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Moisture Brings Drought Relief To Southwest, Senate Approves Gun Background Checks

Megan Kamerick
Snowfall in Albuquerque

Experts Say Southwestern Us Sees Some Drought Relief - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

Drought conditions in much of the southwestern United States have improved due to surges of moisture over the last few months, but national forecasters and climate experts are warning that it hasn't been enough to alleviate concerns about long-term water supplies around the region.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center and others held a briefing Thursday on the conditions in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

While Arizona is greening up and Colorado and Utah are enjoying near average or better snowpack, northern New Mexico is still home to the two driest spots in the nation.

Climatologist Nancy Selover says for those areas where soil moisture levels are already low, it will be harder for the snowpack to replenish streams, rivers and reservoirs this spring.

New Mexico Senate Backs Gun Background ChecksAssociated Press

A bill that would expand background checks on private gun sales in New Mexico has cleared its last major hurdle with the approval of the state Senate.

The Senate voted 22-20 on Thursday to pass the Democrat-sponsored bill that would close a loophole that allows many private sales without a background check against a federal database of prohibited buyers.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vowed to sign the legislation. The House and Senate have approved similar background-check bills and still must agree on one to send to the governor.

Background checks are part of a slate of gun regulation and school safety proposals making their way through the Democrat-led Legislature over the objections of Republican lawmakers and dozens of rural sheriffs.

New Mexico Weighs New Checks On Guns SalesAssociated Press

A bill that would expand background checks to include most private gun sales in New Mexico is under deliberation in the state Senate.

The Senate on Thursday amended the bill to exempt sales between immediate family members including aunts, uncles and first cousins. Democratic Senate majority leader and bill sponsor Peter Wirth says background checks also would not apply when guns are inherited, loaned or given away.

Senate approval is the last major hurdle for the proposal to expand background checks to private gun sales arranged over the internet and at gun shows.

The state House has approved nearly identical legislation over opposition from Republicans and a handful of Democratic legislators. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging lawmakers to send the reforms to her desk.

New Mexico Governor Urges Action On Gun Background ChecksAssociated Press

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging the state Senate to act on a bill that would expand background checks to all private gun sales.

The Democratic governor delivered a written message to the Senate on Thursday's first anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.

A shot was fired Thursday on the grounds of a high school in Rio Rancho, but police say no one was injured and a suspect was in custody.

Lujan Grisham says she respects 2nd Amendment rights and also "will not abide inaction when innocent lives are at stake."

The Senate bill would close a loophole allowing private sales without checking a federal database of people with felony convictions and severe mental disorders.

Wildlife Advocates Push Protections For Prairie Birds - Associated Press

Wildlife advocates have begun legal proceedings against U.S. officials for allegedly failing to protect a ground-dwelling bird species that's seen its habitat shrink due to farming and energy exploration.

The lesser-prairie chicken roams portions of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

It was listed as a federally-threatened species in 2014. That was reversed two years later under court order.

The Center for Biological Diversity and two other groups on Thursday filed notice they intend to sue the U.S. Department of Interior for not acting on their 2016 petition to restore protections.

Aerial surveys show lesser-prairie chicken populations trending upward in recent years and topping 38,000 birds in 2018. But the survey also raised concerns that drought over portions of the birds' range could lead to a downturn in 2019.

Operator Of Sports Bars Agrees To Settle Sex-Harassment CaseAssociated Press

An Albuquerque-based operator of sports bars has agreed to pay $700,000, implement new training requirements and take other steps to settle federal civil rights officials' allegations that the business subjected workers to sex-based harassment and retaliation.

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina denied engaging in any unlawful sexual harassment, retaliation or other unlawful conduct alleged by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but agreed to apologize to a female former worker who allegedly was fired because she complained about the alleged mistreatment.

The EEOC said a manager texted a photo of his penis to that worker.

The agency also said at least 12 women at the Albuquerque Ojos Cantina were forced to endure "pervasive, egregious and unwelcome conduct" that included requests to show more cleavage in their uniforms and text requests for sex.

Convicted Killer In Library Shooting Apologizes To Victims Eastern New Mexico News, Associated Press

A man who was convicted of first-degree murder in a fatal shooting at a New Mexico library made his first public address in court since the August 2017 rampage.

The Eastern New Mexico News reports Nathaniel Jouett, who turned 18 last month, apologized on Wednesday to dozens of victims and said he wanted to get better.

Jouett pleaded guilty to 30 felony counts from the shooting, including two first-degree murder charges for the deaths of library employees Wanda Walters and Krissie Carter.

The state requested Jouett serve 96 years in the Department of Corrections.

Defense attorney Stephen Taylor asked that his client only serve 20 years in prison.

Judge James Hudson is scheduled to announce Jouett's sentencing at 2 p.m. on Friday.

Fentanyl Deaths From 'Mexican Oxy' Pills Hit Arizona Hard - By Anita Snow, Associated Press

Illicit fentanyl smuggled from Mexico into the Southwest has become a profitable new business for drug gangs, helping push the synthetic opioid to the top spot for fatal U.S. overdoses.

Fentanyl powder and sky blue pills known as "Mexican oxy" are being distributed around the U.S. as the drug surpasses heroin for overdose deaths.

But some stays behind in Arizona and other southwestern states, making the region bordering Mexico a hot spot in the nation's fentanyl crisis and affecting all demographic groups.

Among those killed by the fentanyl pills was Aaron Francisco Chavez, a 19-year-old from Tucson who was a prep cook and dreamed of become a chef to support his young daughter.

He died after taking at least one pill at a Halloween party.

University Of New Mexico, City Partner On Homelessness - Associated Press

The University of New Mexico, the UNM Health Sciences Center and the city of Albuquerque are acknowledging issues around homelessness in New Mexico's most populated area and are pledging to take further action.

Officials with the three entities signed a letter of intent Wednesday and announced plans to establish a steering committee that will identify areas where they can collaborate.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller called homelessness a harsh reality and said the partnership will allow the entities to pool their resources to increase access to behavioral health and addiction services.

UNM Health Sciences Center Chancellor Paul Roth says there's a critical shortage of services, providers and resources in New Mexico and officials are taking proactive steps to address the shortages.

Officials also acknowledged the need for additional emergency shelters.

Gun-Seizure Bill And Minimum Wage Hike Advance In New Mexico - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press

New Mexico's House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, passed a bill that would make it easier to take guns away from people who may be suicidal or a risk to others, in an emotionally charged debate on the eve of Thursday's anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The gun-seizure bill would allow police or household members to seek court orders requiring people deemed threatening to temporarily surrender their guns.

The House also gave its approval Wednesday to raising New Mexico's statewide minimum wage for the first time in a decade. That bill would increase base wages from $7.50 an hour to $12 by July 2021, with automatic increases tied to inflation thereafter.

The initiatives now move to the Senate — the last major hurdle for two bills favored by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

New Mexico Reverses Course On Medicaid Charges For Patients - Associated Press

New Mexico is reversing course on its plans to charge some patients covered by Medicaid a monthly insurance premium of $10 and co-payments of $8 on certain brand-name drugs and visits to the emergency room for routine medical care.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the decision Wednesday to seek a reversal of provisions instituted by her Republican predecessor that were designed to conserve state spending on Medicaid.

Lujan Grisham says the new federally approved charges and limitations on eligibility threaten to limit access to emergency services and disrupt health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents covered by Medicaid insurance for those who are low-income and living with disabilities.

A letter requesting a reversal has been sent to the health care regulators at the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

States Weigh Bills Addressing Native Deaths, Disappearances - By Mary Hudetz, Associated Press

Lawmakers in at least seven states have introduced legislation to address the unsolved deaths and disappearances of numerous Native American women and girls.

The legislation calls for state-funded task forces and other actions amid deepening concerns that law enforcement agencies lack the data and resources to understand the scope of the crisis.

On some reservations, federal studies have shown women are killed at more than 10 times the national average.

An Associated Press review of the bills found that lawmakers in New Mexico, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, Washington and Arizona have sponsored measures on the issue.

In Montana, a bill named for Hanna Harris — a 21-year-old found slain on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in 2013 — proposes that state authorities hire a specialist to enter cases into databases and serve as a liaison between authorities and families.

New Mexico Bill Offers $6,000 Tax Credit On Rooftop Solar - Associated Press

New Mexico would provide a $6,000 credit against taxes for households, small business and farms that install rooftop solar energy systems under a bill introduced Tuesday.

The proposal from Democratic Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque would set aside up to $10 million a year for the credits.

The credit can be carried over the course of up to five years for applicants with small annual tax liabilities.

In a statement, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham endorsed the tax break as a way to create more jobs in the clean-power sector and address climate change concerns.

The governor's Republican predecessor blocked a similar measure approved by the Legislature last year. Republican legislators derided that bill as a tax break for the affluent.

New Mexico County Aims To Buck Lawmakers With Gun Resolution - KRQE-TV, Associated Press

A small New Mexico county has passed a resolution in protest of gun control legislation in the Legislature.

KRQE-TV reports Quay County has declared itself a "Second Amendment Sanctuary County" under a resolution approved by commissioners.

New Mexico House Republicans, who do not have control of the chamber, issued a statement Wednesday commending the move. GOP lawmakers also represent the minority in the Senate.

A host of Democratic-sponsored gun control bills include a push for broader background checks on private gun sales to prevent felons from illegally purchasing firearms. State law already requires the checks on sales by licensed gun dealers.

Under this year's measure, the requirement for background checks would be expanded to include sales between private citizens.

The New Mexico Sheriffs' Association says the laws would be unenforceable.

Charges Filed In High-profile New Mexico Trapping Case - Associated Press

New Mexico wildlife authorities say charges have been filed in a trapping case that is fueling this year's debate among lawmakers over whether the practice should be banned on public lands.

The state Game and Fish Department announced Wednesday that while Marty Cordova had a valid license, he's accused of running illegal trap lines that resulted in the unlawful harvest of wildlife and the death of a dog named Roxy.

The legislation named after Roxy is pending in the House. It's sponsored by three Democrats from northern New Mexico.

Conservation officers served a search warrant at Cordova's home in January and seized snares and foot-hold traps that weren't properly marked. They also found bobcat pelts and skulls as well as fox, badger and ringtail pelts.

It wasn't immediately clear if the 42-year-old Chimayo man had a lawyer.

Police Identify Man Who Killed Himself With Homemade Bomb - Associated Press

Police have identified a man they say killed himself with a homemade bomb behind an Albuquerque shopping center.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Tuesday that 32-year-old Gregory Shewmake set off the explosive last week next to a dumpster in the loading area behind the center.

Gallegos says police believe Shewmake's death was a suicide.

No one else was injured in the explosion.

Shewmake's wife declined an interview and other family members could not be reached.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Sandoval County, Shewmake's wife told police he was addicted to heroin, was using when he was supposed to be caring for their child and was possibly hanging out at a "drug house" in Albuquerque.

Police are investigating the incident.