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Bill Clinton And Donald Trump Campaign In NM, New Prison Health Care Contract In NM Announced

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Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, Donald Trump Take Campaign Show To New Mexico - The Associated Press

New Mexico is getting dueling campaign visits from former President Bill Clinton and GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

The former Democratic president is scheduled Tuesday to hold an evening rally for his wife at an outdoor plaza in Espanola while Trump is stopping in Albuquerque for an event that is expected to draw protests.

Six years ago, Bill Clinton campaigned in the same city for then-Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in her unsuccessful race against Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, now in her second term.

Some protesters say they will attend Trump's rally but declined to say if they planned on disrupting Trump's speech.

Albuquerque police say the department is working with state and federal authorities to make sure all demonstrations remain peaceful.

New Mexico Awards Prison Health Care Contract To CenturionThe Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican

The New Mexico Department of Corrections says it has awarded a $41 million contract for state prison inmates' medical care to Centurion LLC.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/1TvqN5X) that the department chose Centurion over the current provider, Corizon Correctional Healthcare, and Wexford Health Sources, which the state fired in 2007. Both companies have come under scrutiny over the quality of health care services they provided to the state's 7,000 prison inmates.

Corrections Department Cabinet secretary Gregg Marcantel said in a news release that the agency believes Centurion will be able to handle prisoners' complex medical issues like hepatitis C, cancer and diabetes.

The department says it has begun transitioning medical and pharmaceutical services from Corizon to Centurion and should be finished by June 1.

Widow, Witnesses Take The Stand In Deputy's Murder TrialThe Associated Press

Prosecutors have begun calling witnesses to the stand in the trial for a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of fatally shooting a fellow deputy during an argument.

The first witness to take the stand Tuesday was Sarah Martin, the widow of Deputy Jeremy Martin. Authorities say the deputy was shot and killed at a Las Cruces hotel by Tai Chan during an October 2014 work trip.

Chan, now 29, has been charged with murder in Martin's death.

Sarah Martin's testimony lasted several minutes before prosecutors finished questioning. Defense attorneys declined to question her.

Randy Hudson, a guest at the hotel the night of the shooting, also testified, saying he heard a rapid burst of gunfire before three distinct shots were fired.

Chan's attorney told jurors in opening arguments that evidence indicates he acted in self-defense.

The Latest: Native Groups Protest Planned French AuctionThe Associated Press

A U.S. Department of State official says the auctions that put up Native American ceremonial and cultural items for bidding in Paris are "fundamentally wrong."

The comments from Mark Taplin, an official within the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, came Tuesday during an emergency meeting held Tuesday afternoon in Washington to address a looming auction set for Monday in Paris.

Officials say an Acoma Pueblo shield, Plains warshirt and numerous other cultural items are set to be sold.

In recent years, the auctions have presented a diplomatic issue between the United States and France, where U.S. laws prohibiting the sale of Native American ceremonial items hold no weight.

Acoma Pueblo and other tribes have issued appeals to federal officials and the French to halt the auction, though similar attempts in the past have not stopped the sales.

The Latest On Campaign Stops In New Mexico By Bill Clinton And Donald TrumpThe Associated Press

Hundreds of supporters have gathered in downtown Albuquerque for a chance to see Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump during his first campaign visit to New Mexico.

He'll be headlining a rally Tuesday evening amid promises of protests.

Despite being denounced by some for previous comments about Mexican immigrants, supporters outside the Albuquerque Convention Center say they appreciate Trump's sediments about securing the border and stemming the flow of people who are crossing illegally.

Marisa Duran, a 31-year-old mother, says as a Latina, she's not offended by anything Trump has said.

Dawn Selwyn and her mother got in line Tuesday morning so they could get as close to the candidate as possible. Selwyn, a 50-year-old Lakota-Sioux woman, says she thinks Trump would be good for Native Americans.

Many of the supporters wore Trump buttons and hats that read "Make America Great Again."

New Mexico Officials: County Board Broke Open Meetings LawThe Associated Press & The Carlsbad Current-Argus

The New Mexico Attorney General's office has found that a former county board violated the state's Open Meetings Act by failing to provide specific descriptions in its agendas.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that the state says the Eddy County Board of Commissioners violated the law in approximately 26 agendas in 2013 and 2014. Three members of the current board were commissioners at that time: Susan Crockett, Glenn Collier and Royce Pearson.

All three said they were unable to comment because they have not yet seen the document from the state Attorney General's Office.

The office says the descriptions for closed meetings contain generic phrases like "limited personnel matters." The Open meetings Act requires that agendas provide specific information about what will be discussed behind closed doors.

Feds Announce $10 Million For Wildfire Projects In 12 StatesThe Associated Press

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Tuesday toured a massive wildfire rehabilitation effort in southwest Idaho that's part of the federal government's new wildfire strategy and then announced $10 million for projects in 12 states to reduce wildfire threats.

The money is part of the Wildland Fire Resilient Landscapes Program intended to restore public lands.

The Santa Clara Pueblo area in New Mexico will receive $800,000 to protect cliff dwellings and other cultural sites.

Native Groups Protest Planned French Auction Of Artifacts – The Associated Press

Federal officials and tribal leaders are holding what they describe as an emergency meeting to protest plans by a French auction house to sell artifacts that the tribes consider sacred.

The auctions have been a sticking point between U.S. and French officials for several years. The planned May 30 auction is particularly galling, officials say, because one of the items up for sale is a shirt made of human scalps.

The meeting will be held Tuesday afternoon at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Members of the Hoopa Valley and Pueblo tribes, as well as representatives from the State and Interior departments are scheduled to participate and discuss efforts to stop the auction.

New Mexico Probes It’s Handling Of Emergency Food Aid – The Associated Press

New Mexico Human Services Sec. Brent Earnest says a practice of altering emergency food assistance applications that results in delayed benefits may date back more than a decade.

Earnest told state lawmakers Monday that he heard from agency employees that the practice is long-standing and dates back to 2003 without providing additional details.

New Mexico lawmakers are raising concerns of intimidation against whistleblowers as court and internal investigations probe whether records were falsified and kept emergency benefits from the poor.

Employees within the agency say they were pressured into amending information to clear expedited assistance applications and make it look as if federal deadlines were being met.

Earnest says he has issued a directive never to falsify applications and that it is important that employees know they can speak freely.

Gov: Mako Medical Labs To Create 100 New Jobs In New Mexico – The Associated Press

Mako Medical Laboratories will partner with Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute to establish a location in Albuquerque, creating 100 new jobs.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez announced the news Monday.

The new jobs will include laboratory technicians, administrative staff, and sales and marketing positions.

Mako Medical Laboratories provides medical lab testing for doctors and medical professionals across the country.

Through the partnership, Mako will help Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute meet its medical testing and laboratory needs while enabling Mako to better serve customers throughout the West.

Mako is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and chose New Mexico for its first location in the western part of the U.S.

Mako will receive $150,000 in Local Economic Development Act funding in New Mexico.

Ex-Albuquerque Halfway House Guard Pleads Guilty To Abuse – The Associated Press

A former employee at an Albuquerque halfway house for women has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing six inmates under his custodial authority.

Prosecutors say Eric Trujillo, of Albuquerque, entered his plea yesterday in federal court to six felony counts.

They say Trujillo will be sentenced within the range of four to 15 years in federal prison and be required to register as a sex offender.

His sentencing hearing hasn't been set yet.

Trujillo was arrested last November and charged with aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse of women living at a Bernalillo County halfway house.

They were federal inmates under a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Trujillo was a resident monitor and guard at the halfway house when the incidents occurred between May 2012 and March 2014.