Albuquerque Police Officer Dan Webster Dies After Shooting – KRQE-TV, KOAT-TV
City of Albuquerque officials have confirmed that Albuquerque Police Department Officer Dan Webster passed away overnight.
Webster was shot while on duty last week during a traffic stop. Davon Lymon has been arrested in connection with the case.
KOAT reports that Chief Gorden Eden, Mayor Richard Berry and officers joined family members at the hospital last night.
Officer Webster had been on the force for nearly nine years and also spent 20 years in the military according to KRQE.
The city of Albuquerque released the following message sent by Eden to APD officers following Webster’s passing at 2:30 a.m.
It is with deep sorrow that I inform you our colleague and brother, Officer Dan Webster, has succumbed to the injuries that he sustained during a traffic stop on October 21, 2015. Officer Webster fought valiantly for his life, however, his injuries were too severe.
Officer Webster was the very best example of a life committed to public service, through his service to our country and to our community. He leaves a legacy of excellence and commitment, and we honor his life through our ongoing service to our community. Though our own hearts are heavy, please continue to pray for his wife and their family as they endure this unimaginable loss.
Thank you for your dedicated service to our city and please stay safe.
Eden and Berry plan to address media later today.
National Guard Airlifts Dino Fossils Out Of NM Wilderness – The Associated Press
The mission to airlift part of a collection of dinosaur fossils out of northwestern New Mexico's badlands is a success.
National Guard Blackhawk helicopters were used Thursday to fly the skulls of a baby Pentaceratops and an adult Pentaceratops out of the Bisti-De-Na-Zin Wilderness where they were discovered in 2011.
The fossils are encapsulated in heavy plaster jackets. They're being trucked to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque.
Officials say muddy conditions prevented the airlift of the rest of the baby dinosaur's skeleton.
Museum curator Spencer Lucas says traditional means for excavating and removing the fossils were out the window since crews were working within wilderness. They had to pack in hundreds of pounds of plaster, water and heavy tools for the job.
Lucas says this marks the first find of a baby Pentaceratops skeleton.
Democrat Who Lost To Duran In 2014 Applies For Appointment – The Associated Press
Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver is applying to be appointed New Mexico secretary of state, seeking to replace the Republican who defeated her in the 2014 general election.
Dianna Duran resigned last week as secretary of state before pleading guilty to embezzlement and other charges in a criminal case stemming from a fraud investigation into use of campaign donations.
Deputy Secretary of State Mary Quintana will serve as acting secretary of state until Republican Gov. Susana Martinez names a new person to the post.
A special election will be held in 2016 to select someone to serve out the remainder of Duran's term, which ends in 2018.
Oliver is the Bernalillo County clerk. She announced her application Thursday.
House GOP Revives Bill Protecting Firms That Clean Up Mines – The Associated Press
Congressional Republicans are reviving "Good Samaritan" legislation that would offer some legal protection to companies and nonprofits if they work to clean up abandoned mines.
The proposal was one of three bills the House Natural Resources Committee announced Thursday after 3 million gallons of wastewater spilled from an inactive Colorado gold mine in August, contaminating rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The measure is intended to encourage cleanups by limiting the liability of groups that try to help. Previous attempts at similar laws failed.
A second bill would allow the federal Bureau of Land Management and nonprofits to solicit donations to clean up abandoned mines and oil and gas wells.
The third would funnel more money to train mining engineers and other technical experts.
Legislative Committee Questions Cost Of Insurance Exchange – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
The New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee is criticizing the state health insurance exchange for high spending with limited benefit to the consumer.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that a report released Wednesday by the committee found the exchange has spent $78 million, much of which went to ineffective marketing and ineffective information technology.
According to the report, the exchange has so far spent $23 million on marketing and outreach of all types, including its call center. The exchange also had huge expenditures for its state portal, beWellNM.com, which only helps small businesses seeking coverage for employees find insurance.
Health Insurance Exchange Executive Director Amy Dowd says initial marketing mistakes have been corrected and that the state has been nationally recognized as having an exchange model that will limit costs going future.
Los Alamos, Sandia Labs Eye Options After Real ID Decision – The Associated Press
Los Alamos National Laboratory is looking into options after the federal government denied New Mexico an extension from tougher federal requirements on state driver's licenses.
One of the nation's premiere nuclear weapons research labs said late Wednesday if New Mexico doesn't come into compliance it will begin requiring U.S. passports for entry.
Sandia Labs also says those planning visits should get an alternative government-issued form of identification.
The federal government's decision means New Mexico driver's licenses won't be accepted at federal facilities like military bases starting Jan. 10.
REAL ID Act requirements require proof of legal U.S. residency for holders who want to use them to access certain areas of federal buildings.
New Mexico state law allows immigrants suspected of being in the country illegal to obtain driver's licenses.
New Mexico Driver's License Status Unclear After Fed Move - Russell Contreras, Associated Press
The federal government's move to deny New Mexico an extension from tougher federal requirements on state driver's licenses is posing uncertainties.
The decision means New Mexico driver's licenses won't be accepted at federal facilities like military bases starting Jan. 10.
How will contractors in New Mexico have access to Kirtland Air Force Base if state driver's licenses aren't accepted? What about visiting one of the nation's premiere nuclear weapons research labs, Los Alamos National Laboratory?
Federal officials say New Mexico didn't provide adequate justification for another extension.
State lawmakers don't return to session until Jan. 19 and it's unclear if a Democratic-controlled Senate and a GOP-led House can come to agreement on a fix.
No changes may mean New Mexico driver's license won't be accepted to board commercial flights.
Court Rules In Favor Of Health Agency In Medicaid Dispute – Associated Press
A District Court judge has ruled in favor of an Alamogordo behavioral health agency accused by the state of overbilling Medicaid.
The Counseling Center filed a lawsuit in June saying the Human Services Department did not tell them what they had done wrong before cutting their funding.
Last week, a New Mexico District Court judge reversed the department's ruling that the center owed $379,000 to the state.
The center was the first of the providers to later be cleared of fraud by the state attorney general, but then the Human Service Department determined the agency had been overpaid.
One other nonprofit cleared by the attorney general has a pending appeal before a different judge to the department's decision that it owes $127,000 because of overbilling.
New Mexico Agency Calls For Shift In Services For Children – Associated Press
The head of New Mexico's child welfare agency says having no adequate place for children to eat, shower or even sleep within the first 48 hours of being removed from their homes can intensify the trauma they experience.
Children, Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson outlined an ambitious plan to address the issue Wednesday during the Legislative Finance Committee's meeting in Santa Fe.
Jacobson says it would take an estimated $30 million to establish a wellness center in Albuquerque that could take in children while social workers look to place them with foster families and eventually reunite them with parents.
She says the center could change outcomes for hundreds of children in protective custody.
Lawmakers questioned Jacobson about the request and warned that the budget will be tight next year.
Jury: Utility Companies Partially Liable For New Mexico Fire – Associated Press
A jury has decided that two utility companies hold some liability in one of the largest wildfires in New Mexico's recorded history.
Jurors gave their verdict Wednesday in Bernalillo following a weeks-long trial that centered on whether Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Inc. did enough to prevent the Las Conchas fire in 2011.
The jury found JMEC was 75 percent negligent for the wildfire, Tri-State 20 percent and the U.S. Forest Service 5 percent.
Possible damage amounts will be determined at a later trial.
The blaze started when an aspen tree fell onto power lines that stretched through national forest land in the Jemez Mountains.
JMEC operated and maintained the power lines. Tri-State provides the cooperative with electricity and was also named as a defendant.
Former Interior Secretary, Senator To Headline Energy Talk – Associated Press
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be headlining a panel discussion on energy and the transformation of the electric grid.
Thursday's event in Albuquerque is being sponsored by New Mexico's largest electric utility, PNM. Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman will moderate the discussion with Salazar and PNM CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn.
Dozens of dignitaries are expected to attend, including Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, tribal leaders and state lawmakers.
Salazar and other officials plan to tour PNM's solar storage project just south of Albuquerque following the panel discussion.
Zuni, Mora Saw Big Drops In Graduation Rates – Associated Press
Some rural New Mexico school districts saw around a 20-percentage point drop in high school graduation rates over three years while others experienced a 15 percentage point decline in just a year.
A review of state Public Education Department data by The Associated Press found the small Zuni Public School District saw its rate fall by a quarter from 2011 to 2014. Records show the four-year graduation rate decreased from 79.5 percent to 54.9 percent.
Meanwhile, scandal-plagued Mora Independent Schools saw a 15-point slip last year. Last week, Mora superintendent Charles Trujillo was put on paid administrative leave after allegations surfaced he fabricated his resume.
The U.S. Department of Education says New Mexico was one of only five states that saw declines in graduation rates last year.
New Mexico Prisons See Severe Understaffing – Associated Press
According to New Mexico Corrections Department Secretary Gregg Marcantel state prisons have too many inmates and not enough guards.
Marcantel told the Legislative Finance Committee on Tuesday that vacancy rates for corrections officers at three of the state's prisons are running more than 40 percent.
Marcantel says that low staffing and low pay are causing problems, with New Mexico paying corrections officers the second worst salaries in the country.
According to the Corrections Department website, cadets are paid $12.35 an hour and corrections officers start at $13.65. That works out to $25,688 and $28,392 a year before any overtime pay or shift differentials.
The Corrections Department will be requesting a $12 million budget increase, Marcantel says the bulk of which will go to handling inmate population growth even as staffs shrink.
Report: Millions For Public Works Projects Go Unspent – Associated Press
Legislative analysts say more than $1 billion in capital outlay funds remain unspent for projects that have been approved over the last several years, fueling concerns about the way New Mexico finances public works projects.
The analysts presented their report to the Legislative Finance Committee during a meeting Wednesday in Santa Fe.
The report shows almost half of the capital funds appropriated for projects in 2012 are outstanding as are more than three-quarters of funds earmarked in 2013.
In addition, the Legislature approved nearly $100 million for projects during a special session earlier this year following much political posturing.
The report spurred calls by lawmakers and government watchdogs for the state to reform the way it prioritizes and pays for water infrastructure improvements, roads and bridges and other public projects.
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center Chief Quits – Associated Press
The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center's chief of corrections has tendered his resignation after 10 months on the job.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Phillip Greer wrote that he's resigning due to undisclosed personal reasons.
His resignation is effective Thursday.
Greer previously served as the executive director of corrections for Tri-County Corrections in northwest Minnesota.
Deputy county manager Tom Swisstack with serve as the interim chief of corrections.