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City Council Approves Transit Funding, State Public Defender Resigns

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Rendering of rapid transit station at Atrisco

City Council Approves Transit Funding – The Associated Press & Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque City Council voted to accept nearly $70 million in federal grant funds for a bus rapid transit project Monday night after four hours of noisy debate where opponents substantially outnumbered supporters.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that several times during the night Council President Dan Lewis threatened to stop the meeting to restore order as audience members cheered opponents who spoke out against the project.

The vote was 7 to 2, with Lewis, a Republican, and Councilor Klarissa Peña, a Democrat voting no.

Opponents of the project are concerned that the series of dedicated bus lanes and stations in the middle of Central Avenue will increase traffic congestion and that combined with construction will hurt business owners.

Supporters say the transit proposal will bring increased investment in the corridor and connect employers and commuters. Construction on the nearly $120 million project could start by May.

New Mexico Chief Public Defender Resigns, Citing Resistance – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico's chief public defender has resigned, saying in a four-page letter that he faced resistance and unreasonable expectations.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Chief Public Defender Jorge Alvarado sent the letter to employees Monday. He led the state agency for more than two years, supervising 13 public defender offices around the state, making policy decisions and lobbying on criminal defense legislation.

Alvarado has pushed for more funding for the office in recent years, saying it wasn't financially equipped to handle 70,000 defendants. Lawmakers only granted a fraction of his requested budget increases.

New Mexico Public Defender Commission Chairman Michael Stout said in an emailed statement that he will start looking for a new chief defender soon.

Alvarado did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

Regents Approve Tuition Hike For UNM StudentsThe Associated Press

Some University of New Mexico students will have to pay more per semester now that regents have approved a 2.5 tuition hike and a 10 percent increase in student fees.

The regents voted on the increases during their budget summit Tuesday.

The university's administration had proposed a 3 percent tuition increase, but regents moved to lessen the amount after hearing from faculty and student representatives.

Regents did approve tuition increases for the university's branch campuses, but agreed to a 1.1 percent tuition decrease for medical school students.

The university faced a funding shortfall in the wake of a legislative session that saw state lawmakers trim higher education spending due to evaporating revenues. University officials also are expecting lower enrollment next fall.

New Mexico Prosecutors Seek Judge To Try Former SenatorThe Associated Press

The New Mexico Attorney General's Office is pushing for an initial court hearing to present fraud charges against a former state senator after several judges have recused themselves from the case.

Revised charges against former Democratic Sen. Phil Griego were filed Tuesday in state First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. Four judges have bowed out of taking the case since a nine-count criminal complaint was filed against Griego on Feb. 29.

Griego maintains his innocence and has not yet formally entered a plea. Prosecutors say Griego used his role as a legislator to receive personal compensation in a real estate deal and then failed to disclose it as required by state law.

Settlement Proposed In Gallup Diocese Bankruptcy CaseAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Attorneys for a New Mexico diocese have submitted a proposed settlement for a bankruptcy case that has spanned more than two years.

Attorneys for the Diocese of Gallup on Monday filed a reorganization plan that would use cash contributions of $21 million from nearly a dozen sources to settle claims filed by 57 alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the settlement would also be used to establish a trust to pay for future claims.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma will consider the proposal at a hearing next month. The plan must also be approved by the claimants.

An attorney for the claimants says some terms are still being negotiated, including policies to protect children.

The diocese filed Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in November 2013.

New Mexico Tax Refunds Will Be Delayed This YearThe Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico will take longer to process tax refunds this year because the state is taking extra measures to protect against fraud.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Taxation & Revenue Cabinet Secretary Demesia Padilla told lawmakers Monday that security concerns are forcing New Mexico to double-check refund claims.

She says taxation and revenue information has not been compromised.

The federal Internal revenue Service and private companies have reported computer breaches in which W-2 wage and personal identification might have been stolen. Padilla says such information could be used to file a fraudulent tax return in New Mexico.

Refunds will take from six to eight weeks instead of the usual two weeks.

Taxes are due on April 18.

Longmire TV Series Returning To New Mexico For 5th SeasonThe Associated Press

The television series Longmire will return to northern New Mexico for a fifth season.

The New Mexico Film Office announced Tuesday that the Netflix series' production will begin at the end of March and run through the end of June.

The office said filming locations will include Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Espanola, Glorieta and Pecos.

Set in Wyoming, Longmire is a contemporary crime drama based on the "Walt Longmire" mystery novels authored by Craig Johnson.

The series stars Robert Taylor, Lou Diamond Phillips and Katee Sackhoff and is produced by The Shepherd/Robin Co. in association with Warner Horizon Television

Guard Investigated In Inmate Escape Was SuedAssociated Press

A New Mexico corrections guard under investigation after two violent inmates escaped from a prison transport van also has been accused of leaving inmates unattended in a hot van.

The cases raise questions about the handling of prisoner transports in the state.

Officials disclosed in documents obtained by The Associated Press that Taracina Morgan and Michael Ortega were in charge of transporting two violent felons who escaped at a gas station on March 9. Both were later apprehended.

The guards are on administrative leave amid an investigation into the escape and any possible misconduct.

Morgan is named in a lawsuit filed last year that says she and another guard left inmates in an unventilated transport van for up to an hour in 2013.

A corrections spokeswoman says the department investigated and didn't find her guilty of the accusations.

Lawsuit Targets Decades-Old Permits To Use Rio Grande Water Associated Press

Environmentalists want a judge to force New Mexico's top water manager to show that water pulled from the Rio Grande for irrigation is being put to beneficial use.

WildEarth Guardians filed their legal challenge against State Engineer Tom Blaine on Monday.

Under the state Constitution, a user has to prove to the state engineer's office that the water is being put to beneficial use in order to secure a water right.

The group claims the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District hasn't done that. The group contends the state has given the irrigation district a blank water check for decades and that's affecting the river's health.

The irrigation district received its permits some 80 years ago, and officials say they have been working with regulators for years without any accounting issues.

Moderate Drought Returns To Western New Mexico Associated Press

National Weather Service forecasters say moderate drought conditions have returned to western New Mexico while abnormal dryness is expanding in other parts of the state.

State and federal water and land managers are meeting Tuesday to discuss the latest outlook.

They say statewide precipitation for February was well below normal, with New Mexico seeing an average of only 52 percent of the moisture it typically sees.

Despite little moisture so far this month and strong winds, the forecast calls for things to improve in April with above normal precipitation expected across the state.

Still, experts say drought is expected to persist in the southwest at least through June.

The picture is still better than a year ago, when nearly three-quarters of the state were dealing with some form of drought.

Panel To Discuss Radiation Hazards During New Mexico Hearing Associated Press

Independent regulators are visiting New Mexico to discuss the hazards of storing radioactive waste as Los Alamos National Laboratory while the federal government's only underground nuclear waste dump remains closed.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board also plans to address safety problems at the lab during a public hearing Tuesday evening in Santa Fe.

Testimony will be taken from lab officials and local leaders within the U.S. Energy Department and National Nuclear Safety Administration.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico has been closed for more than two years after a container of waste that was improperly packed at Los Alamos lab burst and contaminated parts of the underground dump.

The closure derailed the federal government's multibillion-dollar cleanup effort at defense sites around the nation.

Crews Battling New Mexico WildfireKRQE-TV, Associated Press

Firefighters are battling a wildfire about 60 miles south of Albuquerque.

KRQE reports that crews began fighting the flames outside La Joya around midday Sunday. Officials say the blaze covered about 300 acres Monday after it jumped a river the night before.

Crews continued digging more fire line around the flames Monday.

On Sunday, they cleared weeds and brush to help slow the flames, while volunteer firefighters from multiple agencies guarded structures as a precaution.

Officials say an air tanker dropped some fire retardant, but crews have otherwise mostly let the fire burn.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque are warning of critical fire weather Monday and Tuesday in northern and central New Mexico due to a combination of strong winds, low humidity and above normal temperatures.

Panel To Discuss Radiation Hazards During New Mexico Hearing Associated Press

Independent regulators are visiting New Mexico to discuss the hazards of storing radioactive waste as Los Alamos National Laboratory while the federal government's only underground nuclear waste dump remains closed.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board also plans to address safety problems at the lab during a public hearing Tuesday evening in Santa Fe.

Testimony will be taken from lab officials and local leaders within the U.S. Energy Department and National Nuclear Safety Administration.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico has been closed for more than two years after a container of waste that was improperly packed at Los Alamos lab burst and contaminated parts of the underground dump.

The closure derailed the federal government's multibillion-dollar cleanup effort at defense sites around the nation.

Agency: New Mexico Child Obesity Rates May Be Leveling OffAssociated Press

The New Mexico Department of Health says childhood obesity rates in the state may be beginning to level off after a downward trend in recent years.

The department says childhood obesity among third-graders dropped 16 percent between 2010 and 2015 while dropping 10 percent among kindergarteners, but each category increased slightly between 2014 and 2015.

According to the department, the increases noted between 2014 and 2015 are statistically insignificant.

Deputy Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher says the new data in the state's annual update indicates a possible leveling-off of childhood obesity rates.

She says state officials are proud of progress being made but that there's still work to be done because more than one in three third-graders and one in four kindergarteners are overweight or obese.