New Mexico lawsuit challenges Trump’s ballot eligibility - Albuquerque Journal, KUNM news
New Mexico is now among a dozen other states that are challenging former Presidential Donald Trump’s eligibility for the top office.
As the Albuquerque Journal reports, the challenges spur from Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. capitol – where at least seven people died and several hundred were injured.
Maine and Colorado have made historic decisions to remove Trump from their primary ballots after state officials found his actions violated the anti-insurrection clause in the 14th Amendment.
New Mexico is waiting for a ruling from a federal judge after little-known Republican presidential candidate John Anthony Castro submitted a petition back in September to declare Trump ineligible to appear on the state’s election ballot.
The suit names Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who has already certified Trump and four other presidential candidates to appear on the state’s primary ballots.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State addressed the 14th amendment arguments by telling the Journal these are “constitutional issues and it is not the Secretary of State’s role to make this kind of a legal determination in New Mexico.”
A consequence of the American Civil War, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, says no one may “hold any office, civil or military” who previously took an oath “as an officer of the United States” to support the U.S. Constitution after engaging in an insurrection or rebellion.
New Mexico’s Republican primary is scheduled for June 4.
State spends $1.8 million to help illuminate Downtown Albuquerque - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced $1.8 million in state dollars is heading to the City of Albuquerque to better illuminate sidewalks Downtown.
The funds will be used to repair and upgrade lighting on some of the area’s most-used sidewalks, according to the Governor’s Office. The new lights are also meant to be more tamper-resistant.
The governor is billing the project as an effort to curb crime.
Mayor Tim Keller thanked Lujan Grisham in a statement, adding that “well-lit streets create a sense of security, improving downtown Albuquerque for residents, visitors, and first responders.”
The city has already installed over 100 lights Downtown over the last five years, according to the announcement. This newly-funded project should be finished in three to six months.
Bernalillo County incentivizes landlords to rent to low-income tenants - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Starting Tuesday, Jan. 2, Bernalillo County will incentivize landlords to rent to tenants with low incomes who qualify for the federal Section 8 rental assistance program and the county’s housing program.
The Landlord Incentive Pilot Program will reimburse landlords up to $7,500 per unit for any damages caused by a voucher participant. The program also offers landlords up to a month of rent if their unit is vacant while those repairs are being made, according to a county announcement.
The Bernalillo County Commission allocated $750,000 to the program for this fiscal year, which ends June 30. It also funded a full-time position to help run the program.
The county says its housing department will evaluate the 6-month program to determine whether it’ll continue in the future.
Acequia license plate becomes available in the new year - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
A new specialty license plate celebrating acequias is available starting Jan. 1 in New Mexico, according to an announcement by the state Acequia Commission. Lawmakers approved the plate in last year’s legislative session, though its design was just recently released.
The commission says the plate is intended to celebrate “the rich history of acequias in our state.” It features a depiction of people digging an acequia with cows in the background and a Zia symbol with a stream running through the middle by local artist Raymond Archuleta. It also includes the tagline “Acequias Sangre Viva,” written by Commissioner Mary Mascareñas.
According tothe legislation, drivers will pay $30 to get the plate, two thirds of which will go to the Acequia and Community Ditch Fund. After that, 100% of annual renewal fees will go to the fund.
The commission says the fund is used for attorneys and experts to advocate for water rights and to ensure acequias have an equitable defense in legal matters.
Bernalillo County joins city in recycling Christmas trees - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Bernalillo County kicks off its free Christmas tree recycling programTuesday, Jan. 2. It joins the City of Albuquerque, which has been running a similar program since last week.
The county has three drop-off locations available from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Those include a lot at 1900 Bridge Boulevard and the Paradise Hills Little League Park in Albuquerque, and the East Mountain Transfer Station in Tijeras.
The county’s program runs through next Saturday, Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, the city’s ongoing “Treecylcing” program is available through Sunday, Jan. 7, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
It also boasts three locations. The Eagle Rock Convenience Center in the Northeast, the Montessa Park Convenience Center in the Southeast, and the Ladera Golf Course in the Northwest.
Trees must be real and undecorated. Both programs offer free mulch made from the trees on a first-come, first-served basis.
Klee Benally, Navajo advocate for Indigenous people and environmental causes, dies in Phoenix - Associated Press
Klee Benally, a Navajo man who advocated on behalf of Indigenous people and environmental causes, has died, his sister said. He was 48 years old.
Benally died Saturday at a Phoenix hospital, Jeneda Benally said. His cause of death was not disclosed.
Klee Benally was among the most vocal opponents of snowmaking at Arizona Snowbowl ski resort in Flagstaff. At least 13 tribes consider the mountain on public land to be sacred.
He protested police violence and racial profiling and was among activists who gathered outside metro Phoenix's NFL stadium in 2014 to denounce the offensive team name previously used by the franchise from Washington, D.C.
Benally advocated for the cleanup of abandoned mines, where uranium ore was extracted from the Navajo Nation over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities during the Cold War.
He also spoke out against an ordinance that, in a bid to address the problem of homelessness, had banned camping on public property in Flagstaff.
"There is no compassionate way to enforce the anti-camping ordinance," Benally said in 2018 when officials declined to alter the 2005 ordinance. "Life is already hard enough for our unsheltered relatives on the streets."
Benally was also a guitarist, and played with his sister and brother in the Native American punk rock band Blackfire.
'Take a Ride on Us' gives safe, sober rides on NYE — Daniel Montaño, KUNM News
This New Year’s Eve, for the sixth year running the “Take a Ride on Us” program will be offering a discount on Uber trips for Sandoval and Bernalillo County residents.
In a news release, Bernalillo County announced the program is giving out up to 2,000 trips on a first-come first-served basis starting at noon on Dec 29 through 2 am on Jan 2.
Riders can get up to $10 off two trips using the discount code ABQNYE23 in all caps, under the vouchers section of the Uber app.
Originally created by Cumulus Media Albuquerque in 2017, the program is a joint effort of Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Services, the Sandoval County DWI program, Glasheen Valles and Inderman Injury Lawyers, The New Mexico Department of transportation and Cumulus Media.
The program has provided safe and sober rides to more than 38,000 people since it was created, and offers discounts around most of the major federal holidays throughout the year, including St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras and even Valentine’s Day.
SUV plows into Albuquerque garage, killing homeowner - Associated Press
A man was killed when a driver of an SUV drove through a stop sign, plowed into the homeowner's garage and pushed an unoccupied vehicle deep into his home, police in Albuquerque said.
The 74-year-old homeowner was pinned against a wall by his own vehicle and died at a hospital after the Thursday afternoon crash, police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said. His name was not made public.
The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries and arrested on multiple charges, including felony driving under the influence resulting in death, driving with a revoked license, drug possession and driving with an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
Gallegos said the driver admitted to smoking methamphetamine and marijuana before driving, and the SUV came to rest halfway into the home behind the homeowner's vehicle.