Survey: New Mexico Teens Report High Rates Of Drug Use – The Associated Press
A national survey of high school students has found that New Mexico teens have some of the highest rates of drug use involving a variety of illegal substances.
State health officials tell the Albuquerque Journal that ingrained social behavior and the easy access to drugs are among the factors that are contributing to the trend.
According to the nationwide survey, New Mexico ranked second highest for cocaine and Ecstasy use, fifth highest for methamphetamine and eighth highest for heroin. The survey also found one in four students reported using marijuana at least once in the 30 days before the survey.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen says New Mexico has historically had higher rates of substance abuse than other states, making the survey results unsurprising.
Weld: Interest In Libertarian Presidential Ticket Picking Up – The Associated Press
Libertarian vice presidential nominee William Weld says he's seen interest and fundraising pick up recently as GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign has struggled.
Weld said Monday he's spoken with a handful of Republican members of Congress who are considering reassessing their endorsements for the fall.
Weld is running with Libertarian Party presidential nominee and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson. Weld made his comments as he delivered a final batch of signatures to guarantee the two former Republicans a spot on the November ballot in Massachusetts.
Weld said momentum is growing for the Libertarian ticket.
The former Massachusetts governor said the immediate goal is to reach the 15 percent threshold needed in polls to secure a spot on the debate stage with Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Thousands Of New Mexico Tax Refunds Stalled In Fraud Fight – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department says it has temporarily halted around 74,000 personal income tax refunds this year.
The Albuquerque Journal reports officials say the move is aimed at fighting tax fraud due to identity theft.
That decision has stalled more than one out of 10 claimed refunds by New Mexico tax filers.
Officials say of the nearly 74,000, more than 22,000 received their refunds after the department was able to determine the returns were legitimate without requesting proof of identity.
The department says it requested proof of identity from nearly 49,000 other filers and more than 36,000 of those eventually received their refunds. It's not clear how many of those who didn't respond were identity thieves or how many were legitimate taxpayers who didn't provide the requested information.
Albuquerque Police Discuss Reform At Community Meetings – The Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque police are planning to discuss their progress on court-mandated reforms within the department at different points across the city this week.
The Albuquerque Police Department says it's holding six evening meetings between Monday and Thursday. Officers will discuss APD's settlement agreement with the Justice Department that charts out a multi-year plan for reform and retraining officers on new policies for use-of-force, crisis intervention and body cameras.
Albuquerque police, federal attorneys and a court-appointed monitor who tracks the reform efforts are required to report on progress before a federal judge every several months.
The APD community events this week will coincide with the Community Policing Councils' regular meetings at six substations throughout the city.
Albuquerque's Community Policing Councils are made up of community members, and can formally recommend changes to APD policy.
Border Patrol Erecting New Fence In New Mexico Border Area – The Associated Press
The U.S. Border Patrol is erecting an 18-foot-tall steel fence in the last stretch of unwalled, urban borderline in along the U.S-Mexico border in New Mexico.
The Albuquerque Journal reports officials say the new fencing will create a more imposing barrier in a location that is deeply symbolic to immigration activists.
Currently, a dilapidated, 10-foot-high chain-link fence is in place. It runs a mile or so from the bottom of a mesa to the base of Mount Cristo Rey.
The new rust-colored steel columns — an $11 million project authorized by the Secure Fence Act of 2006 — will replace the chain link and be reinforced 5 feet underground with steel panels to prevent tunneling. Construction is expected to finish early next year.
Artwork From Comedian Garry Shandling's Estate To Be Sold – The Associated Press
Dozens of paintings and other works of art from the estate of comedian Garry Shandling will be offered for sale at an art show in New Mexico this week.
Organizers of the annual Objects of Art Santa Fe say this will be the first public viewing of Shandling's collection, which includes Navajo rugs, Southwest furniture and pieces by Mexican Artists Francisco Zuniga and Alfredo Ramos Martinez.
More than 40 of Shandling's personal pieces from his California home will be offered. They range in value from a couple of hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
The 66-year-old comedian, who died in March, visited Santa Fe often to vacation and buy art. Some of the pieces up for sale were originally purchased in Santa Fe.
The show opens Thursday with a gala in Santa Fe.
Some In New Mexico GOP Going With Libertarian Gary Johnson
Former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson is gaining support from prominent Republicans in the state.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that a handful of New Mexico GOP members distrustful of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are looking to Johnson.
Last month, Johnson received the endorsement of state Sen. Lisa Torraco.
The Albuquerque Republican is now the state chairwoman for his campaign.
Other Republican supporters include former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White and former Corrections Department spokesman Gerges Scott.
Torraco says it was her positive feelings for Johnson from his days as governor that led to her decision.
Johnson is angling to participate in the presidential debates.
He needs to win 15 percent or more of respondents in at least three national polls.
Power Outage Hits New Mexico; Police Link It To Fatal Crash – The Associated Press
Power went out in parts of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and elsewhere Sunday evening.
Santa Fe police say in a news release that that a 40-year-old motorcycle rider died when he was hit by a motorist as he was stopped at a flashing traffic signal caused by the outage. They say alcohol was not believed to have been involved.
Public Service Company of New Mexico says the outage began about 7:40 p.m. when lightning hit a substation.
The company says that at the height of the outage, about 135,000 customers were without power. It says energy was restored everywhere after about three hours.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that the outage snarled traffic due to inoperable stop lights.
Shiprock Residents Displaced After Storm, Flooding – The Associated Press
Officials in Shiprock have issued an emergency declaration in the wake of severe flooding that has left several families displaced.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that Shiprock Chapter President Duane "Chili" Yazzie made the decision Saturday to set aside resources for response teams.
A storm Friday night brought flooding to areas of San Juan County.
The water tore up homes and damaged vehicles the Salt Wash area.
Officials say 10 homes in an agricultural neighborhood northwest of Shiprock were also destroyed. Residents have reported lost livestock and pets.
Emergency responders are concerned potential rain over the weekend could wreak more havoc.
A Colorado man who was a former Bloomfield police sergeant died Friday after trying to drive across a flooded wash in San Juan County.
Fed Says It Is 80 Percent Certain WIPP To Open In December
The U.S. Department of Energy says it is 80 percent confident that the federal government's only underground nuclear waste repository will partly reopen in December.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that prediction comes after federal officials once promised the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant would be cleaned up and reopened by this March.
The New Mexico plant has been closed since February 2014, when an inappropriately packed container of waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory ruptured and contaminated part of the facility.
The closure derailed cleanup at federal sites around the nation and recovery is costing the Energy Department hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Government Accountability Office audit released this week said the agency knew it had only a 1 percent chance of meeting that March 2016 deadline.