Wildfire Burns 800-1000 Acres, Forces Residents From Homes – Associated Press
A wildfire that broke out in the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico has consumed 800 to 1000 acres and is forcing some nearby residents from their homes.
The fire has been dubbed the "Dog Head Fire" and is located in the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands.
The fire was first reported as being about 8 acres in size around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Fire officials say it's spreading fast, and that the smoke is making it difficult to see the exact size.
Officials have issued voluntary evacuations for areas northeast of the fire.
Fire crews have been battling the blaze from the air to try to keep it from spreading.
Land Commissioner Proposes New Clean-Up Fund – The Associated Press
New Mexico State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is asking lawmakers to create a new fund that would help remediate and restore state trust lands in response to recent spills of oil and polluted water by a Texas-based company.
Dunn presented the proposal to a committee of state lawmakers at a meeting in Artesia on Wednesday. He says there is a growing need for dedicated funding to restore state trust lands that are damaged not only by oil-industry spills but also illegal dumping, wildfires and invasive plant species.
The legislation would divert 1 percent of revenues from the state's land maintenance fund that receives money from renewable resources overseen by the land office such as grazing fees, rights-of-way and business leases. Dunn says other alternatives such as raising bonding requirement for oil well operators would require complex revisions to state statutes.
The State Land Office oversees oil, natural gas, mining and other leases across 13 million acres of public land that provide funding to schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions.
Albuquerque Police Release More Optimistic Staffing Outlook – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
The Albuquerque Police Department has released a final staffing plan with a more optimistic outlook than an earlier draft.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that plan predicts that the department will hit the 1,000 officer mark by 2020 or sooner. It's a marked change from an earlier draft that predicted the department would be understaffed for the next 10 to 15 years.
Police officials say mathematical errors resulted in the bleak predictions.
The final plan also suggests policy changes that could help the department deal with a staffing shortage, but Chief Gorden Eden says nothing is set in stone.
The plan predicts that 100 cadets will graduate from the department's police academies each year for several consecutive years. It expects that workforce to be bolstered by hires from other departments.
Texas-Based Hastings Entertainment In Chapter 11 Bankruptcy – The Associated Press
Texas-based Hastings Entertainment Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Company officials say the reorganization filing includes its parent company, Draw Another Circle, and sister brands Movie Stop and SPImages.
A statement posted Monday on the Hastings website says the Chapter 11 process will help prepare the business for an intended sale, while providing protections and financing to continue operations. Further financial details weren't released.
Hastings operates more than 120 superstores in the U.S., plus concept stores in Littleton, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company has about 500 employees in Amarillo, where it's based.
Hastings will no longer accept or honor deposits for movie purchases and will no longer rent games. Hastings gift cards expire July 13, 2016. The company's buyback program has been suspended.
EPA Defends Water Tests After Colorado Mine Leak – Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is defending water tests it conducted after a massive mine spill in southwestern Colorado that tainted rivers in three states.
The EPA issued a statement Tuesday saying the tests were thorough and science-based.
Earlier Tuesday, New Mexico officials accused the EPA of misrepresenting test results to make water quality look better than it was.
They also criticized the EPA for saying the water met recreational standards after the spill instead of using the more stringent residential standard.
An EPA-led crew inadvertently triggered the 3-million gallon spill from the Gold King Mine last August. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were affected.
New Mexico's criticisms were included in the state's official comment on an EPA proposal to use the Superfund program to clean up the Gold King and nearby sites.
Meanwhile, a new report by the Utah Division of Water Quality shows metal levels were higher on parts of the San Juan River affected by the spill. But it’s not clear if the metals came from that spill or earlier mining activities.
Report More Optimistic About APD Staffing – Albuquerque Journal
A staffing plan released for the Albuquerque Police Department finds that APD is likely to hit a staffing goal of 1,000 officers by 2020 or sooner.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the new figures counter an earlier draft that predicted the department would be understaffed for the next 10 or 15 years. Officials said those figures had mathematical errors and did not account for several ways APD can boost officer rolls.
Those include lateral hires from other police departments, possible legislation allowing retired officers to return and better incentives and would be in addition to projections of 100 police academy graduates annually.
But Shaun Willoughby, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, said those graduation projections are unrealistic and some other parts of the plan could violate collective bargaining agreements.
Surgeon General Calls For Greater Investment In Opioid Fight – Associated Press
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling for more investment in addressing the nation's opioid epidemic, saying only half of the 2 million people who need drug treatment in the country have access to it.
Murthy's comments Tuesday come after his tour of a substance abuse center in New Mexico, a state that federal data show had one of the nation's highest overdose death rates in 2014.
Murthy says the Department of Health and Human Services is investing in the expansion of treatment centers, like the one he visited in Albuquerque.
Overdose deaths remain New Mexico's leading cause of injury death.
Murthy's Albuquerque visit follows a tour he took Monday of the Community Bridges Central City Addiction Recovery Center in Phoenix.
Man Arrested After Albuquerque City Hall Hostage Scare – Associated Press
A man has been arrested in connection with a scare at Albuquerque City Hall about a possible shooter and hostage situation that police now believe was a hoax.
Albuquerque police spokesman Tanner Tixier said Tuesday that 28-year-old Daniel Olguin was charged with breaking and entering and false imprisonment after a floor-by-floor search of City Hall.
Police in tactical gear surrounded City Hall on Monday and closed part of downtown Albuquerque after receiving reports of a possible shooter.
Employees had reported that a man was running up and down the halls yelling that there was a shooter in the building.
Police believe the situation was a hoax. An investigation was continuing.
Employees later were escorted away from the building by officers in tactical gear. No injuries were reported.
It was not known if Olguin had an attorney.
Judge Orders New Mexico Legislature To Release Records – Associated Press
A state district court judge is ordering New Mexico's Legislature to turn over 15 subpoenaed documents to prosecutors as they pursue fraud charges against a former senator.
The order was released Tuesday and resolves part of a standoff between the attorney general's office and legal advisers to the Legislature who contend that recent subpoenas of documents and testimony may threaten the integrity of the law-making process. The order also says communications between attorneys and a legislative ethics committee are privileged and need not be released.
Prosecutors have accused former Democratic Sen. Phil Griego of using his role as a legislator to profit from the 2014 sale of a state-owned building in downtown Santa Fe. Griego has pleaded not guilty to charges including fraud, bribery and tampering with public records.
Ex-New Mexico County Manager Fired For 3rd DWI Files Lawsuit – By Russell Contreras, Associated Press
A former top western New Mexico county official fired after her third drunken driving arrest just two days into her new job has filed a lawsuit.
An attorney for former interim Cibola County manager Rheganne Vaughn says in court papers she was wrongful terminated since the 2014 drunken driving arrest happened outside of work and didn't affect her duties.
The lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque seeks an unspecified amount in damages from Cibola County.
Court records show Vaughn later was convicted for aggravated drunken driving stemming from her 2014 arrest. Records also say she pleaded no contest for driving under the influence in 2011 in Deming, New Mexico.
A 2006 drunken driving charge against Vaughn was dismissed.
Cibola County manager Tony Boyd declined to comment.
New Mexico Settles With Texas Well Operator – Associated Press
New Mexico oilfield regulators have reached a settlement agreement with a Texas well operator in response to spills of oily salt water at the company's waste-water injection sites and oil wells.
The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division confirmed Tuesday the agreement with Siana Operating of Midland, Texas, that outlines a timeline for cleaning up the spills at two clusters of wells outside Eunice in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. Siana also would pay a penalty of $19,000 over the course of a year and could resume operations if all terms are met.
Separately, the State Land Office continues to pursue a lawsuit seeking compensation from Siana on accusations the company spilled waste at a well site on state trust lands where it had stopped making lease payments years ago.
Man Dies Of Hantavirus In Western New Mexico – Associated Press
State health officials say a 25-year-old man from McKinley County in Western New Mexico has died of hantavirus.
The Health Department said Tuesday it marks the state’s fifth case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome this year.
An environmental investigation will be done at the patient’s home to help reduce the risk to others. The patient’s name wasn’t released.
Officials Say Mosquitos Swarming In High Numbers – Albuquerque Journal
Officials say mosquito numbers are high this year in Albuquerque, especially along the Rio Grande, thanks to spring rains and snow runoff.
The Albuquerque Journal reports there are no signs yet of the Zika virus, but researchers from New Mexico State University are mapping where mosquitos carrying Zika might be.
The three cases of Zika in New Mexico were not contracted within the state. So far there are no signs of West Nile virus, but officials have found specimens with West Nile here every year since 2003.
Experts recommend people empty standing water regularly and wear insect repellent. Also avoid areas with heavy infestations in the early morning and at dusk.
Hantavirus is a deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings or saliva. People can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized virus.
Health officials say the deer mouse is the main carrier for the strain found in New Mexico.
Public health veterinarian Paul Ettestad says due to more precipitation, people are seeing a larger than usual number of mice and that’s leading to increased chances of being exposed.