Over 1,800 acres burn in Navajo Nation; 'two individuals of interest' have been identified - Gregory R.C. Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
A fire on the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona has burned at least 1,800 acres, causing the Nation to declare a state of emergency.
The Oak Ridge Fire was first reported around 1:45 p.m. Saturday — about 8 miles southwest of Window Rock — and it is 0% contained, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a social media post. No injuries were reported.
The fire started small but quickly spread due to the wind, the post states.
A Navajo Nation police officer said “two individuals of interest” — wood haulers cutting fresh oats — were identified, according to a Navajo Nation blog post. The cause remains under investigation.
There were 55 firefighters on scene as of 9:30 a.m. Sunday. A regional critical incident management team was expected to take over command by Sunday evening, Nygren said. Evacuations were ordered for parts of St. Michaels, Arizona, and Navajo Telecommunications Road.
As of noon on Sunday, 15 people evacuated and were staying at the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona, where donations are being accepted.
“We are not at a mass evacuation point yet,” said Sharen Sandoval, director for the Navajo Department of Emergency Management, in a social media post.
Nygren signed an executive order on Sunday enacting Stage 2 fire restrictions, which prohibit all open flames, including campfires and charcoal use, even in designated recreation areas. Smoking is only allowed inside enclosed vehicles or buildings. The use of firearms and exploding targets are banned except for lawful hunting.
“I encourage all our Navajo people to respect and honor our fire restrictions,” Nygren said. “I also encourage you all not to haul firewood, drag chains, or even light fireworks during this ongoing drought, which creates the perfect scenario for preventable fires.”
For more information, he said, people can call 505-422-7384.
Report: More oversight needed for rising New Mexico election costs - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
A new report issued by legislative analysts on state election spending prompted a rebuttal to lawmakers Thursday from New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.
Legislative Finance Committee analysts report the Secretary of State’s office spent funding set aside for 2025 on the 2024 primaries, concluding that while the Department of Finance and Administration approved the action, it potentially meant the Legislature would have to provide additional funds for future costs, and likely violated the state Constitution.
The report notes that the cost of New Mexico elections has nearly tripled in recent years, in part due to major reform efforts by the Legislature allowing the state to manage local elections for cities and counties. The state spent approximately $15 million per election in 2024, according to the report.
Consolidating elections at the state level “can lead to greater efficiency and consistency,” the report says, but also opens the state to further risks. The largest costs in the elections included poll worker salaries, the number of polling locations and rising costs for election equipment.
The report notes the state could save $3.2 million by cutting 285 polling sites.
The report concludes the Secretary of State’s office needs to better predict the costs of elections by collecting more data for specific county costs; establishing further reimbursement guidelines; finding savings on election equipment; and potentially cutting state payments for county-determined polling sites and poll workers.
Toulouse Oliver told lawmakers the one finding of concern — that the office violated the state Constitution with election spending from a $15 million fund created by the Legislature in 2024 — came at the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration and LFC Director Charles Sallee.
“I want to be very clear that was not our idea of how to do things, and in fact, I expressed my opinion that it was very, very bad public policy,” she said.
In an interview with Source, Sallee described Toulouse Oliver’s comments as “pretty misleading testimony in my view.”
Sallee characterized the conversation he had with Toulouse Oliver as one that established the New Mexico Department of Finance Authority’s power to reimburse counties for expenses in the new fiscal year, for prior elections when legislation establishing the state’s $15 million Election Fund went into effect.
“It wasn’t like we told them to overspend; they had already overspent,” Sallee told Source.
Toulouse Oliver on Thursday criticized the report for being rushed, saying it provided “incomplete and premature conclusions.” Toulouse Oliver also noted that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had ranked New Mexico elections first in the nation last year for both security and accessibility.
“This is the first evaluation LFC has conducted on elections and it really failed to reflect the nuance, expertise and complexity,” she said.
In a rebuttal letter submitted alongside the report, Toulouse Oliver wrote: “Cutting funding for elections in New Mexico risks undoing all the great progress that has been made to modernize our elections in recent years and could compromise election security and voter accessibility.”
The recommendations to cut polling places, for example, could require voters to travel longer distances to cast a ballot, she said, adding the placement of voting centers should be left up to the counties.
Toulouse Oliver Legislature requested lawmakers provide funding for operations, as well as projects for cybersecurity, data collection and education for both voters and county staff.
“We did not have enough money to get through this last pay period this year,” Toulouse Oliver said.
Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) asked Toulouse Oliver if the state would save money by conducting elections fully by mail, which occurs in Colorado, Utah, Washington and Oregon.
Toulouse Oliver said her successor — she is term-limited from running again — would be the best person to consider that change, but said it would most likely cut costs, especially when it comes to pollworkers.
“We’d still need a lot of people to help process those ballots but it wouldn’t be the number we’re using now,” Toulouse Oliver said.
Toulouse Oliver concluded by saying her office was aligned with many of the recommendations put forward.
“We think a lot of the recommendations in this report are good, and a lot of them are things we’re already working on,” she said. “We just need your help to get them over the finish line.”
Rising summer heat increases risk of child deaths in hot cars - By Freida Frisaro, Associated Press
A record heat wave that spread across the East Coast of the United States during the first week of summer has child advocates warning parents and caretakers about the risks of heatstroke to children left inside hot vehicles.
So far this year, nine children have died after being left unattended in vehicles in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, New Jersey and North Carolina, according to Kids and Car Safety, which collects data on hot car deaths. Five died in June.
And last year, 39 children in the U.S. died after being left in hot cars.
Why hot cars are so dangerous for children
Human-caused climate change keeps dialing up temperatures and extreme weather, scientists say. But the temperature outside doesn't have to be super hot for a child left in a vehicle to be affected by the heat, said Kathy Wall, director of Safe Kids Palm Beach County.
"Inside, the vehicle can heat up 20 degrees in just 20 minutes," Wall said. "So if you imagine it's an 80 degree day, which in South Florida is a cool day, it could be over 100 degrees within 10 minutes inside the car."
Hot car deaths can happen any time of year, and since 1998, every state but Alaska has reported a hot car death, according to the National Safety Council. In both 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died after being left in hot cars.
About 80% of the heat rise in vehicles happens in the first 30 minutes of a child being left inside, when maximum temperatures can exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius), according to data compiled by Jan Null, a certified consulting meteorologist at San Jose State University.
"Children sweat a lot less than adults do and their internal temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult. So that's why it's just as important to make sure that your child isn't left in the vehicle, especially during these rising temperatures," said Capt. Karen Derogatis of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
It can happen to anyone
While it's easy to place blame for leaving a child in a vehicle, even people trained to know the dangers have made that tragic mistake, Wall said.
"It's not a socioeconomic group, it's not a cultural group," she said. "This sadly has happened to doctors, it's happened to dentists, it happened to school teachers, it's happened to child care workers. Nobody is exempt from this."
Distraction often leads to forgetting about a child in the backseat, which is why it is important to create routines and reminders, she said.
"It sounds crazy, but sometimes people get out of routines or are distracted, especially in today's world. There's lots going on in the news, lots going with families," she said.
A parent who normally doesn't drop a child off at a day care facility might become distracted and forget that the child is in the vehicle, she said.
Create a reminder that a child is in the backseat
She encourages parents and caregivers to establish routines.
"We have an acronym, ACT," Wall said.
A stands for avoiding leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
C stands for creating a reminder that works best for you. Authorities suggest leaving a personal item such as a purse or briefcase in the backseat so you'll have to open the back door before locking the vehicle.
T is to take action right away. "If you see a child in a car, don't try to figure out how long they've been in the car. Call 911 immediately," Wall said.
Some newer cars offer warnings for drivers to check the backseat for passengers.
Double checking the vehicle is key, said Derogatis, the fire captain.
"If you make it a common habit, just like you would look in their rear view mirror to see if somebody's behind you, or if you look at your side view mirror to see if you want to switch lanes, make it habit to look in your rearview mirror, whether you have a child or an animal or anything, just to ensure that they are as safe as possible," she said.
____
Associated Press video journalist Cody Jackson contributed to this report.
'Rust' crew settles lawsuit against film producers and Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
A settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit alleging negligence in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie "Rust", according to court documents released Friday.
The lawsuit was brought by three "Rust" crew members seeking compensation for emotional distress from producers of "Rust," including Alec Baldwin as co-producer and lead actor.
The civil suit accused producers of failing to follow industry safety rules — allegations they denied.
Terms of the settlement were not available. Attorneys for "Rust" producers and the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached by phone or email.
Plaintiffs to the lawsuit included Ross Addiego, a front-line crew member who witnessed at close range the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021 on a film set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Separately, "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and completed an 18-month sentence in May. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unwittingly bringing live ammunition on set and failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.
Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Addiego testified at Gutierrez-Reed's trial and appeared before the grand jury that indicted Baldwin.
The filming of "Rust" was completed in Montana. The Western was released in theaters in May.
Supreme Court to hear arguments on Tesuque wastewater July 8 – Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The state’s highest court will hear arguments in early July over a legal challenge to sewage disposal in Tesuque Village, as residents contend that state regulators’ permitting actions were unconstitutional.
In an order issued last week, the New Mexico Supreme Court set a date for arguments on July 8.
The hearing allows the justices to ask questions of attorneys, said Tom Hnasko, an attorney representing residents, with a brief 20-minute window for arguments.
At the center of the dustup is the New Mexico Environment Department’s nod for a proposed permit for plans to dispose of treated wastewater from Bishop’s Lodge, a luxury resort, and adjacent homes.
The permit allows for the discharge up to 30,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater into a new low-dose disposal field using a treatment plant installed in 2024. The current state permit allows Bishop’s Lodge to dispose of about half that across two disposal fields on the property.
Residents objecting to the permit coalesced into the nonprofit Protect Tesuque, which claims the disposal method threatens to pollute drinking wells downstream. Tesuque Village, with a population of about 1,000 people, relies on private wells and septic tanks.
In April, attorneys representing Project Tesuque submitted an emergency petition that claimed the state’s process amounted to a constitutional violation by unequally enforcing limitations in liquid waste laws between smaller and larger permits.
In court documents, The New Mexico Environment Department requested the court dismiss the proceedings, saying the claims did not meet the threshold of an emergency, needlessly interrupted the permitting process and that the water was treated to exceed state and federal quality standards.
“[Bishop’s Lodge] Santa Fe has the best available technology wastewater treatment facility on site that treats wastewater so thoroughly that the wastewater can be recycled and reused… to irrigate food crops,” the response stated.
Administrative proceedings for the permit’s approval started in May, but were delayed following an order from the New Mexico Supreme Court to pause the hearings until the court weighed in.