the car. Atkins said the driver was among those listed in critical condition and the results of a toxicology test were pending.
Energy grants for US tribes aimed at aiding vast power needs - By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press
More than a dozen tribal communities around the U.S. will share $9 million in federal grant funding for renewable energy projects, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday.
Nearly $1.2 million will support a solar and battery storage project in the Navajo Nation community of Kayenta in northeastern Arizona. Tribal officials said the project will provide electricity to 24 homes on the vast reservation where an estimated one-third of all residents are not connected to the power grid.
The 14 projects among tribes based in Arizona, Idaho, California, Alaska, Washington, New Mexico and Minnesota are expected to produce 3.3 megawatts of renewable energy and 3.6 megawatt-hours of battery storage. The amount of energy isn't huge, but will chip away at the need across Indian Country.
"Clean energy is an enormous opportunity for tribal communities because it creates great jobs, local jobs, makes people healthier and safer," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters. "It helps, obviously, keep the lights on and the heat on for so many Native families that don't have reliable access to power."
Kayenta has become a hub of renewable energy projects on the Navajo Nation. The tribal utility recently partnered with an Arizona utility, the Salt River Project, on two solar facilities that together produce 55 megawatts of electricity and serve 28,000 reservation homes and businesses.
The Navajo Nation project announced Monday emerged from a proposal developed by the community of Kayenta. The goal is to create a solar-based microgrid to provide power and internet services to multigenerational homes, said Nathaniel Brown, who represents Kayenta on the Navajo Nation Council.
"We are going to bring service to these individuals who have been waiting a long time," he said.
The Navajo Nation will contribute about $1.6 million for the project, bringing its total cost to $2.8 million, Brown said.
Other grant recipients include:
— The Karuk Tribe in California, which will use nearly $1.4 million to install solar power at its casino and wellness center.
— The Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska, which will use nearly $1 million to revamp hydropower turbines for increased energy production.
— Kawerak, Inc., a regional Alaska Native corporation, which will use $1.5 million to use geothermal energy to power and heat tribal buildings, a water well, a pump house and two bathing pools.
—The Coeur d'Alene Tribe in Idaho, which will install solar panels on a new youth recreation center with its $68,000 grant.
Tribes also will chip in on those projects because the federal funding won't cover the entire cost of them.
The Energy Department has scheduled a virtual consultation session with tribes and Alaska Native corporations next week to talk about other opportunities for funding through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved last year.
Man accused of stabbing on Albuquerque train also had gun - Associated Press
Authorities say a man accused of stabbing two people and injuring a third on a commuter rail train in Albuquerque also had a gun at the time.
New Mexico State Police found the handgun in 33-year-old Luis Sanchez's backpack when he was arrested Saturday, according to a criminal complaint.
Sanchez was due in court Monday for his first appearance on charges of aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or destructive device by a felon and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. A message was left for his public defender.
Rail Runner officials said Sanchez got into an argument with another male passenger as the train traveled between stations. He allegedly stabbed that passenger in the back and lower abdomen.
As security attempted to step in, police said Sanchez stabbed a female security guard in the neck. He then slashed an elderly woman on her shoulder, according to the complaint.
Authorities said Sanchez then fled down the tracks before he was arrested. He dropped the backpack with the gun while running.
The three victims were taken to the hospital. Two of them underwent surgery. Their conditions were not immediately known Monday. Sanchez was also treated at a hospital for lacerations on his hands.
The complaint states Sanchez tried twice to grab an officer's weapon during a police interview.
Court records show Sanchez's criminal history also includes other instances of resisting arrest as well as drug possession, driving while intoxicated and residential burglary.
New Mexico governor seeks economic relief in special session - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday called for a special legislative session the first week of April, saying she wants lawmakers to consider providing economic relief to New Mexicans as inflation persists and gas prices remain high.
The announcement will help to avoid an election year conflict after fellow Democrats denounced her recent veto of a $50 million wish-list from legislators for community projects. The bill contained funding for law enforcement, senior centers, courts and other critical needs.
Democrats and Republicans had threatened to unite and call an extraordinary session to override her veto, but the first-term governor opted to negotiate with Democratic leaders to avoid the rarely used procedural maneuver.
Lujan Grisham's office said in a news release the governor and legislative leaders agreed to parameters for a new spending bill, "including ensuring that projects are appropriately budgeted as recurring or non-recurring funding."
"As prices remain high nationwide, it is clear that we must act swiftly to deliver more relief to New Mexicans," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. With high prices forcing families to make difficult choices, she said, "it is our responsibility to do what we can to ease that burden."
Republicans said Friday they were kept out of the negotiations and were suspicious that the governor's move was aimed at winning favor as she seeks reelection.
Lujan Grisham earlier this month signed a tax relief package worth $530 million in its first year. It includes $250 rebates.
House Minority Leader Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, said the rebate amounted to a pittance when considering the significant increase in costs for the average household. He added that rural New Mexico is feeling the pinch even more since residents have to drive farther for groceries and doctor visits.
"We have to be concerned about people's standard of living," Townsend said. "Today in New Mexico, about 24% of seniors live in poverty and a little more than a third of those are raising grandchildren because of family issues."
Making ends meet in New Mexico "is a problem," he said.
The Legislature in February wrapped up a 30-day session that was meant to focus on fiscal matters. Lawmakers approved a $1 billion annual expansion for state government to shore up spending on public education, health care and infrastructure while boosting salaries for state police, public school educators and other government workers.
Among the tax reforms, the state narrowed its tax on Social Security to high-income retirees while offering a per-child tax credit of up to $175. It also slightly reduced taxes on retail sales and business transactions.
Across the nation, state lawmakers in blue and red states are proposing to cut taxes and fees as budget surpluses swell, though warnings have emerged that U.S. inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine will change the outlook for public finances.
New Mexico, the nation's No. 2 producer of crude oil behind Texas, is experiencing a windfall in state government income tied to oil and natural gas production through a variety of taxes, royalties and lease sales as energy prices surge.
Albuquerque real estate market at record levels high and low - By Matthew Narvaiz, Albuquerque Journal
The average sale price for a single-family detached home hit an all-time high in Albuquerque, while the inventory of homes hit a historic low.
According to a February 2022 report from the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors, the average home price stood at $367,566. The median sale price was $315,000 – tying the record set in December. Both averages showed an 18% increase year over year.
"It's the highest that I've seen it," GAAR president Bridget Gilbert said.
Moreover, Albuquerque's inventory of single-family homes for sale reached a record-low of 540 in February, according to the report. That's a decrease of nearly 40% year over year. And it breaks the previous record set in December 2021.
The record numbers go back as far as 2008, Gilbert said. Data going back further wasn't immediately available.
New home builds have also slowed with supply chain issues hampering timelines, said Steve Duran, a local real estate agent with eXp Realty.
"There's more buyers and they can't build them fast enough," Duran said.
Duran said an influx of remote workers, retirees and investors have identified Albuquerque as a "hidden gem" with home prices still lower than the national average. The market is so hot that buyers are paying as much as 25% over list price, Duran said.
Single-family homes have on average spent 16 days on the market before buyers make a purchase, according to the GAAR report. That's a decrease of 10 days year over year. And the absorption rate – calculated using the amount of homes for sale at the end of a given month divided by the average monthly pending sales from the last year – currently sits at 0.5, showing that the metro area remains a seller's market.
"This figure truly underscores the housing shortage we are experiencing," Gilbert said.
The market has remained hot even in winter months when it is typically a slower time for both buyers and sellers. Both Duran and Gilbert said they expect the market to remain hot through the end of the year.
"The way it looks right now, it's just going to keep getting hotter and hotter," Duran said.
Mississippi State hires New Mexico State's Jans as coach - Associated Press
Mississippi State named Chris Jans its men's basketball coach on Sunday, a day after he led New Mexico State in the NCAA Tournament's second round.
The school announced the hire on its athletic department's website but did not provide details. Jans, who went 122-32 the past five seasons in Las Cruces, guided the 12th-seeded Aggies past No. 5 seed UConn 70-63 in the first round before they fell 53-48 to fourth-seeded Arkansas in Saturday night's West Region game in Buffalo, New York.
He is 143-44 as a Division I head coach, including going 21-15 at Bowling Green during the 2014-15 season. Jans' .765 winning percentage is fourth nationally among active head coaches behind Gonzaga's Mark Few (.837), Kansas' Bill Self (.768) and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (.766), who will retire after this season.
Jans also served two stints on Wichita State's staff, helping guide the Shockers to seven consecutive NCAA Tournament berths during his first stay. His background also includes several stops on the junior college level.
Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen said Jans was considered one of college basketball's top coaches and that his overall resume "speaks for itself."
Cohen added: "What stood out about Coach Jans was his culture of accountability, hard-working mentality, emphasis on player development and vision for the future. ... Coach Jans is a proven leader and winner."
Jans replaces Ben Howland, who left Wednesday after seven seasons with the Bulldogs.