New Mexico Governor Announces Ambitious Legislative Agenda- Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced an ambitious policy agenda ahead of a 30-day legislative session.
Lujan Grisham says she'll consider bills to reinstate New Mexico's tax credit for rooftop solar panels, to facilitate pharmaceutical imports and to criminalize terrorist threats and conduct. She confirmed her support for legislative efforts to provide tuition-free college to about 55,000 New Mexico residents, shore up a major public pension fund, authorize recreational marijuana sales and adopt so-called red flag gun legislation that sets up procedures for temporary firearms seizures.
NM GOP Courting Latinos, Native American Voters – Associated Press
New Mexico Republicans will embark on an aggressive strategy to win over Hispanic and Native American voters in 2020 as the party experiences its most diverse primary races in recent history, state chairman Steve Pearce announced.
Pearce said the state party will appoint Hispanic and Native American outreach coordinators in all of the state’s 33 counties. He is also urging all candidates to travel to Democratic strongholds instead of just focusing on the GOP’s traditional base.
Native Americans and Latinos are running in two GOP primaries for U.S. House seats and for the U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico.
New Mexico Senator Serves DWI Sentence, Released From Jail- Associated Press
A county jail has released New Mexico state Sen. Richard Martinez after he served his four-day sentence for aggravated drunken driving. Court records show the Democratic senator was booked into the Santa Fe County jail Friday and was released Tuesday. Martinez was sentenced earlier this month to five days in jail, but received one-day credit for time served after his arrest. Martinez also received 85 days of supervised probation, is required to attend DWI school and must have an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle. Martinez has stepped down from Senate leadership roles after his conviction, but has refused to step down from his seat.
New Mexico Jail Bans On-Site Visits, Offers Video Chats Instead – Farmington Daily Times, Associated Press
A New Mexico jail is no longer allowing family and friends to speak to detainees on-site and will offer only off-site phone or online video chats. The Farmington Daily Times reports the San Juan County Adult Detention Center made the announcement this month. The county says the change will reduce the travel burden for families. But the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative says hundreds of jails and prisons across the United States have moved away from in-person visits. The group Face to Face Knox found that ending in-person visitation at the Knox County Jail in Knoxville, Tennessee, made the jail more dangerous.
Report Finds NM Is 49th In Country In Child Poverty- Associated Press
A child-advocacy group says New Mexico's child poverty rate rose slightly and continues to rank near the bottom nationally. New Mexico Voices for Children released Wednesday the 2019 New Mexico Kids Count Data Book that found 26% of the state's children in 2018 remained at or below the federal poverty line. That places the state back to 49th nationally in child poverty. A similar study last year showed New Mexico ranked 48th. The report found 30% of the state's Hispanic children were living in poverty, as were 41% of New Mexico's Native American children.
Lab Director Says Innovation Key For Peace, National Security- Associated Press
With so many threats to peace and stability around the globe, the new leader of the United States' largest federal laboratory said Wednesday that it's critical the nation find ways to stay ahead when it comes to what he described as a “race for innovation.”
James Peery took the helm at Sandia National Laboratories at the start of the year, becoming the 16th director to oversee the lab in its 70-year history. With a multibillion-dollar budget and campuses in New Mexico and California, Sandia focuses on national security work that spans everything from ensuring the safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal to development of reliable energy sources, nanotechnology and biomedical research.
Aside from potential military conflicts, Peery said the world also faces a growing threat of natural and man-made disasters and that the lab's scientists and researchers have a role in preparing for and responding to those problems.
New Mexico Puts Oil And Gas Firms On Notice Due To Methane - Associated Press
New Mexico environmental officials say special infrared cameras have turned up potential emissions violations by several oil and gas operators.
The Environment Department has conducted flyover inspections using the cameras.
That footage along with other images gathered by citizens are included on the department's online interactive methane map.
In response, the agency has sent written notices to the companies asking for an explanation about the emissions and requesting corrections be made.
If the companies don't respond, the state says it may launch an investigation or assess civil penalties.
Superintendent Of Troubled Espanola Schools Steps Down - Rio Grande Sun, Associated Press
A superintendent of a troubled New Mexico school district plagued by a teacher shortage is stepping down.
Española Public Schools superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez announced this week she will not seek an extension of her contract that expires on June 30.
Parents and students at Española Valley High School are complaining about an online program many freshmen failed this past semester.
The Rio Grande Sun reports a high number of teacher vacancies and lack of substitutes have forced some Española Valley High School students to spend class time in the cafeteria taking online classes.
New Mexico Man Given Deferred Sentence For Forged Ballots - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
A New Mexico man has received a deferred sentence for forging signatures on applications for absentee ballots in a 2016 municipal election.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported 24-year-old Dyon Herrera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the municipal code in Española.
Herrera's sentence allows him to avoid a felony conviction on his record if he completes 18 months of probation without a violation.
Herrera's plea agreement included testifying in an election fraud case against Laura Seeds.
Herrera says he signed ballot applications at her request while working on a campaign to re-elect her husband, Española City Councilor Robert Seeds.
NM, CSU Meet In Conference Play - Associated Press
Both the Men’s and Women’s teams take on the respective squads from Colorado State Tonight. The men’s team play sin Fort Collins, Colorado as the women’s team looks to defend The Pit.
New Mexico mens team is (15-3, 4-1) vs. Colorado State (11-7, 2-3)
New Mexico womens team is (10-8, 1-4) vs. Colorado State (8-8, 2-3)
DID YOU KNOW: New Mexico (men) has attempted the fourth-most free throws in all of Division I. The Lobos have averaged 25.3 free throws per game and 27.6 per game over their last five games.
US Nuclear Waste Dump Takes In First Large Shipment In Years - Associated Press
The U.S. government's only underground nuclear waste repository has taken in its first large shipment in six years, following a process that involved recertification and retraining of workers.
The shipment using a special large cask came from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and included contaminated glove boxes and other large-scale analytical equipment.
Officials say the large casks are 14 feet long and weigh about 50,000 pounds.
That's more than double the weight of the containers that typically are used to ship waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern New Mexico.