3 dead after shooting, stabbing inside Albuquerque home - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Three people in Albuquerque are dead after authorities found one victim lying in the middle of the street and followed a trail of blood to a shooting scene inside a home Thursday, police said.
An off-duty New Mexico state police officer initially spotted the first victim in the roadway. The person appeared to have been stabbed, police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said.
Police were called to the scene Thursday morning when neighbors reported hearing gunshots and the possibility of multiple people wounded.
Officers found the other two victims inside a home with gunshot wounds, Gallegos said.
A man was found locked inside a back room or bathroom. After talking to him, detectives did not think he was a suspect. Gallegos did not say whether the man was wounded.
A gun was recovered from the scene.
"There's a lot of moving pieces with this. They're investigating a lot of different possibilities," Gallegos said. "We do not think there is an offender outstanding, but this is early in the investigation, and a firearm was found on scene, so that's why investigators believe no one is outstanding in terms of a shooter."
Detectives are trying to determine the relationship between the people, and they had filed search warrants for the home and vehicles in the garage in hopes of trying to determine what happened.
A first responder was also seen carrying a toddler on her hip as she walked away from the scene. Gallegos said they were trying to find relatives and did not know if the girl was in the house at the time.
He says investigators think "this was isolated to that household."
The names, ages and genders of the victims weren't released.
Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty in shooting, can still work - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie and waived his first formal court appearance, in court documents filed Thursday.
Baldwin and a weapons supervisor were charged last month with felony involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021.
Baldwin agreed to forgo a hearing to have his rights explained to him. A judge on Thursday set conditions of release that allow Baldwin to have limited contact with potential witnesses in connection with plans to complete the filming of "Rust."
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are preparing for a likely preliminary hearing within a few months to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
Other provisions of Baldwin's pretrial release include a prohibition on consuming alcohol and against any possession of weapons, including firearms.
"Defendant is permitted to have contact with potential witnesses only ... in connection with completing the 'Rust' movie and other related and unrelated business matters; provided, however, that defendant is not permitted to discuss the accident at issue," state District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in a signed order.
The involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, a lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law.
Authorities said Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas said when the charges were announced that they were "a terrible miscarriage of justice." He said Baldwin relied on the professionals with whom he worked and "had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun."
Work on "Rust" was halted with Hutchins' death. Rust Movie Productions says filming is expected to resume this spring, without the use of real weapons or ammunition.
Hutchins' widower, Matthew Hutchins, will be the film's new executive producer, fulfilling the terms of a legal settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other "Rust" producers.
A related documentary is planned that would detail the completion of the film and the life of Hutchins.
Gutierrez-Reed is scheduled to appear remotely at a court hearing Friday, Her attorney says Gutierrez-Reed will enter a plea of not guilty.
Prosecutors say assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has signed an agreement to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon, explaining that he may have handled the gun improperly before it was given to Baldwin.
A judge is scheduled to consider approval of the plea agreement in March. Halls waived his first appearance in court.
US gets OK for cattle-shooting operation in New Mexico — Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
A U.S. district judge on Wednesday cleared the way for federal officials to move ahead with plans to take to the air and shoot dozens of wild cattle in a rugged area of southwestern New Mexico.
Ranchers had sought a delay, arguing that the potential mass slaughter of as many as 150 "unauthorized" cows on public land was a violation of federal regulations and amounted to animal cruelty.
After listening to arguments that stretched throughout the day, Judge James Browning denied the request, saying the ranchers failed to make their case. He also said the U.S. Forest Service is charged with managing the wilderness for the benefit of the public, and the operation would further that aim.
"No one disputes that the Gila cattle need to be removed and are doing significant damage to the Gila Wilderness," Browning wrote. "The court does not see a legal prohibition on the operation. It would be contrary to the public interest to stop the operation from proceeding."
Plans by the Forest Service call for shooting the cattle with a high-powered rifle from a helicopter and leaving the carcasses in the Gila Wilderness. It was estimated by attorneys for the ranchers that 65 tons of dead animals would be left in the forest for months until they decompose or are eaten by scavengers.
Officials closed a large swath of the forest Monday and were scheduled to begin the shooting operation Thursday.
The New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association, individual ranchers and the Humane Farming Association filed a complaint in federal court Tuesday, alleging that agency officials were violating their own regulations and overstepping their authority.
The complaint stated that court intervention was necessary to put an immediate stop to "this unlawful, cruel, and environmentally harmful action, both now and in the future."
The ranchers had argued that the case could set a precedent for how federal officials handle unbranded livestock on vacant allotments or deal with other land management conflicts across the West.
"There's a severe danger here, not just in this particular case and the horrific results that it will actually bare if this is allowed to go forward. But it also has long-term ramifications for the power of federal agencies to disregard their regulations that they themselves passed," Daniel McGuire, an attorney for the ranchers, told the judge.
The Gila National Forest issued its final decision to gun down the wayward cattle last week amid pressure from environmental groups that have raised concerns that cattle are compromising water quality and habitat for other species as they trample stream banks in sensitive areas.
Much of the debate during Wednesday's hearing centered on whether the animals were unauthorized livestock or feral cows, as the Forest Service has been referring to them.
Ranchers said the cattle in question were the descendants of cows that legally grazed the area in the 1970s before the owner went out of business. They pointed to DNA and genetic markers, saying the temperament of the animals doesn't mean they cease to be domesticated livestock.
As defined in Forest Service regulations, unauthorized livestock refers to any cattle, sheep, goats or hogs that are not authorized by permit to be grazing on national forest land. The regulations calls for an impoundment order to be issued and the livestock rounded up, with lethal action being a final step for those that aren't captured.
Despite issuing such an order earlier this month, the agency argued it wasn't required to follow the removal procedures outlined by the regulations because the cattle don't fit the definition of livestock since they aren't domesticated or being kept or raised by any individual.
Government attorney Andrew Smith said the cows have no pedigree.
"So it does make a difference what these cows are. They're multigenerations of wildness going on," he said.
The judge agreed.
Smith also argued that Congress has charged the Forest Service with protecting national forest land and that eradicating the cattle would put an end to decades of damage. He said previous gathering efforts over the decades only put a dent in the population but that an aerial shooting operation in 2022 was able to take out 65 cows in two days.
Had the project been delayed, Smith suggested that the population would rebound and last year's effort would be wasted.
McGuire countered that Congress conferred authority on the Forest Service to make rules and regulations to protect and preserve the forest, not a license for the agency to do anything it wants.
New Mexico bills safeguard abortion, gender-affirming care — Morgan Lee, Associated Press
A New Mexico legislative panel advanced a bill to protect abortion providers and patients from out-of-state interference, prosecution or extradition attempts, as Democratic leaders seek to shore up existing rights to abortion access for residents as well as visitors from states with bans on the procedure.
A 5-3 vote on partisan lines with Republicans in opposition sent the bill to a second committee hearing before it can go to a full Senate vote. Legislators have until March 18 to send the bill to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who won reelection last year on pledges to safeguard abortion access.
Lujan Grisham joined a group of 20 governors this week in launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court decision nixing a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy and shifting regulatory powers to state governments.
A bill from New Mexico legislators including Democratic state Sens. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque and Brenda McKenna of Corrales would provide new legal protections for local abortion providers and recipients — prohibiting any related discrimination by local medical licensing boards and banning or limiting cooperation by New Mexico state and local government with out-of-state interests that try and interfere with reproductive health care.
"We want to make sure that our providers are protected so that they are not criminalized by Texas or some other state," Lopez told a Senate panel.
Public prosecutors can file civil charges linked to interference with reproductive health care, with fines for convictions of up to $5,000 per violation, and $10,000 for attempting to circumvent some provisions. Individuals can sue independently for damages.
"What we don't want to see in our state ... is providers paranoid when they do their jobs, and patients paranoid," said Kat Sánchez of Bold Futures, a New Mexico-based abortion rights group.
The New Mexico state House on Tuesday endorsed companion legislation that would ensure statewide access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care, on a 38-31 vote. At least two counties and three cities in eastern New Mexico recently approved restrictions on abortion under ordinances that are being challenged by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
Both bills extend similar protections to gender-affirming health care as abortion. Gender-affirming health care is defined broadly in the bills as "psychological, behavioral, surgical, pharmaceutical and medical care, services and supplies provided to support an individual's gender identity."
More than a dozen states have bills to prohibit gender-affirming health care for young people being brought before legislatures this year. Some seek to ban treatment for gender dysphoria — which is defined as the distress caused by a person's gender assigned at birth not matching the gender with which they identify — until the person is in their 20s.
Republican state Sen. Gregg Schmedes of Tijeras, a surgeon by profession, cautioned New Mexico Senate colleagues Wednesday against writing into law a "specific health care model" concerning gender-affirming care, and expressed fear of an ideological divide on medical care.
"We have to learn how to live together. We have to be neighbors with Oklahoma and Texas," Schmedes said. "This bill kind of scares me in a way that we're headed toward that national divorce that people are talking about."
In 2021, New Mexico's Democrat-led Legislature passed a measure to repeal a dormant 1969 statute that outlawed most abortion procedures, ensuring access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case.
US ending extra help for groceries that started during COVID - By Jonel Aleccia AP Health Writer
Nearly 30 million Americans who got extra government help with grocery bills during the pandemic will soon see that aid shrink — and there's a big push to make sure they're not surprised.
Officials in 32 states and other jurisdictions have been using texts, voicemails, snail mail, flyers and social media posts — all in multiple languages — to let recipients know that their extra food stamps end after February's payments.
"One of the scenarios you don't want to see is the first time they're aware of it is in the checkout line at the grocery store," said Ellen Vollinger, an official with the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit organization.
For the average recipient, the change will mean about $90 less per month, though for many, it could be much more, an analysis shows. Benefits will return to usual levels, which are based largely on a household's income, size and certain expenses, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
A public notice in Michigan urged the 1.3 million recipients in that state to "seek needed resources" to make up for the cuts.
"We want to make sure our clients are prepared for this change, as we realize inflation is affecting all of us," said Lewis Roubal with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Jacqueline Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher in Bellflower, California, expects a significant cut, perhaps half, of the $250 in food benefits she has received since 2020 through CalFresh, the state's SNAP program.
"It's such a lifesaver," said Benitez, who was previously homeless, but now lives in a subsidized one-bedroom apartment. "Food is such a huge expense. It's a little nerve-wracking to think about not having that."
Benitez said she's already thinking twice about paying $5 for fresh fruit.
"What happens if it goes bad?" she said.
The emergency program was enacted by Congress at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and expanded a year later. Originally, the extra benefits were intended to continue as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency was in force. It's now set to expire in May.
But 18 states have already rolled back payments for more than 10 million people and Congress decided to end the program early, trading the extra benefits for a new permanent program that provides extra money to low-income families to replace school meals during the summer.
Experts credit the emergency funds with making sure most Americans had enough food to eat, despite the pandemic. About 10% of U.S. households had trouble obtaining sufficient food in 2020 and 2021, roughly unchanged from pre-COVID levels.
SNAP benefits can rise and fall with inflation and other factors. Maximum benefits went up by 12% in October to reflect an annual cost-of-living adjustment boosted by higher prices for foods and other goods. But payments went down for those who also receive Social Security because of the 8.7% cost-of-living increase in that program on Jan 1.
In most such cases, purchasing power should hold steady, said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.
"The emergency allotments were always intended to be temporary and they did tremendous good during a very difficult time in our country," Dean said. "The process of unwinding from them will certainly be difficult for families who are counting on those benefits."
The rollback is coming during a time when inflation, though improving, remains elevated and food prices are still high.
Shelley Boyd, 45, of Beaver, Pennsylvania, expects to make more trips to her local food pantry starting next month. She and her fiancé and teenage son started getting food stamps last year after both adults lost their jobs and unemployment benefits ran out. The family receives about $630 per month. They expect to lose about $95, if not more.
"That's where our food pantry comes in," Boyd said. "We visit them and do what you gotta do."
At the same time, food pantries nationwide remain under "immense strain," said Vince Hall, an official with Feeding America, a network of more than 200 food banks. Demand for help remains far above pre-pandemic levels, even as food banks face continued supply chain disruptions, higher food and transportation costs and lower food donations.
Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy for GRACE, a California-based anti-poverty organization, urged recipients to reach out now to county offices to update their eligibility and ensure they're getting the maximum benefit possible. Changes in costs for shelter, child care, elder care and other expenses can affect food stamp benefits.
Recipients can also check other benefits, such as the federal Women, Infants and Children program and seek out refundable tax credits.
Cheyne and other advocates said the emergency benefits should have been extended indefinitely instead of cut prematurely.
"It's just an unimaginable hunger cliff that folks were going to go over at some point," he said.
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AP reporter Marc Levy and AP video journalist Eugene Garcia contributed to this story.
Storm with high winds, heavy snow, keeps grip on Southwest — Associated Press
A winter storm knocked out power to thousands of customers and shut down major roadways in northern Arizona and New Mexico on Wednesday and is expected to keep an icy grip on much of the Southwest through Friday. Another storm could be close behind.
Ten inches (25 centimeters) of snow was reported in the mountains of northeast Arizona, with wind-whipped drifts up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) high near McNary, south of Holbrook, the National Weather Service said.
Another 15 to 21 inches (38 to 43 centimeters) is possible by midday Friday in Flagstaff, where the local National Weather Service office was among those without power much of Wednesday.
It said the heaviest snow was expected Thursday afternoon into the night, with periods of "near-blizzard conditions possible," snowfall up to a half-inch (1.2 centimeters) per hour and visibility under a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) at times.
"Unnecessary travel is HIGHLY discouraged," the service in Flagstaff said. "Unsettled winter weather will continue Thursday through early Friday, and again Saturday night through Sunday."
Meanwhile, a blizzard warning was in effect through Saturday in upper elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada above Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Wind chill factors could drop to 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus-40 Celsius). As much as 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow is possible there with winds gusting to 60 mph (96 kph) before the next storm makes its way across Nevada into Arizona, the weather service said.
Farther north at Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada line, a foot (30 cm) or more of snow was expected on the ridgetops, with winds gusting up to 75 mph (120 kph).
"A cold and stormy period will continue through the end of February and into the beginning of March," the National Weather Service in Reno said. "Anticipate several rounds of snow at all elevations. ... High temperatures will struggle to get out of the 30s, even in the warmest valleys through Friday."
In Arizona, stretches of Interstate 40 reopened Wednesday, but the road remained closed into Wednesday evening in both directions out of Flagstaff for about 180 miles (289 km) from Winslow to U.S. 93 at Kingman near the California and Nevada borders.
State police in New Mexico said they were shutting down I-40 on-ramps in Gallup, just across the Arizona line, but would keep one open for residents and drivers seeking overnight accommodations "due to extreme weather."
More than 5,700 homes were without power in the morning in metro Phoenix along with 10,000 in the Flagstaff area, where snowfall and wind gusts of 68 mph caused whiteout conditions.
The highest gusts in Arizona registered 85 mph (136 kph) off I-17, about halfway between Flagstaff and Phoenix, the service said. The Arizona Department of Transportation took the rare step of preemptively closing major roads.
High wind gusts also resulted in 66 flights being canceled and 45 others delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said a gust of 51 mph (82 kph) at Tucson International Airport was the strongest recorded in February in the last 50 years.