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Decision On APD Trial Could Be This Week, Blue Cross May Exit Health Exchange

SCREENSHOT FROM VIDEO PROVIDED BY APD THROUGH AN IPRA REQUEST
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James Boyd in a standoff with police in March 2014

Testimony Resumes In Albuquerque Police Shooting CaseAssociated Press

A judge could decide this week if a former and current Albuquerque officer should stand trial for the shooting death of a homeless man.

Pro Tem Judge Neil Candelaria is scheduled Monday to hear more testimony in a preliminary hearing for Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy. They are facing murder charges for the death of James Boyd.

The 38-year-old Boyd, who authorities later said suffered from schizophrenia, was shot during a standoff in March 2014 in the Sandia Mountains foothills. Video of the shooting showed Boyd appearing to surrender before Perez and Sandy opened fire. The shooting sparked angry protests in Albuquerque.

Attorneys for the officers say their clients did nothing wrong.

Advocates say Albuquerque will see new protests if Candelaria decides the officers won't face a jury.

Police Knew Man Was Mentally Ill Before He Was ShotThe Associated Press

An Albuquerque SWAT sergeant says police were aware that a homeless man had paranoid schizophrenia and had previously attacked an officer before he was fatally shot during a standoff.

Sgt. James Fox said Monday that officers who arrived to the scene knew basic information about James Boyd when police received reports about the 38-year-old camping illegally in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.

Fox made his comments during a preliminary hearing for Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy, who are facing murder charges for Boyd's death.

A judge is listening to testimony this week and will decide if the officers should stand trial.

Fox says police determined the standoff was a SWAT situation because the knife-wielding Boyd was on higher ground and put officers in danger.

Man Held In Officer's Death Had Knife In PrisonThe Associated Press

Prison officials say a homemade knife has been found on a man accused of fatally shooting a police officer in a suburb of Albuquerque.

The New Mexico Department of Corrections said Monday that Central New Mexico Correctional Facility guards found a "shank" inside the cell assigned to Andrew Romero.

Officials say the knife was discovered after Romero made threats at officers and authorities ordered a shakedown of his cell.

Authorities say officials are trying to determine how Romero got the weapon.

Police say 28-year-old Romero fatally shot Rio Rancho police officer Gregg "Nigel" Benner during a routine traffic stop in May.

Romero could get life in prison without parole if convicted.

He's has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and nine other charges.

Teen Curfew To Be On Agenda For NM Legislative SessionThe Associated Press

Gov. Susana Martinez says curfews can be an important tool for keeping teens on the right track and that she would support letting communities decide for themselves whether to impose such measures.

The governor issued her comments Monday as the Albuquerque City Council prepared to discuss whether to push for legislation that would give local governments across New Mexico the ability to impose and enforce teen curfews.

Even though the next legislative session is dedicated to budget and tax issues, Martinez says the question of local curfews will be added to her call for the 30-day session that begins in January.

The governor's office says it has discussed the issue with Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and Councilor Ken Sanchez.

Critics have argued that parents should enforce curfews, not the government.

Political Party Emails Identified As Spam Years AgoThe Associated Press

State officials are acknowledging that emails from the domain belonging to the Democratic Party of New Mexico were first blocked from state servers after being identified as spam four years ago.

Officials with the state Department of Information Technology detailed the cause of the email flap Monday as the party called for an investigation.

Party spokesman Scott Tillman says Democrats first noticed emails being returned in July after requesting information from the secretary of state's office.

The party took aim at the office. The office denied doing anything to block the emails, saying it was the IT Department that maintained the state government email system.

IT officials said the party's domain was flagged for spam activity in 2011 after an employee in the General Services Department repeatedly received emails despite asking to be removed from the list.

Federal Judge Denies Injunction In New Mexico Drilling CaseThe Associated Press

A federal judge has denied a request by environmentalists to put on hold oil and gas development in northwestern New Mexico that stems from the approval of dozens of permits over the last two years by the Bureau of Land Management.

U.S. District Judge James Browning issued his ruling late Friday. At least one environmental group plans to appeal.

Environmentalists contend the BLM's Farmington office violated federal environmental laws by approving 265 permits since 2013 and that more development could harm the environment and archaeological and cultural sites in the region.

The BLM has declined to comment directly on the litigation but maintains that it reviews all permitted wells to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.

Browning also cleared the way for the American Petroleum Institute to participate in the case.

New Mexico Ramps Up Efforts To Collect Gross Receipts Taxes Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

New Mexico has been ramping up its efforts to collect delinquent gross receipts taxes from self-employed workers, contractors and business owners.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the number of letters alerting taxpayers of a possible discrepancy in taxes paid has grown from 666 in the 2011 fiscal year to 17,930 in the budget year that ended in June.

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department says it can better identify taxable income by using computer tracking programs to compare different sources of tax data.

Not all such letters have led to enhanced tax collections.

The amount of money identified in the collection effort also has increased from about $9.5 million in the 2011 budget year to roughly $35.1 million in the just-completed fiscal year.

Irrigation In Dona Ana County Coming To CloseThe Associated press & The Las Cruces Sun-News

Farmers in Dona Ana County are bringing their irrigation seasons to a close, but water in the Rio Grande is expected to keep flowing for several more weeks.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, which covers Dona Ana County, shut down its Hatch-area irrigation network and plans to finish irrigating additional farms by the end of next week.

Water in the Rio Grande will still flow as irrigators in El Paso and Mexico continue their water seasons through September.

The riverbed will then stay dry until irrigation districts launch their operations next spring, unless extreme rain storms hit the area.

Both Elephant Butte and El Paso irrigation districts, which benefited from an early summer monsoon season, will have some water left over for next year.

Blue Cross May Pull Out Of New Mexico Exchange MarketAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico may pull out of the individual insurance marketplace set up under the Affordable Health act next year if it can't reach a deal on rate hikes with the state insurance commissioner.

The Albuquerque Journal quotes Blue Cross of New Mexico President Kurt Shipley as saying his company needed an average 52 percent rate boost because it lost money last year because of unexpected high medical costs.

Insurance Superintendent John Franchini rejected the company's request for an average 51.6 percent rate increase on individual plans.

If Blue Cross pulls out of the market, more than 17,000 people who bought its plans will need to find a new insurer and possibly a new doctor.

That's about a third of all policies bought on the state's marketplace.

Teen Killed In Drive-By Not Believed To Be Intended TargetAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Investigators don't believe that a 17-year-old boy killed in a drive-by shooting in which the son of a New Mexico lawmaker has been arrested was the intended target of the attack.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that police instead believe the shooting that killed Jaydon Chavez-Silver on June 26 was motivated by retaliation.

Donovan Maez, the 18-year-old son of Democratic Rep. Stephanie Maez of Albuquerque, was arrested Friday.

Authorities believe that Maez was reportedly beaten up when a fight broke out at the same house about a month before Chavez-Silver was killed and that a young man who lived at the house owed one of Maez's friends $500 for drugs.

Maez told police that he was at a different party at the time of the shooting.

Rain Brings Respite From Drought, But Also Disease RiskSanta Fe New Mexican, Associated Press

The summer rain may seem like a welcome respite to gardeners, but for humans and their pets, deadly diseases like plague are becoming more common as rodent populations soar.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that officials say a dog in Santa Fe has tested positive for the plague. It is being treated with antibiotics.

The dog's owner is being monitored for fever.

Plague is endemic in the area and is contracted through flea bites or rodent droppings. So far this year, three cats and five dogs have tested positive for plague.

Last month, a Santa Fe County woman died of the disease.

Diseases like hantavirus and tularemia are also worrying public health officials in Santa Fe.

Taos Ski Patrol Members To Vote On Union RepresentationAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

A unionization vote date has been set for members of the ski patrol at the Taos Ski Valley resort.

A veteran of the ski patrol says the group of nearly 50 seasonal workers wants a place at the table on pay and benefits as new management makes changes.

Long-time ski patrol member Rey Deveaux tells the Albuquerque Journal that the union vote is not a "hostile-type thing." He says ski patrol members love what they do and just want to make the ski experience better for everyone.

Taos Ski Valley CEO Gordon Briner said in a statement the resort can better address ski patrol members' issues without going through a union.

The vote on whether to unionize under the Communications Workers of America is set for Nov. 12.

Critics Of Carbon Regulations Using Mine Spill To Skewer EPAAssociated Press

Authorities say rivers tainted by last week's massive spill from an abandoned Colorado gold mine are starting to recover, but for the Environmental Protection Agency the political fallout from the disaster could linger.

The agency's critics are seeking to use its much-maligned handling of the spill to undercut the Obama administration's rollout of major regulations aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the nation's power plants.

EPA and contract workers accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater as they inspected the idled Gold King mine. The agency was already a frequent target for Republicans and pro-industry groups. Members of congressional oversight committees say they are planning hearings.

The spill came just two days after Obama unveiled his Clean Power Plan in an event at the White House.

Albuquerque May Give Old Cellphones To ShelterKRQE-TV, Associated Press

The Albuquerque City Council is considering a proposal that would donate old city cellphones to a domestic violence shelter.

KRQE-TV reports that the resolution would give out-of-date or unusable portable devices to S.A.F.E. House New Mexico. The organization provides shelter and services to domestic violence survivors.

Councilor Brad Winter introduced the proposal and says there are several unused devices in city hall.

S.A.F.E. House executive director Michele Fuller says many people who come there don't have phones of their own, which are sometimes taken from them by an abuser.

The group provides cell phones as a basic safety measure.

Fuller says the organization can also recycle extra phones for cash and use that for program funding.

The proposal goes before the city council on Monday.

Los Alamos Lab Contractor Fined For Security LapsesSanta Fe New Mexican, Associated Press

The private consortium that manages the Los Alamos National Laboratory has been fined by the federal government for losing track of secret weapons data and nuclear material.

The fine of more than $192,000 was reduced by about 20 percent from the fine initially proposed by the Department of Energy in May.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports federal investigators said the lab contractor failed to catch a discrepancy in shipping papers for the classified material when it was sent to the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. The classified materials and nuclear material have never been located.

Laboratory spokesman Kevin Roark told the newspaper Friday that lab management cooperated in the investigation after reporting the issue to the government. Roark says the notice of violation is being reviewed.