Oklahoma Democrats mourn Fred Harris, former US senator and presidential candidate - By Nadia Lathan Associated Press/Report For America
Oklahoma residents on Sunday mourned the death of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Fred Harris, a trailblazer in progressive politics in the state who ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1976. Harris died on Saturday at 94.
Democratic Party members across Oklahoma remembered Harris for his commitment to economic and social justice during the 1960s — a period of historical turbulence. Harris chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1969 to 1970 and helped unify the party after its tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago.
"Fred Harris showed us what is possible when we lead with both heart and principle. He worked to ensure everyone had a voice and a seat at the table," said Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.
Harris appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year as a guest speaker for the Oklahoma delegation, where he reflected on progress and unity.
"Standing alongside him in Chicago this summer was a reminder of how his legacy continues to inspire," Andrews said.
Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma and the DNC, said that there is no one else in public service whom she admired more than the former senator.
"He was a friend, a mentor, a hero and my True North. Oklahoma and America have lost a powerful advocate and voice," Free said in a statement. "His work for Indian Country will always be remembered."
"Senator Harris truly was an Oklahoma treasure and was ahead of his time in so many ways," said Jeff Berrong, whose grandfather served in the state Senate with Harris. "He never forgot where he came from and he always remained focused on building a society that would provide equality of opportunity for all."
Harris served eight years in the state Senate before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served another eight years before his 1976 presidential campaign. State party leaders commemorated his work on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, or the Kerner Commission, to investigate the 1960s riots. Harris was the last surviving member of the commission.
Shortly after his presidential campaign, Harris left politics and moved to New Mexico and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico.
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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
New Mexico representative Eliseo Alcon resigns because of health issues — Austin Fischer, Source New Mexico
New Mexico state Rep. Eliseo “Lee” Alcon (D-Milan) has resigned due to health concerns, the lawmaker said Monday.
Alcon’s resignation is “effective immediately to focus on his health,” according to a news release published from New Mexico House Democrats.
In a brief telephone interview Monday, Alcon said he was placed on hospice care last week because his treatment for liver cancer isn’t working.
“Who knows, maybe I can beat the son of a gun,” he said.
Alcon has been in the House for 15 years and won reelection this month, taking 59% of the vote and beating Republican challenger Paul Spencer. Alcon in June won a three-way primary race for the Democratic nomination for the seat.
“I’ve served the public for a lot of years but I think it’s time for me to go,” he said.
Alcon, who received a Bronze Star for his service as an Army combat medic during the Vietnam War, was the chair of the House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs committee.
Also a retired magistrate judge, Alcon was the second-most senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Alcon also previously headed the Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, according to the news release.
Alcon was elected to the House in 2009, according to the Legislature’s website.
House District 6 takes up parts of Cibola and McKinley counties in northwestern New Mexico extending to the Arizona border, including parts of Grants and Thoreau.
The Cibola and McKinley County Commissions will each make a nomination to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to replace Alcon, according to state law. She will then appoint one of those nominees to carry out the remainder of his term.
Alcon said he would like the person who replaces him to “above anything else, be someone who thinks of the people from my community.”
House Democrats said Alcon advocated for policies to support New Mexico’s veterans and their families, strengthen the state’s economy and protect the environment.
House Speaker Javier Martinez said Alcon “helped deliver huge wins for veterans, active service members, and all the people of New Mexico.”
What’s next for East Central’s Tewa Motor Lodge? - By Damon Scott, City Desk ABQ
The constant chaos at the Tewa Motor Lodge has subsided at least for now.
Last month, the East Central Avenue motel was the focus of a police operation targeting criminal activity at the site. Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers had been working with city code enforcement following concerns from neighborhood residents and area businesses about multiple code violations and the effects of crime and drug use at the property.
During the police operation, officers fatally shot and killed a handcuffed man who they say had a gun.
“We won’t tolerate nests of drugs, guns and criminal activity, and we’ll keep fighting to clean up problem properties,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement soon after the incident.
Since then, the city has erected a fence and closed the property. Tewa’s tenants — there are about 26 living units — have been forced to leave. Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) representatives said they were at the site offering shelter options and other assistance to tenants during evictions.
The city’s Planning Department, which includes code enforcement, said it’s been a multidepartment response from the city, including APD, ACS, Health, Housing & Homelessness, Animal Welfare and Solid Waste.
Tewa owner Amir Nathoo, 81, said he’s grateful the city stepped in. He said he’d lost control of the property and had feared for his life. Nathoo said he’s owned the Tewa since 1979 but is now interested in selling it.
While he was recently asking for $1.2 million, he said Monday: “Give me a good offer and we’ll work it out.” Nathoo said he’s open to accepting a private offer or one by the city.
The Tewa appears to be a fit similar to other Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA) efforts to rehabilitate historic but dilapidated Route 66 motels and properties to a semblance of their former glory. Nob Hill has the De Anza Motor Lodge and, most recently, The Imperial in East Downtown reopened anew.
“If the owner is interested in selling, the city is certainly willing to have that discussion,” MRA spokesperson Sarah Supple said last week.
Natoo would likely benefit from bringing the property into code compliance to help maximize any sale. Built in 1946, the one-story development consisting of units on a lower level and a manager’s residence located above a portion of the east building, needs considerable repairs and upgrades.
Planning spokesperson Tim Walsh said the city is optimistic, especially since Natoo has filed the proper permits to launch repairs.
“There’s evidence of work taking place, which we like to see,” Walsh said. “It looks like they’re proceeding forward with bringing the property back into compliance with all codes and regulations.”
Meanwhile, Tewa’s closure has been welcome news for area businesses like Kap’s Coffee Shop & Diner, located just east of the property. Many of its customers were known to avoid the diner during times when criminal activity and drug use was particularly high.
“They say the environment has immediately improved,” Walsh said.
Greg Fraser of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (Local 1564), located at 130 Alvarado Drive NE, just north of Kap’s, said he’s worked there for 30 years.
“[Tewa] brought the biggest drug crisis I’ve ever seen; it was bad,” he said. “Everyday, we picked up needles and trash and feces. It was worse than anyone can imagine.”
Fraser said there are fewer encampments, fires and loiterers now.
“It’s like night and day; I’m in a different city,” he said.
“We hope that we can, as a community and as a local government, help keep that area clear and keep business thriving,” Walsh added.
City councilor urges community to remember victims of gender-based violence — Elizabeth McCall, City Desk ABQ
In light of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25, an Albuquerque city councilor is urging residents to visit the Women’s Memorial Park to remember women who have fallen victim to violence.
“Women have been victims of various forms of violence for years, even centuries,” Councilor Klarissa Peña said in a statement Wednesday. “One in three women have been victims of violence, domestic or otherwise. Let’s take this day to renew our commitment in Albuquerque to continue to hold perpetrators accountable and find ways to reduce attacks against women in all forms.”
The Women’s Memorial Park — also known as the West Mesa Memorial Park, located at 10780 Pipestone Road SW — opened in remembrance of the unsolved case of eleven women and an unborn child whose remains were found at the site in 2009. The victims’ families helped design the park and the victims’ names are engraved into an oval-shaped path around the memorial.
Peña said it is a “perpetual memorial honoring eleven women and a child who were victims of gender-based violence.”
Lawsuit filed over arsenic levels in water from Southern New Mexico utility - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Attorneys for Sunland Park residents filed a lawsuit against a troubled Southern New Mexico water utility, a former operator and the city and county running it, alleging the sale of arsenic-contaminated water to the 19,000+ residents violated their civil rights.
The civil suit filed Wednesday in the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County, comes nearly a year after the revelation from state agencies that the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority sent water with “high levels of arsenic” to residents, without telling the public.
The lawsuit stems from the December findings from state regulatory officials that determined the authority’s arsenic treatment plants were “offline and intentionally bypassed” for more than a year, and no public notification was sent out.
Arsenic naturally occurs at higher levels in Southern Doña Ana’s aquifers, a remnant of ancient volcanic activity, but also gets concentrated due to some industrial activity, according to the consumer confidence report. The water pulled from the aquifers has levels of arsenic that violate federal drinking water legal limits, and must be treated to remove the mineral.
Drinking water with high levels of arsenic is associated with diseases such as diabetes, increased risk of cancers, and can contribute to heart and lung diseases and skin problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The standard for drinking water issued by the EPA is 10 micrograms per liter of arsenic, but the goal for human health is no exposure.
The 49-page complaint alleges that the utility, city, county and the utility’s former executive director failed in their duty to provide safe drinking water and were negligent in operating and maintaining the system or alerting the public to contamination from arsenic.
The lawsuit claims that officials ignored the unsafe levels of arsenic in drinking water, failed to correct them and that the failure to notify the public was a means of covering up the unsafe levels.
The complaint also listed out the harms the high levels of arsenic caused to residents, naming corroded pipes, water that made people’s eyes burn, a concern that using the water places people at risk, and increased bills when the utility flushed water from the system.
The lawsuit also alleged unfair business practices, saying that since people paid to receive clean water but sold water that was “contaminated and unsafe.”
Doña Ana County declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit. The City of Sunland Park confirmed the city had received the lawsuit, and also declined to comment.
Emails and calls requesting comment to the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority went unreturned Friday.
The utility’s former executive director, Brent Westmorelandsaid he has not retained a lawyer when reached by phone, and said he “probably shouldn’t get into any pending litigation,” declining further comment. Westmoreland led the utility starting in 2015, and resigned abruptly after a series of water quality incidents in November 2023.
One of the newer laws that impact the case is the 2021 New Mexico Civil Rights Act, which ended qualified immunity as a defense for public officials and allowed people whose state constitutional rights were violated to seek a civil lawsuit.
“When a utility, like CRRUA, has an obligation to provide citizens clean drinking water, not to hide really important details about that water, like that it contains arsenic – that violates the New Mexico Civil Rights Act,” said attorney Knut Johnson, an attorney from Singleton Schreiber, a firm representing Sunland Park residents.
The utility has a history of violating federal drinking water arsenic standards, the lawsuit stated. It included U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records showing the utility reported that its drinking water violated the arsenic standard every three months for the last decade. The levels were as high as three times the maximum level allowed.
Johnson said laying out a timeline of arsenic violations and prior citations from state regulators as far back as 2016 shows a history of problems with clean drinking water and failures to warn the community.
“It tells us what all the principal actors in the area knew about, and what they didn’t do about it, including telling the public about it for many, many years,” he said.
In recent months, the utility has posted tests showing the utility’s arsenic levels in the water are below the federal maximum limit, after repairs were made in January to the arsenic treatment equipment. Since April, the tests submitted to the state have been under the arsenic maximum limit.
Currently, attorneys represent five residents, but held a town hall in Sunland Park on Thursday to represent additional people. Nearly 40 people attended the listening session in the Doña Ana Community College lecture hall.
Attorneys are seeking monetary damages but also asking the court to address the longstanding water quality issues.
“We would like to secure compensation for the residents affected by the health and financial impacts of the contaminated water,” Johnson said. “And we want to demand corrective action, to ensure safe drinking water for Sunland Park, moving forward.”
USDA announces investments in tribal communities, acequias and water-saving programs - Jeanette DeDios, KUNM News
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday a new initiative to support acequias in the Southwest, tribal communities and water-saving programs.
According to a press release by the USDA, the effort is part of a larger approach to addressing drought across the West. The agency says integrating local farmers is key to ensuring a more sustainable and resilient future for rural communities.
Back in August, USDA selected 18 irrigation districts, including New Mexico’s Elephant Butte, for the production of crops that use less water. The production is expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet of water across 250,000 acres of land.
The USDA has dedicated $45 million to expand this kind of assistance to tribal communities through Bureau of Indian Affairs Irrigations Projects. The Navajo Indian Irrigation project in New Mexico is one of three initial projects, along with the Colorado River and San Carlos in Arizona.
The USDA will also grant $15 million to both the Colorado and New Mexico state associations of Conservation Districts to help local acequias cultivate water-saving crops.
New Mexico agency seeks $50M boost to insurance program as finding private insurance gets harder - By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
New Mexico’s insurance regulator is asking lawmakers for $50 million to expand what its staff calls its “insurer of last resort,” as homeowners across the state report private property insurers continue to cancel their policies, refuse to renew them or hike up premium prices.
The Office of the Superintendent of Insurance is seeking the one-time appropriation at next year’s legislative session, as it rolls out a pilot program increasing coverage in Lincoln County. That area was hit hard by fire and floods this year.
The money would allow the state to increase payouts for property owners from its state-run insurance company, which they said has proved a lifeline for property owners seeking to rebuild or stay insured in fire-prone areas.
The OSI has had a state-run insurance program, known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, or FAIR Plan, since 1969. The nonprofit insurance organization is there for New Mexicans who are unable to secure insurance in the normal marketplace.
Recipients have to be denied by two private insurers to qualify, according to Alice Kane, the state superintendent of insurance.
A one-time infusion of $50 million would represent a huge increase in funding for the nonprofit, which is largely funded by premiums. It has operated off of about $4.5 million in revenues in recent years, according to recent tax filings. The program also was slightly in the red last year, generating $4.6 million in revenues – mostly premiums and spending a little more than $5 million, including $3.7 million in claims.
The program still has about $9.8 million in assets, despite the small loss, according to its filings.
The OSI did not respond to a request Friday from Source New Mexico for more details on how an expanded FAIR Plan would work
The current program caps payouts at $350,000 for homes and $1 million for commercial properties, Kane told lawmakers at a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee on Thursday.
With the help of the additional funding, Kane said, an expanded FAIR Plan could increase coverage to $1 million for homes and $2 million for commercial properties. It would also serve as a “backstop” in case a catastrophe occurs before the state can collect enough in premiums to make the program sustainable.
That increase in coverage makes sense given the increase in home prices, Kane said. While $250,000 might have paid for an “amazing house” back in the 70s and 80s, “the numbers have gone up dramatically” since then, she said.
More than 1,000 homes were destroyed due to the South Fork and Salt fires and ensuing floods this summer, according to local estimates. Some residents have reported difficulty finding any private insurance coverage as they seek mortgages to rebuild.
Federal mortgage providers like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accept New Mexico’s FAIR plan, Kane said, which is a big help for those trying to rebuild.
It’s unclear how many policies across the state have been canceled or were subject to huge price hikes, but the office said the number has increased statewide.
The office has circulated a handout showing some counties saw huge increases in home insurance premiums between 2020 and 2023, ranging between 41% and 47% in Hidalgo, Roosevelt and Curry counties. On average, New Mexico premiums increased by 16% in the same time period, and the average annual premium is $1,817.
Despite the uptick in cancellations and non-renewals, insurance companies remain largely profitable in New Mexico, according to the OSI. Still, insurers here did have losses in 2016, 2017 and 2022. The two biggest wildfires in state history occurred in 2022.
Nationally, insurers have paid out more in claims than they received in premiums over the last decade, according to the OSI.
Not just the cold: Homeless community faces another threat this time of year - By Damon Scott, City Desk ABQ
Those experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to the colder weather, but the holiday stretch from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day can also bring on an increase in feelings of hopelessness, sadness and loneliness. City police representatives say it often results in a rise of “431” rescue calls due to someone with suicidal thoughts.
Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officer Howard Perry said this week that it’s one reason he’s grateful that Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) is generally available to respond to such calls.
“With ACS establishing themselves as their own entity, it’s a huge help out in the field. We utilize them on a daily basis,” he said. “[Responding] to these individuals [can] take an officer out of the field for several hours at a time, but this is now something that they can take on and offer more than what we could. It’s really important on the behavioral health side of things.”
Perry has been with APD since 2021 and is a member of its proactive response teams.
ACS officials said while the department doesn’t separate suicide ideation calls between housed and unhoused, the holiday season typically presents more challenges.
“Although suicidal ideation does not discriminate, the colder months, especially the holiday season, can be particularly challenging for individuals experiencing homelessness,” ACS spokesperson Jorge Hernandez, wrote in an email to City Desk ABQ. “The combination of colder temperatures, increased isolation and the emotional stress of the holidays can exacerbate mental health struggles.”
The subject was part of a Nob Hill – University Public Safety ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) meeting Wednesday, hosted by the program’s coordinator Darryl DeLoach. DeLoach was a crisis interaction role player for almost two decades, developing reality-based scenario training for APD and ACS personnel.
“[The training covers] a lot of the mental health and substance abuse issues — it’s a very effective tool,” he said. “I specialize in presenting mental health issues and representing these unhoused individuals and how they should be treated.”
Potential situations involve a number of scenarios, including someone who is thinking about jumping off a bridge. DeLoach has played a jumper on a bridge over a freeway in the trainings.
“Sometimes I’m someone with a mental health issue; someone who’s developmentally delayed; [or] who is suicidal and is intent on killing themselves,” he said.
The training includes deescalation and empathy skills.
“Everyone likes to say it’s the [sole] responsibility of the police to make us safe, but public safety is everybody’s responsibility,” DeLoach said. “As you notice these people in crisis, all they want is someone to look in their eyes and say, ‘Hey, I’m concerned about you; you know you need help; you know something is wrong.’”
Homeless advocate Mike Kruchoski said he considers ACS a “critical support resource” that is better trained to handle suicidal calls than law enforcement, assuming there’s not an additional factor like a weapon.
“That said, ACS is just one element of a solution,” he said. “Other elements should include crisis intervention lines and services through nonprofits, churches, educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.”
Kruchoski, who previously worked for a crisis intervention and suicide prevention helpline at the University of Utah, said he’s seen a variety of contributing factors to the feeling of hopelessness this time of year, including Albuquerque Fire Rescue extinguishing fires being used for warmth and the longer winter nights.
“I’ve seen the increased desperation that most homeless community members experience during the winter,” he said.
Kruchoski said he and his wife regularly interact with the city’s homeless population, offering food, water and hand warmers.
“People in crisis need someone there who’s going to respond to them in the right way,” DeLoach added. “Sometimes that’s an officer. Sometimes that’s not an officer.”
Editor’s note: ACS can be contacted through the city’s 311 system, by calling (505) 768-4227, or via email at acs@cabq.gov. For emergencies, call 911. The national suicide and crisis hotline can be accessed by dialing 988.
New Mexico city reaches $20M settlement in the death of a woman shot by officer - Associated Press
A city in New Mexico has reached a $20 million settlement with the family of a woman who was shot and killed by a police officer now charged with second-degree murder.
Teresa Gomez, 45, was fatally shot in October 2023 shortly after a Las Cruces police officer on a bicycle approached her while she sat in a parked car with another person, authorities said. Body camera video shows the officer shot Gomez three times as she tried to drive away.
The officer, identified by the city as Felipe Hernandez, was charged in January and fired months later from the Las Cruces Police Department.
"This settlement should be understood as a statement of the City's profound feeling of loss for the death of Gomez and of the City's condolences to her family," the city of Las Cruces said in a news release sent Friday.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. His trial is scheduled for June 2. The Associated Press sent an email Saturday seeking comment from Hernandez's attorney.
A lawyer for the Gomez family said her relatives are grateful to the city "for recognizing the injustice of Teresa's death," the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
"They trust that the city will redouble efforts to make sure no other family suffers the tragedy of losing a loved one to abusive police conduct," Shannon Kennedy said in a statement to the newspaper.