Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival - Associated Press
A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival, authorities said.
There were no reports of injuries, said Kevin Carhart, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. The balloon, which had three people on board, landed safely in a field after it struck the tower. The Aerostar International Inc. S-57A balloon took off from a park as part of the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.
It wasn't clear how tall the tower was. News footage of the aftermath showed no other structures in the path of the collapsed tower.
KRQE-TV reports the tower in Albuquerque’s North Valley belongs to KKOB Radio.
A balloon bumped into a power line earlier this week in Albuquerque on the festival's third day, leaving nearly 13,000 customers without power for almost an hour.
The fiesta is one of the world's most photographed events, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators each fall to New Mexico to look up at more than 100 balloons in bright colors and special shapes.
In 2004, a balloon shaped like the face of Smokey Bear got wrapped around a radio tower during the festival, forcing the pilot and two passengers to climb most of the way down the structure.
It's unclear whether the tower struck on Friday was the same tower where a balloon got entangled 20 years ago.
Northern lights appear in the New Mexico sky - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press, KUNM News
Many New Mexicans were treated to the northern lights last night amid a solar storm.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports social media users clear down to southern parts of the state posted photos of a reddish-pink sky.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted the colorful views would be visible only as far south as the lower Midwest, according to the Associated Press, but clearly they stretched further.
The lights were more brilliant in photos of the sky, as cameras - including those on phones - “can capture auroras that human eyes cannot,” the AP reports.
NOAA’s severe geomagnetic storm watch remains in effect. It will transition from a “strong” storm level to a “minor” one tomorrow.
In addition to creating the light show, the storm could also impact power and radio signals.
Seven uranium mines east of Gallup will be cleaned up - Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has committed to cleaning up seven uranium mining sites east of Gallup.
The agency says that the cleanup projects will address more than a million cubic yards of contaminated soil. Additionally, the efforts are expected to restore about 260 acres of land on Navajo Nation, benefiting communities in the Smith Lake and Mariano Lake chapters.
The mines included are Mariano Lake, Mac 1 & 2, Black Jack 1 & 2, and Ruby 1 & 3 mine sites. The Mariano Lake Mine was also known as the Old Gulf Mine. It is located about 25 miles east of Gallup. The EPA is working with Chevron U.S.A., Inc. to clean up the site. This is because the mine was formerly operated from 1977 to 1982 by Gulf Mineral Resources, which later merged with Chevron. The site includes two distinct sites totalling more than 30 acres. One of these sites is the location of a more than 500-foot deep shaft and the other is the former location of an evaporation pond. According to the EPA, there are about 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil at the Mariano Lake Mine with levels of uranium and radium that could pose health risks.
The four Mac and Black Jack mines were operated from 1959 to 1971 by United Nuclear-Homestake Partners and its predecessors. Homestake Mining Company is now the sole owner of the mines. These mines are in the Smith Lake and Mariano Lake chapters and produced about 1.8 million tons of uranium ore, most of which came from the Black Jack 1 mine. The U.S. EPA and the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency are working with Homestake Mining Company to clean up those sites. There are more than 700,000 cubic feet of contaminated soil at the Mac and Black Jack mine sites.
Western Nuclear Inc. operated the four Ruby mines from 1975 to 1985. Three of those mines are included in the list of sites that will be cleaned up. These mines are located in the Smith Lake Chapter. Ruby Mine 1 is only a quarter mile from three houses and Ruby Mine 3 is about a mile from several homes.
These mines are part of a legacy that has left hundreds of contaminated mine sites across the Navajo Nation and has caused elevated radiation levels in houses and water sources. People living near these sites have higher risks of lung cancer, bone cancer and impaired kidney function.
The EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA have prioritized 46 sites as priority mines to clean up due to the risks they pose to nearby communities.
The EPA has already taken critical removal actions to address 200,000 cubic yards of mine waste and eliminate immediate hazards at more than 30 different uranium mine sites on the Navajo Nation. Some of those actions have included removing contaminated soil from residential areas, covering contaminated areas with clean soil, installing fences and posting signs to prevent unintentional exposure to radioactive material.
“These cleanup decisions have been made in close coordination with the Navajo Nation government, with the ultimate goal of restoring land for unrestricted use by Navajo communities,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in a press release.
Former inmates with felony convictions can register to vote under new provisions in New Mexico - Associated Press
More that 730 people so far have registered to vote under the new voting provisions concerning felony convictions, according to the New Mexico secretary of state's office.
District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood has ordered that steps be taken to ensure former inmates eligible to vote under a law last year can do so.
The law that took effect in July 2023 restored voting rights to about 11,000 people in New Mexico who previously served prison time for felony convictions.
It allows people to vote after they are released from custody, including those who are on probation or who have been granted parole.
But a lawsuit recently filed in Santa Fe by a group that advocates for people who are incarcerated or used to be claims that some applicants seeking to have their voting rights restored have received rejection letters from county clerks relying on inaccurate or outdated information from the secretary of state's office and the New Mexico Corrections Department, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Ellenwood's order requires Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to provide updated voter registration forms.
Oliver also must work with the state's 33 county clerks to determine whether people who attempted to register to vote since July 2023 but were rejected should be added to the state's voter rolls, the Santa Fe New Mexican said.
NM Supreme Court says jails could be sued over mistakenly releasing inmates - By Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
With the backdrop of a succession of erroneous Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) inmate releases, a new court ruling could mean expanded liability for jails and prisons.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Tuesday state law allows those harmed by mistakenly released inmates to sue the jail or prison.
In a unanimous opinion, the court sided with the estate of Katherine Paquin, an Albuquerque resident killed in 2012 by Christopher Blattner who was mistakenly released from state prison.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Adam Flores, said the ruling could apply to local jails, such as MDC.
“I’m thrilled that these kinds of cases can be heard by a jury instead of dismissed by a judge,” Flores told CityDesk ABQ shortly after the decision was announced.
In July, Metropolitan Detention Center inmates were mistakenly released on three occasions. Each has since been returned to custody.
A spokesperson for MDC did not respond to questions about how the court’s decision might impact the jail’s policies and procedures.
In its decision, written by Justice Shannon Bacon, the state’s high court ruled that a provision of the New Mexico Tort Claims Act applies in the Paquin case.
That provision holds an agency liable for the negligence of its employees in their duties “in the operation or maintenance of any building, public park, machinery, equipment or furnishings.”
Blattner, who was serving time for drug trafficking and possession, was mistakenly released from prison three years early, according to a news release from the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.
In 2018, Blattner was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on unrelated drug and weapons offenses, to be served after a 28-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
Paquin’s family then sued the state Department of Corrections in district court. That court granted summary judgment in favor of the corrections department, a decision which was reversed by the state Court of Appeals.
The Supreme Court ruling sends the lawsuit by Paquin’s estate back to district court.
ABQ City Council passes resolution to strip mayor’s power to influence charter changes - Elizabeth McCall, City Desk ABQ
Albuquerque city councilors this week approved a proposal that would severely limit the mayor’s say on who gets to suggest changes to the city’s charter.
The city’s Charter Review Task Force convenes nearly every 10 years to evaluate the city’s charter and identify any needed changes. An early proposal to outline the panel’s makeup would have allowed Mayor Tim Keller to choose seven members with input from the council. But after an amendment, the proposal going to the mayor’s desk would limit his pick to just one of an 11-person task force.
Councilor Dan Champine successfully amended the original proposal to give the council more say in how members of the task force are picked. Champine proposed increasing the number of members and allowing each councilor to pick one. The mayor would appoint one member, then the council as a whole would choose an 11th to serve as the chair.
“The diversity of this council, you have nine people up here representing different parts of the city,” Champine said. “I think that was a good, equal and fair way to go about this task force.”
Champine’s amendment passed on an 8-1 vote, with Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn being the only councilor to vote against it.
Councilor Nichole Rogers in June pushed for an updated charter review ordinance, but that idea was shot down by a majority of the council. Fiebelkorn suggested on Monday that she voted against the latest resolution because of that.
“I thought this was a really cool idea when Councilor Rogers brought this forward a couple of months ago,” Fiebelkorn said. “I am very confused still as to how, two months later, we’re doing the same thing and now it’s a cool idea. So for that reason, I will not be supporting it. I think this is important stuff but nothing has changed in the last few months.”
The council approved the updated resolution on a 7-2 vote.
YES: Brook Bassan, Dan Champine, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis, Klarissa Peña, Nichole Rogers, Louie Sanchez
NO: Joaquín Baca, Tammy Fiebelkorn
Keller would still need to sign the resolution but Staci Drangmeister, a spokesperson for his office, said the administration has “some concerns.”
“We want to have a good dialogue in the community, but it should be a conversation that ensures that the balance of the executive and the legislative branch is equitable as we talk about the charter,” Drangmeister said.
What to know about the seven candidates for PRC - By Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission nominating committee selected seven candidates to interview for spots on the influential regulatory board, including the incumbent James Ellison and state Sen. Greg Nibert.
In addition to Ellison and Nibert, the list includes Colin Walcavich, Flavious Smith Jr., Debra Hicks, Blessing Chukwu and Stephen Meyer. The nominating committee narrowed the selection of candidates down from about a dozen during its meeting on Wednesday.
The law requires that no more than two of the three commissioners be members of the same political party. Currently, the commission consists of two Democrats and one member who is not registered with any political party. Ellison is the one member of the commission that isn’t registered with a political party. He is also the only commissioner whose seat is up for reconsideration this year, which means no Democrats can be appointed.
JAMES ELLISON
Prior to being appointed to the PRC, Ellison worked as a grid analyst at Sandia National Laboratories. He has bachelor’s degrees in physics and political science from Clemson University, a masters degree in engineering and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a masters degree in business from Stanford University.
Ellison said in his response to questions that the most consequential action that the PRC has taken in the last 20 years was the commission’s actions in 2019 when the then-elected regulatory body fought against implementing the Energy Transition Act while considering an application by the Public Service Company of New Mexico to close the San Juan Generating Station. The commission at the time argued that the efforts to close the power plant began before the passage of the Energy Transition Act and the PRC opened a docket prior to the Energy Transition Act passage focused on closing the power plant.
“This attempt to circumvent the soon-to-be adopted ETA was improper and a clear example of regulatory overreach, and had significant ramifications for utilities regulation in New Mexico,” Ellison wrote in his response.
GREG NIBERT
Nibert is a lawyer whose more than 40-year career has mainly focused on oil and gas. He has a degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. Nibert currently is a state senator, though he did not run for reelection this year.
Nibert graduated from Clovis High School in 1976 and has been registered to vote as a Republican since he was 18 years old.
Nibert voted against the Energy Transition Act while serving in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
When asked about the most consequential action the PRC has taken in the last 20 years, Nibert also pointed to the San Juan Generating Station.
“The early retirement of the San Juan Generating Station stands out as a pivotal decision, significantly impacting local communities, coal mining, and New Mexico’s energy landscape,” he said in the submitted responses to the nominating committee. “This action accelerated the shift toward renewable energy sources, specifically wind and solar, for the generation of electricity, altered utility capital expenditures, and prompted legislative action to address the resulting challenges.”
COLIN WALCAVICH
Walcavich currently resides in New York where he serves as director of regulatory affairs and strategy for Elevate Renewables. His resumé includes experience with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he worked for more than nine years. He has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Florida and bachelors degrees in economics and political science also from the University of Florida. He is registered to vote as an independent.
While Walcavich describes New Mexico as a “leader and first mover in the national energy transition,” he also acknowledges that he has limited experience with the ETA. What he does bring to the table includes experience increasing renewable energy interconnection and a focus on decarbonization.
In response to the question about the most consequential action the PRC has taken in the last 20 years, he highlighted several, including the PRC’s involvement in establishing and updating renewable portfolio standards—requirements for how much electricity investor-owned utilities must receive from renewable sources.
Walcavich also pointed to the PRC’s essential denial of the proposed merger between utility giant Avangrid and the state’s largest utility as another consequential decision.
He said the community solar rules represent another important decision that increased access to clean energy. Walcavich further praised interconnection and grid modernization efforts and the work to increase electric vehicle charging infrastructure. He further highlighted PRC efforts to support Indigenous tribes. Finally, he said that every rate case the PRC has ruled on is important.
FLAVIOUS SMITH JR.
Smith works as a director of specialty asset management focused on oil and gas for the Bank of America and currently resides in Texas. He has a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. Smith is registered to vote as a Republican. He says he has experience in regulatory topics and has had “exposure” to utility rate setting, regulatory compliance and the Energy Transition Act.
Smith said that the most consequential action or decision the PRC has taken in the past 20 years is the implementation of the Energy Transition Act.
DEBRA HICKS
Hicks is a licensed professional engineer with a bachelor of science in civil engineering from New Mexico State University. She is also a registered Republican whose family has been in the Lea County area since 1907.
Her experience includes work on topics like mining, hazardous materials facilities, uranium enrichment facilities, utilities and infrastructure. She spent more than three years on the utilities board for the City of Hobbs and currently serves as the vice chair of that body.
She said the most consequential action or decision that the PRC has made in the last 20 years is how it has managed the closure of coal-fired power plants. Hicks pointed to the Four Corners Power Plant that is slated to close in 2031 and the San Juan Generating Station, which is currently being demolished. She said the loss of the plants creates a challenge in providing a stable energy supply.
“Coal plant closures affect energy production, but they also result in significant job losses and reductions in local tax bases, especially in regions like the Four Corners that have been economically dependent on these plants for decades,” Hicks wrote in response to questions from the nominating committee. “The PRC’s decisions are therefore far more complex than simply shifting to cleaner energy—they must consider the social and economic consequences. In regions reliant on coal, communities are facing economic disruption and uncertainty, making it critical for the PRC to adopt a holistic approach.”
BLESSING CHUKWU
Chukwu has more than 20 years experience working in utility regulation in Arizona and Oklahoma. She is not registered with any political party. Chukwu has a masters of business administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in accounting, also from the University of Central Oklahoma. She currently serves as the chief of compliance and consumer service for the Arizona Corporations Commission, which is Arizona’s equivalent to the PRC.
Like other candidates, she pointed to the closure of the San Juan Generating Station as the most significant action the PRC has taken in the past 20 years. She cited the impacts this decision had on nearby schools, the community, the economy and the environment.
STEPHEN MEYER
Meyer is the chief executive officer of the consulting firm Energy Demand Solutions, Inc. He previously served as a principal investigator with the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. He is also an active member of Renewable Taos, an organization that assisted Kit Carson Electric Cooperative in achieving 100 percent of its daytime electricity demands being met by renewable sources.
He is registered as a decline-to-state voter.
Meyer has a master of science in technology and science policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
He acknowledges that he doesn’t have experience in utility rate setting or promulgating regulations.
Like many of the other candidates, Meyer pointed to the implementation of the Energy Transition Act as the most consequential action the PRC has taken in the last 20 years. He described the Energy Transition Act as a “change management roadmap” that will impact every New Mexico resident.
“Although everyone will be affected by these changes, some are being affected abruptly. Our coal-dependent communities lost an enormous part of their economic foundation,” he wrote.
He then described steps that he believes the PRC should take to help New Mexico transition to cleaner energy, including implementing energy efficiency and demand response programs.
“The ETA will have lasting effects on New Mexico’s energy landscape, influencing energy production, consumption, and policy for decades to come. Its success or challenges will affect the state’s environmental footprint, economic opportunities, and the wellbeing of all New Mexico communities,” Meyer wrote.