Officials: 16 Schools In New Mexico Need To Be Torn Down – The Associated Press
State officials say 16 schools across New Mexico are in such bad shape they need to be torn down.
Public School Capital Outlay Council Chair David Abbey told lawmakers on Tuesday that schools are being phased out or being combined with other schools to save cost.
Abbey unveiled to members of the Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force a list of the top 50 schools with construction needs.
Abbey also told lawmakers that the Public School Capital Outlay Council could be facing financial challenges in the future due to the volatile oil and gas market. In addition, he said there are more needed projects than available funding.
The state funds public school capital via bonds on severance tax revenue levied upon the extraction of oil and natural gas.
Air Force On Track To Meet Deadline In Jet Fuel Cleanup – The Associated Press
U.S. Air Force contractors have finished drilling the first of several wells that will make up a pump-and-treat system designed to clean up a massive plume of jet fuel at the edge of New Mexico's largest city.
State and federal officials said Wednesday that the temporary treatment system at Kirtland Air Force Base is on track to begin operating around the end of the month.
The system will be capable of treating about 100 gallons per minute. That will increase as more extraction wells are drilled.
The Air Force discovered the fuel leak in 1999. It contaminated groundwater and is believed to have been seeping into the ground for decades.
In January, the state Environment Department began fining the Air Force $5,000 a day for not having the treatment system in place.
Wildfire Burning Near Silver City At 80 Percent Containment – The Associated Press
A wildfire near Silver City in southwestern New Mexico is in the mop-up stage.
The Bureau of Land Management said the fire is at 65 acres with fire lines around 80 percent of its perimeter as of Wednesday. The fire previously had been estimated at 100 acres.
The fire is located on Treasure Mountain on BLM land approximately six miles northwest of Silver City, burning primarily grass and pinyon juniper.
No structures are threatened, and the BLM said some personnel assigned to the fire are being released. Remaining personnel will continue work on containment lines.
Navajo Election On Fluency Requirement To Be Held July 21 – The Associated Press & The Daily Times
A Navajo Nation referendum election on whether to effectively scrap a requirement that candidates for tribal president and vice president speak the Navajo language fluently has been rescheduled to July 21.
According to The Daily Times in Farmington, Navajo Election Administration Executive Director Edison Wauneka says the date was changed from June 9 because the Navajo Nation Council for a time considered placing additional questions on the ballot, which it ultimately didn't.
Voters will decide whether a candidate's ability to speak and understand Navajo and English would be determined by voters when they cast ballots.
The fluency issue spurred controversy last year when candidate Chris Deschene was disqualified as a presidential candidate after he refused to take a test on his ability to speak Navajo fluently.
State Officials Eye Broadband In New Mexico Rural Schools – The Associated Press
State officials say they hope to get broadband into most New Mexico schools by the end of the decade.
Ovidiu Viorica, who oversees a broadband program for the New Mexico Public Schools Facilities Authority, told a legislative committee on Tuesday that officials are still trying to determine the costs.
Viorica says officials are wrapping up a statewide survey to determine what rural school districts face challenges in getting broadband.
He says the goal is to get 1,000 kilobits per second for students and staff by 2018.
State officials say New Mexico still lags behind many states, including Utah and Mississippi, on broadband access in public schools.
Officials say broadband in schools is needed because of new online testing requirements and a changing world of teaching.
Judge Oks Albuquerque, US Agreement On Police Use Of Force - The Associated Press
A federal judge has approved an agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Albuquerque to overhaul use of force by the New Mexico city's police department.
The agreement approved Tuesday by District Judge Robert C. Brack was negotiated amid allegations of excessive force by police officers, including more than 40 shootings involving officers since 2010.
According to a Justice Department report, officers too frequently used deadly force on people who posed a minimal threat and used a higher level of force too often on those with mental illness.
A police union objected to aspects of the agreement, but Brack said it "lays a thoughtful foundation for building systemic reform" in the Police Department.
He ordered annual hearings on progress in implementing the agreement.
Jury Awards Man $200,000 For Officer's Excessive Force - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A jury's ruling that an Albuquerque Police officer used excessive force includes $200,000 in compensatory damages for physical and psychological injuries.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Jerry Rodriguez filed his lawsuit over a 2010 incident with police that took place a month after they questioned him about a homicide.
Rodriguez's truck looked like the vehicle that was involved in the crime, leading police to question him. He says he thought he was being carjacked when officers, who never identified themselves, pulled him to the ground.
Four Albuquerque police officers were named in the lawsuit, and Russell Perea was the only one found to have used excessive force.
The next phase of the trial starts in two weeks and will focus on municipal liability.
Court Rejects Ex-Officer's Immunity Claim In Fatal Wreck - The Associated Press
A federal appeals court has rejected a former Albuquerque police officer's claim of immunity in a lawsuit stemming from a 2013 fatal auto accident.
Adam Casaus was off duty while driving a marked police SUV with its emergency lights on when he ran a red light, resulting in Ashley Browder's death and severely injury to her sister, Lindsay Browder.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a trial judge's denial of Casaus' claim to immunity in a lawsuit filed by Browder family members.
The 10th Circuit said the lawsuit alleging violation of due-process rights can proceed because Casaus intentionally misused his police vehicle
The Police Department fired Casaus, who initially claimed he was looking for a drunken driver. He later convicted of misdemeanor careless driving.
State Officials Eye Broadband In New Mexico Rural Schools - The Associated Press
State officials say they hope to get broadband into most New Mexico schools by the end of the decade.
Ovidiu Viorica, who oversees a broadband program for the New Mexico Public Schools Facilities Authority, told a legislative committee on Tuesday that officials are still trying to determine the costs.
Viorica says officials are wrapping up a statewide survey to determine what rural school districts face challenges in getting broadband.
He says the goal is to get 1,000 kilobits per second for students and staff by 2018.
State officials say New Mexico still lags behind many states, including Utah and Mississippi, on broadband access in public schools.
Officials say broadband in schools is needed because of new online testing requirements and a changing world of teaching.
Carlsbad Mental Health Center Workers Face Fraud Charges - The Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says four employees of a defunct Carlsbad mental health center are facing Medicaid fraud charges after a statewide investigation.
Balderas announced Tuesday that he has filed criminal complaints against Michael Stoll, Noel Clark, Darrill Woodfield and John Bain — all former top personnel at Carlsbad Mental Health Center.
Each were charged with eight counts of Medicaid fraud under the Medicaid Fraud Act, one count of conspiracy and one count of fraud involving non-Medicaid funds.
No numbers were listed for Michael Stoll and John Bain for their New Mexico homes. No number was listed for Noel Clark at his Dalhart, Texas residence.
No one answered a phone call for a number listed for Darril Woodfield to his Carlsbad home.
Roswell Military Institute Tells Alumni To Stop Fundraising - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
The New Mexico Military Institute's Board of Regents has terminated its agreement with the alumni association that allowed the group to raise money on behalf of the institute.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the move is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the Roswell school and the 51-year-old NMMI Alumni Association. The regents also told the association not to use NMMI trademarks or logos.
The dispute began over the group's financial record-keeping in April 2013. A month later, NMMI officials locked the association's on-campus office and told its employees to leave.
Executive Director Dan Whitfield said Monday that the association has continued raising funds and giving scholarships to NMMI cadets. But he says those efforts have been stymied by the controversy.
A lawsuit filed by the regents against the association is still pending.
Bear Attacks Hunter In New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest - The Associated Press
Authorities are searching for an adult black bear involved in the attack of a 55-year-old hunter in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest.
State Department of Game and Fish officials say the man suffered deep flesh wounds from scratches on his chest and a bite to his leg Monday.
He was treated and released from Lincoln County Medical Center in Ruidoso.
Conservation officers are searching for the bear so it can be tested for rabies.
The attack occurred in the forest near Baca Campground.
The man had been hunting for antler sheds in thick brush when he apparently surprised the bear, which attacked the hunter before fleeing into the woods.
The injured man notified his hunting companion by two-way radio. The two hiked to their vehicle and drove to the hospital.
2-Year-Old Hit By Car, Killed In Bottomless Lakes State Park - The Associated Press and KOB-TV
A 2-year-old boy was killed near Bottomless Lakes State Park after being hit by a 15-year-old driver.
KOB-TV reports the teenage girl struck the boy Tuesday evening around 5:30 p.m. She had a restricted license but did not have a licensed driver with her.
New Mexico State Police Captain Lance Bateman says police are treating the incident as an accident at this point. It is unclear what charges the girl is likely to face.
