Feds: 3 Arrested For Selling Fake American Indian Jewelry
-Russell Contreras Associated Press
Federal authorities have announced three New Mexico residents have been indicted in a scam to sell Filipino-made jewelry as American Indian made.
U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez said Thursday the three individuals were recently arrested following a long investigation and a raid of jewelry stores in Albuquerque, Gallup, New Mexico, and Calistoga, California.
According to the indictment unsealed Thursday, 51-year-old Nael Ali, 53-year-old Mohammad Abed Manasra, and 41-year-old Christina Bowen are facing charges of violating the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
Court documents say Ali owned two jewelry stores in Albuquerque's Old Town.
If convicted, all three face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine each.
It was unclear if any had attorneys.
Martinez says Filipino authorities also conducted interviews at two factories in the Philippines.
National Guard Airlifts Dino Fossils Out Of NM Wilderness
-Susan Montoya Bryan, 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.
Albuquerque Police Say Officer's Funeral Set For Tuesday – The Associated Press
Albuquerque police say the funeral for the officer fatally shot and wounded while on duty has been set for Tuesday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says the service for Officer Daniel Webster will begin at 11 a.m., and a funeral procession to Vista Verde Memorial Park will follow.
Webster joined the Albuquerque Police Department in 2006 after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army.
In 2013, he was named Albuquerque's officer of the year, with a supervisor saying he always volunteered for high-priority calls.
Police say Webster was shot Oct. 21 as he stopped a man for riding a motorcyle with a stolen license plate and tried to take him into custody.
Webster died early Thursday at University of New Mexico Hospital.
He was 47.
Trees Felled For Rogue Skiing Runs In Northern New Mexico Forest – The Associated Press
Numerous primitive skiing or snowboarding runs have been illegally cut in a national forest in New Mexico, with a federal investigator estimating that those responsible cut down approximately 1,000 trees.
The Forest Service is trying to find those responsible for the cutting of about a dozen runs recently spotted by hikers in the Santa Fe National Forest.
Forest Service law enforcement investigator Mike Gardiner Jr. said the cutting may have been going on for several years
The Forest Service has found illegal cutting or other work for trails for snowmobiles in Vermont and mountain bikes in Arizona, but Gardiner said he hadn't previously heard of illegal tree cutting for skiing or snowboarding runs.
He said axes and saws were used to cut trees with diameters of up to 13 inches.
New Mexico Congressional Dems Urge 'Two Tier' Bill Passage - The Associated Press
New Mexico's Democratic Congressional Delegation is urging Gov. Susana Martinez and state lawmakers to pass new legislation to make the state REAL ID compliant.
U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan said Friday they were all briefed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on why New Mexico was denied an extension from tougher federal requirements on state driver's licenses.
The decision means New Mexico driver's licenses and IDs won't be valid for federal purposes, including, eventually, boarding commercial aircraft next year.
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.
Medical Marijuana Panel Rejects New Qualifying Condition – The Associated Press
New Mexico's medical marijuana advisory committee has rejected a petition that called for adding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a new qualifying condition to participate in the state's program.
The board met Friday in Santa Fe and all seven members who were in attendance agreed to recommend that the disorder not be added to the list.
The board will submit its formal recommendation to state Health Secretary Retta Ward in the coming weeks. She'll then review the recommendation along with other scientific evidence before making a final decision.
There are currently about 20 qualifying conditions. About 18,000 patients are enrolled in the state's medical marijuana program, many of them citing chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder as their qualifying conditions.
Dona Ana County Sheriff Claims Commissioner Retaliation – The Associated Press & The Las Cruces Sun-News
The Dona Ana County sheriff has filed a lawsuit claiming that two county commissioners have tried to curtail his right to free speech.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Sheriff Enrique "Kiki" Vigil is requesting the court issue an injunctive order to stop commissioners Billy Garrett and Wayne Hancock from interfering with his First Amendment rights.
Vigil filed a complaint alleging a civil rights violation in U.S. District Court on Thursday. The complaint suggests that Garrett and Hancock retaliated against Vigil for exercising his right to free speech.
Garrett says he has done nothing to curtail any of Vigil's rights.
The complaint comes after a long and contentious relationship between the sheriff and commissioners. According to the complaint, tension began shortly after Vigil took office in January.
Albuquerque Wants Help With Marketing Itself To Companies – The Associated Press
Albuquerque is looking to hire a marketing firm to help the city attract companies that are relocating or expanding.
City officials announced their request for proposals Friday, saying the planned marketing campaign will have a special focus on people involved with startups.
Those people would include business founders, investors, managers and those who influence them.
According to the city's announcement, the overall goal is to increase awareness of Albuquerque as a "positive place to live and grow a business among local residents."
Audit: Most New Mexico Districts Adding To Testing Time – The Associated Press
Federal officials are praising New Mexico for helping reduce the time students use to take standardized tests.
But New Mexico Public Education Department says more than 60 percent of school districts unnecessarily are duplicating assessments in at least one area on districts' tests.
Officials say that's hurting state efforts to reduce the testing time statewide.
The "New Mexico Assessment Inventory" released Friday showed that state-mandated testing time had declined between 2010 and 2015 by around 2.5 hours for across all grades. And state officials expect to see further reduction in testing time by 90 minutes next year.
New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera says districts duplicating work should look to those such as Aztec and Las Cruces where testing times have been reduced.
Feds clear leases for drilling in Santa Fe National Forest - The Associated Press
The Bureau of Land Management has cleared the way for drilling on more than a dozen parcels of national forest land in northern New Mexico that were initially put up for bid more than a year ago.
The decision came last week despite opposition from environmentalists.
Signed by the BLM's state director, the decision covers nearly 31 square miles along the San Pedro Mountains north of Cuba, New Mexico.
The environmental group WildEarth Guardians is weighing whether to appeal the decision or take the case to federal court.
The BLM chose to defer other parcels that initially had been up for lease in the area. The agency also says the 13 parcels that were approved comply with the area's resource management plan and other federal rules.
Immigrants caught at border believe families can stay in US
- Alicia Caldwell, Associated Press
Hundreds of undocumented immigrant families caught crossing the Mexican border told U.S. immigration agents they made the dangerous journey in part because they believe they will be permitted to stay in the United States, and collect public benefits.
Federal agents interviewed the immigrants in an effort to help the Obama administration understand what might be driving a puzzling surge in the numbers of border crossings that started over the summer. The explanations suggest the U.S. government's efforts to discourage crossings may have been unsuccessful.
The Associated Press obtained copies of the interview summaries, which were compiled in reports by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Intelligence.
House GOP Revives Bill Protecting Firms That Clean Up Mines -Dan Elliot, 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 yesterday 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 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 to 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 into the future.