New Mexico To Get $2.3M In Equifax Data Breach Settlement – Associated Press
New Mexico will receive more than $2 million as part of a settlement between Equifax and the U.S. government over a massive 2017 data breach.
Attorney General Hector Balderas' office announced in a news release Monday that New Mexico residents are among consumers who will receive restitution.
The $700 million settlement includes up to $425 million for consumers and $175 million for various states.
The company will also extend credit monitoring services for 10 years for impacted consumers.
The breach was one of the largest ever to threaten private information including Social Security and other data on nearly 150 million people.
It is estimated 860,000 of them live in New Mexico.
The consumer reporting agency, based in Atlanta, did not detect the attack for more than six weeks.
UFC's Jon Jones Disputes Strip Club Waitress' Assault Claim – Associated Press
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is denying allegations that he assaulted a waitress in a New Mexico strip club.
Denise White, a representative for Jones, said in a statement Monday that he is confident he will be cleared of the "baseless claim."
According to White, the fighter only became aware of the battery charge against him Sunday through Albuquerque news outlets.
Jones is accused of placing the waitress in a chokehold and slapping her genitals during an April visit.
Court records show a bench warrant was issued for Jones when he never attended a bond arraignment last month.
White says Jones has since paid the bond and the warrant was lifted.
Jones is coming off of a 15-month suspension last year for doping.
He plans to fight in December.
Senate Candidate Reads Mueller Report Aloud From Kitchen – Associated Press
A Democratic contender for U.S. Senate is reading aloud special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election to highlight her support for immediate impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver on Monday read the report from her home kitchen table for a social media broadcast, in anticipation of Mueller's scheduled testimony this week before Congress.
Campaign spokeswoman Heather Brewer said Toulouse Oliver would spend about seven hours reading aloud the second of two volumes from the report that focuses on obstruction of justice.
Toulouse Oliver is competing with U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján for the Democratic nomination in 2020 to succeed Sen. Tom Udall as he retires. Luján has resisted attempts to begin impeachment before additional evidence is collected.
Trump Expands Fast-Track Deportation Authority Across US – Associated Press
The Trump administration is expanding the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without requiring them to appear before judges ahead of deportation.
The Homeland Security Department said Monday that fast-track deportations will apply to anyone in the country illegally less than two years.
Until now those deportations applied only to people caught crossing the U.S. border by land and not entering by boat or plane.
The department says the expansion "expedited removal" authority will allow it to more efficiently pursue large numbers of people in the country illegally and promptly remove them.
Omar Jawdat of the American Civil Liberties says his group and the American Immigration Council will challenge the measure in court.
The announcement came a week after the administration adopted a major policy shift to limit asylum.
New Mexico City Honors Firefighter Who Died – Associated Press
Roswell officials say they're honoring a firefighter who died from injuries in a fireworks explosion with a procession.
Officials say the procession for Jeff Stroble, who died Sunday, would begin at the Roswell Air Center late Monday afternoon and end at the Anderson-Bethany Funeral home.
Roswell Fire Chief Devin Graham says Stroble died in Lubbock, Texas, where he was hospitalized for injuries suffered in the June 5 explosion. He was 46.
He was one of two firefighters critically injured in the blast while moving fireworks material at a New Mexico storage area for a Fourth of July show. Roswell firefighter Robert "Hoby" Bonham was sent home from the hospital in late June.
Twelve firefighters in all were hurt in the explosion. Most suffered minor injuries.
New Mexico Deputies Fatally Shoot Woman Near Albuquerque – Associated Press
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office says a woman was fatally shot after multiple deputies fired at her during a domestic violence call.
Undersheriff Rudy Mora told reporters early Monday the woman was shot after she jumped out of an RV and "aggressively approached" the deputies. Mora says the female was armed but it's unclear what type of weapon she held.
Mora says the female, whose name was not released, was declared dead at the scene and one deputy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The shooting occurred in Albuquerque's South Valley neighborhood after deputies responded to a domestic violence report. It is being investigated by a multi-agency task force.
Navajo Nation Wants Feds To Address Opioid Risk – Associated Press
President Jonathan Nez, who leads the country's largest Native American reservation, said Monday the findings are "very concerning."
He says his administration plans to reach out to Indian Health Service officials and Congress to ensure the matter is addressed.
The report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General asserts five hospitals failed to follow the agency's protocols for prescribing and dispensing drugs.
The Navajo Nation is among several tribes, local governments and other agencies suing pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors over the opioid crisis.
The tribe has said American Indians suffer disproportionately from opioid dependency or abuse.
Audit Finds Hospitals Put Native Americans At Risk With Opioids- Associated Press
Government hospitals placed Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses, failing to follow their own protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs, according to a federal audit released Monday.
The report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General doesn't draw any conclusions about actual abuse or overdoses. But it said all five Indian Health Service hospitals it reviewed had patients who were given opioids in amounts that exceeded federal guidelines.
The overdose epidemic that has killed more people than any other drug epidemic in U.S. history has hit indigenous communities hard. Native Americans and Alaska Natives had the second-highest rate of opioid overdose out of all racial and ethnic groups in 2017, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
US Hotels Caught In Fight Over Housing Detained Migrants- Associated Press
There's a new target in the clash over immigration: hotels.
Advocacy groups and unions are pressuring Marriott, MGM and others not to house migrants who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
For decades, the U.S. government has occasionally detained migrants in hotels, and Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence says it might have to split up families if hotels don't help.
It's the latest example of a private industry caught in the political fray of an overtaxed immigration system.
When the Trump administration announced immigration arrests targeting families the weekend of July 13th and said it might use hotels, the big companies responded. Marriott, Hilton, Choice Hotels, Best Western, Wyndham, Hyatt, IHG and MGM Resorts all released statements saying they don't want their hotels used to detain migrants.
Police Say Transgender Woman Accused Of Killing Albuquerque Man- Associated Press
Authorities say a transgender woman has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man.
Albuquerque police say 25-year-old Beverly Benito was booked into jail Saturday night on suspicion of murder and tampering with evidence.
They say 53-year-old Jack Kyselka was found bleeding from the stomach early Friday outside a convenience store.
A store employee called 911, but Kyselka was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy report says Kyselka had a stab wound to the left side of his chest that punctured his heart and caused him to bleed out.
The report also says Kyselka had cuts to his face, feet and left palm.
It was unclear Sunday if Benito has a lawyer yet.
Editor's Note: This story has been edited to conform with AP Style guidelines for referring to transgender people by their preferred name and refraining from using their previous name, or deadname, unless it is absolutely necessary for the story.
New Mexico Farmers Thankful For Extra Moisture- Gallup Independent, Associated Press
Parts of western New Mexico are benefiting from the extra moisture received over the winter and spring as a result of a favorable weather pattern.
The Gallup Independent reports Ramah Lake was almost filled to capacity, allowing local farmers to irrigate with water from the lake. This marks a turnaround from 2014, when extreme drought left the lake completely dry.
The unpredictable weather, drought, the high alkalinity in the mountain soil and the challenges of growing crops at higher elevations make it difficult to earn a living with farming at Ramah and surrounding areas.
Dean Bond, 81, was using his tractor on a recent afternoon to till the soil on his field in Ramah in preparation for planting what would be only his second crop in recent years.
New Mexico Utility Seeks Feedback On Closure Of Coal Plant- Associated Press
In what's expected to be a long, contentious process, a few dozen people gathered recently in Albuquerque for the first public meeting hosted by PNM on the planned shutdown of its coal-fired power plant.
PNM, the state's largest electric utility, is seeking feedback on four proposed options for replacing the power that will be lost when the San Juan Generating Station closes in 2022.
The proposals are outlined in a filing made earlier this month with the Public Regulation Commission.
Regulators will review the options in public hearings over the next nine to 15 months.
PNM also will hold meetings in August with organizations that want to test potential changes in the different scenarios using modeling tools to determine costs and feasibility.
According to the utility, the least costly option for ratepayers would involve replacing San Juan's capacity with a mix of solar, wind, natural gas and battery storage systems. Critics have said 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.
In Some States, GOP Sees The Recall As Its Way Back To Power- Associated Press
Republicans frustrated by losing their grip on political power in some Western states have begun deploying a new weapon: the recall.
Once reserved for targeting corrupt or inept elected officials, the recall has become part of the toolkit for Republicans seeking a do-over of election results.
To be sure, Democrats also have used recalls, most notably in Wisconsin, where they tried unsuccessfully to oust then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2012 over his actions to weaken public sector unions.
But Republicans have been mounting recall efforts against Democratic state lawmakers and governors at an unprecedented rate over the past two years in a handful of Western states, at the same time their political fortunes in those states have been declining.