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Lawmakers Discuss Soccer Stadium With United Officials, N. Scott Momaday Promises Memoir

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N. Scott Momaday

New Mexico Lawmakers Discuss Building Future Soccer StadiumAssociated Press

State lawmakers have met with New Mexico United officials to talk about the possibility of building a new soccer stadium after concluding their first season.

Team owner Peter Trevisani and Albuquerque’s Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Rael spoke with Economic and Rural Development Committee officials Thursday about a potential arena.

Trevisani says United needs room to grow after it led the league in merchandise sales and attendance with more than 12,600 people each game.

United officials say the team spent their first season playing in city-owned Isotopes Park, which was publicly financed over a decade ago.

Officials say the proposed stadium could cost about $100 million with participation of other government agencies.

United competes in the United Soccer League, the second-highest level behind Major League Soccer in the United States.

New Mexico Sees 3rd Suspected Case Of Botulism In 2019Associated Press

New Mexico health officials are investigating the third suspected case of botulism this year.

The department said Friday that a patient hospitalized in Albuquerque is believed to have wound botulism, a rare illness that can lead to muscle paralysis and death of left untreated.

Botulism was confirmed in people hospitalized in May and October. The health department says all three cases are linked to the use of injection drugs.

Botulism is caused by a nerve toxin produced by a bacterium. It can grow from infected wounds associated with drug use.

The health department is advising doctors to be on the lookout of botulism symptoms in patients who have reported injecting drugs. Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, dropping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness and difficulty swallowing.

Trial Date Postponed In Drunken Driving Case Against SenatorAssociated Press

A November trial date is being postponed for a New Mexico state senator charged with drunken driving in connection with a car crash.

Court records on Friday showed that the trial date for Sen. Richard Martinez of Ojo Caliente is rescheduled for late December.

Martinez has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving.

The former magistrate and influential Democratic chairman of the Senate judiciary committee declined to discuss court proceedings as he attended legislative hearings this week.

Police say Martinez refused a breath test to determine his blood-alcohol level after slamming into the back of another vehicle at a stoplight in June in the community of Española. Police lapel video showed Martinez responding to officers with slurred speech.

Martinez is running for re-election in 2020.

State Police Identify Officer Who Shot Man Near AlamogordoAssociated Press

The New Mexico State Police have identified the officer who fatally shot a 22-year-old man during a traffic stop west of Alamogordo earlier this month.

The state police identified the officer as Jantzen Duran. He has two years of experience with the state police and is stationed in Alamogordo.

Authorities say Duran stopped Benjamin Diaz on Nov. 1 for driving 106 mph in a 60 mph zone on US Highway 70. Authorities say he attacked the officer with a folding box cutter and tried to disarm him, prompting Duran to fire once at Diaz.

The officer was treated for stab wounds and released. Diaz died at El Paso University Medical Center.

Authorities say the car Diaz was driving was in the process of being reported stolen from Las Cruces.

9-Year-Old Boy Catches Massive Blue Catfish In New MexicoAssociated Press

He caught a fish “this” big. No, really.

A 9-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 42-pound blue catfish Sunday evening while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir.

Kris Flores said his son, Alex, made the big catch by himself and shattered dad’s record of reeling in a 36-pound fish.

Flores says the fourth grader named the fish Wailord after the Pokemon character. The father says his son released the fish back into the reservoir after taking some photos and videos.

The biggest fish ever reportedly caught in Elephant Butte history was 78 pounds.

Full-time Assistant US Attorney To Be Stationed In Roswell - Associated Press

U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson has announced the appointment of a full-time Assistant U.S. Attorney to be stationed permanently in Roswell.

Anderson says the move will help his office serve southeastern New Mexico and enhance its partnerships with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in the region.

Officials from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and others joined Anderson in making the announcement Thursday at the offices of the Roswell Police Department.

The federal agencies routinely work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute a wide-variety of federal criminal activity.

Ex-County Deputy Indicted For Using Stun Gun On Student Associated Press

A grand jury has indicted a former Rio Arriba County deputy Wednesday on a child abuse charge and other counts after authorities say he used a stun gun on a high school student.

New Mexico authorities say former deputy Jeremy Barnes is suspected of shocking a 15-year-old student with special needs May 10 at Española Valley High School.

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office filed multiple charges against Barnes Sept. 23. Barnes was fired Sept. 20.

Barnes said in a police report that the boy was verbally uncooperative and would not comply with security to be searched for drugs.

School board and district officials have condemned his actions.

Online court records don't list a lawyer for Barnes who could comment on the allegations.

N. Scott Momaday Remembers 1969 Pulitzer, Promises Memoir - By Russell Contreras Associated Press

Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his groundbreaking novel “House Made of Dawn,” says he’s not done writing and is vowing to finish his long-anticipated memoir.

In a rare interview with The Associated Press, the 85-year-old author says he’s excited about a new PBS documentary about his life. But he remains surprised other writers have said his work has influenced them.

Momaday says he’s proud to see so many new Native American writers have successful careers since the publication of his first novel. The Oklahoma-born Momaday, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, says he’s working on three new books.

The American Masters documentary series is set to air “N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear” on most PBS stations on Monday.

Officials Tout New Mexico’s Potential As Outdoor Rec CapitalAssociated Press

The head of New Mexico’s new office of outdoor recreation says the potential for the Land of Enchantment to become the go-to place for outdoor enthusiasts is enormous.

Axie Navas testified before a panel of state lawmakers Thursday. She said the industry already contributes billions of dollars to New Mexico’s coffers but there’s room to grow.

She and others pointed to western states that have been able to coordinate efforts to grow outdoor recreation through dedicated agencies.

Now that New Mexico has its own office, Navas says she’s focused on sharing with key industry players the well-kept secret of the state’s outdoor offerings — from world-class quail hunting to mountain biking.

A regional official with the U.S. Forest Service told lawmakers it’s like the sleeping giant in the outdoor recreation world is awakening.

Walmart Where Mass Shooting Occurred ReopensAssociated Press

Customers have returned to a Walmart in Texas that had been closed since a gunman fatally shot 22 people there in August.

About 50 shoppers lined up early Thursday to enter the renovated Walmart in the border city of El Paso. They streamed past dozens of sheriff's deputies, security guards and store employees.

Walmart didn’t have a guard in the store on the day of the mass shooting. Since then, the retail giant has quietly hired off-duty officers to work at all of its area stores.

The move comes amid ongoing lawsuits over store safety.

A suburban Dallas man, Patrick Crusius, has pleaded not guilty to carrying out the attack. Authorities say he confessed to the shooting and that he targeted Mexicans.