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Case Of Plague In Bernalillo County, Three Hospitalized With West Nile Virus

Drawing by A.L. Tarter via Wikimedia Commons
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CREATIVE COMMONS
A rat leaving a ship via the mooring rope, thus spreading the plague.

Two Doña Ana County Women, Valencia County Man Have West Nile – Associated Press

Health officials say two women from Doña Ana County and a Valencia County man have been diagnosed with the West Nile virus.

The New Mexico Department of Health says all three are hospitalized with neuroinvasive disease, which is the more serious form of the illness.

A horse from Valencia County also has been diagnosed with West Nile and is recovering.

Health officials say August and September are typically when the highest number of West Nile cases are reported in both people and horses around New Mexico.

They say the mosquito populations are very high this year because of the extensive rainfall in many areas of the state.

In April, a 12-year-old girl from Valencia County was diagnosed with West Nile virus infection.

She was hospitalized with neuroinvasive disease, but recovered.

New Mexico Confirms Case Of Plague In Bernalillo County – Associated Press

State health officials say they have confirmed the first human case of plague in Bernalillo County.

The New Mexico Department of Health said Thursday that tests show a 65-year-old man from there does have the plague.

Officials are not releasing his name.

This marks the second case in the state this year.

A 52-year-old woman in Santa Fe County died from the disease last month.

Plague is a bacterial disease from rodents that is typically transmitted to people through bites from infected fleas or direct contact with infected animals.

Symptoms include sudden fever, chills, headache and weakness.

There were two human plague cases in New Mexico last year.

Bloomfield Sues Farmington Over Rights To Electric UtilityThe Associated Press

The city of Bloomfield has filed a lawsuit against the city of Farmington as part of an effort to acquire its own electric utility.

The Daily Times reports the complaint filed Tuesday alleges that Farmington, which provides Bloomfield with power, has broken a contract agreeing to sell Bloomfield the electric utility if they ever desired to purchase it.

A 1960 court order gave both Aztec and Bloomfield the right to acquire such properties they are entitled to from Farmington. But Farmington and Bloomfield interpret the meaning of that order differently.

The Bloomfield City Council is expected to approve the complaint during a meeting Monday.

Farmington City Manager Rob Mayes says a judicial decision on the matter is necessary for future discussions regarding Bloomfield's desire to purchase an electric utility.

New Mexico Council Counters Bullock Opposition To Water LawThe Associated Press

A guild of New Mexico recreation businesses is hitting back at Montana Gov. Steve Bullock for an opinion piece he submitted to the Albuquerque Journal last week.

A rebuttal from the New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides was published in the Journal on Friday.

In it, Executive Director Kerrie Romero defended a law the New Mexico Legislature passed in April that requires fishermen to obtain permission to use water that passes through private property.

Bullock denounced the state's decision in his Aug. 12 opinion and said the law confused anglers in New Mexico.

He invited New Mexicans to visit or move their businesses to Montana, where all streams and rivers are open to the public.

Romero says New Mexico is in a very different water situation than Montana and Bullock shouldn't compare the two states' water laws.

Crime Stoppers Ups Reward For Church Bombing InformationThe Associated Press & The Las Cruces Sun-News

Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering $15,000 for information that nets an arrest in the investigation into bombs that exploded outside two churches.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the group increased its reward for information and set a Sept. 18 expiration date for the offer in order to keep leads fresh.

Luna County Crime Stoppers are offering a $2,500 reward for tips leading to an arrest, and the FBI is offering as much as $20,000 for an arrest and conviction.

Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the Aug. 2 and Aug. 14 bombings.

Albuquerque Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Is QuittingAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Two months into his job, Albuquerque Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Jason Martinez has submitted a letter of resignation.

Martinez cited personal and family commitments as reasons for quitting.

However, The Albuquerque Journal reports that Martinez is resigning after emails came to light showing him embroiled in a heated argument over authority with APS chief financial officer Don Moya.

The newspaper says emails were leaked showing Martinez fighting with Moya about a possible request for proposals on an APS information technology assessment.

Martinez allegedly wanted to send that information to a company that recently employed a disgraced former Denver Public Schools administrator.

Martinez was hired by APS in June and had previously worked for a publishing house as well as in an instruction and technology administrator capacity at Denver Public Schools.

North Dakota Judge Holding Hearing On Federal Water Rule Associated Press

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing Friday in Fargo on an effort by 13 states, including New Mexico, to block a new rule that gives federal authorities jurisdiction over some state waters.

The states, led by North Dakota, argue that the rules from the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers illegally expand those agencies' powers under the federal Clean Water Act.

The law goes into effect next week. The states want the judge to order an injunction to suspend the new rules.

Many landowners are worried even a ditch or puddle could fall under the new federal regulations.

The other states joining the lawsuit with North Dakota are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota and Wyoming.

New Mexico Court Issues Opinion On Retention QuestionAssociated Press

The New Mexico Supreme Court says any district judge who fills a midterm vacancy must stand for a nonpartisan retention election in the sixth year of what would have been the predecessor's term.

The court issued its opinion Thursday, saying its finding is consistent with the intent of the state Constitution.

The question stems from the case of former District Judge Sheri Raphaelson, who was ordered by the court to step down last year after losing a retention election.

Raphaelson was first elected in 2010 to complete another judge's term. She did not garner the votes necessary for retention in 2014.

Raphaelson had unsuccessfully challenged the election results by saying she didn't have to stand for retention in the first place because she was initially elected to fill a midterm vacancy.

APS Staff To Receive Paid Leave While Serving In Legislature Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

The Board of Education has approved a policy that will allow Albuquerque Public Schools employees who are state lawmakers to receive paid "political leave" while they work in the Legislature.

The plan approved Wednesday comes after years of debate over the merits of such pay.

Board member Barbara Petersen tells the Albuquerque Journal the new policy could inspire more APS employees to become lawmakers, which would serve as a benefit to school districts.

But board member Peggy Muller-Aragon, who was the only member to vote in opposition of the plan, says she has concerns about the city's taxpayers having to fund legislators' paychecks.

The board got rid of paid political leave in 2012 after reports surfaced about a lawmaker's salary, which she drew as APS' coordinator of vocational education.

Bandelier National Monument Begins Flood Repairs Associated Press

Officials at Bandelier National Monument say work has started to repair damage near the visitor center caused by flash flooding in the wake of a wildfire that charred more than 230 square miles in northern New Mexico in 2011.

The monument is using emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration to get the work done.

Contractors plan to build a new vehicle access route, clean up flood debris and re-establish the picnic area and overflow parking areas at the bottom of Frijoles Canyon.

The project also will include stabilizing part of the edge of the entrance road that eroded.

Officials say completion of the project is scheduled for the end of October. If cold weather arrives early, they say the paving will be pushed back until the spring.

EPA Downplays Dangers Of Mine Spill, But Concerns LingerAssociated Press

More than two weeks after a mine spill fouled waterways in several Western states, officials are expressing concern over the long-term effects of contaminated river bottoms as the federal agency that triggered the accident downplayed the dangers.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency workers released more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water Aug. 5 while working at an inactive mine site near Silverton, Colorado.

Poisons including lead and thallium have been detected in sediment samples collected from the Animas River. The river travels from Colorado into northern New Mexico, joining the San Juan River before emptying into Utah's Lake Powell.

The EPA has said the contamination is returning to pre-spill levels as the plume passes. But officials in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah cite potential harm to private drinking wells and river life.