Settlement In Lawsuit By Police Officer Shot By Supervisor – Associated Press
An Albuquerque undercover officer who was shot multiple times at point blank range by his supervisor has reached a settlement in a suit against the city and the since-retired supervisor.
A federal magistrate on Wednesday filed a brief order saying she'd received notice of the case being settled. She ordered the sides to file papers to close the court case within 30 days.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the settlement is for $6.5 million.
The magistrate's order didn't disclose terms of the settlement of the suit filed by Jacob Grant against the city and former police Lt. Greg Brachle.
Brachle shot Grant Jan. 9 2015 while Grant and another officer were undercover in a parked unmarked police car. They had just bought drugs from two suspects.
Brachle recently retired.
Skandera Responds To Lawsuit Over Standardized Tests – KOB-TV, Associated Press
State Education Secretary Hanna Skandera responded to a lawsuit against her department that claims a rule against disparaging testing violates free speech laws.
KOB-TV reports that Skandera called the suit by the American Civil Liberties Union, teachers and a parent a “straw man” designed to stop testing.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Santa Fe District Court on behalf of five public school teachers and a parent.
The ACLU says the regulation restricts free speech and violates constitutional rights to due process and a public education.
The lawsuit says that teachers are permitted only to provide praise for tests and that parents are thus unable to obtain honest and accurate information about the impact of the tests on children.
Skandera said conversation would be preferable to litigation. She maintains PED does not enforce the rule, which dates back to the Bill Richardson administration.
The ACLU is seeking removal of the rule. Skandera said she needs to review the case but she would consider that option.
U.S. House Subpoenas UNM Health Sciences Faculty – Albuquerque Journal
Two faculty members of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center have received subpoenas from a U.S. House panel investigating fetal tissue research.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the subpoenas are among 12 issued by the panel and require the two faculty members to testify next month in Washington. Their names were redacted in the document released to the public.
The panel also sent subpoenas to a California company. This comes after an earlier round of subpoenas that included UNM and Southwestern Women’s Options, an abortion clinic in Albuquerque.
The House panel is investigating allegations that Planned Parenthood profited from the sale of fetal tissue, a violation of federal law, although investigations in states have not found evidence of that.
DOE Affirms Commitment To Los Alamos Cleanup – Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Energy says it's committed to cleaning up legacy waste left behind at Los Alamos National Laboratory by decades of bomb making and related nuclear research.
A department spokesman reiterated the commitment Wednesday after New Mexico regulators unveiled a new proposal for addressing hazardous waste and contamination in and around the northern New Mexico lab.
The DOE confirmed that it has been in discussions with the state Environment Department over a revamped cleanup schedule since milestones outlined in a previous agreement signed in 2005 has run out.
The department says it's looking forward to reviewing the draft proposal.
A series of public meetings will be planned over the coming weeks and the public will have through May 16 to weigh in.
Indian Education Head Demoted In Hiring Flap – Associated Press
The director of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education has been demoted after a federal report found he violated hiring practices.
The Interior Department says it has removed Charles "Monty" Roessel as director due the gravity of the issues raised in the watchdog's report released Wednesday.
The department's Office of Inspector General found Roessel abused his position by hiring a close relative and a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship.
Roessel told investigators he hired the woman as a program analyst in Washington, D.C., because she was the most qualified candidate. He acknowledged fault in hiring his relative to work at Navajo Nation schools.
Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes, a deputy secretary under the Interior Department, will serve as acting director of the Bureau of Indian Education.
5 Inmates Intend To Sue Over February Fire – Clovis News Journal, Associated Press
Five female inmates intend to sue over injuries they say they sustained in a February fire at the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
The Clovis News Journal reports Portales attorney Eric D. Dixon filed the tort claim against the county Tuesday. The filing says the fire was started by another inmate who had been given a lighter by a jailer.
Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said an investigation is planned.
Pyle declined to comment further on "threatened litigation."
New Mexico Hires Mike Bradbury To Lead Women's Team – Associated Press
New Mexico has hired Mike Bradbury to take the helm of the women's basketball program.
The school made the announcement Wednesday, saying a news conference would be held Thursday afternoon.
Bradbury replaces Yvonne Sanchez, who was fired in mid-March after five seasons as head coach.
A protégé of the school's most successful coach, Don Flanagan, Sanchez joined the program in 2000. She was hired to replace the retiring Flanagan following a national search.
Bradbury has coached the women's team at Wright State since 2010. He was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for 2014-15 and led the team to a 25-9 finish this season.
He also led Morehead State for three seasons and was an assistant at Xavier and Cincinnati.
New Mexico's Plan To Use Pesticide On Fish Makes Some Uneasy – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
New Mexico officials plan to use a pesticide to help re-establish a native Gila trout population, but some scientists say the chemical could pose health risks for humans and other species.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the New Mexico Game and Fish Department says the pesticide, rotenone, has been safely used to kill invasive fish species for years. The department hopes to use rotenone to kill off remaining populations of rainbow and brown trout in parts of Whitewater Creek and its tributaries, giving the threatened Gila trout a better chance of survival.
Recent studies have linked rotenone exposure to an increased likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease. Some scientists say the pesticide's effect on humans and the environment should be studied further.
Albuquerque Settles With Student Kneed By Police Officer – The Associated Press
The city of Albuquerque has agreed to pay $245,000 to a University of New Mexico law student who was kneed in the groin by a police officer.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the city has settled with Jeremy Martin, who was forced to undergo emergency surgery to remove a testicle after the officer kneed him during an April 2014 traffic stop.
Martin's attorney says his client is satisfied with the settlement, though he obviously wishes the incident had never occurred.
The police officer, Pablo Padilla, has been charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and tampering with evidence. He is scheduled to stand trial in June.
FBI: 5 Arrested Following Robbery Of Albuquerque Bank Branch – The Associated Press
Authorities say five men are in custody following a bank robbery in northeast Albuquerque and are also suspects in similar holdups around the city.
The FBI says Albuquerque police arrested the men after the robbery Wednesday of a US Bank branch.
One of the suspects was arrested following an hour-long standoff at a home.
Authorities say the arrests resulted from an investigation by police and the FBI.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI had been watching the men for several days before making the arrests.
The FBI identified the five suspects as 50-year-old Greg Miera, 43-year-old Martin Huertta, 31-year-old Christopher Gallegos, 20-year-old Christian Herrera and 20-year-old Isaiah Gallegos.
They're expected to make initial court appearances Thursday.
It's unclear if any of the five men have lawyers yet.
Small Plane Crashes 8 Miles South Of Shiprock; Pilot Injured – The Associated Press
Authorities say a small plane has crashed eight miles south of Shiprock and the pilot has been airlifted to a hospital.
New Mexico State Police say the plane was landing at the Shiprock airport about noon Thursday when it got caught in a crosswind and was pushed off the runway.
The plane caught an edge and flipped. KOB-TV had a photo of the plane upside down in a field.
The Cessna 180D reportedly is registered to a company out of Durango, Colorado.
Authorities say the pilot was airlifted to the San Juan Regional Medical Center with back pain while the passenger walked away from the crash and was treated at the scene.
State Police say the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified of the crash.
UFC's Jon Jones Ordered To Take Anger Management Class – The Associated Press
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones will have to take anger management and driver improvement classes and do more community service for violating his probation from a previous hit-and-run crash.
Jones appeared in court Thursday. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and had his hands cuffed after having spent three days in jail.
His latest legal troubles came after being stopped last week for allegedly drag racing in downtown Albuquerque, not far from the gym where he trains. He was issued five traffic citations but has denied the allegations.
His attorneys reiterated during Thursday's hearing that they believe the citations are bogus and that Jones was profiled.
Jones is scheduled to fight Daniel Cormier at the end of April for the light heavyweight title.
California Diver Dies In Underwater New Mexico Cave - The Associated Press
An eastern New Mexico police chief says an experienced California diver has died while exploring an underwater cave beneath a swimming hole.
Santa Rosa Police Chief Jude Gallegos says the initial investigation suggests 43-year-old Shane Thompson's death Saturday below the Blue Hole was an accidental drowning about 160 feet below the surface.
The Blue Hole is a deep blue swimming hole where an artesian spring pumps out 3,000 gallons of water per minute.
Officials say no more exploration is planned of the underwater cave.
Santa Rosa City Manager Timothy Dodge said Thursday he was briefed by the team of elite divers who surveyed the maze of caves under the swimming hole. They recommended no more exploration was needed and that the area remain off-limits to the public.
Dodge says the team of divers covered and locked the grate at the bottom of the swimming hole to prevent anyone from going beyond the area that's open for recreation.
Arizona Woman In 'Baby Gabriel' Case Arrested In New Mexico – The Associated Press
An Arizona woman who served five years in prison in connection with the 2009 disappearance of her baby has been arrested in New Mexico for a probation violation.
Bernalillo County Sheriff's officials say 29-year-old Elizabeth Johnson was booked into jail Thursday afternoon.
They won't disclose details of the probation violation and Johnson's lawyer in Arizona declined comment.
Johnson was released from prison in July 2014.
She was sentenced in December 2012 to 5 1/4 years on interference and imprisonment convictions. A jury deadlocked on a kidnapping charge that could have brought more than two decades in prison.
Authorities say 8-month-old "Baby Gabriel" was last seen in December 2009.
Johnson was suspected of kidnapping her son, then taking him to Texas and giving him away to a couple she just met.