Lawmakers Assured Review Of Nuclear Weapons Work To Be Open - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation say they've been assured by U.S. officials that a review of a proposal to ramp up production of key components for the nation's nuclear arsenal will be open and transparent.
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan said in a joint statement to The Associated Press that they received assurances from federal officials that the review process also will include an opportunity for public comment.
The Democrats were briefed last week by federal officials after the National Nuclear Security Administration announced it did not need to do a more expansive nationwide review of the impacts of building plutonium cores at federal installations in New Mexico and South Carolina.
Watchdogs say the site-specific review planned for Los Alamos National Laboratory will fall short of what's needed for such a major undertaking.
The mission of producing the plutonium cores has been based at Los Alamos for years but none have been made since 2011 as the lab has been dogged by a string of safety problems and concerns about a lack of accountability.
New Mexico Officials Urge Health Providers To Be Vigilant – Associated Press
New Mexico health officials on Wednesday urged doctors and other providers across the state to be proactive and vigilant as more than 500 cases of a new viral respiratory illness have been confirmed in China and elsewhere since an outbreak began last month.
State Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said no cases have been detected in New Mexico, and cases are not expected to be directly imported into the state.
"However, our New Mexico's medical providers need to be attentive to every patient's travel history and symptoms," she said.
The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses.
While originally thought to be spreading from animal-to-person, the New Mexico Health Department said limited person-to-person spread is happening and it's unclear how easily this virus spreads between people.
GOP Leader Chides Lujan Grisham For Ignoring Oil In Speech - By Russell Contreras And Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico's leading House Republican says he found it disrespectful that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham failed to mention the oil and gas industry in her State of the State speech.
GOP House Minority Leader James Townsend of Artesia said Tuesday the industry is providing record revenues to the state's coffers and will end up funding some of the Democrat's educational initiatives. He says the governor should have acknowledged that.
In her State of the State speech to mark the beginning of New Mexico's Legislative session, Lujan Grisham urged legislators to legalize recreational marijuana, underwrite tuition-free college for residents and boost spending on early childhood education amid efforts to improve economic opportunity in a state with the highest rate of poverty in the American West.
She also advocated teacher pay raises and new "cradle-to-career" investments in public education that include $74 million in new annual general fund spending for early childhood programs.
Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki says the governor throughout her first year in office has made it clear that she appreciates the state's the oil and gas industry.
Arizona's Biggest Utility Vows All Clean Power By 2050 - By Bob Christie, Associated Press
Arizona's largest electric utility says it plans to switch to 100% carbon-neutral power generation by 2050. Wednesday's announcement marks a sharp turnaround by Arizona Public Service.
It spent $38 million two years ago to fight a ballot proposal that required utilities to get half their power from renewable sources by 2030.
The utility's chairman and CEO says the plan is different than the defeated ballot measure because it's flexible.
As part of the plan, the company will close a major New Mexico coal-fired power plant seven years early. It will rely on the nation's largest nuclear power plant as it adds renewable power, battery storage and other sources.
The company operates and owns the majority of the massive Four Corners Power Plant outside Farmington. It uses coal from a mine in the Navajo Nation, and 80% of its 327 workers are Native American.
The Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter calls it "a good start."
Judge Hints He May Rule For Migrants In Border Patrol Suit - By Astrid Galvan Associated Press
A judge indicated Wednesday he may side with migrants in a lawsuit that alleges extreme overcrowding and inhumane conditions at some of the Border Patrol's facilities in Arizona.
U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury criticized the lack of measures taken by the Border Patrol to address persistent overcrowding and lengthy times in custody. He didn't say exactly when he would rule but indicated it would be the end of next week at the earliest.
Attorneys representing migrants who have been held in the agency's facilities in Tucson want Bury to issue a broad order forcing the Border Patrol to improve several aspects of detention.
Primarily, they want migrants to have access to beds after a certain amount of time in custody. But they also want the judge to require the agency to provide more layers of clothing, access to showers, food that's assessed by a nutritionist and the ability to dim lights in sleeping facilities.
Currently, migrants are placed in holding cells with no beds but are given thin sleeping mats. They have derisively referred to the conditions as living in ice boxes.
The government says the attorneys for the migrants have not proven any constitutional violations and that the agency has taken steps to reduce time in custody. It says many things are out of the agency's control, such as whether other agencies involved in taking migrants have capacity.
Court Takes Another Look At Native American Adoption Law - By Kevin McGill, The Associated Press
A federal appeals court is taking a new look at a law giving preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings involving Native American children.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in August. Opponents of the 1978 law sought and got a re-hearing. On Wednesday, the full 16-member court is to hear arguments.
Opponents of the law called it an unconstitutional race-based intrusion on states' powers to govern adoptions. American Indian groups say the law helps protect and preserve Native American families.
Netflix Announces New Mexico Investments Including New Film – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Netflix Inc. has announced it is making additional investments in New Mexico including a jobs training program and the production of a new film.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the announcement comes one year after Netflix signed a deal to purchase Albuquerque Studios. Netflix says an upcoming original film starring Idris Elba and produced by Jay-Z will be made in New Mexico.
The project is expected to be filmed in and around Santa Fe County. Netflix also plans a partnership with NBCUniversal and the state of New Mexico to launch a training program for production jobs.
Netflix announced plans to purchase Albuquerque Studios in October 2018 and signed the deal in January 2019 for Netflix to spend $1 billion over a decade and add 1,000 jobs per year.
The state and city of Albuquerque contributed $10.4 million in Local Economic Development Act funds to secure the deal.
Netflix has spent more than $150 million qualified production in the state, used more than 2,000 production vendors and hired more than 1,600 cast and crew members during the last year, state officials said.
Governor Opens Legislative Session Urging Educational Investments – Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday urged legislators at the outset of the state's annual legislative session to rally around new financial commitments to public education that range from an expansion of preschool slots to free college tuition for local residents.
Lujan Grisham delivered her second State of the State speech as legislators weigh what to do with an $800 million budget surplus for the coming fiscal year. The increase in government income is linked largely to the increased production of oil in southeastern New Mexico.
The Democrat boasted about job growth over the past year and told lawmakers that investments aimed at building up opportunities need to continue to ensure the state has a bright future over the next decade and beyond.
She marked education as the key.
The governor also declared support for legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana, saying it's time for the state to act.
She also addressed public safety, saying violence is too prevalent in the state and that repeat offenders need to be stopped and held accountable.
The governor's priorities for the coming fiscal year would increase general fund spending by about 8%. Leading Republican lawmakers warn the proposed increase — on top of a 12% increase this year — will be hard to sustain if the economy or crucial oil industry falter.
New Mexico Regulators Open Hearing On PNM Replacement Power - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico regulators heard from dozens of people Tuesday as they began considering proposals by the state's largest electric utility to replace the power that will be lost with the planned closure of the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station in 2022.
The hearing before the Public Regulation Commission will stretch into next week, but it could be months before a decision is reached as other aspects of the case are in legal limbo.
The latest round of hearings involves how the utility plans to provide electricity to its customers once San Juan is shuttered. PNM contends the least costly option for customers involves a mix of solar, wind, natural gas and battery storage.
Critics say natural gas plants would also have to close eventually if PNM wants to meet its goal and state mandates of being emissions-free in a couple decades.
Some elected officials in San Juan County are fighting to keep the plant open as part of a proposed carbon-capture venture.
Coal miners and other employees who will be affected were among the environmentalists who packed the hearing Tuesday.
New Mexico Switches To New Licensing Test For Teachers - Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
New Mexico has opted for a new teacher candidate exam system that will mean a higher price tag for those taking the test for the first time.
Information from the state Public Education Department shows the change will cost teacher candidates up to $50 more for required assessments at the get-go. But officials tell the Albuquerque Journalthat the new system will provide more support to test takers and retakes will be free.
Under the previous testing platform, a candidate would pay full price for a second go at the exam.
The state previously used the National Evaluation Series to test K-12 educator hopefuls.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in her state of the state address Tuesday noted that New Mexico has reduced the teacher vacancy rate by 13% over the last year, but there are still more than 600 open positions.
Hope Morales, executive director of Teach Plus New Mexico, said the state should have an exam that is accessible but maintains high expectations.
US Forests In New Mexico Consider New Recreation Fees - Associated Press
Federal land managers are proposing adding new recreation fees, increasing some fees and doing away with some developed recreational sites around New Mexico that are managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The agency is seeking comment on proposed changes that would affect campgrounds and day-use sites on the Carson, Cibola, Gila, Lincoln and Santa Fe national forests.
The public will have until the end of the year to comment. Forest officials also are planning public meetings.
Regional officials say they're looking for ideas that may help cut costs and leverage resources when it comes to managing developed sites. That's because they say it has become increasingly more expensive to maintain and improve sites due to aging facilities, increases in visitation and limited resources.
While 95% of revenue from recreation fees and passes remain on the forests, officials say it's not enough to keep pace with the maintenance backlog.
New Mexico Lawmaker Wants To Let College Athletes Profit - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
A Republican state legislator and former university football lineman wants New Mexico to allow its college athletes to profit financially from their fame as the NCAA looks into possibly removing a longstanding prohibition on student earnings from sports.
State Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque says he's drafting legislation with the help of a Democratic Senate colleague that would allow students to profit indirectly from their participation in college sports.
Moores played as a lineman for University of New Mexico football from 1988 through 1991.
College sports generate billions of dollars in revenue, including $1 billion annually for the NCAA. But none of that money is allowed to go to college athletes.
NMSU Professor Gets Grant For Antibiotic-Resistance Research - Associated Press
A researcher at New Mexico State University has been awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health for her work on antibiotic resistance.
The university announced Tuesday that professor Paola Mera will use the five-year grant for equipment and labor that will be aimed at identifying new targets that can help others design new antibiotics so the growth of resistant bacteria can be controlled.
Bacteria can grow from one cell to billions in less than a day, so Mera's approach is to find out how bacteria maintain their genetic information intact after every cell division while growing so fast.
The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say antibiotic resistance is one of today's biggest health challenges. The CDC reports more than 2 million people in the U.S. get an antibiotic-resistant infection each year and about 23,000 die.
Petition Seeks Federal Protections For Rio Grande Fish - Associated Press
Environmentalists are asking federal wildlife managers to use the Endangered Species Act to protect a fish found only in the Rio Grande in Texas and the Pecos River in New Mexico.
WildEarth Guardians filed the petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday, saying it is part of a campaign focused on vulnerable species found in rivers and streams across the West.
The group contends the Rio Grande shiner is one of the aquatic and riparian species that will not survive into the next century without a significant change in the way rivers are managed.
A small freshwater fish, the shiner once inhabited the Rio Grande throughout New Mexico and Texas and the Pecos River as far north as Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The species has completely vanished from the Rio Grande in New Mexico and from large portions of the Rio Grande along the Texas-Mexico border.
Environmentalists say at least two similar species — the phantom shiner and the Rio Grande bluntnose shiner — have gone extinct in the past century.