2nd Death In Bernalillo County Linked To Hepatitis A Virus – KOB-TV, Associated Press
New Mexico Department of Health officials have confirmed 103 acute hepatitis A virus infections since last October with two associated deaths in Bernalillo County.
An acute case of hepatitis A infection also has been confirmed in Santa Fe County.
The current outbreak has primarily impacted people who use both injection and non-injection drugs and people experiencing homelessness.
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus. KOB-TV reports infection comes when someone has contact with objects or ingests food or drink contaminated with feces of an infected person.
It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.
Hepatitis A infection typically causes fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Planes, Buses Move Migrants From Crowded Border Shelters - By Cedar Attanasio And Morgan Lee Associated Press
U.S. authorities are using aircraft to move migrants to less-crowded areas for processing, while others have been bused as far north as Colorado to alleviate the strain on overwhelmed shelters along the border in Texas and New Mexico.
Several dozen migrants were bused to Denver overnight with the help of the New Mexico governor's office to help crowded shelters in El Paso and neighboring Las Cruces, New Mexico, where one shelter reported running low on food.
It's likely the bus trips will continue. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has scheduled daily flights out of Texas' Rio Grande Valley at least through Tuesday for some migrants.
The flights aim to ensure adults don't slip through the cracks as agents scramble to process the increasing number of families crossing the border.
Albuquerque Man Convicted On 2 Heroin Trafficking Offenses – Associated Press
An Albuquerque man has been convicted of distributing heroin that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old addict in 2011.
Federal prosecutors say 34-year-old Raymond Moya was found guilty Monday on two heroin trafficking offenses.
Moya was indicted in May 2015. At the time, Moya was serving a 72-month federal prison sentence for his conviction for committing a heroin trafficking crime in Albuquerque in November 2011.
Prosecutors say Cameron Weiss died from an overdose in August 2011, one day after buying heroin from Moya.
Moya remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Because of his status as a career offender with a criminal history that includes at least four prior felony convictions, prosecutors say Moya could be facing a life prison sentence.
Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of New Mexico Baseball Player – KRQE-TV, Associated Press
Albuquerque police have arrested a man in the May 5 killing of a University of New Mexico baseball player shot after the athlete got into a fight at a bar.
Police say detectives located 23-year-old Darian Bashir at an apartment and arrested him without incident early Saturday on suspicion of murder in the killing of Jackson Weller outside a bar by a man who witnesses said then got into a car which drove off.
The fatal shooting of Weller was the latest high-profile killing to shake Albuquerque where officials on Friday outlined a push to crack down on crime in New Mexico's most populous city.
Bashir remained jailed and online court records don't list an attorney who could comment on behalf of Bashir about the murder allegation.
KRQE-TV reports Bashir was arraigned Sunday morning. Metro Court Judge David Murphy told him the state filed a motion to hold him behind bars until trial.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum's Interim Director To Be Permanent – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum's acting director will now take on the position permanently.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Santa Fe museum's board of trustees announced Monday the appointment of Cody Hartley.
Hartley has been serving on an interim basis since director Robert Kret departed in January.
Hartley was hired by the museum to be director of curatorial affairs in 2013.
He said in a statement that taking the "acting" part out of his role will be a welcome change.
A major figure in the American Modernist movement, O'Keeffe became inspired by the state after her first visit in 1929. She eventually made northern New Mexico her permanent home in 1949.
Burgeoning Numbers Of Cubans Trying To Enter US Via Mexico – Associated Press
Burgeoning numbers of Cubans are trying to get into the U.S. by way of the Mexican border, creating a big backlog of people waiting on the Mexican side for months for their chance to apply for asylum.
The surge over the past several months has been propelled in part by loosened travel restrictions in Central America and deteriorating living conditions in Cuba.
About 4,500 people, the vast majority of them Cuban, are waiting in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, for their asylum interviews.
For Cubans and others, one of the biggest obstacles is simply getting an opportunity to apply for asylum. Over the past year, the Trump administration has sharply limited the number of asylum claims it processes at land crossings. That has forced people to wait their turn in Mexico.
Substitutes Filling Void In New Mexico Amid Teacher Shortage - Carlsbad Current-Argus, Associated Press
New Mexico school districts have become increasingly reliant on substitutes as they contend with growing vacant teaching positions in the state.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports school districts needing to fill vacancies have turned to hiring substitute teachers, particularly long-term substitutes.
Some of those substitutes have spent years in a classroom as temporary educators.
School district leaders say it's a necessary step as they deal with hundreds of vacant positions across the state. Still, they express concerns about the challenges that come with hiring substitute teachers who typically are not certified and do not build lesson plans or meet with parents.
A New Mexico State University report says that state had about 740 vacant teaching positions last year. That's more than double the 300 vacancies reported in 2017.
ICE Detainees Could Be Housed In Reopened Prison In Estancia - KOB-TV, Associated Press
Torrance County commissioners are expected to formalize a plan this week that may reopen an Estancia prison in order to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency detainees.
Albuquerque TV station KOB reports that the partnership with ICE is expected to bring back hundreds of jobs.
KOB says the county commissioners could formalize the plan on Wednesday.
The facility is owned by CoreCivic, which recently had posted job listings on their website.
That fueled rumors about the future of the prison that closed in 2017.
CoreCivic officials say they've started the hiring and training process to make sure they're positioned to meet any emerging needs.
Torrance County Manager Wayne Johnson says he would welcome the jail reopening.
But it's still unclear what type of detainees would be housed at the prison.
Strong Rio Grande Tourism In New Mexico Expected - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
Rafting and angler guides are predicting a good season for Rio Grande tourism in New Mexico thanks to strong runoff generated by a good snowmelt this year.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a healthy snow patch this winter is feeding the Rio Grande with much needed-water after long dry spells stemming from drought.
This year, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque predicts runoff to be at least 148% of normal through June. Water levels were 50% of normal in 2018.
Anglers also expect a good summer of fishing even though the Rio Grande is still moving too high and fast for them to start casting their lines.
University of New Mexico biology researcher Rebecca Bixby says the increased flow will help the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow lay eggs and spawn.
PBS Film Tackles Mexican Americans' Role In Winemaking - By Russell Contreras Associated Press
A new PBS documentary is examining at the contributions of Mexican Americans in the wine industry of California's Napa Valley.
"Harvest Season," scheduled to begin airing Monday on most PBS stations as part of the Independent Lens series, shows how Mexican Americans have shaped the industry as farmworkers and later vineyard owners in one of the richest wine regions in the world.
The film follows winemaker Gustavo Brambila, Mexican migrant worker Rene Reyes and wine entrepreneur Vanessa Robledo as they battle weather, climate change and wildfires.
Director Bernardo Ruiz said he wanted his project to show that people of Mexican descent have been a part of U.S. history since its founding and winemaking is just one industry where this is evident.
Substitutes Filling Void In New Mexico Amid Teacher Shortage - Carlsbad Current-Argus, Associated Press
New Mexico school districts have become increasingly reliant on substitutes as they contend with growing vacant teaching positions in the state.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports school districts needing to fill vacancies have turned to hiring substitute teachers, particularly long-term substitutes.
Some of those substitutes have spent years in a classroom as temporary educators.
School district leaders say it's a necessary step as they deal with hundreds of vacant positions across the state. Still, they express concerns about the challenges that come with hiring substitute teachers who typically are not certified and do not build lesson plans or meet with parents.
A New Mexico State University report says that state had about 740 vacant teaching positions last year. That's more than double the 300 vacancies reported in 2017.
ICE Detainees Could Be Housed In Reopened Prison In Estancia - KOB-TV, Associated Press
Torrance County commissioners are expected to formalize a plan this week that may reopen an Estancia prison in order to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency detainees.
Albuquerque TV station KOB reports that the partnership with ICE is expected to bring back hundreds of jobs.
KOB says the county commissioners could formalize the plan on Wednesday.
The facility is owned by CoreCivic, which recently had posted job listings on their website.
That fueled rumors about the future of the prison that closed in 2017.
CoreCivic officials say they've started the hiring and training process to make sure they're positioned to meet any emerging needs.
Torrance County Manager Wayne Johnson says he would welcome the jail reopening.
But it's still unclear what type of detainees would be housed at the prison.
Strong Rio Grande Tourism In New Mexico Expected - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
Rafting and angler guides are predicting a good season for Rio Grande tourism in New Mexico thanks to strong runoff generated by a good snowmelt this year.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a healthy snow patch this winter is feeding the Rio Grande with much needed-water after long dry spells stemming from drought.
This year, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque predicts runoff to be at least 148% of normal through June. Water levels were 50% of normal in 2018.
Anglers also expect a good summer of fishing even though the Rio Grande is still moving too high and fast for them to start casting their lines.
University of New Mexico biology researcher Rebecca Bixby says the increased flow will help the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow lay eggs and spawn.
PBS Film Tackles Mexican Americans' Role In Winemaking - By Russell Contreras Associated Press
A new PBS documentary is examining the contributions of Mexican Americans in the wine industry of California's Napa Valley.
"Harvest Season," scheduled to begin airing Monday on most PBS stations as part of the Independent Lens series, shows how Mexican Americans have shaped the industry as farmworkers and later vineyard owners in one of the richest wine regions in the world.
The film follows winemaker Gustavo Brambila, Mexican migrant worker Rene Reyes and wine entrepreneur Vanessa Robledo as they battle weather, climate change and wildfires.
Director Bernardo Ruiz said he wanted his project to show that people of Mexican descent have been a part of U.S. history since its founding and winemaking is just one industry where this is evident.