News

People who request audio or video from the Albuquerque Police Department under the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act will no longer have to pay as much for DVDs or CDs.  

New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Executive Director Susan Boe said the City of Albuquerque has implemented a new policy after receiving complaints about high fees from media outlets and individuals.

The City will now charge $6.75 for DVDs and $2.75 for CDs when filling public records requests, or IPRAs.

For this week's feature we step back six whole days to Desert Diamond's live appearance in Studio A on KUNM's "Singing Wire."

This as-yet unrecorded group from Laguna Pueblo includes veterans of many Native Rock and Country bands and features original songwriting.  

The Desert Diamond Band are:

Keith Day: lead vocals, guitar
Dominick Pancho: lead guitar
Phillip Riley, Jr.: bass
Anthony Duran: drums

Live engineering and post-production by Roman Garcia.
Find them at www.facebook.com/thedesertdiamondband.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced today that the City of Albuquerque will charge no more than $6.75 for DVDs and $2.75 for CDs for public records requests. This is a big win for not just journalists but everyone with an interest in accessing records that are available under the law. The change provides fair, consistent pricing and lets people know what prices to expect in advance.

NM Among Leading Oil Producing States – The Associated Press

Federal statistics are showing what many people in New Mexico already know: The state is in the midst of an oil boom.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released figures yesterday that show behind the Gulf of Mexico, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming were the largest crude oil producers on federal and tribal land during the 2013 fiscal year. 

And despite steady decreases since 2003, New Mexico remained among the top producers of natural gas.

VA Makes Progress on New Mexico Waiting List - The Associated Press

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made progress in whittling down the number of new patients in New Mexico who are on the troubled health care system's electronic waiting list.

The latest audit shows there were 482 veterans on the waiting list. That's down from more than 1,040 a month ago.

The list includes new patients for whom appointments cannot be scheduled within 90 days.

The crowds on the street corner outside Hobby Lobby were mostly civil, though emotions were running high. Several dozen men and women waved signs at oncoming traffic calling for a boycott of the craft store and decrying the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

One protester, Natalie Hrizi, was busy passing around a petition to have congress revisit the issue.

Three national forests in New Mexico have decided to lift some fire restrictions thanks to recent rains.

The Gila National Forest in southern New Mexico says it will be lifting its fire restrictions Tuesday morning. That means forest visitors will be able to have campfires again in undeveloped areas across the forest.

Forest Supervisor Kelly Russell is still urging visitors to ensure their campfires are cold to the touch before leaving their camp or retiring for the night.

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 7/10 8a: Recent evaluations have left some teachers with more questions than answers. How were results determined and what do they mean? Do teacher evaluations help or hinder teaching efforts, students and communities?

We'll talk with teachers about evaluation experiences and the role these measurements play in our public education system.

We look forward to hearing from you! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

Las Alegres Ambulancias (Happy Hearses) originally from San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia are bringing their Afro-Colombian music and culture to New Mexico.

During their live performance for Raíces show (on July 5th), the 9 band members shared their 500-year old cabildo/lumbalu traditions. Their drummers and voices shook KUNM!

Find out more about the band:http://lasalegresambulancias.com/

New Mexico Independent Challenges Ballot Access - The Associated Press

A Public Education Commission member has filed a lawsuit challenging New Mexico's requirements for independent candidates to secure a place on the ballot.

Tyson Parker of Corrales brought the lawsuit in federal district court last week, contending the state's election laws discriminate against independent candidates by requiring an unfairly high number of voter signatures on nominating petitions.

Veteran Dies Waiting For Ambulance At VA Hospital - The Associated Press

A veteran who collapsed in the cafeteria at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center, 500 yards from the emergency room, died after waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance.

It took a half an hour for the ambulance to be dispatched and take the man from one building to the other, which is about a five minute walk.

NM VA Health Care System spokeswoman Sonja Brown says medical personnel performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Some New Mexicans can legally light their fireworks this Independence Day.

There is no statewide ban on fireworks but nearly all New Mexico counties have banned them in unincorporated areas this year because of extra dry weather.  For many counties, the ban went into effect weeks ago.

In Bernalillo County, Fire Marshal Chris Gober will be working this 4th of July and he said fireworks make his job harder.

A Taos High School Advanced Placement English teacher has turned down a $5,000 bonus from the state education department, criticizing Governor Susana Martinez’s education initiatives.

When Francis Hahn received a letter from the Public Education Department informing him that his application for a stipend for teaching AP students had been approved, he was confused. The literature and composition teacher had never heard of the bonus, so he made some calls and found out the reward was based on his students’ AP test scores from a couple of years ago.

Dear Senators Bill O’Neill and Jerry Ortiz y Pino:

We at New Mexico In Depth were a bit confused - befuddled might be a better word - at your press release yesterday. It bears the title “Media Scrutiny Finally Gives Behavioral Health Debacle the Investigation Warranted” and begins with this line:

  Thu. 07/03 8a (airs again Sunday 07/06 at 11a): The Capitol Steps will address timely issues set to show tunes! There’s John Kerry singing “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Crimea?” and Hillary Clinton admonishing Joe Biden to “Let it Go” when it comes to running for President. It’s a show so clogged with jokes that Chris Christie threatened to shut it down! 

GOP Group Spends $571,000 On New Mexico Ad Blitz – The Associated Press

A national Republican group reports spending more than a half million dollars in the past month on advertising against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gary King.

A fundraising report by the Republican Governors Association lists expenditures of $571,000 to produce and air ads in June.

The U.S. Marshals Service says a deputy has fatally shot a fugitive in southwest Albuquerque while trying to serve a federal arrest warrant.

They say deputy U.S. Marshals and task force officers from the District of New Mexico weren't injured in Wednesday's incident.

Details of the shooting weren't immediately released.

KOB-TV reports Albuquerque police responded to the scene on reports of a possible dead body along with the Office of the Medical Investigator.

Arizona's largest city has gone months without any measurable rain, and neighboring New Mexico is in the midst of four years of severe drought.

But you'll still see and hear fireworks sparkle and pop this Fourth of July, despite the dangerously high threat of wildfires.

While some places in the West ban fireworks or greatly limit what you can light up, other states are going in the opposite direction.

KUNM Special Thu. 7/3 8a and Sun. 7/6 11a: The Capitol Steps will address timely issues set to show tunes! There’s John Kerry singing “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Crimea?” and Hillary Clinton admonishing Joe Biden to “Let it Go” when it comes to running for President. It’s a show so clogged with jokes that Chris Christie threatened to shut it down!

The KUNM Call In Show will be back on Thursday July 10. 

New Mexico Meeting Sparks Anger Over Immigrants - The Associated Press

Southeastern New Mexico residents are speaking out against a detention center for immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally.

Around 400 people attended Tuesday a contentious town hall meeting in Artesia to express their anger that close to 700 Central American women and children will be stay at a nearby facility.

Residents say they were afraid the immigrants might take away jobs from locals and resources away from American-born children.

The state's largest biopark held its third and final feedback session this week on a new master plan that would dramatically change the zoo's catwalk. The area made up of caged caves with bobcats in one stall, clumped right next to tigers, would no longer exist.  

Kirtland Air Force Base’s deadline to submit a plan to remove toxic chemicals from Albuquerque's groundwater has been extended by 30 days. The base is required to show the state that clean up of a decades old fuel leak is underway by the end of the year.

The Air Force was under a June 30th deadline to submit a plan to the state environment department that describes how they would remove a plume of ethylene dibromide - or EDB – from groundwater that feeds city drinking water wells.

Reports of drug-facilitated sexual assaults are on the rise in Albuquerque. People who work with victims aren’t sure whether that’s because date rape drugs are being used more often or people are more aware of them.

Gail Starr is the clinical coordinator for SANE, a collaborative of medical professionals that helps victims of sexual assault. She said a variety of substances—including designer drugs—are being used these days. “There are so many drugs that we as nurses, we’re not focused on exactly what drug. The law enforcement can worry about that,” she said.

Ex-New Mexico Gov. Johnson Named Pot Company CEO - Russell Contreras, The Associated Press

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has been named the CEO of a Nevada-based company that hopes to make medical and recreational marijuana products.

Johnson said Tuesday he was recently named CEO and president of Cannabis Sativa, Inc., and intends to work out of New Mexico to help develop products that are legal in states like Colorado and Washington.

Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down part of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for employer-provided contraceptive coverage, is sparking both praise and condemnation here in New Mexico.

Local abortion rights groups are decrying the decision. Denicia Cadena is communications director at Young Women United, an advocacy group for women of color in New Mexico.

For tonight's feature we hear Rahim Alharaj's all-original set from the KUNM Members' Concert held on May 16th at the Albuquerque Museum Amphitheatre.

Rahim Alhaj, Oud
Issa Malouf, percussion

Live sound: Travis Hill; Recorded/Mixed: Eli Willard; Edited: Roman Garcia.

UPDATE 7/2 11:30a: The Associated Press reports a wildfire burning in northern New Mexico's Jemez Mountains continues to expand but officials say expected favorable weather may help.

Officials said Wednesday morning says the lightning-sparked Diego Fire has burned more than five square miles, an increase of about 400 acres since Tuesday.

However, the fire remained zero percent contained.

Still, some residents say they felt isolated and uninformed about the fire's dangers. And ranchers who have livestock roaming in the fire area are worried about their cattle.

Wildfire Burns In Santa Fe National Forest – KUNM News

The Diego Fire continues to burn in the Santa Fe National Forest. As of yesterday afternoon the fire was reported to be around 200 Acres.

It’s in the Coyote Ranger District, nine miles southeast of Coyote.  The fire was caused by lightning and was first detected on June 15th.  

At last report no structures were threatened and the fire was primarily on federal land.  Some private land may now be burning. 

State Worker Salaries Boosted For 2008 Pay Dispute - The Associated Press

About 5,300 state workers will receive hourly salary increases from 13 cents to more than 50 cents in this week's paychecks to help resolve a six-year-old union contract dispute.

State officials said Thursday that salaries were adjusted in early June to reflect wage rates that should have been in place starting in 2008.

Employees will get paychecks Friday reflecting the increases for a two-week pay period.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded Taos Pueblo a prize Wednesday for outstanding and innovative efforts to improve health locally.

The Culture of Health Prize goes to six communities each year and the foundation says it included Taos Pueblo for its work drawing on cultural traditions to address modern health challenges.