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MON: US investigates New Mexico helicopter crash that killed 4, + More

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department aircraft Metro 2 was involved in a crash near Las Vegas, NM. Preliminary information indicates that 3 BCSO personnel and 1 Bernalillo County Fire Department employee were onboard at the time of the crash. There are no known survivors. These personnel were headed back to Albuquerque after assisting fire crews with the East Mesa Fire.
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Facebook
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department aircraft Metro 2 was involved in a crash near Las Vegas, NM. Preliminary information indicates that 3 BCSO personnel and 1 Bernalillo County Fire Department employee were onboard at the time of the crash. There are no known survivors. These personnel were headed back to Albuquerque after assisting fire crews with the East Mesa Fire.

US investigates New Mexico helicopter crash that killed 4 - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press

Evidence indicates that a helicopter that crashed in northern New Mexico after helping fight a wildfire over the weekend descended at a fast rate, with the craft ending up mangled and in pieces after first hitting the ground upright, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

The agency has completed its initial documentation of the deadly crash, but it will likely take weeks for investigators to determine the cause. Authorities were in the process of removing the wreckage from a remote area south of the community of Las Vegas to a secure location where it could be examined further.

The helicopter was carrying three people with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and a county firefighter when it went down Saturday evening while returning from its firefighting mission. County officials on Monday called the four men heroes.

"It is with a sad and broken heart that we think of the heroes we lost this weekend," Sheriff Manuel Gonzales and Fire Chief Greg Perez said in a joint statement. "The reality is that we will likely grieve this loss forever. Each of these heroes died doing what they loved, serving others. They paid the ultimate price, and we are forever grateful to these men for the love and passion they had as first-responders."

Gonzales and Perez both spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon, sharing details about the men and saying their focus now is on supporting the men's families and their grieving employees.

"It's with a heavy heart that we stand in front of you. This is has been a tragic 48 hours for Bernalillo County, and we all are at a loss," Perez said. "I'm trying to put words together to sum up what we're feeling, what we're experiencing. It's not possible."

Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the NTSB, said there is flight track information that investigators will review to get a better understanding of the path the helicopter was taking on its way back to its home base in Albuquerque. He also said there may have been witnesses, so authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.

While it's common for afternoon and evening thunderstorms to circle New Mexico during monsoon season, it didn't appear there was any adverse weather at the time of the crash, Knudson said.

"But we will look at everything as part of the investigation," he said.

The weekend proved to be a deadly one for air travel. The NTSB reported numerous fatal accidents over recent days, including one Sunday in Nevada in which four people were killed when two small planes collided at North Las Vegas Airport.

In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags to fly at half-staff through sundown Friday in honor of the first-responders killed in Saturday's crash.

Among them was Undersheriff Larry Koren, 55, a veteran pilot who had been with the the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office for more than two decades. He was part of a New Year's Day mission to rescue employees and a tram operator who got stuck while descending in the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Lt. Fred Beers, 51, also helped with that winter rescue and was among those killed in Saturday's crash. Beers, who had been with the sheriff's office for 13 years, left behind a wife and son.

Also killed were Deputy Michael Levison, 30, who had been with the sheriff's office since 2017 and had served in the New Mexico Air National Guard, and Bernalillo County Fire Department rescue specialist Matthew King, 44, who was a husband and father of two children.

Fellow law enforcement officers and firefighters lined highway overpasses as the men's bodies were brought to Albuquerque on Sunday. Many saluted as others held their hands over their hearts. Some also talked about how the men were always ready to serve beyond their jurisdiction.

"They went out there willingly and that takes a very special person to be that brave," Gonzales said Monday, adding that the air support team never turned down requests for help.

The crew had spent a few hours Saturday afternoon making water drops and moving equipment for firefighters battling a blaze south of Las Vegas. They departed the Las Vegas Airport around 6:30 p.m. just after refueling and it was less than 45 minutes later that they dropped off the radar.

Authorities did not say whether there was any radio traffic from the helicopter immediately before the crash.

Two New Mexico State Police officers were the first on the scene and attempted to render aid. Authorities did not say whether any of the crash victims were conscious when the officers arrived.

It has been a particular severe start to the fire season, with the Bernalillo County crew just one month ago helping drop water on a wildfire that was sparked in a rugged area on the eastern edge of Albuquerque. With resources wearing thin across the region, municipal firefighters and first responders often have been assigned to help with the wildfire effort.

4 dead after sheriff's office helicopter crash in New Mexico - Associated Press

Four people have been killed in a crash of a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office helicopter that was headed back to Albuquerque after assisting firefighters in another New Mexico city, authorities said Sunday.

Sheriff's officials said three people from the sheriff's office and a county firefighter were aboard the helicopter when it went down near Las Vegas, New Mexico, about 123 miles northeast of Albuquerque.

Killed in the crash were Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers, Deputy Michael Levison and county Fire and Rescue Department Specialist Matthew King, according to sheriff's officials.

The ages of the four men weren't immediately available.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman had said the Bell UH-1H helicopter crashed around 10 p.m. Saturday, but sheriff's officials said it was about 7:20 p.m.

The cause of the crash is unknown and will be investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

New Mexico State Police confirmed the crash and the fatalities around 12:15 a.m. Sunday.

They said helicopter and its crew had been assisting with a wildfire in the Las Vegas area Saturday, providing bucket drops and other air logistics needs to fire crews on the ground.

Sheriff's officials said they now are working with the Office of the Medical Investigator to recover the bodies of the four men and take them back to Albuquerque.

Aerial video from KOAT-TV showed the wreckage of the helicopter in at least two pieces among some desert shrubs, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

In the past several days, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office used its Metro 2 helicopter to fight a small fire in the East Mountains near Albuquerque and another fire near Santa Fe, according to Albuquerque TV station KQRE.

"I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of four New Mexicans while in the line of duty," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "As we await additional details on the investigation, my office will offer any available support and assistance to the sheriff's office and the county. State resources will be fully available to assist the investigation."

Navajo president signs pandemic aid priorities, $1B spend - Associated Press

Navajo Nation leaders have finalized an agreement on spending priorities for more than $1 billion in federal pandemic relief to improve water, sanitation, housing and communications infrastructure.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez on Friday signed an agreement from the Navajo Nation Council to deliver funding to improve infrastructure for water, electricity, high-speed internet, housing, COVID-19 mitigation and specialized hardship assistance to projects and residents across the reservation spanning portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The coronavirus pandemic disproportionately hit Indian Country, underscored stark disparities in access to running water, sewage systems and internet communications amid interruptions in classroom teaching.

The spending at the Navajo Nation is linked to the American Rescue Plan Act, signed by President Joe Biden in early 2021. Additional aid is expected under a massive infrastructure bill, approved in November 2021, that set aside $20 billion for Indian Country.

"More water, electricity, broadband, housing, and hardship assistance will be provided to elders, youth, veterans, students, families, and others," Nez said in a statement. "Elders will get water lines, electricity, housing, and other basic necessities – they are not left out."

Under the signed resolution, the Navajo Nation will devote $215 million to water and waste-water projects, $97 million to extend electricity to homes, and $250 million on internet and housing projects. Another $210 million is set aside for local priorities determined by Navajo chapterhouse government units.

Owner: Mississippi abortion clinic is sold, won't reopen - By Emily Wagster Pettus Associated Press

The Mississippi abortion clinic at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade has been sold and will not reopen even if it's allowed to do so by a state court, its owner told The Associated Press on Monday.

Diane Derzis said the furniture and equipment from Jackson Women's Health Organization have been moved to a new abortion clinic she will open soon in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Jackson clinic is best known as the Pink House because of its bright paint job, and it was Mississippi's last abortion clinic.

Derzis said people were calling her to ask about buying the building within minutes after the Supreme Court released its June 24 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and took away women's constitutional protection for abortion nationwide.

She said she does not think the building will be used as a medical facility.

"I didn't ask because I really didn't care," Derzis said Monday. "It's a great building."

The building is in Jackson's Fondren neighborhood, home to an eclectic mix of restaurants, retail shops and entertainment venues.

The Pink House stopped offering medication and surgical abortions July 6, the day before Mississippi enacted a law that bans most abortions. Mississippi was one of several states with a trigger law contingent on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

The Mississippi trigger law, passed in 2007, says abortion is legal only if the pregnant woman's life is in danger or if a pregnancy is caused by a rape reported to law enforcement. It does not have an exception for pregnancies caused by incest.

The Pink House is still engaged in a legal battle in Mississippi. On July 5, a state court judge rejected a request to block the trigger law from taking effect. The clinic appealed her ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Attorneys for the clinic cited a 1998 Mississippi Supreme Court ruling that said the state constitution invokes a right to privacy that "includes an implied right to choose whether or not to have an abortion."

The state attorney general's office argued that the 1998 ruling was rooted in U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1973 and 1992 that established or protected abortion rights but were overturned on June 24. But Rob McDuff, a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney representing the clinic, argued that state justices never said their ruling was made because of the federal Constitution.

The state Supreme Court has set a July 25 deadline for state attorneys to respond to the clinic's appeal.

Nonprofit: More money needed for Navajo Code Talkers Museum - By Noel Lyn Smith Farmington Daily Times

Efforts continue on building a museum in Tsé Bonito that honors the Diné men who used the Navajo language to transmit secret military messages during World War II.

While there have been some studies done on the land that will eventually hold the museum, the project needs money, presenters told New Mexico lawmakers on the Indian Affairs Committee during a July 11 meeting at the Bááháálí Chapter house.

"We're at a crossroads now to where we are pursuing any avenue of funds to build this museum," said Regan Hawthorne, chief executive officer of the Navajo Code Talkers Museum Inc.

With four code talkers still alive, it is urgent to have the museum built and operating, he said.

His father, Roy Hawthorne, was part of the elite group that numbered about 400. The elder Hawthorne died in April 2018.

Approximately 300 acres has been designated for the structure near the Navajo Division of Transportation complex and its cost is estimated at $46.6 million, according to presenters.

Regan Hawthorne said the nonprofit organization is committed to seeking funding for the museum.

In 2019, the Navajo Nation received $1 million in capital outlay money from the state Legislature for the museum, the Daily Times reported. About $191,000 was used to pay for planning and survey services, leaving roughly $800,000 for the project.

Hawthorne asked that the remaining amount be transferred to the nonprofit organization. However, he said that he understands if regulations prevent that type of action.

Paulson Chaco, chief of staff of the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President, said the president's office is making sure the capital outlay money is used accordingly and the office supports having the museum come to fruition.

While updates about the project are welcomed, the state is not allowed to fund nonprofit organizations with capital outlay money or through the general fund, said state Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup.

"We don't do that with state dollars. If it happens, it has to flow through another government and it's usually through a contract process. I don't know if they would qualify for sole source or not," Lundstrom said.

State Rep. Anthony Allison, D-Fruitland, said he supports the museum but is concerned about the tribal government overseeing its operations and maintenance because that tends to be neglected.

"I do not want that to happen to this Navajo Code Talker Museum," Allison said.

State Sen. Shannon Pinto's grandfather was a Navajo code talker. The Tohatchi Democrat asked how much money the Navajo Nation has put into the project and whether the tribal government allocated any money for it from its annual budget.

Chaco said the tribe has not distributed any money for the museum.

Hawthorne informed the committee that the Navajo Code Talkers Association, which had been advocating for the museum, no longer exists and in its place is the Navajo Code Talker Museum Inc. with its board of directors.

"We are responsible for pursuing and attaining and successfully operating the national code talkers museum," he said.

According to the nonprofit organization, the association was registered as a charity organization and the IRS required its membership to consist of a high percentage of code talkers.

"As our men, those who served in the United States Marine Corps as Navajo Code Talkers grew elderly, and less able to actively participate in NCTA functions, the need to create an alternative for their legacy became clear," the organization stated.

The organization will hold a groundbreaking for the museum at its site on Aug. 14, which is Navajo Code Talkers Day.

Republican-led counties urge election reform in New Mexico - Associated Press

County boards led by Republicans are urging New Mexico legislators to require photo identification at polling locations, approve new procedures for purging voter registration rolls and prohibit the use of ballot drop boxes that aren't supervised directly by people.

The Otero County commission in southern New Mexico on Thursday endorsed a resolution on a 3-0 vote that advocates for changes to the state election code.

Sandoval County commissioners approved a nearly identical resolution in June after an outpouring of public anger over election procedures in the state's June 7 primary.

Residents of both counties have questioned the accuracy of election results and given voice to unfounded conspiracy theories about voting systems that have rippled across the country since former President Donald Trump lost re-election in 2020.

Otero County's three county commissioners initially refused to certify the results of the June 7 primary election while expressing general concerns about vote-counting machines. The board relented on a 2-1 vote under pressure from the state Supreme Court and the attorney general.

Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin on Thursday unsuccessfully sought approval of a more aggressive resolution that threatened to refuse certification in the November general election if state lawmakers didn't allow ballots to be counted by hand. Commissioners Gerald Matherly and Vickie Marquardt voted against that approach.

Otero County commission meetings have become a frequent forum for a local review of the 2020 election by David Clements, a lawyer who has gained prominence in conservative circles, as he raises conspiracy theories and false claims about the last presidential election.

The Legislature's next regularly scheduled session starts in January 2023. A variety of election reforms stalled in the Democratic-led legislature earlier this year.

Mexican art of mariachi takes center stage on US stamps - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press

There are few corners of the globe where the echoes of mariachi music have yet to reach, filling street corners with the sounds of the blasting trumpets and strumming guitars that form the backbone of Mexico's traditional genre.

Now, all that festive fever is being packed into a tiny U.S. postage stamp.

The U.S. Postal Service on Friday celebrated the release of a new series of stamps honoring mariachi. The first-day-of-issue ceremony was held in New Mexico's largest city as musicians and fans from around the world convened for a weekend of concerts hosted by the 30th annual Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque.

The five graphic stamps were the creation of artist Rafael López, who lives and works in both Mexico and San Diego. Each features an individual performer dressed in traditional clothing with their instrument. While the outfits are ornate, the backgrounds are simple and bright, inspired by the palette of another Mexican craft — papel picado, the banners of elaborate paper cutouts that are often put up for parties and other events.

While mystery surrounds the origins of mariachi, López said there's no doubt the beats and rhythms that evolved over centuries in tiny Mexican villages are now known around the globe. There's something special about mariachi's celebratory nature and Latinos are proud to be able to share that with other cultures, López said.

And having it recognized now on the stamps is a bonus, said Robert Palacios, executive director of the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference, which is held every November in the border city.

Palacios, 32, plays the guitarrón and credits the music for keeping him out of trouble when he was in middle school.

"It just turned things around for me," he said. "That's what I wanted to do and now 20 years later I'm the director of the mariachi conference and just working to keep it alive. So it's full circle for me, being a student and now being able to share that passion."

The effect of mariachi can be like magic, Lopez said, leaving people in a festive mood and turning strangers into quick friends. But he can't explain whether it's the beat, the outfits, the singing or everything combined.

"It's a universal thing that mariachi has and it's hard to explain," he said, during an interview from his studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

"We all need a little bit of a moment to relax and feel happy once in a while and this music does it," he added. "So I think that's something that makes us Latinos very proud to see something that started in this region of Mexico and all of a sudden it becomes part of the Southwest culture, it becomes part of the United States as well. Before you know it, it's universal, it's international."

López grew up in Mexico City surrounded by mariachi music. He plays the guitar, the violin and the six-string guitarrón that provides the bass line for a mariachi ensemble.

He knows where each band member needs to place their hands to create that special tone. And that's reflected in the images on the postage stamps.

The images also were inspired by movie posters from Mexico's golden era of cinema during the 1940s and '50s and by travel posters put out by the U.S. government in the late 1930s and early '40s.

"I wanted to have that quality of nostalgia," said López, who also created the Latin Music Legend Series Merengue stamp and illustrated a children's book by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "I didn't want it to look modern but rather like something we would remember from when we were kids."

For the next generation, Palacios said he's hopeful this new wave of attention will spur more inspiration.

"This is a big step for our culture, a beautiful step," he said.

Ashes of ex-astronaut who died in Arizona headed for space - Associated Press

Dr. Philip Chapman was the first Australian-born American astronaut and his lifelong dream was to go into space.

He served as a NASA mission scientist for Apollo 14, but never made it into orbit.

However, some of his cremated ashes now are scheduled to go.

Houston-based Celestis Inc. said its Aurora Flight in memorial spaceflight services is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 from New Mexico's Spaceport America.

Among the memorial travelers on board will be a small amount of Chapman's ashes.

"It's so much more wonderful than a traditional funeral," Chapman's widow Maria Tseng told Phoenix TV station ABC15.

Chapman died in April 2021 at age 86 in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale. He and Tseng, his second wife, had been married for 37 years before his death.

"The highlight of his life was being accepted as an astronaut," Tseng said. "He was the consummate scientist, loved science. Knew since he was 12 years old that he wanted to go into space ... When he was a little boy he would lie in the backyard, looking up at the stars."

Chapman was selected in August 1967 to be a member of Astronaut Group 6, who were primarily scientists rather than pilots.

He was slated for Skylab-B's mission to space, but the program was canceled.

Tseng said her husband was "absolutely crushed... Not in a selfish sense but in a sense he had so much to accomplish for science on the mission."

Chapman resigned from NASA in 1972 over what he believed was a lack of opportunities for scientists in the astronaut corps.

He then worked on laser propulsion and the concept of solar power satellites at a Massachusetts research laboratory.

Chapman later became chief scientist for two companies that were independently developing commercial reusable spacecraft to advance the space economy and service the International Space Station.

In 2009, Chapman founded a study group to further the development of solar power satellites.

The Aurora Flight will be Celestis' ninth such launch. Chapman and others on board will reach outer space and briefly experience space's weightlessness before returning safely to Earth.

Each flown capsule with the cremated remains or DNA sample still sealed inside will be presented to family and other loved ones as a permanent keepsake, according to Celestis officials.

They said Chapman's ashes will be flown again on a permanent deep space mission slated to take place later this year.

"It's poignant in many ways that he spent his life in pursuit of going to space and never quite made it, but we're going to give him his first chance to really go," Celestis CEO Charles Chafer said.

"I never said goodbye because he died rather suddenly, so at the big launch really goodbye because he's not coming back," said Tseng.