May Storms Helping To Fight Wildfire Season - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
May has been an unusual month for drought-stricken New Mexico, with cool and wet storms throughout the state keeping wildfire season in check.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a combination of factors are contributing to the latest weather trend. Experts say the arrival of El Nino and the early winter melting of snowpacks have brought some relief and increased hopes for a wet summer.
Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Kerry Jones, says another reason for the increased moisture is that there isn't much delay between the storm systems, which keeps things wet.
He says wetter and cooler weather is having a hold on the spring wildfire season and is not only hitting New Mexico, but the entire region.
Business Leaders Throw Support Behind Coal Plant Proposal – The Associated Press
Business leaders are throwing their support behind a utility's plan for dealing with a decades-old coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico that provides power to more than 2 million customers in the Southwest.
The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Four Corners Economic Development and other groups gathered Thursday in Albuquerque. They warned of economic turmoil if a settlement regarding the plant's future falls through.
The state Public Regulation Commission is close to deciding whether to approve a plan by Public Service Co. of New Mexico to close part of the San Juan Generating Plant and replace it with a mix of more coal along with nuclear, natural gas and solar power.
The partial closure will address the federal government's call to reduce haze-causing pollution in the Four Corners region.
Nursing Home Chain Asks Judge To Dismiss NM Lawsuit – The Associated Press
A Texas-based nursing home chain has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, calling it a case of "greed and opportunism."
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Preferred Care Partners Management Group says lawyers from the Cohen Milstein law firm in Washington, D.C., pushed New Mexico to sue.
The lawsuit claims the company keeps staffing levels so low that it is impossible to provide good care to residents.
But Preferred Care points to a New York Times article about lawyers who lobby AGs to sue large companies in exchange for a percentage of any cash award. It mentions former AG Gary King's case against Preferred Care.
Current AG Hector Balderas fired back at the company, saying his office is trying to protect the state's most vulnerable populations.
New Mexico Public Defender Gets $400K Emergency Loan – The Associated Press
The New Mexico public defender's office will be able to continue providing legal representation to hundreds of people across the state.
The state Board of Finance on Thursday approved a $400,000 loan for the office. The emergency money will allow contract lawyers to be paid to represent the poor.
Chief Public Defender Jorge Alvarado sought nearly $600,000 for services to some 1,600 people through the end of the fiscal year. He had hoped to lift a hiring freeze but that will likely continue.
In other action, the board denied a request by the Administrative Office of the Courts for $750,000 in emergency money largely for magistrate court operations throughout the state.
Board members suggested the office tap available money in another fund.
States Move To Reduce Time Spent On Common Core-Based Exam – The Associated Press
Students in 11 states and the District of Columbia will spend less time next year taking tests based on the Common Core standards, a decision made in response to widespread opposition to testing requirements.
The decision to reduce testing by about 90 minutes was made Wednesday by the states and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Career, or PARCC.
The PARCC tests are administered to students in grades three to eight and once in high school. As a result of the decision, the math and English exams will only be given once a year instead of twice.
PARCC is one of two multi-state tests tied to the Common Core standards, which spell out what reading and math skills students should master in each grade.
NM Republicans Lodge Open Records Complaint Against Auditor - The Associated Press
The Republican Party of New Mexico has lodged a complaint with the state attorney general about what it says is a violation of the public records act by the state auditor.
Party spokesman Pat Garrett filed a request this month seeking all of Auditor Tim Keller's emails, expense payments and cellphone records since Jan. 1. That's when Keller, a former Democratic senator, assumed his new post.
Republican Party Chairwoman Deborah Maestas filed a formal complaint with Attorney General Hector Balderas on Wednesday. She's seeking his assistance in requiring Keller to comply, charging that the auditor's office failed to furnish the records within 15 days, as required by law.
Keller didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Balderas' office says the complaint has been referred to the open government division for review
New Mexico Public Defender, Courts Seek Emergency Cash - The Associated Press
Without an infusion of nearly $600,000 in emergency cash, the state public defender's office says about 1,600 people may be left with no legal representation.
Chief Public Defender Jorge Alvarado will be seeking funding from the New Mexico Board of Finance on Thursday. If the board approves, his office would have enough to provide criminal defense services for low-income people for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in June.
With the money, the office will be able to lift a hiring freeze that has been in place since December and defendants who can't afford their own attorneys will get legal representation.
The Administrative Office of the Courts is also in line to seek $750,000 for magistrate court operations throughout the state.
Bernalillo County DA To Speak Out On Dropped Bribery Case – The Associated Press
A district attorney of the state's most populous county and who was recently dodged a bribery prosecution from the New Mexico attorney general is speaking out.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg is slated Thursday to discuss a decision by State Attorney General Hector Balderas not to prosecute her over allegations of bribery and intimidation of witnesses.
But Balderas criticized Brandenburg and Albuquerque police for their actions in connection with two pending investigations of Brandenburg's son.
The investigation began after her son Justin Koch was accused in late 2013 by friends of stealing from them. Police say they suspected Brandenburg had contacted the friends and talked about reimbursing them.
Her attorney Peter Schoenburg said Brandenburg did not intercede in any way in the criminal process of her son's case.
Correction: The version of this story that was broadcast on May 21, 2015, included incorrect information about the state attorney general's findings in an investigation into APD's investigation of DA Brandenburg. The version is accurate above. We regret the error. Questions? Please contact News Director Elaine Baumgartel.
Annual New Mexico Biker Rally Comes Week After Waco Shooting - The Associated Press
Law enforcement agencies are preparing for an annual motorcycle rally in northern New Mexico a week after a deadly Texas shootout involving rival motorcycle gangs.
Around 20,000 bikers are expected to attend the Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally in Red River this weekend. Officials say past attendees included members of the gang, the Bandidos.
Authorities say the Bandidos were involved in a deadly shooting in Waco, Texas, that killed at least nine. About 170 bikers have been charged with engaging in organized crime.
Red River Town Marshal David Smith says 50 officers from different agencies will be patrolling the area to the Colorado border every day but authorities don't believe there will be any spillover from Waco.
Other Memorial Day motorcycle rallies are scheduled in Buckhorn, Missouri, and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Ranchers Accuse Feds Of Discrimination In Grazing Lawsuit - The Associated Press
A federal judge is set to decide whether to let a case move forward in which a group of Hispanic ranchers is suing the U.S. Forest Service over a decision to limit grazing on historic land grant areas in northern New Mexico.
The ranchers claim the agency is discriminating by trying to push them from land that has been worked by their families for centuries.
U.S. District Judge James Browning on Thursday will weigh a motion by the Forest Service to dismiss the case.
The ranchers say at stake is a piece of Hispanic culture and the economic viability of several northern New Mexico communities that depend on access to surrounding lands for everything from grazing to fire wood.
The lawsuit centers on a 2010 decision to cut grazing on the Jarita Mesa and Alamosa grazing allotments.
Man Gets 6 Years For Trading Sex For Fixed Drug Tests - The Associated Press and KRQE-TV
A blood tech who made passes at women in return for fixing their drug test results has been sentenced to six years in prison.
KRQE-TV reports that prosecutors say 46-year-old Jayson Bice propositioned three women who had been charged with DWIs and offered to change their test results in return for sex.
Prosecutors say he displayed a pattern of preying on women dating back to 1992.
In court Wednesday Bice said he has done things he is not proud of and asked for probation.
A jury earlier convicted Bice of extortion and accepting a bribe. He pleaded guilty in April to two other extortion counts. All of Bice's cases involving the blood test fixes were merged into one.
Ranchers, Farmers Sue Feds Over Jaguar Habitat - The Associated Press
Farmers and ranchers are suing the federal government over a decision to set aside hundreds of square miles near the U.S.-Mexico border as habitat essential for the conservation of the jaguar.
The New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association and the New Mexico Federal Lands Council filed their complaint Wednesday.
They say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should not have set aside habitat in New Mexico because the area wasn't occupied by the jaguar when the animal was listed as an endangered species.
The agency didn't respond to emails seeking comment.
Officials acknowledged last year when they made the designation that no female jaguars or breeding had been documented in the U.S. in more than 50 years. Only a lone male has been spotted recently by wildlife cameras in Arizona's Santa Rita Mountains.
Farmington Is Getting Federal Funds For Irrigation Project - The Associated Press
Farmington is getting $157,000 toward an irrigation project on the Navajo Nation as part of a federal plan to improve water efficiency and conservation in New Mexico.
The Navajo Agricultural Products Industry will install two 12 kilowatt in-line micro hydropower units in existing center pivot pipelines.
The 48 megawatt hours will power the two center pivots.
NAPI also will create and implement a web-based management tool that will allow users to schedule, order and deliver irrigation water.
It also will better manage pumping load and control gate settings to ensure water deliveries and reduce spills.
NAPI officials say they expect to conserve 580 acre-feet of water per year through improved control gate settings and reduced spills.
Federal authorities say the project's expected cost is about $315,000.
Travelers Alert Family In Home After Spotting Arson Fire - The Associated Press and Roswell Daily Record
A victim of an arson fire in Roswell is thankful that two travelers had trouble finding a relative's home.
The Roswell Daily Record reports that two men honked their vehicle's horn and knocked on windows to alert Brian Hurst after they spotted Hurst's SUV on fire in his home's carport late Monday night.
Hurst said his home is well insulated and the family hadn't heard anything before being alerted by the men, whose GPS had misdirected them.
The fire was beginning to catch the carport on fire, and Hurst says the strangers' actions may have saved his family's lives.
The men used a fire extinguisher provided by a neighbor to begin fighting the fire in the carport until firefighters arrived.
State Medical Tax Break A Mistake, Being Taken Away - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
New Mexicans will no longer be able to deduct a portion of their medical expenses from their taxes, even though many residents have been doing so for years.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the tax break has been granted to as many as 300,000 state taxpayers for 14 years.
A law creating the deduction passed in 2000, but its enactment was tied to the passage of other Medicaid-related measures that former Gov. Gary Johnson vetoed.
The state Compilation Commission caught the mistake last summer and went forward with removing the law from the state's books.
A representative from the commission says it wasn't clear why the error hadn't been discovered sooner.
A spokesman for The Taxation and Revenue department says keeping the medical tax deduction in place has become a top priority.
Suspect Not In Home When Police Enter After 10-Hour Standoff - The Associated Press
A SWAT standoff in Albuquerque ended when police entered a home where they believed a woman was holed up. It turns out she wasn't there.
Police were told the woman had taken refuge in the home after allegedly firing gunshots at neighbors during an argument Tuesday afternoon.
Police entered the home early Wednesday morning about 10 hours after the standoff began, but they didn't find the woman.
Officers had used sirens and a loudspeaker during the standoff to try to make contact with the woman, who is still sought by police.
Police said none of the neighbors was struck by the earlier gunfire.
Former Navajo Nation Presidential Candidate Lands Job At DOE - The Associated Press
A former Navajo Nation presidential candidate who was disqualified over a language fluency requirement has landed a job with the U.S. Department of Energy.
The agency announced this week that Chris Deschene (des-CHEE'-nee) is the new director of its Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs.
Department director Ernest Moniz says Deschene has cultivated relationships with tribes and has extensive experience in business and energy development, and natural resources.
Deschene is a former Arizona state representative and lawyer. He earned a master's and juris doctorate degrees from Arizona State University, with a focus on federal American Indian, energy and natural resources law.
David Conrad will serve as deputy director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. He previously was acting director.
