UFC champ Jon Jones agrees to anger management classes to resolve assault charge — Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
UFC heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones has agreed to attend four hours of anger management classes to resolve a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a drug test at his New Mexico home in which he was accused of being hostile.
A bench trial was set to begin Tuesday before a New Mexico judge, but a prosecutor and Jones' defense attorney announced at the start of the virtual proceeding that an agreement had been reached.
The charges of assault, a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communication, a misdemeanor, will be dismissed as along as Jones completes the anger management classes and follows all laws over the next 90 days.
Jones had pleaded not guilty in July, and when the allegations first became public earlier this year, he called them baseless. He posted on social media that he had been taken off guard by what he called the unprofessionalism of one of the testers and acknowledged cursing after getting frustrated.
Considered one of the top MMA fighters, Jones took the heavyweight title with a first-round submission over Ciryl Gane in March 2023. It was Jones' first fight in three years and his first in the heavyweight division. He already was the best light heavyweight by winning a record 14 title fights.
Jones will face Stipe Miocic in UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at New York's Madison Square Garden. He and Miocic were scheduled to fight last year, but a pectoral injury forced Jones to postpone.
In 2016, Jones was suspended for a year for a failed drug test and had his 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier turned into a no-contest after another drug test came up positive. Jones argued later that he would have passed under standards that were revised in 2019 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which changed the criteria for what constituted a positive test.
A woman who worked for Drug Free Sport International, which conducts tests for professional athletes, initially filed a report with Albuquerque police in April. She accused Jones of threatening her while she and a colleague were at Jones' home for a drug test.
A criminal complaint stated that the woman described Jones as cooperative at first but that he became agitated.
Jones told police that he apologized for swearing at the woman and her co-worker at the end of the test. He provided video from what appeared to be a home camera system showing the woman giving him a high-five before leaving. He said neither appeared scared during the interaction.
Whooping cough cases double in NM — Daniel Montaño
NMHealth, formerly the Department of Health, announced today whooping cough has struck twice as many people in New Mexico than it did last year at the same time. It’s even worse at a national level, with five times as many cases across the country.
Marla Sievers, an infectious disease epidemiologist with NM Health, said whooping cough, also known as pertussis, typically goes through periods of waxing and waning case numbers, which is one reason for this recent uptick. But she points out that in the last few years people are being less cautious about respiratory illnesses than they used to be.
“So like many respiratory infections during the pandemic, when people were taking a lot of precautions, like wearing masks and reducing time indoors, we saw all respiratory infections decrease,” she said. “Many of them have come back up to those pre -andemic levels, including pertussis.
She said the best protection is ensuring vaccinations are up to date. Children receive a series of pertussis vaccines during early childhood, she said, and then a booster as a pre-teen. Adults are recommended to receive at least one pertussis-containing vaccine during their adulthood.
Pertussis gets its nickname from a “whooping” noise made by sufferers as they breathe in after the typical violent coughing attacks for which the illness is known for.
The coughing can be so violent as to cause broken ribs, ernias, seizures, swelling in the brain, and even death, according to NM Health.
“Pertussis is treatable with antibiotics,” she said. “Antibiotics will not only help the sick person recover, but will help prevent transmission to other folks along with other measures like good hand washing and cough etiquette, so covering your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze will help prevent transmission.”
Sievers says vaccines for children and uninsured folks are available through the state’s public health offices. For more information, or assistance finding a vaccine provider, call the nurse helpline at 1-833-796-8773.
New Mexico Gas Co. owner files to sell the company – Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico Gas Co.’s parent company is selling the utility to a Louisiana private equity firm.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Emera, based in Canada, announced plans in August to sell the gas company to BCP Management for $1.2 billion.
The gas company, along with Saturn Utilities Holdco, which is part of BCP, filed a request Monday with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission to have Saturn Holdco replace Emera as the owner of New Mexico Gas.
If the PRC approves the deal, Saturn would pay about $700 million and assume over half a billion dollars in debt.
According to the filing, New Mexico Gas would maintain its own local board of directors and management team. BCP leadership committed to keeping all the current jobs at the gas company in place. The president of Saturn Holdco told the PRC Monday that there will likely be up to 61 new jobs as well.
The companies have asked the PRC to approve the sale as soon as possible. The sale is slated to close on Sept. 30, 2025.
Albuquerque Community Safety subject of Harvard case study - Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
Albuquerque’s search for a better way of handling crises on its streets has drawn the attention of Harvard Business School.
The organization recently studied the creation of Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS), a third plank in the city’s emergency response strategy, along with the police and fire departments.
That examination resulted in a new case study titled, “In That Crucible, You Find Innovation: Public Safety Transformation in Albuquerque.”
Authors Hise O. Gibson and Antonio M. Oftelie call the department “a model for reimagining public safety and community well-being.”
The case study focuses on efforts by Mayor Tim Keller and other city leaders in response to protests across the United States in 2020, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Confronted with a federal consent decree regarding excessive force by the Albuquerque Police Department and heightened calls for systemic change, Mayor Keller recognized the urgent need to transform Albuquerque’s public safety landscape,” a city press release states. “This led to the creation of ACS, which provides a compassionate, non-police response to crises related to behavioral health, homelessness, and substance use.”
Keller said city officials envisioned social workers and mental health professionals connecting people with the services they need, as opposed to the previous model, which resulted in trips to jail or hospitals for people the police contacted after 911 calls.
“ACS is doing just that, getting people the right help at the right time, and it has become the blueprint for alternative first response around the country,” Keller said. “I hope to see every major city in America with a community safety (agency) in the future.”
Gibson, a senior lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School, said ACS represents a new winning formula of vision and strategy. He praised Albuquerque’s efforts to launch the program while simultaneously reforming its traditional policing model.
“This case will help executives in all sectors learn about what it takes to lead complex and large-scale transformation at the same time,” Gibson said.
The release said the city wanted to change its public safety approach to address mental and behavioral health and homelessness.
“By diverting specific crisis responses away from police and toward trained professionals, Albuquerque is not only addressing immediate community needs, but also fostering long-term societal resilience,” the case study concludes.
“This case study stresses the importance of rethinking our approach to public safety,” ACS Director Jodie Esquibel said. “By prioritizing compassionate responses, we are not only addressing immediate needs but also laying the groundwork for a more resilient community.”
Trump expected to visit Albuquerque Thursday - By Elizabeth McCall, City Desk ABQ
Former President Donald Trump will visit Albuquerque on Thursday, according to the Republican Party of New Mexico.
The Republican Party of New Mexico announced Sunday on X — formerly known as Twitter — that Trump will campaign in Albuquerque on Thursday at noon but a location has not been released.
Ash Soular, a spokesperson for the Republican Party of New Mexico, confirmed to City Desk ABQ Monday morning the former president will hold a campaign rally in Albuquerque on Thursday but referred requests for additional information to the Trump campaign.
City Desk ABQ contacted the Trump campaign about the location for the rally and was referred to the events page on the campaign’s website. The page has since been updated with information on the event, which will be held at CSI Aviation Inc., a medical flight and air charter service.
Trump campaigned in Albuquerque twice in 2016 — once at the Albuquerque Convention Center which was met with a crowd of protestors and devolved into a riot. Later that year, Trump made an appearance at a privately owned airplane hangar near the Albuquerque International Sunport. He also held a rally at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho in 2019.
After the 2019 visit, Mayor Tim Keller’s office sent a bill of $211,175 to the Trump campaign for security costs and paid time off for city employees but the Keller administration says it’s still unpaid.
Read more about the cost breakdown here.
City Desk ABQ contacted the Albuquerque Police Department and a spokesperson for Keller’s office about the expected visit but did not receive a response.
New Mexico Public Education Commissioners are on the ballot. Here’s what to know - By Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Voters in five counties across New Mexico may see an unfamiliar race on their ballots: public education commissioners are up for election across the state, including a competitive race on Albuquerque’s west side.
That’s because the Public Education Commission manages schools most kids don’t attend.
The commission is a 10-person board which authorizes and supports state-authorized charter schools, which use public money but are governed independent of public schools.
The board only oversees a portion of the charter schools, which has an enrollment of just more than 21,000 this year, which is less than 7% of students going to school statewide.
The commission was established after a 2003 Constitutional Amendment abolished the state’s school board and superintendent, instead installing the Public Education Department and the appointed secretary of public education cabinet position to oversee public schools statewide.
The commission was established as part of the amendment, giving members four year terms. Five seats are up for election in 2024, while the other five will be up in 2026.
The state’s education department gives the commission a budget in its requests to the state legislature, and a 2% fee from charter schools programs’ for administrative support. That 2% fee pulled in more than $600,000 for the commission in the 2024 fiscal year, according to budget documents.
The board provides oversight to 58 charter schools statewide, said Patty Gipson, who chairs the commission. Charter schools sign contracts with the commission agreeing to meet academic, financial and organizational standards.
The 58 state-approved charter schools received 10% of the $55 million allocated to public schools from the legislature.
Gipson acknowledged that few New Mexicans may recognize what the commission does, but asked voters to weigh in on the contested race in Bernalillo County.
“I think their voice matters in terms of knowing what the candidates’ positions are on oversight and also their position on school choice.”
Finding a candidate’s position may be the more difficult ask.
Neither the Republican candidate Michael Allen Schuetze, nor the Democratic candidate Sam Obenshain answered phone calls and texts requesting comment on their positions for the District 1 Public Election Commission seat. Neither candidate has a website with their positions.
Obenshain reported a $5,000 in-kind contribution by the New Mexico Kids CAN Action Fund PAC for circulating a petition.
Schuetze donated $100 to himself and received one $100 dollar donation over the course of his campaign, according to campaign finance reports.
The other four seats are all candidates running unopposed.
Democrat Rebekka Kay Burt is running for District 4, which includes Sandoval, Los Alamos, Santa Fe counties along with a small sliver of Bernalillo County.
Michael Taylor is the Republican candidate running for District 8, which covers nearly the entire eastern third of the state.
K.T. Manis, a Republican in District 9, which covers much of the south-central portion of the state, has held the seat since 2020. Democrat Steven Carrillo is running for his seat in District 10, which includes parts of San Juan County, a large piece of Rio Arriba County and much of northern Santa Fe.
Despite not facing a challenger, Carrillo reported more than $5,000 in campaign donations from a dozen high-profile donors.
The list included Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber; Garrett Thornburg, founder of Thornburg Investment Management, member of the board of directors for the charter New Mexico School for the Arts. Carrillo also received a donation from Scott Hindman, the executive director of Excellent Schools New Mexico, a nonprofit promoting charters started by Nella Domenici, who is running for U.S. Senate.
His largest donation was $1,000 from J.D. Bullington, a longtime lobbyist who has nearly 30 clients who he represents around the Roundhouse.
Torrance County Clerk apologizes for return address mishap on estimated 140 ballots - By Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The lead elections official in Torrance County is apologizing and assuring voters that their ballots will be counted after workers mistakenly mailed about 140 absentee ballots without return address labels.
Republican Torrance County Clerk Linda Jaramillo said the clerks’ office had received more than 100 of those now-completed ballots back as of Friday.
“This was an isolated incident,” said Jaramillo in an interview with Source NM. “It has never happened to my board before, and I apologize.”
Elections workers on the county’s absentee board failed to add the return labels to a batch of ballots that they were sending out in early October, Jaramillo said. The 140 affected voters only for about 1% of the county’s more than 10,000 voters.
Usually, New Mexico absentee ballots have a “pre-paid official return envelope” with the address of the local county clerk’s office.
The missing labels do not have any impact on the ballot’s validity, Jaramillo said, and there will be no issue counting them for Election Day totals.
A voter called to report a missing label in the middle of the outer envelope after the county mailed absentee ballots on Oct. 8, Jaramillo said. She said she then alerted the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office and spoke with post offices in the county.
She said some people wrote the return address back and sent them through the mail, while others placed them in drop boxes or hand delivered them to election sites – all acceptable means of returning an absentee ballot.
“Slowly, we’re eliminating any of them being out there,” Jaramillo said.
Post offices either returned ballots to voters, she said, but also sent a batch to the Torrance County Clerk’s office without the return address.
As of Monday, 557 Torrance County voters returned their absentee ballots, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office. In total, 876 voters requested an absentee ballot in Torrance County.
Last week, New Mexico county clerks urged voters to drop off their absentee ballots at election sites or drop boxes to ensure they will be delivered on time, rather than relying on the mail this close to Election Day.
Elections officials around the country are fighting a flood of election conspiracy theories and disinformation pushed by former president Donald Trump and others, while also trying to balance legitimate concerns about delivery delays with the Postal Service.
Jaramillo said she wanted to reassure voters that their votes would be counted and that the event was limited in size and that the ballots have enough time to be returned before Election Day on Nov. 5.
“But something like this happens, and it does cast doubt in people’s minds. And I understand that,” she said. “But I’ve run elections for 25 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.”
Jaramillo was first elected as Torrance County clerk in 1997, and retired from the position in 2020. The county commission appointed her to the job again in 2023 after voting to oust her successor after she stopped showing up for work.
Jaramillo is running unopposed for a Torrance County Commission seat. The current deputy clerk, Sylvia Chavez, is running unopposed as a Republican for Torrance County clerk.
Alex Curtas, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Secretary of State, said in an email Monday there were no other issues with absentee ballots in other counties.
“Our staff at the Secretary of State’s Office have been working closely with the county clerk and the USPS to make sure any ballots that were sent without a pre-printed return address are either addressed by the voter themselves or are delivered to Torrance County even if the return address is blank,” Curtas wrote.
Matilda Graves, the postmaster at Mountainair, declined to comment when reached by Source NM, deferring comment to an official spokesman for the U. S. Postal Service.
John Hyatt, a spokesman for the postal Service, declined an interview request on Monday, but said in a written statement that area post offices are aware of the issue.
“Postal employees in the area are working to collect all the unaddressed returning ballots and provide them to the county’s election office,” Hyatt said.
Two other postmasters in Torrance County could not be reached for comment about the situation Friday.
New Mexico congressional delegation signs legal brief urging court to recognize federal law on abortion care - By Susan Dunlap, New Mexico Political Report
New Mexico’s congressional delegation signed onto an amicus brief arguing that federal law requires stabilizing emergency room patients, including if that care requires an abortion.
More than 250 members of the U.S. Congress signed into the brief.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case out of Idaho last year over whether Idaho’s abortion ban nullifies a federal law that requires hospitals to stabilize patients in medical emergencies, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. But the high court dismissed the case in June, leaving the legal question for the lower court to decide.
That law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, was enacted under former President Ronald Reagan. When Idaho passed its abortion ban shortly after the court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Idaho, saying its ban violated the federal law. Idaho’s abortion ban only allows abortion if providers can determine the patient is about to die.
That leaves little room for providers in emergency rooms to stabilize a patient if doing so requires an abortion. During a six-month period when the law was fully in effect, Idaho hospitals had to transfer patients out-of-state during medical emergencies on a regular basis due to the law.
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, as well as U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez, all Democrats, signed onto the legal brief urging the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm that abortion care qualifies as emergency stabilizing care under EMTALA. Stansbury represents congressional district one, Vasquez represents congressional district two and Leger Fernández represents congressional district three.
Conservatives have argued that EMTALA does not explicitly mention abortion care. It is a similar argument to the one the Supreme Court used to reverse Roe v. Wade, that since the founding fathers did not explicitly mention abortion as a right in the 1700s, the court could not interpret the 14th amendment as including it.
Due to state bans on abortion, New Mexico has felt the effects even as it wrestles with significant provider shortages and a healthcare system largely reliant upon Medicaid for its medical payer model.
“In this case, respecting the supremacy of federal law is about more than just protecting our system of government; it is about protecting people’s lives,” the New Mexico congressional delegation said jointly through a news release.
The amicus brief, in support of the U.S. DOJ’s position, says that the 99th Congress, which passed EMTALA, did so to “ensure that every person who visits a Medicare-funded hospital with an ‘emergency medical condition’ is offered stabilizing treatment.”
“Congress chose broad language for that mandate, requiring hospitals that participate in the Medicare program to provide ‘such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition.’ That text—untouched by Congress for the past three decades—makes clear that in situations in which a doctor determines that abortion constitutes the ‘necessary stabilizing treatment’ for a pregnant patient, federal law requires the hospital to offer it. Yet Idaho has made providing that care a felony, in direct contravention of EMTALA’s mandate,” the brief states.