NM conquistador statue shooter was investigated by FBI - By Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico
The person who shot a protester last week outside the Rio Arriba County government headquarters had previously been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his posts on social media that suggested a violent attack on the country’s central banking system.
Ryan Martinez, 23, made a series of threatening posts on Twitter that “concerned the FBI enough to investigate,” according to a letter from the FBI to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
In a hearing on Monday, a judge ruled that Martinez will remain in jail while he awaits for his case to proceed.
Replying early in the morning on Dec. 19, 2018 to the official Twitter account of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Martinez wrote: “Time to end the fed and put a bullet in some people’s head once and for all #1776.”
Two minutes later, also replying to the Federal Reserve’s account, Martinez wrote: “Boy does it get me mad you control my fucking money and you have a building in MY capital. Change is coming real soon.”
Screenshots of Martinez’s two posts along with his now-deleted account handle and profile picture were attached to a motion by state prosecutors asking a judge to hold Martinez in jail.
In a third post — referenced in the FBI’s letter but not included as a screenshot like the others — Martinez allegedly replied to a post calling for the abolition of the Federal Reserve. He wrote it would not happen, and that it was “Time to Militia up son.”
A third-party social media monitoring company notified the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Law Enforcement Unit about the posts, and the FBI determined the account belonged to Martinez, according to the letter.
FBI agents interviewed Martinez on Jan. 24, 2020, the letter states, during which he “admitted to making the threatening posts on Twitter and stated he was venting frustration about the Federal Reserve.”
“Martinez was cautioned about making threats in the future,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ruben Marchland-Morales wrote in the letter, dated Sept. 29, 2023. “No specific or immediate threat to life was identified.”
State prosecutors are using the information about Martinez’s interactions with the FBI to argue that he should be held in jail until a trial in the criminal case against him.
First Judicial Deputy District Attorney Norman Wheeler wrote in a motion for pretrial detention on Monday morning, “(Martinez) tweeted about using a firearm and then low and behold when a perceived conflict arose, (Martinez) used his firearm to shoot a man standing not ten feet from him, who was standing in a crowd that included children when (Martinez) could have simply walked away.”
No conditions of release from jail would reasonably protect the safety of others or the safety of the community, Wheeler wrote. “The danger to the community cannot be overstated,” he wrote.
Wheeler wrote that Martinez “came to a peaceful community event” in Española all the way from his home in Sandia Park outside Albuquerque, more than an hour’s drive away, and “purposefully sought out this event to attend outside of his local community.”
PROSECUTORS MISSED THEIR WINDOW TO FILE MOTION, DEFENSE SAYS
Martinez’s defense tried to argue that prosecutors had missed their deadline on Monday to file a motion to hold him in jail, but a judge allowed them more time instead of releasing him.
Wheeler on Sept. 29 asked Rio Arriba Magistrate Court Judge Alexandra Naranjo to delay court proceedings for 24 hours because the state needed more time to gather information to decide whether to file a motion for pretrial detention.
Naranjo granted Wheeler’s request.
In a hearing held via telephone on Monday morning, Naranjo told Martinez the sole purpose of the hearing was to advise him the state of New Mexico is seeking to keep him in jail until trial.
He had already been formally presented with the attempted murder and aggravated assault charges at 10 a.m. on Sept. 29 with Magistrate Judge Joseph Madrid, according to online court records.
The local prosecutor told the Santa Fe Reporter her office intended to file a motion Monday morning asking for pre-trial detention in the case, however, as of 11 a.m. they had not done so, according to online court records.
“They failed to meet the 24-hour deadline,” Jennifer Burrill, Martinez’s public defender, told Naranjo. “We’d ask the court to set conditions of release.”
Naranjo said she heard Burrill’s concerns but “the court has the ultimate say-so.”
“The hearing that was held on Friday was held out of line,” Naranjo said. “This court is not aware why — or, this bench is not aware why — it was not held at 11:30.”
“All I can tell you is: we are on the scheduled docket, we hear Tierra Amarilla’s arraignments at 11:30 every single day, I do not know what happened. And at this time, my ruling stands.”
Prosecutors filed the pretrial detention motion at 11:28 a.m. on Monday, after the 24-hour deadline and just two minutes before the hearing started.
MORE CHARGES LIKELY COMING
Prosecutors have so far charged Martinez with attempted murder and aggravated assault for what he did on Sept. 26.
They may charge Martinez with additional crimes including reckless driving and child abuse, Wheeler wrote in the pretrial detention motion.
A witness to the shooting told police that they saw Martinez drive away from the county building in a white Tesla, driving on the wrong side of the road. Police saw him drive more than 100 miles per hour trying to get away before he was stopped in Pojoaque Pueblo.
Another witness told police that before the shooting, Martinez was trying to reach the shrine protesters had made on the base of the Onate statue, and where children were gathered.
Martinez was recording the celebration, Wheeler wrote, “causing celebrators to become concerned, so much so, that they gathered the children inward away from (Martinez).”
Gov. Lujan Grisham tests positive for COVID as NM case uptick persists ahead of cooler weather - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
The Office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Monday that she has tested positive for COVID. Her case comes amid a continued uptick in cases in the state. Ahead of an anticipated fall surge, New Mexicans have also begun getting the updated booster shots.
Lujan Grisham has “minimal symptoms,” according to a statement from her office. A spokesperson says the governor will continue working this week, though remotely.
Her case comes as the fall has begun and cooler weather is on the way. As more people retreat indoors, health officials anticipate an even greater uptick in cases than the state has been seeing since July.
Reported cases in New Mexico rose to just under 1,000 from Sept. 15 to 21, according to the latest report from the state Department of Health. That was up from just over 860 the week prior. These counts are likely far lower than the actual number of positive cases in the state, as most people are using at-home rapid tests and not reporting them to the state. Because of this, the Health Department is focused on monitoring upward trends rather than individual case counts.
Vaccinations in September rose more than 600% in New Mexico after release of the updated Pfizer and Moderna boosters. Over 5,800 residents got a shot from September 18 to the 24, compared to only about 780 the week before the Food and Drug Administration approved the new ones, according to state data.
Federal student loan payments are starting again. Here's what you need to know - By Adriana Morga Associated Press
Federal student loan borrowers will need to start making payments again this month after a three-year-plus pause due to the pandemic.
You should expect a bill that lays out how much you have to pay each month at least 21 days before your due date. It's likely that most borrowers have received their bill already but if you have not, visit your loan servicer account. Interest started accruing again in September.
If you have student loans and haven't made a payment in the last three years, don't panic. Here's what experts recommend:
WHERE DO I START?
The first step is to log in to your StudentAid.gov account and check who your loan servicer is. Many loan servicers changed during the pandemic, so you might have a different one than you did back in March 2020, said Amy Czulada, outreach and advocacy manager at the Student Borrower Protection Center.
Once you know your loan servicer, you'll log into your account with them to access your student loan balance, monthly payment amount and interest rate. Czulada also recommended that you look at which type of student loan you have, so you know which income-driven repayment plans you might qualify for.
Lastly, update your personal information in your account with your loan servicer to make sure you receive all important correspondence.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT MY PAYMENTS WILL BE?
Borrowers can find out what their monthly student loan payment will be on their account with their loan servicer. If you don't know who your servicer is, you can find it by logging in your studentaid.gov account.
WHAT IF MY PAYMENTS ARE TOO HIGH?
If you think you'll have a hard time making payments once they resume, you have several options.
This summer, President Joe Biden announced a 12-month grace period to help borrowers who struggle after payments restart. You can and should make payments during the first 12 months after payments resume, but if you don't, you won't be at risk of default and it won't hurt your credit score. Interest will accrue whether you make payments or not.
Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, recommends that you research if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan. Borrowers can use the loan-simulator tool at StudentAid.gov or the one on TISLA's website to find a payment plan that best fits their needs. The calculators tell you what your monthly payment would be under each available plan, as well as your long-term costs.
WHAT'S AN INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLAN?
An income-driven repayment plan sets your monthly student loan payment at an amount that is intended to be affordable based on your income and family size. It takes into account different expenses in your budget, and most federal student loans are eligible for at least one of these types of plans.
Generally, your payment amount under an income-driven repayment plan is a percentage of your discretionary income. If your income is low enough, your payment could be $0 per month.
Last year, the Biden administration announced a new income-driven repayment plan. The SAVE plan offers some of the most lenient terms ever. On this plan, interest won't pile up as long as borrowers make regular payments.
It's still possible that the SAVE plan could face legal challenges similar to the one that led the Supreme Court to strike down Biden's proposal for mass student loan cancellation.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER PROGRAMS THAT CAN HELP WITH STUDENT LOAN DEBT?
If you've worked for a government agency or a nonprofit, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers cancellation after 10 years of regular payments, and some income-driven repayment plans cancel the remainder of a borrower's debt after 20 to 25 years.
Borrowers should make sure they're signed up for the best possible income-driven repayment plan to qualify for these programs.
Borrowers who have been defrauded by for-profit colleges may also apply for borrower defense and receive relief.
If you'd like to repay your federal student loans under an income-driven plan, the first step is to fill out an application through the Federal Student Aid website.
HOW CAN I REDUCE COSTS WHEN PAYING OFF MY STUDENT LOANS?
If you sign up for automatic payments, the servicer takes a quarter of a percent off your interest rate.
HOW DO I ENROLL IN AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS?
You can enroll in automatic payments through your loan servicer's account. Borrowers who were enrolled in automatic payments prior to the payment pause need to re-enroll again, said Czulada.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
Czulada recommends staying vigilant about scams. You should never have to pay to get help with your loans or to apply for any programs.
"The Department of Education will never call you on the phone. So, if you're getting a phone call that says 'Hey, pay $100 now and you'll get your debt canceled,' that's a red flag that it's a scammer," said Czulada.
To protect yourself from scams, the Department of Education recommends that you know their official email addresses, check for typos in advertisement and never share your log-in information.
New Mexico man charged with attempted murder in shooting at protest over Spanish conquistador statue - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
A New Mexico man was charged Friday with attempted murder in a shooting that wounded one person at a protest over plans to install a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside government offices in the city of Española.
Defendant Ryan David Martinez, from Sandia Park, was read the felony charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon at his first appearance in municipal court. No plea was entered.
A temporary public defender assigned to Martinez could not be reached immediately by phone and didn't respond to voice messages. An apparent relative of the defendant answered the phone but declined to comment or confirm her family relation.
Martinez was arrested Thursday after chaos erupted and a shot was fired during protests in Española about plans to install a bronze likeness of conquistador Juan de Oñate, who is both revered and reviled for his role in establishing early settlements along the Upper Rio Grande starting in 1598.
Installation of the statue was planned for Thursday but was canceled by county officials amid security concerns. The statue of Oñate in armor on horseback was commissioned in the 1990s and installed near Española amid fanfare and resentment. The statute was taken down in 2020 during a national movement for racial justice that sought to topple countless monuments.
The victim of Thursday's shooting, a 42-year-old man, was flown to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment of a wound to the abdomen. His condition was not immediately available from state police overseeing the shooting investigation.
A warrant for Martinez's arrest includes testimony from witnesses who described an otherwise peaceful protest Thursday and the arrival of several men in "MAGA" hats. One witness told state police that protesters' children were gathered together near a makeshift shrine at the pedestal intended for the Oñate statue, amid misgivings about safety, and that "peacekeepers" blocked Martinez's way from entering the area.
Police reviewed video of the confrontation as recordings circulated on social media.
"Ryan is seen attempting to rush the shrine and being stopped by a group of men," Officer Shane Faulkner says in the narrative. "As Ryan (retreated) back over the short wall, a man can be heard saying, 'Let him go.' The group of men do not try to pursue Ryan, and Ryan pulled his handgun from his waistband and shoots."
Martinez was transported to a detention center in the Rio Arriba County government seat of Tierra Amarilla. A hearing on possible terms of pretrial detention is scheduled next week.
A pretrial services report showed no prior convictions for Martinez and no prior failures to appear in court.
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Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque contributed to this story.
Biden says there's 'not much time' to keep aid flowing to Ukraine and Congress must 'stop the games' - By Kevin Freking And Colleen Long Associated Press
President Joe Biden said Sunday that American aid to Ukraine will keep flowing for now as he sought to reassure allies of continued U.S. financial support for the war effort. But time is running out, the president said in a warning to Congress.
"We cannot under any circumstances allow America's support for Ukraine to be interrupted," Biden said in remarks from the Roosevelt Room after Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding package late Saturday that dropped assistance for Ukraine in the battle against Russia.
"We have time, not much time, and there's an overwhelming sense of urgency," he said, noting that the funding bill lasts only until mid-November. Biden urged Congress to negotiate an aid package as soon as possible.
"The vast majority of both parties — Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House — support helping Ukraine and the brutal aggression that is being thrust upon them by Russia," Biden said. "Stop playing games, get this done.''
But many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum and the next steps are ahead, given the resistance from the hard-right flank.
While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has begun a process to potentially consider legislation providing additional Ukraine aid, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faces a more difficult task in keeping the commitment he made over the objections of nearly half of his GOP majority.
He told CBS' "Face on the Nation" that he supported "being able to make sure Ukraine has the weapons that they need," but that his priority was security at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I firmly support the border first," he said. "So we've got to find a way that we can do this together."
By omitting additional Ukraine aid from the measure to keep the government running, McCarthy closed the door on a Senate package that would have funneled $6 billion to Ukraine, roughly one-third of what has been requested by the White House. Both the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the stopgap measure, with members of both parties abandoning the increased aid in favor of avoiding a costly government shutdown.
Now Biden is working to reassure U.S. allies that more money will be there for Ukraine.
"Look at me," he said turning his face to the cameras at the White House. "We're going to get it done. I can't believe those who voted for supporting Ukraine -- overwhelming majority in the House and Senate, Democrat and Republican -- will for pure political reasons let more people die needlessly in Ukraine."
Foreign allies, though, were concerned. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday from Kyiv that he believed it wouldn't be the last word, but he noted the EU's continued substantial financial support for Ukraine and a new proposal on the table.
"I have a hope that this will not be definitive decision and Ukraine will continue having the support of the U.S.," he said.
The latest actions in Congress signal a gradual shift in the unwavering support that the United States has so far pledged Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and it is one of the clearest examples yet of the Republican Party's movement toward a more isolationist stance. The exclusion of the money for Ukraine came little more than a week after lawmakers met in the Capitol with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He sought to assure them that his military was winning the war, but stressed that additional assistance would be crucial.
After that visit, Schumer said that one sentence summed up Zelenskyy's message in his meeting with the Senate: "'If we don't get the aid, we will lose the war," Schumer said.
McCarthy, pressured by his right flank, has gone from saying "no blank checks" for Ukraine, with the focus being on accountability, to describing the Senate's approach as putting "Ukraine in front of America."
The next funding deadline, which comes during the U.S.-hosted meeting in San Francisco of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders, is likely to become a debate over border funding in exchange for additional Ukraine aid.
This was the scenario that Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader who has championed Ukraine aid, was trying to avoid back in summer when he urged the White House team not to tangle the issue in the government shutdown debate, according to people familiar with his previously undisclosed conversations with the administration who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. Now, all sides are blaming the other for the failure, straining to devise a path forward.
Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300 million from a defense spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers.
The U.S. has approved four rounds of aid to Ukraine in response to Russia's invasion, totaling about $113 billion, with some of that money going toward replenishment of U.S. military equipment that was sent to the front lines. In August, Biden called on Congress to provide for an additional $24 billion.
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Susie Blann in London contributed to this report.
New report finds another 115 Indigenous boarding schools, most run by missionaries - Shondiin Silversmith, Az Mirror via Source New Mexico
From the remote parts of northern Alaska to the coastal edges of Florida, Native American Boarding Schools were set up in or near tribal nations to assimilate Indigenous children into white, Christian, American society.
The legacy of the federal Indian boarding school system is not new to Indigenous people. For generations, Indigenous people across the country have experienced the loss of their culture, traditions, language and land at the hands of federal boarding schools.
In 2022, the Department of Interior released a report identifying 408 Native American boarding schools operated, funded, or supported by the United States government.
This report was the first time a federal entity provided a detailed glimpse into the extent of Native American boarding school history across the US.
However, there are more schools, not federally supported but operated instead by church institutions, that still worked to assimilate Indigenous children.
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) has spent years researching extensively to identify an additional 115 boarding schools that carried out U.S. policies meant to assimilate Indigenous children.
“We anticipate there will be more,” NABS Deputy CEO Dr. Samuel Torres said in an interview with the Arizona Mirror.
NABS’s research brings the total number of schools to 523, making it the most extensive known list of schools to date that encompasses Native American boarding schools.
In Arizona, the number of boarding schools is 59, the second highest in the country, behind Oklahoma’s 95. Neighboring New Mexico had 52. In the list published by the U.S. Department of Interior, Arizona had 48 boarding schools, and the NABS list adds 11.
Torres said NABS’s mission is not just to hold those institutions accountable that were federally supported, operated, or funded but all of the institutions that worked in that timeline to assimilate Indigenous children.
“It wasn’t just the federal government that did this. Of course, the federal government had a huge part, but it was also Christian missionaries who often did not have funding or support from the federal government,” Torres said.
He added that it’s vital for people to recognize that these religious institutions benefited from the same Native American policy decisions made by the federal government and other Native American agencies across the country.
“The end goal was largely much the same,” Torres said. “It was the cultural reprogramming of Native children. It was the intention to strip Native people of language, culture, tradition and ties to the land. That part can’t be overstated.”
Director of Research and Education for NABS Deidre Whiteman who agreed with Torres, said that NABS’s mission is about truth and justice, and in doing so, they can’t leave anyone out.
“We can’t sugarcoat (it),” Whiteman said because all these schools had a mission to remove Indigenous children from their homes and assimilate them.
Parker said that all Indigenous people and their communities were affected by Native American boarding schools, whether they were federally funded or not.
“It’s not just one entity that was responsible,” Whiteman added. “It was multiple agencies, organizations and institutions, and the federal government who implemented these schools.”
‘THIS WORK IS NECESSARY’
To add some perspective to the sheer amount of schools across the country, NABS developed an interactive digital map in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada (NCTR),
“NCTR is honored to partner with NABS to expand the international research of these assimilative institutions,” said Jessie Boiteau, the senior archivist for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
“Through this digital map, we are not just capturing history,” Boiteau added. “We have created a tool that can be used today to impact what happens in the future.”
The NCTR is an organization that documents Canada’s First Nations people’s experiences with the residential schools established in Canada.
“We’re eager to be able to allow folks new and intimate ways of interacting with this information that has for generations been swept under the rug by settler state politics, culture, and society,” Torres said. “It has largely been the philosophy of U.S. exceptionalism to just forget about those uncomfortable instances of history.”
The interactive digital map provides information and locations for all 523 known Native American boarding schools in the US, alongside the known Indian Residential Schools established across Canada.
“We are here strongly demanding that we don’t forget, as a society, that this happened to our relatives, to this land, and it is a, for better or for worse, a historical instance that connects everyone that calls these lands home,” Torres said. “It’s a responsibility for every person, Native and non-Native, to play a part in some way towards the restoration of that which was disrupted.”
According to NABS, the map can demonstrate an international scope and context geographically for the first time. Users can find the locations and general information about all 523 schools, including known dates, operators, and historical notes.
“I believe this tool is going to greatly help our relatives who are seeking answers and who are on their own healing journeys,” Torres said in a press release announcing the launch of the map.
“Every Indigenous person in this country has been impacted by the deliberate attempt to destroy Native families and cultures through boarding schools,” he added. “For us to visually see the scope of what was done to our communities and Nations at this scale is overwhelming, but this work is necessary to uncover the truth about this dark chapter in American history.”
Whiteman said that the release of NABS’s latest findings for schools and the interactive map is an essential resource for future research conducted around boarding schools.
“Researchers, educators, and policymakers now have a place to start to inform understanding and future change,” she added.
Torres said when it comes to information surrounding the boarding school policies and era, a lot of it is being interpreted as abject violence, physical violence, epistemic violence and sexual and psychological violence that is commonly associated with boarding schools.
That treatment did occur, but Torres said it’s important people recognize that Indigenous people did not just accept it.
“There was resistance, and there’s been generations of resistance,” Torres said, noting that there were Native leaders who stood up against this treatment to demand educational sovereignty.
This is why there are still Native American boarding schools across the U.S., though they are drastically different from their predecessors. It is also why NABS notes in their list of schools that boarding schools are still in operation.
“They were started as these places of assimilation, these places of cultural genocide, but now they’ve shifted into something different,” Parker said.
Torres said that many schools now include Indigenous languages, science, and traditional knowledge in their education process.
“It’s important to recognize that the resistance required to transform those institutions to places of redeeming an education process for Native families, communities, and nations has taken place and does not exist in a vacuum,” Torres added.
DOI LAUNCHES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
In an effort to preserve the history behind the federal Indian boarding school legacy, the Department of Interior launched an oral history project in September.
“Creating a permanent oral history collection about the federal Indian boarding school system is part of the Department’s mission to honor its political, trust and legal responsibilities and commitments to Tribes,” Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland said in a press release.
The project is part of the Department of Interiors Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and will be the first of its kind to be undertaken by the federal government.
The oral history project will be led by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, which will work to document and make accessible the experiences of the generations of Indigenous children who attended the federal boarding schools.
“The U.S. government has never before collected the experiences of boarding school survivors, which Tribes have long advocated for to memorialize the experiences of their citizens who attended federal boarding schools,” Haaland said. “This is a significant step in our efforts to help communities heal and to tell the full story of America.”
NABS will receive $3.7 million in grant funding to support the oral history project.
“This historic project is a lifeline to preserving the voices and memories of Indian boarding school survivors,” NABS CEO Deborah Parker said. “Many of our ancestors did not have the chance to share their experiences.”
Parker said that NABS is grateful to Secretary Haaland and the Department of the Interior for this support, and the work through this oral history project will allow NABS to continue their work “in seeking truth and justice, ensuring survivor’s stories are never forgotten, and bringing healing to future generations.”
NABS intends to start conducting video interviews with boarding school survivors across the United States this fall and will release a full schedule with details for Indigenous survivors interested in participating.
A Bernalillo County corrections officer is accused of bringing drugs into the jail- Associated Press
A corrections officer with the Bernalillo County jail is now being held there on allegations he brought drugs into the facility, authorities said Friday.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that 19-year-old Grant Haneckow was arrested and booked into the county Metropolitan Detention Center on Thursday.
He has been charged with bringing contraband into a place of imprisonment and trafficking other controlled substances.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Haneckow was discovered to be carrying 40 sealed Suboxone strips on Wednesday. Suboxone is a prescription medicine used to treat opioid addiction.
Joseph Trujeque, president of the union representing Metropolitan Detention Center corrections officers, said the union would likely not provide Haneckow with an attorney because it involves him allegedly committing criminal offenses.
Maggie Shepard, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender, confirmed the office will represent Haneckow but a public defender had not been assigned to the case yet.
What to know as fall vaccinations against COVID, flu and RSV get underway- Albuquerque Journal
While it may be easier for adults to find the latest COVID-19 vaccines, they’re much harder to find for younger children.
Health officials said last week shots for young children have just begun shipping.
The Department of Health and Human Services said about 2 million Americans have gotten the new COVID-19 shot in the two weeks since its approval.
For the first time, the U.S. has a vaccine to help fight a trio of viruses that cause many of our fall illnesses. Everyone as young as 6 months is eligible to get a flu shot.
There is also a vaccine for RSV, a virus that attacks the respiratory system. It's recommended for people 60 and older and for certain pregnant women. A vaccine-like medicine will also be available for babies against RSV which is said to be available next month.
That’s why Health officials encourage individuals to get a fall flu shot on top of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Albuquerque to lease land at Balloon Fiesta Park for New Mexico United stadium - KOB 4
The City of Albuquerque will be allowing New Mexico United to lease seven acres from Balloon Fiesta Park for a multi-purpose stadium.
New Mexico United is expected to invest $30 million dollars to build the stadium and with no help from city funding.
The soccer team will also not be allowed to host matches at the stadium during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta even though the leasing area would not interfere with ballooning.
The lease term is set for 30 years with the option to extend after 15.
In addition to an annual fee for rent, United will also have to pay the city a percentage of parking revenue
The lease requires approval by Albuquerque City Council and will be introduced on Monday.
The boyfriend of a Navajo woman has been convicted of fatally shooting her in emblematic case - By Anita Snow Associated Press
The boyfriend of a Navajo woman whose case became emblematic of an international movement launched to draw attention to an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women has been convicted of first-degree murder in her death.
Tre C. James, 31, was convicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix of domestic abuse and in the fatal shooting of Jamie Yazzie. The jury also found James guilty of several acts of domestic violence committed against three former intimate and dating partners.
James is scheduled to be sentenced in late January.
Yazzie was 32 and the mother of three sons when she went missing in the summer of 2019 from her community of Pinon on the Navajo Nation. Despite a high-profile search, her remains were not found until November 2021 on the neighboring Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona.
Many of Yazzie's friends and family members, including her mother, father, grandmother and other relatives, attended all seven days of the trial.
"This family has been very active in advocating," said their attorney, Darlene Gomez. "This is a huge case for Indian Country. It's so unusual for these cases to get to trial, and then to get convictions."
The Albuquerque-based attorney said she was especially pleased the local U.S. Attorney's Office acknowledged Yazzie's family and underscored the importance of investigating and prosecuting such crimes.
"Vindicating the rights of missing and murdered Indigenous persons requires all the energy and compassion we have," U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in a statement about the conviction. "That means not only investigation and prosecution of tough cases but also community engagement, cultural competence, and active listening to next of kin and other family members."
Yazzie's case gained attention through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women grassroots movement that draws attention to widespread violence against Indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada.
The U.S. Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs characterizes the violence against Indigenous women as a crisis.
Women from Native American and Alaska Native communities have long suffered high rates of assault, abduction and murder. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women — 84% — have experienced violence in their lifetimes, including 56% who have experienced sexual violence.