New Mexico Preps For Trump After Past Rallies Sparked Unrest - By Russell Contreras And Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
New Mexico law enforcement agencies are prepping for an upcoming President Donald Trump rally three years after previous ones sparked turmoil in Albuquerque.
Police say they will be prepared Monday for the Trump event in Rio Rancho, a town northwest of Albuquerque, as protesters vow to step up acts of civil disobedience and demonstrations.
Police say several law enforcement agencies will help with security at the Santa Ana Star Center.
Demonstrators who participated in previous New Mexico Trump protests say they have discussed blocking traffic and lying down on highways to halt the scheduled appearance. Activist Javier Benavidez says he's insulted that Trump is visiting the state with the highest percentage of Hispanics on Sept. 16 — Mexican Independence Day.
Trump is making his first visit to New Mexico as president.
Officials Target New Mexico Business Over Unpaid Wages - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
State and local labor officials are targeting a New Mexico restaurant over allegations that it withheld wages from workers.
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, District Attorney Raul Torrez and the city of Albuquerque are suing Hacienda Del Rio and its owners, saying the business violated state wage statutes and city ordinances.
New Mexico Labor Secretary Bill McCamley says his agency has been working to educate employers about wage laws but some businesses have neglected to settle claims or respond to investigative inquiries related to underpayment or nonpayment of wages.
The case against Hacienda Del Rio stems from dozens of complaints made over the past two years. In a previous lawsuit, a district judge found the business was liable for thousands of dollars in back wages owed to four former workers.
New Mexico Woman Sentenced To 18 Years In Child Abuse Case – Farmington Daily Times, Associated Press
A New Mexico woman has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted of multiple felony charges including child abuse.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Wednesday that 55-year-old former foster mother Hope Graciano was convicted Tuesday after pleading no contest to one count of attempted child abuse, two counts of child abuse and one count of witness intimidation.
The Farmington Police Department launched an investigation in 2017 after Graciano brought a then-11-year-old boy she was caring for to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities say the boy told police Graciano beat him with a bed frame piece causing two black eyes and several bruises.
Graciano was a licensed foster mother through a recently closed foster care and adoption center in Albuquerque.
Graciano's attorney declined to comment on the hearing.
Vape Industry Has Dug Heels In On Flavor Bans - By Marina Villeneuve Associated Press
Efforts to ban flavored e-cigarettes and reduce their appeal to youngsters have sputtered under industry pressure in over a half-dozen states this year.
That has come even as one state, Michigan, moves ahead with its own restrictions and President Donald Trump promises federal ones.
The industry and its lobbyists urged lawmakers, at least, to leave the popular mint and menthol flavors alone.
But public health experts say that all flavors should be banned.
The fight in state legislatures has been fierce. Lobbyists for the vaping and tobacco industry fought bans on flavors in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Connecticut.
The proposal Trump outlined Wednesday would supersede any state inaction and includes a ban on mint and menthol.
Industry giant Juul Labs Inc. now says "we will fully comply with the final FDA policy when effective."
Immigration Tale 'El Norte' Returning To Theaters For 1 Day - By Anita Snow Associated Press
"El Norte," the seminal film about a brother and sister who flee violence in Guatemala to seek a new life in the United States, is returning to the big screen for one day this month for its 35th anniversary.
As the flood of Guatemalans and other Central Americans endure the arduous trek to The North, the movie feels as fresh today as it did more than a generation ago, when civil war raged in the highlands south of Mexico.
Restored with the help of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Gregory Nava's "El Norte" will be shown on Sept. 15 at some 200 movie theaters nationwide. The showing will feature an introduction by Nava, who was nominated for an Oscar for the film's screenplay.
Tickets are available through cinema distributor Fathom Events and participating movie theaters, including New Mexico.
New Mexico Stays Out Of Opioids Settlement With Purdue - Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is declining to join a tentative settlement agreement over the role OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma played in the nation's opioid addiction crisis.
Balderas' office on Wednesday said the proposal was not nearly enough to pay for the harm that has been done to New Mexico families.
The agreement with about half the states and attorneys representing roughly 2,000 local governments would have Purdue file for a structured bankruptcy and pay as much as $12 billion over time. About $3 billion would come from the Sackler family that controls Purdue.
Several attorneys general said the agreement is a better way to ensure compensation from Purdue and the Sacklers than taking their chances if Purdue files for bankruptcy on its own.
Authorities Find Body Of Girl, 5, In New Mexico – Associated Press
Authorities say they have found the body of a 5-year-old New Mexico girl who was reported missing Sunday.
FBI Special Agent James Langenberg, who heads the agency's Albuquerque office, said during a brief news conference Wednesday in Española that Renezmae Calzada's remains had been found. He did not say where.
He did not take questions after stating the investigation into Renezmae's case would continue. He says authorities were working to identify who might be responsible for her death.
Authorities say the girl was last seen Sunday morning outside her home in Española, and she was reported missing that evening. Authorities have not explained why there was a delay.
Langenberg says the searched for Renezmae included Española and 2 miles of the Rio Grande.
New Mexico Developing Plans To Address Ozone Pollution – Farmington Daily Times, Associated Press
New Mexico environmental officials are working on plans to address ozone pollution as a number of counties are pushing the limit set by federal regulators.
The Daily Times in Farmington reports that a monitor near Navajo Lake in northwestern New Mexico has met the ozone limit of 70 parts per billion set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
San Juan County is one of seven New Mexico counties that exceed 95 percent of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone. The others are Eddy, Lea, Dona Ana, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Valencia.
The state Environment Department is holding meetings and drafting ozone attainment plans.
Right now, any measures taken to lower ozone levels will be voluntary. But if a county goes into non-attainment status, the measures become mandatory.
New Mexico Marijuana Task Force Proposes Licensing Companies – Associated Press
A New Mexico task force studying proposal options to legalize recreational cannabis has opposed state-operated marijuana stores.
The Cannabis Legalization Working Group set up by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has proposed the state license companies that would grow and sell marijuana, and operate their stores.
The task force says the recommendations are similar to what's already in place for the medical cannabis program.
Members opposed the idea of local governments banning marijuana sales entirely, but say they would still permit cities to impose zoning restrictions and similar regulations.
A bill to legalize recreational cannabis passed the House this year, but did not clear the Senate.
The working group announced plans to give the governor a recommendation in October that could be considered in interim legislative committee meetings.
Archives Of New Mexico History Professor To Be Preserved - Associated Press
The archives of a former history professor known for leading efforts to restore the first African American Church in Las Cruces are being donated to the city's museum system.
New Mexico State University announced Wednesday that Clarence Fielder's papers, photographs and videos will be preserved for future generations. The Phillips Chapel Restoration Group will give a public presentation on Fielder's life Sept. 21 at the Branigan Cultural Center.
Fielder died in 2015. He was a professor emeritus and a teacher with the Las Cruces school district for more than 50 years.
Fielder led university faculty, students and community volunteers in restoring Phillips Chapel, which was founded by his grandfather. Built in 1911, the chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to the African American community.
Improvements Being Made At US Nuclear Waste Repository – Associated Press
Officials say several infrastructure projects are being launched at the federal government's underground nuclear waste repository in southeastern New Mexico.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is licensed to take Cold War-era waste generated by decades of bomb-making and defense-related nuclear research. The waste includes gloves, clothing, tools and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.
The waste is entombed in disposal rooms carved out of an ancient salt formation about half a mile down.
The repository has been receiving waste since 1999.
The work being done includes repairing a hoist used to remove salt mined from the underground facility.
It also involves additions to a new fire protection system, replacement of underground electrical substations and upgrades to a central monitoring room that tracks all of the repository's key systems.