Ex-County Deputy Indicted For Using Stun Gun On Student – Associated Press
A grand jury has indicted a former Rio Arriba County deputy Wednesday on a child abuse charge and other counts after authorities say he used a stun gun on a high school student.
New Mexico authorities say former deputy Jeremy Barnes is suspected of shocking a 15-year-old student with special needs May 10 at Española Valley High School.
The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office filed multiple charges against Barnes Sept. 23. Barnes was fired Sept. 20.
Barnes said in a police report that the boy was verbally uncooperative and would not comply with security to be searched for drugs.
School board and district officials have condemned his actions.
Online court records don't list a lawyer for Barnes who could comment on the allegations.
Officials Tout New Mexico’s Potential As Outdoor Rec Capital – Associated Press
The head of New Mexico’s new office of outdoor recreation says the potential for the Land of Enchantment to become the go-to place for outdoor enthusiasts is enormous.
Axie Navas testified before a panel of state lawmakers Thursday. She said the industry already contributes billions of dollars to New Mexico’s coffers but there’s room to grow.
She and others pointed to western states that have been able to coordinate efforts to grow outdoor recreation through dedicated agencies.
Now that New Mexico has its own office, Navas says she’s focused on sharing with key industry players the well-kept secret of the state’s outdoor offerings — from world-class quail hunting to mountain biking flowy singletrack.
A regional official with the U.S. Forest Service told lawmakers it’s like the sleeping giant in the outdoor recreation world is awakening.
Walmart Where Mass Shooting Occurred Reopens – Associated Press
Customers have returned to a Walmart in Texas that had been closed since a gunman fatally shot 22 people there in August.
About 50 shoppers lined up early Thursday to enter the renovated Walmart in the border city of El Paso. They streamed past dozens of sheriff's deputies, security guards and store employees.
Walmart didn’t have a guard in the store on the day of the mass shooting. Since then, the retail giant has quietly hired off-duty officers to work at all of its area stores.
The move comes amid ongoing lawsuits over store safety.
A suburban Dallas man, Patrick Crusius, has pleaded not guilty to carrying out the attack. Authorities say he confessed to the shooting and that he targeted Mexicans.
County Names Portion Of Road After Civil Rights Leader – Associated Press
Commissioners in New Mexico’s most populous county have named a portion of a busy road after one of the United States’ most recognizable Latina activists.
Bernalillo County Commissioners voted this week to rename part of Bridge Boulevard in Albuquerque’s South Valley as Avenida Dolores Huerta.
A native New Mexican, Huerta moved to California and later helped form the United Farm Workers union with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s. She has been an advocate for women and immigrants.
Avenida Dolores Huerta will run from the county boundary at the Rio Grande west to Isleta Boulevard. A park along the road was renamed for Huerta in 2017.
A portion of Bridge Boulevard from the river east to 4th Street falls within Albuquerque’s jurisdiction. The city plans to vote on a similar measure.
Arizona Woman Among 9 Honored For Leadership In Clean Energy – Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Energy is recognizing nine women for their achievements and leadership in clean energy and one of them is from Arizona.
Dr. Suzanne Singer is a member of the Navajo (Diné) tribe and chief engineer for Native Renewables in Flagstaff.
She co-founded the nonprofit organization in 2016 to solve energy access challenges for 15,000 families on the Navajo Nation who live without electricity.
Singer develops programs that promote tribal energy independence, offer affordable off-grid solar energy solutions, and provide training and education to empower families.
She previously was a staff engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Singer and the eight other winners of this year’s awards will be honored Thursday at the U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium in Washington, D.C.
New Mexico On Pace To Break Oil Production Record - Associated Press
Federal forecasters say drilling in the United States is expected to drive global crude oil production through 2020.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration offered some details on the forecast Wednesday. Industry officials are expecting New Mexico to close 2019 as a record-setting year.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association’s Robert McEntyre said producers are poised to top 300 million barrels for the year and daily production levels could reach 1 million barrels before 2020.
The U.S. agency says most of the world’s production growth will come from outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. That includes the Permian Basin that straddles parts of New Mexico and West Texas.
The agency has increased the forecast for U.S. production in 2020 to an average of 13.3 million barrels per day.
US Forest Chief, New Mexico Governor Make Stewardship Pact - Associated Press
Federal and state officials have reached an agreement they say will strengthen their relationship as they work to improve forest conditions in New Mexico.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen will be signing the so-called shared stewardship agreement during a gathering Thursday in Santa Fe.
The agreement has been a work in progress over the years and will address issues such as wildfires, drought and invasive species.
Officials say the challenges faced by land managers transcend boundaries and affect people beyond the jurisdiction of any single organization, so they have to find new ways of working together and doing business at a greater pace and scale.
Under the agreement, the state and national forests plan to evaluate opportunities, threats and alternatives for risk management.
New Mexico Sizes Up Potential Of Recreational Pot Market - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
A panel of legislators delved into the uncertain market economics of legalizing recreational marijuana and thorny concerns about public health on Wednesday, in a prelude to a rapid-fire legislative session that could open the doors to recreational cannabis in New Mexico.
A legalization work group assembled by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is pitching an oversight system that would limit state and local taxes on recreational marijuana to roughly 17% and license producers for as little as $500 a month with additional per-plant fees.
Medical marijuana would become tax-free and be sold separately at all dispensaries, under the recommendations, in an effort to ensure affordable access to patients coping with conditions such as nausea and pain from cancer. About 78,000 people participate in the medical program.
Legislators listened at a public hearing as University of New Mexico economics professor Sarah Stith cautioned against legalization measures that might make retail prices uncompetitive with Colorado’s recreational market, through restrictions on supplies or excessive taxation.
The work group’s chairman, Albuquerque City Council member Pat Davis, told lawmakers to expect more than $50 million in tax revenues within a year from recreational marijuana sales — and at least $94 million as the market stabilizes in five years.
New Mexico Issues Warning As Vaping Illnesses Increase – Associated Press
State health officials say three more cases of severe lung injury related to the use of e-cigarettes for vaping have been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in New Mexico to 20.
The state Health Department announced the additional cases Wednesday.
In all, more than 2,000 Americans who vape have gotten sick since March, many of them teenagers and young adults, and at least 40 people have died.
Thirteen of New Mexico’s patients have required hospitalization in intensive care units.
Of the patients interviewed by the state health department, more than three-quarters reported the use of THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana. Three patients reported only nicotine use.
New Mexico officials are discouraging the vaping of THC products and the vaping of any products containing Vitamin E acetate.