New Mexico governor seeks FBI reinforcements amid crime - Associated Press
The Democratic governor of New Mexico has asked the federal Department of Justice to assign more FBI agents to the state in response to violent crime.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Wednesday in a statement that she wants to replicate the success of a recent surge in FBI resources and agents in Buffalo, New York.
The Sept. 15 letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland describes a recent spate of homicides in Albuquerque and says "additional federal agents are needed to alleviate the current strain on New Mexico's law enforcement offices." Lujan Grisham sent a similar request in June to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said the governor's office did not receive a response from the Department of Justice as of Wednesday evening.
Concerns about crime are a prominent theme in the race for governor ahead of the Nov. 8 general election as Lujan Grisham seeks a second term in office. Republican nominee and former television meteorologist Ronchetti has painted a dire portrait of public safety conditions, railing against the state's bail system and vowing a different approach to judicial appointments.
Lujan Grisham is touting recent state investments in crime-reduction grants, a bump in pay for state police and new spending on local police recruitment and job retention — but says more is needed.
New Mexico urges syphilis testing for all pregnant mothers - Associated Press
New Mexico health officials are renewing a public order aimed at protecting newborn babies from syphilis.
The state Health Department on Wednesday announced requirements that medical providers follow best practices by testing all pregnant women for syphilis multiple times.
The agency says that New Mexico had the highest rate of congenital syphilis cases among states in 2020, when there were 42 local cases of newborn babies contracting the disease from their mothers. That is the most recent year for finalized federal statistics.
Syphilis is a bacterial disease that surfaces as genital sores but can ultimately lead to severe symptoms and death if left untreated. When a mother passes the infection on to her baby, it can lead to serious birth defects, miscarriage and infant death.
State Health Secretary David Scrase says congenital syphilis is preventable through testing and treatment with penicillin to prevent transmission.
Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts.
Scrase said the Health Department will seek new legislation that aligns local syphilis testing for pregnant women with guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FEMA individual assistance application period to close this week unless extended again - By Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico
People with damaged property or homes following the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire and flooding disasters have until Friday, Oct. 7 to apply for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, unless the deadline is extended again. Other federal help meant to more fully compensate people is also on the way.
Residents who don’t have insurance or are under-insured have until midnight on that day to apply. However, FEMA spokesperson Angela Byrd said another deadline extension is anticipated, though it hasn’t been officially confirmed.
“It may get extended again, which means that it’s important to push people to register,” she said.
Last month, FEMA announced at the last moment that the Sept. 6 application deadline would be extended into October. If it’s pushed again, the application will be open for another month, Byrd said.
As of Monday, Oct. 3, FEMA had approved 1,302 applicants and allocated more than $5.4 million, Byrd said. She declined to say how many denials there have been due to the factors that go into them, such as missing application documentation, FEMA waiting on inspection information or insurance already covering assistance.
Applicants that have been denied have 60 days after the date of the determination letter to appeal the decision, even after the application deadline passes.
“If they’re denied, they’re not quite denied,” Byrd said. “So it could be a number of reasons that they could still get their application approved.”
Applicants can receive up to $39,700, and appeal if they feel they didn’t get as much as they should have under that cap.
MORE FEDERAL AID TO COME
President Joe Biden signed into law on Friday a spending package that included the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act with $2.5 billion in relief funds. This move is meant to fully compensate people and businesses, and there’s no max on how much money an individual or business can receive.
It’s FEMA’s job to distribute this money to anyone with personal injuries and to those who suffered business, income or financial losses from the wildfire and flooding that followed. Congress members have been on the ground this week in northern New Mexico meeting with the agency to discuss ongoing and future work.
FEMA must release the final regulations for the processing and payment of claims no later than Monday, Nov. 14, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) said. The agency is also working to establish the Office of Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Claims in New Mexico.
Work has been ongoing for the last several months to get operations started as quickly as possible, according to a staffer in Leger Fernández’s office. FEMA has already designated a senior executive service employee to oversee the office and is getting staff assigned.
Leger Fernández in an email late Wednesday said FEMA plans to hire local personnel, too.
People should be able to start filing claims once the office is set up, though there is not a set timeline yet. A Government Accountability Office report said it may take many months until money actually is in the hands of the community members, according to Leger Fernández’s office, though the representative said in a statement that she’s hopeful first claims can be processed before the new year.
Leger Fernández told Source New Mexico that she and other officials have asked FEMA to streamline this process and have a navigator or claims assistant at the office for help and technical assistance. FEMA committed to having at least two permanent offices in northern New Mexico and a couple of mobile units that can travel and provide assistance for several years, too, she said.
“When I introduced this legislation, our lands, forests, and the homes of our gente were burning, they needed resources then, and they still do now. I will continue to work with FEMA so that they receive public input on the implementation of my legislation,” Leger Fernández said.
Many people have voiced frustration at FEMA following denials for individual assistance — some of which were incorrect — and delays in getting help. So now, the agency is getting feedback from officials and the public on what they can do better this time around and wants to make the process smoother and more efficient, according to Leger Fernández’s office. The representative said there will be public meetings for people to give input to FEMA.
The fire tore across Northern New Mexico over the summer after the U.S. Forest Service lit the two prescribed burns that merged into one and got out of control, leading to the largest fire in New Mexico’s history and destructive flooding that’s still happening. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a sponsor of the wildfire legislation, said in a statement that Congress made it clear “that the federal government has a moral obligation to do right by New Mexicans” through this money.
“Thanks to the dedication of the New Mexico Delegation, the passage of my Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act means more opportunities for New Mexicans and small businesses,” Luján said, “who have struggled to rebuild in the months following the fire.”
Lawsuit settled, film may resume after Alec Baldwin shooting - By Andrew Dalton Ap Entertainment Writer
The family of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film "Rust" has agreed to settle a lawsuit against the actor and the movie's producers, and producers aim to restart the project in January despite unresolved workplace safety sanctions.
"We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust including Alec Baldwin," said a statement Wednesday from Matthew Hutchins, widower of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with their 9-year-old son Andros. "As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed. The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board, in January 2023."
The agreement is a rare piece of positive news for Baldwin, who has had a turbulent year since the Oct. 21 shooting. The actor, who was also a producer on the film, was pointing a gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. They had been inside a small church during setup for filming a scene.
He announced the settlement agreement in an Instagram post.
"Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son," Baldwin said in the post. "We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation."
Baldwin has said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger. But a recent FBI forensic report found the weapon could not not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator determined the shooting was an accident following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports.
"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin)," Matthew Hutchins said in the statement. "All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."
Rust Movie Productions continues to challenge the basis of a $137,000 fine against the company by New Mexico occupational safety regulators who say production managers on the set failed to follow standard industry protocols for firearms safety. The state Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission has scheduled an eight-day hearing on the disputed sanctions in April 2023.
Matthew Maez, spokesman for the Environment Department that enforces occupational safety regulations, says immediate gun-safety concerns were addressed when "Rust" ceased filming, and that a return to filming in New Mexico would be accompanied by new safety inspections.
"They're going through the process as they have a right to," Maez said. "They have not paid the fine or accepted the conclusions."
In April, New Mexico's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau imposed the maximum fine against Rust Movie Productions and distributed a scathing narrative of safety failures, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires of blank ammunition on set prior to the fatal shooting.
Rust Movie Productions told safety regulators that misfires prior to the fatal shooting of Hutchins did not violate safety protocols and that "appropriate corrective actions were taken," including briefings of cast and crew.
Other legal troubles persist in relation to the film and the deadly shooting.
At least four other lawsuits brought by crew members remain, and the state of New Mexico has granted funds to pay for possible criminal prosecutions.
Baldwin is also a defendant in an unrelated defamation lawsuit brought by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan.
The Hutchins family lawsuit, filed in February, was harshly critical of Baldwin, the films producers, and the other defendants: unit production manager Katherine Walters, assistant director David Halls, armorer Hannah Guttierez Reed, and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney.
Their "reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures led to the death of Halyna Hutchins," plaintiffs' attorney Brian Panish said at a news conference.
According to the lawsuit, if proper protocols had been followed, "Halyna Hutchins would be alive and well, hugging her husband and 9-year-old son."
The lawsuit said industry standards call for using a rubber or similar prop gun during the setup, and there was no call for a real gun. It also said Baldwin and Halls, who handed him the gun, should have checked the revolver for live bullets.
Several people injured after New Mexico school bus rollover - Associated Press
Authorities say several people have been injured after a rollover involving a school bus in southern New Mexico.
Roswell Independent School District officials say students from Mountain View Middle School were headed on a trip to Las Cruces on yesterday morning when the bus left the road and went into a ditch.
They say several people were taken to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries but it's unclear if they were children or adults.
New Mexico State Police say it's not immediately known how many students were on the bus, how many were injured or how the rollover occurred near Mescalero.
Rural New Mexico county seeks removal of elections clerk - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
A county commission in rural New Mexico that has been roiled by election conspiracies is trying to oust its election director just five weeks before Election Day for improperly certifying ballot-counting equipment.
Torrance County is repeating the certification of its vote-counting machines for the Nov. 8 general election based on revelations that County Clerk Yvonne Otero pre-signed certification forms before testing and did not attend the inspection of election equipment.
Torrance is one of a handful of rural counties in New Mexico that considered delaying certification of the results of its primary election as angry crowds gave voice to unproven conspiracy theories about voting systems. The chaotic coda to the June primary drew national attention to a state that is expected to have several tight races this year for high-profile offices, including governor.
County Manager Janice Barela said the three-member commission voted unanimously Monday to submit a complaint with state and local prosecutors that seeks to remove Otero, a Republican, from her elected office. The commission said she botched the certification of the county's 22 ballot-counting machines and cites separate allegations that Otero harassed employees of the clerk's office on multiple occasions.
The New Mexico secretary of state's offices said certificates for ballot tabulation machines should be signed by the clerk or deputy clerk who attends the inspection and the testing of the machines.
Otero, whose elected term runs through 2024, did not immediately return phone calls and text messages.
Torrance County Commission Chairman Ryan Schwebach urged Otero to resign at a special meeting of the commission in Estancia on Monday. Otero attended the meeting and declined to respond, citing the advice of legal counsel.
The politically conservative county continues to grapple with simmering mistrust about voting systems as a national network of conspiracy theorists pushes false allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Torrance County's all-Republican board of commissioners has responded to that anger and skepticism by assigning county staff to monitor preparations for the November general election and conduct a hand recount of primary election results.
Barela is at the forefront of that oversight effort. She attended the certification of voting machines last week and said pre-signed certificates struck her as "dishonest" because the county clerk was not in attendance.
"That goes to the core of what her duties are," Barela said Tuesday. "That's the very first thing, is certifying the machines. ... That means something. We need to have trust."
Torrance County Deputy Clerk Sylvia Chavez said technicians began a second round of ballot-machine testing last Friday, after consulting with state election regulators. She oversaw the testing again and signed the recertification of eight machines — enough equipment to tally ballots from early voting that begins Oct. 11. That still leaves time to review other machines before Election Day voting on Nov. 8, she said.
Chavez said the physical inspection and testing of election equipment by technicians, using mock ballots, never strayed from procedures set out by the secretary of state.
New Mexico uses paper ballots that are machine tallied and stored for possible recounts. County clerks oversee a canvass to double-check ballot tallies, and a certified public accountant conducts an audit after each statewide election with hand tallies of randomly selected precincts to verify accuracy.
County officials also are forwarding to prosecutors a complaint that Otero's mother was hired by the clerk's office as a paid precinct judge and member of a county voter registration board, a possible conflict with state regulations against nepotism. The family connection was first noted by Libertarian Party officials.
State Elections Director Mandy Vigil reviewed the nepotism complaint and found the restrictions against family serving on election boards do not apply because Otero has not been up for reelection. Otero has said her mother is highly qualified and was hired by agency staff and not by herself directly.
Texas fire chief, volunteer firefighter killed in crash - Associated Press
The chief of a Texas Panhandle volunteer fire department and one of his firefighters were killed when a tractor-trailer rig slammed head-on into their department sport utility vehicle, officials said Tuesday.
The crash happened at about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 54 northeast of Dalhart, about 70 miles northwest of Amarillo, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
The Dalhart Volunteer Fire Department SUV was returning to the station from a call when the tractor-trailer traveling the opposite direction attempted a pass on the two-lane road and slammed into the SUV, killing Fire Chief Curtis Brown, 51, and Firefighter Brendan Torres, 19, DPS Sgt. Cindy Barkley said.
The truck driver was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, Barkley said.
The investigation was ongoing, she said.
Dalhart is about 30 miles south of the Oklahoma border, 30 miles east of the New Mexico line and 65 miles south of the Kansas-Oklahoma border.