Company Seeks To Activate Permit For New Mexico Uranium Mine – Associated Press
Rio Grande Resources' underground uranium mine in western New Mexico has been idle for years but the company wants to change that.
New Mexico regulators are hosting a public hearing Friday in Grants to consider the company's application to change the status of its permit for the Mount Taylor Mine from standby to active.
The application also calls for updating the mine's closeout plan and requiring financial assurances from the company.
It could be months before a final decision is made.
Environmental groups are challenging the economic viability of restarting the mine and contend the application is a ploy by the company to avoid cleanup at the site.
The documents the company submitted to the state include plans for a new system to remove selenium and other metals from the water.
Trial Set In Freeway Shooting That Killed 4-Year-Old Girl – The Associated Press
The trial in a New Mexico freeway shooting that killed a 4-year-old girl is tentatively set for October 2016.
Tony Torrez, the suspect in the Oct. 20 shooting in Albuquerque, appeared in court Friday for a scheduling hearing. He's charged with first-degree murder, shooting at or from a moving vehicle, assault and tampering with evidence.
Authorities say Torrez shot at a pickup truck driven by the father of preschooler Lilly Garcia on Interstate 40 amid a road-rage dispute.
The girl was riding in the backseat. She was shot in the head and pronounced dead at University of New Mexico Hospital.
Torrez is jailed without bond as he awaits trial.
The deadline for attorneys to reach a plea deal in the case has been set for August. The trial date is Oct. 31.
Ex-Officers Charged In NM Shooting Death Ask To Move Trial – The Associated Press
Defense attorneys want a change of venue for the trial of two former police officers charged with second-degree murder in the on-duty shooting of an Albuquerque homeless man.
Attorneys for Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez say they want the August 2016 trial to be moved from Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, to Las Cruces in Dona Ana County, about 200 miles south.
Defense attorneys say seeking a fair jury trial in Albuquerque would be nearly impossible.
Their motion cites more than 250 media reports among several Albuquerque news outlets compared to just a handful in Las Cruces.
Sandy and Perez were officers with the Albuquerque Police Department when they shot James Boyd after an hours-long standoff. Boyd had been camping illegally in the Sandia Mountain foothills.
25 Members Of Prison Gang Indicted On Federal Charges – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
Twenty-five members of a major prison gang have been named in two indictments that accuse them of a host of crimes including murder, drugs and kidnapping.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that in two indictments unsealed Thursday in federal court, members of Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico are described as coercing members outside of prison to engage in murder, assault, kidnapping and conspiracy to distribute drugs and firearms.
SNM formed after a 1980 prison riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico and has since expanded to include up to 500 members.
One of the indictments accuses nine members of the gang of being leaders in the enterprise and names them in multiple murders dating back to 2001.
A second, related indictment charges others with violent crimes in aid of racketeering.
Youngest Testifies In Homeless Beating Deaths – The Associated Press
The youngest of three suspects in a brutal beating that resulted in the deaths of two Navajo homeless men has taken the stand.
The teen is testifying against co-defendant Alex Rios, who faces more than two dozen charges, including two counts of first-degree murder.
The teen on Friday described in detail how the assailants used cinder blocks, a table leg and other objects to attack the victims.
The teen's testimony offered a chilling account of the July 2014 attack that led the city's mayor to establish a task force on Native American homelessness.
The testimony is a condition of a plea agreement that offers the teenager, now 16, the possibility of release at age 21.
Rios' attorney has said his client didn't participate in the attack that unfolded in a vacant lot, where the victims were sleeping.
Warrant Issued For Possible Suspect In Santa Fe Theft Case – Associated Press
An arrest warrant has been issued for a possible suspect in a $1.3 million jewelry heist in Santa Fe last month.
KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports a judge signed the warrant Thursday for 45-year-old Luis Villalba Boca-Negra in the case.
Santa Fe police have said that they're looking for two men and woman who had been in the Diva Diamonds and Jewels store two weeks before the Nov. 27 theft.
Police believe two people created a diversion and a third snatched valuables from an unlocked display case.
Authorities say Boca-Negra was arrested in October 2014 for stealing a $35,000 ring from a different downtown Santa Fe store.
He fled the state but was later arrested and pleaded guilty to theft and currently is on probation.
Police say Boca-Negra's whereabouts are unknown.
Airforce Base Lockdown Triggered By Popping Bubble Wrap – The Associated Press
A lockdown at Kirtland Air Force Base turned out to be triggered by the sound of bubble wrap popping that was mistaken for gunfire.
The military base went into lockdown Wednesday afternoon for about 45 minutes along with some neighboring public schools following reports of gunshots near a building on the west side of the base.
Base Director of Public Affairs Eric Elliott says the popper confessed to creating the commotion when bursting sandwich bag-sized air pockets. He says because of the high tension caused by the San Bernardino shooting that occurred Wednesday the noise caused someone to call 911.
The lockdown was lifted after security forces found no evidence of gunfire. Elliott says the lockdown was good practice of emergency procedures.
Federal Monitor: No Agreement Yet On Use-Of-Force Policy – Associated Press
An independent monitor says Albuquerque police are at odds with his team on how to revamp the department's use-of-force policy.
Court-appointed monitor James Ginger told a federal judge Thursday that there's no agreement on a new policy and that is among the things delaying reform.
The Albuquerque Police Department is one of several agencies nationwide that are under court-ordered agreements with the U.S. Justice Department. Federal officials found Albuquerque officers routinely used excessive force.
Ginger says timelines established by the settlement between police and the Justice Department also have been delayed because his contract wasn't approved until months after the reform agreement took effect.
Despite the disagreement over the use-of-force policy, Ginger noted that police are in compliance with goals up to this point.
Environmental Group Files Complaint Over PNM Ad – Santa Fe New Mexican
An advocacy group says advertising by Public Service Company of New Mexico about the San Juan Generation Station is misleading and it’s seeking fines through the Attorney General’s office.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that New Energy Economy says the ad, “In The Dark,” invokes the specter of huge increases in energy bills if the plant is closed. It also details PNM’s plans to shutter two of the coal-fired units at the plant and replace them with renewable energy. However PNM’s plan also calls for continuing to use coal at the plant.
The group wants Attorney General Hector Balderas to levy a $500 fine every time the ad airs. A spokeswoman for PNM called the complaint baseless and misrepresents the record.
Santa Fe Teen Charged With Felony Over Snapchat Threat – Santa Fe New Mexican
A teen was arrested and charged with a felony after sending a photo of himself with a gun and a message about shooting up his school via the social media platform Snapchat.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports he has been placed in a juvenile detention center and police briefly ordered staff and students to shelter in place at Santa Fe High School.
Police initially said the boy had a BB gun, but it was later identified as a pellet gun. The teen was arrested when he arrived on campus.
There have been several other similar threats at schools around northern New Mexico in the last few months.
Judge Denies Mistrial Motion In Homeless Deaths – Associated Press
A judge has denied a motion for mistrial in the case of a 20-year-old man accused of fatally beating two homeless men in Albuquerque last year.
Judge Briana Zamora's decision comes after the attorney for suspect Alex Rios said Thursday that three jurors appeared inadvertently in television news footage during the first day of testimony. While the trial resumed Thursday afternoon, she dismissed the three jurors who inadvertently appeared on TV.
State laws forbid jurors from being filmed or photographed out of concern for protection of their identities, and to ensure objectivity during testimony and deliberations.
Rios and two juveniles are accused of attacking Allison Gorman and Kee Thompson as they slept in a vacant lot.
Rios' attorney says he didn't participate in the beating.
He faces murder charges in the July 2014 attack.
Man Accused In Albuquerque Policeman's Death Indicted Again – Associated Press
An ex-convict accused of fatally shooting an Albuquerque police officer two months ago has been indicted on narcotics trafficking and firearms violations.
Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that 34-year-old Davon Lymon is charged in a three-count indictment with distributing heroin on Sept. 11 and Oct. 2 along with unlawfully possessing a firearm in Bernalillo County on Oct. 2.
They say Lymon is prohibited from possessing firearms after being convicted previously of felony offenses in two state court cases.
Lymon was arrested hours after Officer Daniel Webster was shot multiple times during an Oct. 21 traffic stop outside a pharmacy.
The 47-year-old former Army Ranger died eight days later in a hospital, having suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and jaw.
A judge has ordered Lymon to remain jailed pending trial.
Declining Prices Hit Energy-Producing States Hard - Ben Neary, Associated Press
Energy-producing states around the country are feeling the sting of lower prices for oil, natural gas and coal as they struggle to cover budget plans they made when they were flying high.
Many energy-producing states are dipping into their savings to cover state budgets established when energy prices were higher.
Wyoming is the nation's leading coal-producing state. Republican Gov. Matt Mead says the state needs to brace for falling revenues as demand slips nationwide.
Alaska relies heavily on oil revenues. The state has been hit hard by low oil prices and currently faces an estimated budget gap of about $3.5 billion.
Lawmakers in Oklahoma recently raided the state's constitutional Rainy Day Fund for about $150 million to help cover its current budget.
Albuquerque Plans Celebration For UFC Champion Holly Holm – Associated Press
The city of Albuquerque is working to finalize plans for a celebration for UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm when she returns to her hometown.
A celebration and parade for the fighter is planned for Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. in downtown Albuquerque. Holm will be honored in a ceremony at Civic Plaza after the parade.
The City Council declared November "Holly Holm Month" after she captured the belt from the previously undefeated Ronda Rousey on Nov. 14 in Australia.
City officials say Sunday's celebration will double as a donation bank for winter clothing to benefit the Albuquerque Rescue Mission and Albuquerque Christian Children's home.
Sentencing Memo Asks That Duran Be Spared Jail Time – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Attorneys for former New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran say she is getting treatment for her gambling addiction and ask that she not be sentenced to time behind bars following her guilty plea to embezzlement.
Duran pleaded guilty last month to felony embezzlement charges and four misdemeanors. She is accused of siphoning thousands of dollars from her election account to help pay for gambling. Sentencing is set for Dec. 14.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that in a sentencing memorandum, Duran's attorney argues she should be spared prison time due to her long career in elected office, the potential cost to taxpayers and that she is working on her addiction.
Duran served as a state senator for 18 years before being elected secretary of state in 2010. She resigned last month after her plea.