State Sees Spike In Overdose Deaths – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
Health officials are attributing a spike in overdose deaths to a rise in prescription opiate abuse.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports health officials saw two years of improving numbers before this year's 20 percent jump in drug-related deaths from 2013.
New Mexico's overdose deaths reached 26.4 per 100,000 people, among the worst in the country.
Department of Health epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen says the new data shows the state is right back where it was two years ago.
He said prescription opiates like oxycodone have become more available in the last decade and are responsible for just over half of the overdose deaths statewide.
Santa Fe County's Health and Human Services Division director Rachel O'Connor says the public needs more education on the dangers of prescription drugs.
Senator: Compensate Residents Near Site Of Atomic Bomb Test – The Associated Press
A U.S. senator says those who lived near the site of the first atomic bomb test in the New Mexico desert and later developed cancer and other health problems need to be compensated.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall said Thursday that the federal government neglected residents of the historic Hispanic village of Tularosa near the Trinity Site, where the weapon was detonated July 16, 1945.
Udall made his remarks on the Senate floor on the 70th anniversary of the test that took place as part of the Manhattan Project, the secretive World War II program that provided enriched uranium for the atomic bomb.
Tularosa residents say many of those living in the area weren't told about the dangers and suffered rare forms of cancer. They say they want acknowledgement and compensation from the U.S. government.
Zuni Pueblo Awarded $3.1M Federal Grant For Airport Project – The Associated Press
A northwestern New Mexico pueblo and more than a dozen communities across the state are getting federal funding for airport rehabilitation and development projects.
The total of $6.1 million of Federal Aviation Administration grants announced Thursday by Sen. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich include $3.1 million awarded to the Zuni Pueblo for construction of a new airport and related work.
The senators said the grants will help boost local economies by increasing travel access, support economic development and encourage business expansion.
Communities receiving grants include Truth or Consequences, Moriarty, Carrizozo, Hobbs, Las Cruces and Lordsburg.
Grants also were awarded to Ruidoso, Carlsbad, Spring, Vaughn, Hatch, Farmington, Espanola and Silver City.
New Mexico Supreme Court To Review 'Copper Rule' – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has agreed to review an appellate court's upholding of regulations that govern groundwater pollution by copper mines.
The court decision was made public Tuesday, almost a month after Attorney General Hector Balderas and environmentalists filed a petition asking the court to weigh in.
The regulations were initially approved by state water regulators in September 2013. Opponents argued that the regulations violated the state Water Quality Control Act in addition to giving mining companies too much leeway to pollute groundwater.
The state Environment Department has argued that the regulations are among the most stringent of any copper-producing state in the West and strike a balance between protecting water and allowing for economic development.
The Court of Appeals upheld the regulations in a ruling issued in April.
Medical Marijuana Producers To Be Named Under Gov. Directive – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
Gov. Susana Martinez has announced that the names of state medical marijuana dispensaries and their employees will soon be made public.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the governor's announcement came Wednesday, less than a week after a lawsuit was filed in an effort to strike down the regulation allowing the names of medical marijuana producers to be confidential.
The decision will only apply to producers and their employees and not the nearly 16,000 patients certified in the state's Medical Cannabis Program.
The Department of Health, which previously defended the confidentiality rule based on security reasons for medical pot producers and patients, will now have to formally change the rule. It was unclear Wednesday how long that process would take.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging New Mexico Test Contract – The Associated Press
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to overturn a contract issued for New Mexico's assessment exam for students in public schools.
State District Court Judge Sarah Singleton ruled Monday that the nonprofit that filed the suit did not have legal standing to sue over the contract because it did not bid for the contract against the winning bidder, London-based Pearson PLC.
Washington-based nonprofit American Institutes for Research had accused state officials of rigging the bidding process in favor of Pearson by tailoring the request for bidders to a testing program already run by Pearson.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests are required for all New Mexico public school students in grades 3-11.
The tests assess students' grasp of the new Common Core Standards.
Ranchers Sue Over Rule Giving Feds Authority On State Water – The Associated Press
Ranchers in New Mexico, California and Washington state are challenging a new Obama administration rule giving federal agencies authority to protect some streams and wetlands.
The Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation announced this week it has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Minnesota on behalf of the ranchers over a recent expansion of the Clean Water Act.
The rule is a response to calls from the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress for the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify which smaller waterways are protected under the law.
But the foundation argues the rule is unconstitutional because it sets no limit on the Clean Water Act's reach.
EPA spokeswoman Monica Lee declined to comment on the lawsuit.
In June, 13 states led by North Dakota filed a lawsuit over the same rule change.
Lawmakers Updated On Spaceport America's Financial Outlook – The Associated Press
The top official at Spaceport America says she's hopeful Virgin Galactic will launch commercial space flights from New Mexico beginning next summer.
New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson updated members of the Legislative Finance Committee during a meeting Wednesday in Alamogordo.
Anderson said there have been 23 vertical rocket launches to date and revenue has covered more than half of the facility's operating expenses for the last three fiscal years.
But because revenue is tied to leases and launch activity, legislative analysts say setbacks at Virgin Galactic will leave the spaceport scrambling for revenue this year.
Officials say the spaceport might need an additional $1.2 million appropriation to avoid a shortfall.
Anderson says there has been a 136 percent increase in ticket sales since a new visitor center opened last month.
2 Former Cibola County Officials Face Criminal Charges – The Associated Press & The Gallup Independent
Two former Cibola County officials face criminal charges accusing them of ethics violations and using their positions for personal gain.
The Gallup Independent reports that the charges against former County Manager Jimmy Scott Vinson and former Commissioner Antonio Gallegos resulted from a citizens petition that sought the convening of a grand jury.
Charges against Vinson include an embezzlement count accusing him of using a county credit card for personal expenses, while charges against Gallegos stem from the county's purchase of property.
Gallegos did not immediately return a request for comment but Vinson's attorney said his client was innocent.
Vinson defense attorney Jim Foy also said Vinson acted in the county's best interest and that he and Vinson look forward to trying the case in front of a jury.
Atomic Bomb Test Marks 70th Birthday Amid Renewed Interest – The Associated Press
The 70th anniversary of the U.S. government's test of the first atomic bomb over a remote stretch of New Mexico desert comes amid renewed interest in the secret World War II project, thanks to new books and a television drama series.
It also comes as residents of the historic Hispanic village of Tularosa say they were permanently affected by the Trinity Test and want the government to acknowledge it.
On July 16, 1945, scientists from the then-secret city of Los Alamos successfully exploded the first atomic bomb at the Trinity site, near Tularosa.
Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders, says the aftermath later caused rare forms of cancer for many who lived nearby.
In recent years, interest has grown around the building of the bomb with the WGN America drama "Manhattan" and new federal legislation to create the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
New Mexico AG Creates Fraud Task Force – The Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says he has created a special task force that will target cheats and recover public funds that are lost due to fraud.
Balderas announced the Fraud Recovery Strike Force on Wednesday.
He says it will be charged with investigating false claims and deceptive practices, and will partner with whistle-blowers to expose abuse and corruption.
Some of these efforts are already under way in the form of ongoing litigation against companies accused of misusing public funds and offering sub-par care to vulnerable New Mexicans.
Other active cases include litigation against credit card companies for restraint of trade and private colleges for deceptive marketing, unfair practices and misrepresentation.
New Mexico Reports Increase In Reversals Of Opioid Overdoses – The Associated Press
New Mexico health officials report a significant increase in the number of reversals of overdoses from powerful painkillers.
The Department of Health announced Wednesday that more than 900 opioid overdose reversals were reported in 2014 due to the use of the drug naloxone.
The department says that's nearly a 29 percent increase from 2013.
The department has been working with other agencies to increase access and availability of naloxone in New Mexico as part of a multi-pronged approach to reduce overdose deaths in New Mexico.
Appeal Hearing Set For Former Sheriff In Civil Rights Case – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
A federal appeals court in Denver is set to hear arguments in the case of former Rio Arriba County sheriff Tommy Rodella, who received a 10-year prison sentence for violating a motorist's civil rights while brandishing a handgun.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the appeal hearing has been scheduled for September 29.
Rodella's attorney plans to argue that Rodella's stop of Espanola motorist Michael Tafoya was lawful and that he didn't receive a fair trial.
The scheduling of the hearing comes as the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque fights to seize Rodella's assets to help pay nearly $150,000 that Rodella owes the government for his fine in the case.
After being found guilty, Rodella received a $200,000 fine and was ordered to pay $10,000 to the motorist.
Rio Rancho Now Has Policy To Test Student-Athletes For Drugs – The Associated Press
The Rio Rancho school board has unanimously passed a policy for random drug testing of students in grades eight through 12 who play on district sports teams.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Rio Rancho Public Schools is the first public school district in the metro area to drug test its athletes.
District officials will inform parents of the policy during the annual mandatory meeting Cleveland and Rio Ranch high schools hold for the parents of all athletes at the beginning of each school year.
Students will be tested for include alcohol, opiates, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methadone and barbiturates.
The tests will be done on school grounds with the results sent to a lab and returned within two days.
Students who test positive would be suspended for 20 consecutive activity days.
PNM: Rejecting Proposal Would Force Closure Of Power Plant – The Associated Press
The state's largest electric provider says rejection of its proposal by New Mexico regulators will lead to the complete closure of a coal-fired power plant that provides power to 2 million customers in the Southwest.
Officials with the Public Service Co. of New Mexico on Tuesday reiterated the consequences if the state Public Regulation Commission does not approve a plan that calls for shutting down half of the plant to meet a federal mandate for reducing haze-causing pollution.
The utility wants to replace the lost power with a combination of coal, natural gas, nuclear and solar power.
In filings made this week with the commission, opponents accuse PNM of exaggerating the potential fallout. They also asked regulators to make public key agreements that concern the plant's future.
US Senators From New Mexico Help Get Extended Hours At Port – The Associated Press
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is partnering with Dell Inc. to extend hours at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico.
Dell will be funding four additional hours for southbound commercial traffic Monday through Friday for one year.
Sen. Tom Udall backed Dell's application for the partnership with fellow New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich last month.
The new partnership is part of CBP's Reimbursable Services Program. It supports supplemental requests for services at U.S. ports of entry while managing rising volumes of travel and trade that are critical to the nation's economy.
Udall has consistently pushed for smart investments in rail and transportation infrastructure.
Heinrich toured the Santa Teresa industrial corridor two months ago and met with officials from the Border Industrial Association and Santa Teresa port.
Rio Rancho Now Has Policy To Test Student-Athletes For Drugs – The Albuquerque Journal, The Associated Press
The Rio Rancho school board has unanimously passed a policy for random drug testing of students in grades eight through 12 who play on district sports teams.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Rio Rancho is the first public school district in the metro area to drug test its athletes.
District officials will inform parents of the policy during the annual mandatory meeting Cleveland and Rio Rancho high schools hold for the parents of all athletes at the beginning of each school year.
The drugs students will be tested for include alcohol, opiates, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methadone and barbiturates.
The tests will be done on school grounds with the results sent to a lab and returned within two days.
Students who test positive would be suspended for 20 consecutive activity days.
Albuquerque Police Arrest 2 Suspects In Motorcyclist's Death – The Associated Press
Authorities say two suspects are in custody in the shooting death of a motorcyclist on an Albuquerque street.
Albuquerque police arrested 32-year-old Michael Kaumans and 30-year-old Mariah Kent Hothan after a SWAT situation at a motel Tuesday.
They say 29-year-old Vincent Francis McAneney was on a motorcycle and being shot at early Saturday by someone chasing him in truck.
McAneney later was pronounced dead at a hospital from apparent gunshot wounds.
Police say McAneney allegedly had stolen Kaumans' motorcycle, which he was riding when he was gunned down.
They say both Kamans and Hothan will face charges in McAneney's death and both suspects had prior warrants from unrelated incidents.
It was unclear Tuesday if either Kaumans or Hothan has a lawyer yet.
Governor Appoints Matthew Chandler To Judgeship – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed former District Attorney Matthew Chandler to a vacant state district court seat.
Her office made the announcement Tuesday. She also appointed Emilio Chavez of Ranchos de Taos to the Eighth District Court and Patrick Cordell of Flora Vista to San Juan County Magistrate Court.
Chandler was the top prosecutor for a two-county district in eastern New Mexico before stepping down to start a private law practice.
He also served as a special prosecutor in a 2014 shooting case involving a Roswell middle school student and ran against Gary King for attorney general in 2010.
Martinez nominated Chandler to the University of New Mexico Board of Regents earlier this year, but the state Senate rejected that nomination. The fight prompted another regent to resign in protest.
