DEA Sets Up 103 Sites In New Mexico For Disposing Pills— Associated Press
The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to set up 103 sites across the state where people can dispose of their unwanted and expired prescription drugs on Saturday.
Federal authorities say the "Drug Take Back" collection sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 50 law enforcement agencies are partnering with the DEA on setting up the sites in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Farmington, Hobbs, Gallup and numerous cities in between.
The push to rid their homes of unneeded prescription drugs is aimed at preventing pill abuse and theft as the state faces high drug overdose and addiction rates.
Residents can look up sites in their area by clicking the "Got Drugs?" icon at www.dea.gov , and then entering their zip code.
Chief: University Of New Mexico Police, DA Not At Odds — Associated Press
The University of New Mexico campus police chief says his department is not at odds with the local district attorney's office, despite officers telling federal investigators they were frustrated with how frequently prosecuters dropped sexual assault cases.
UNM Police Chief Kevin McCabe's comments Friday came a week after the U.S Justice Department released the results of an investigation that found university administrators and staff failed to comply with federal law in their handling of sexual assault and harassment claims.
A footnote in the report said supervisors in the University of New Mexico Police Department told the Justice Department that they felt Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg's office doesn't pursue charges in many instances of sexual assault on campus.
Brandenburg says sexual assault cases are extremely difficult to prosecute.
Workers Testify To Falsifying Records, Denying Food Aid— Associated Press
State caseworkers and supervisors have testified that they falsified income information on emergency applications for people seeking food assistance, resulting in some of New Mexico's most needy being denied help.
The testimony came Thursday in a case in which lawyers are challenging whether the state Human Services Department is meeting certain requirements.
At the hearing a number of employees testified that they altered the requests to show that those applying had up to $400 in assets that did not exist, which lead to the applications being denied.
The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty is arguing that the state has been failing to comply with several court orders on how it notifies welfare beneficiaries of the status of their requests for assistance, leading to delayed or denied benefits.
Santa Fe Opera Announced 2017 Season— Associated Press
The Santa Fe Opera's 2017 season will include a world premiere, three new productions for the company and a collection of works spanning 300 years.
The opera's general manager Charles MacKay announced the lineup at a news conference Wednesday.
The 2017 season will run June 30 through Aug. 26 and will open with "Die Fledermaus," which was last performed by the company in 1992.
Most anticipated in the 2017 season is the world premiere of "the Revolution of Steve Jobs." According to the opera, the production will examine Jobs facing his own mortality and circles back to the events and people in his past that shaped and inspired him.
Other operas in the 2017 season will be "Lucia di Lammermoor," ''The Golden Cockerel" and "Alcina."