Doctors Say Library Victims Saved Others – The Associated Press
Trauma surgeons at a Texas hospital who treated patients wounded during a shooting at a public library in New Mexico this week described them as heroes for saving other people the day of the rampage.
The doctors at University Medical Center in Lubbock told reporters Thursday that all four patients who were brought in following Monday's shooting in Clovis were recovering. Two have been released. Two public library workers were killed and a 16-year-old high school sophomore from Clovis is in custody.
The hospital says 20-year-old Alexis Molina suffered a gunshot wound just above her heart and was also shot once in each leg. Doctors say it's a miracle that she survived.
Fifty-three-year-old Howard Jones was shot in the forearm and the bullet traveling up his arm along his radial nerve.
The doctors say Molina and Jones were more concerned about the safety of loved ones who were in the Clovis-Carver Public Library when a gunman opened fire.
They say the two helped prevent others from being killed but provided no details.
Judge Orders Teen Held In New Mexico Killings – The Associated Press
A New Mexico district judge has ordered that a teenager accused in a deadly shooting inside a public library remain in custody.
Nathaniel Jouett appeared in a Clovis courtroom on Thursday. He's facing numerous counts including murder, assault and child abuse.
Jouett's defense was not opposed to the teen remaining in custody for now.
According to court records, the 16-year-old Jouett told investigators he had been thinking "bad things" for some time and initially planned to target his school because he was mad.
He told investigators he didn't know why he picked Clovis-Carver Public Library.
Two employees were killed and four other people were injured.
The Associated Press generally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes. But it is identifying Jouett because of the seriousness of the crime and because authorities plan to file a motion seeking adult sanctions against the teen.
Threats Of Violence Target Clovis Businesses – Eastern New Mexico News, Albuquerque Journal
Following a deadly shooting at a public library in Clovis, businesses in the town experienced more than 30 threats of bombs and shootings Wednesday.
The Eastern New Mexico News reported threats were called in to the newspaper, Wal-Mart, several restaurants and the Plains Regional Medical Center, which evacuated some personnel and locked down entrances and exits.
A caller to the Eastern New Mexico News spoke of being friends with Nathanial Jouett, who is accused of shooting six and killing two at the Clovis-Carver Public Library this week. The caller promised more shootings.
A spokesman for the New Mexico State Police told the Albuquerque Journal none of the threats were credible, but officials investigated all of them.
Advocate: Albuquerque Not Helping With Homeless On Thanksgiving – The Associated Press
A homeless advocate says the city of Albuquerque has pulled out as a sponsor for his group's annual pre-Thanksgiving Dinner over criticism of Mayor Richard Berry.
Joy Junction founder Jeremy Reynalds said late Wednesday the city recently notified him it would no longer give the group free space at the Albuquerque Convention Center for the event.
Reynalds says the city has sponsor the annual gathering for 15 years and he called the decision suspicious. He and Berry have publicly clashed over the mayor's policies addressing homelessness.
Berry spokeswoman Rhiannon Samuel says the city sponsors a number of events around homelessness and can't fund them all.
Reynalds says Peterson Properties has agreed to pay the $6,000 fee to Albuquerque Convention Center. The event attracts around 1,200.
2,500 Marijuana Plants Are Destroyed In Sandoval County – The Associated Press
New Mexico State Police say a multi-agency operation in Sandoval County has resulted in more than 2,500 marijuana plants being removed and destroyed from national forest land.
They say the plants were found in the Santa Fe National Forest by a U.S. Forest Service employee, who then alerted law enforcement.
State Police officers verified the plants and their location and conducted the eradication operation Monday.
The multi-agency operation also included members of the New Mexico National Guard, National Forest Service, federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Sandoval County Sheriff's Office in addition to the State Police.
New Mexico State Regents Vote To Replace Chancellor – The Associated Press
The New Mexico State University Board of Regents voted to move forward with the search to replace Chancellor Garrey Carruthers despite widespread support from university faculty, staff, students and state lawmakers.
The board voted Wednesday to replace Carruthers after his contract ends in mid-2018. Public pressure had built for the regents to offer him a contract extension after a number of groups and Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima had stated support for Carruthers and his work.
The support was not enough to persuade a majority of regents, who chalked up their decision not to renew Carruthers' contract to waning student enrollment and other lagging performance metrics at the university.
The 78-year-old Carruthers said earlier he would be willing to stay on another two years, but the board rejected.
Shooting Suspect Planned To Target School – Associated Press
The teenager accused of gunning down two employees inside a New Mexico public library had planned to shoot up his high school but went to the library instead.
According to court documents filed Wednesday, 16-year-old Nathaniel Jouett, told police he did not know why he picked the Clovis-Carver Public Library and that he did not know anyone there.
But he told investigators he had wanted to target his high school for a long time because he was "mad at everyone since he got kicked out of school last year," the documents said. He also told them he felt like no one liked him.
Jouett was on a two-day suspension from Clovis High School on Monday, the day of the shooting. The teen's pastor, David Stevens, has said that Jouett said he had fought back after another boy hit him.
Jouett, a sophomore, faces nearly a dozen charges — including first-degree murder, child abuse, assault with intent to commit a violent felony and aggravated battery.
Family Of Suspect Saddened By Library Shooting – Associated Press
Family members of the teenager accused of a deadly shooting at a public library in New Mexico say they are deeply saddened by the tragedy.
The family of 16-year-old Nathaniel Jouett released a statement Wednesday, offering their thoughts and prayers to all those affected by Monday's shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.
In the statement, Jouett's parents described the teen as a loving son, wonderful brother and a caring member of the family. As parents, they said this was something they never expected.
Court documents say investigators found a bag containing suicide notes in a desk drawer at Jouett's home.
Inside the library, police found a handgun on a shelf near Jouett as he had his hands above his head. They also found a bag containing a second handgun and ammunition.
New Mexico Extends Payment Deadline For Houston Oil Firms – Associated Press
New Mexico state government is bracing for a financial hit from flooding in Texas as Houston-area oil and natural gas businesses likely struggle to make royalty and tax payments.
State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn on Wednesday warned that Hurricane Harvey's destruction will disrupt revenues due to New Mexico for oil and gas operations on state and federal land.
Dunn offered a one-month grace period for Houston-based companies to pay royalties and interest for operations on New Mexico state trust land, extending a late-September deadline into October.
New Mexico state government depends on the oil and natural gas sector for about one-third of its annual budget, through royalties, severance taxes, lease payments and fees.
An estimated 40 percent of severance taxes collected by New Mexico are paid by Houston-based companies.
New Groundwater Basin Studies For Arizona And New Mexico – Associated Press
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is launching two new groundwater basin studies, one in Arizona and the other in New Mexico.
Bureau of Reclamation Acting Commissioner Alan Mikkelsen says growing imbalances between supply and demand are affecting many basins throughout the West.
The Rio Grande Basin Study in New Mexico is focused on the Middle Rio Grande from the Colorado-New Mexico border to Elephant Butte Reservoir.
The basin has been fully allocated since 1907, and future potential conditions in the basin could result in decreased water supply and quality.
The Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield groundwater basins in southern Arizona encompass most of the corridor between Phoenix and Tucson.
The groundwater is being over-drafted by about 230,000 acre-feet per year and causing severe caving-in of land in the basins, putting critical infrastructure at risk.
Las Cruces, Roswell Firefighters Heading To Texas – Associated Press
New Mexico agencies are sending first responders to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
Las Cruces Fire Department spokesman Dan Trujillo says members of the elite Swift Water Rescue Team left Monday to help Houston-area residents in the aftermath of one of the region's worst flood disasters on record. Trujillo says they will assist local law enforcement and first responders in the area.
The fire department from Roswell also is sending firefighters to the region to help with rescue and recovery efforts.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Tuesday that it and the Catholic Charities of New Mexico are collecting donations online to be given to Catholic Charities in southeast Texas and Louisiana.
Energy Petition Targets Power Plant Pollution In New Mexico – Associated Press
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office and consumer advocates are petitioning regulators to consider a new energy standard aimed at reducing pollution from electric utilities in the state over the next two decades.
The proposal calls for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to be cut by 4 percent a year through 2040. Supporters say that could amount to a reduction of several million tons of carbon dioxide, which is considered a prime contributor to global warming.
Steve Michel with Western Resources Advocates presented the proposal to the state Public Regulation Commission on Wednesday. It'll be up to commissioners to begin the rulemaking process.
Michel said the state's largest investor-owned utility already is in a position to comply with the proposed standard given plans to shutter part of a coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico.
New Mexico Report Questions Handling Of Charter School Funds – Associated Press
The New Mexico State Auditor says the Public Education Department can't explain how it spent $20 million for administrative support for charter schools.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on Tuesday that State Auditor Tim Keller's review of funds for charter schools raises questions on how the funds are tracked and if those funds are going to the intended purpose. The $20 million the review identifies was spent over a five-year period.
The Public Education Department and school districts with charter schools are allowed to withhold 2 percent of each charter school's program costs to provide administrative assistance.
Keller says the review shows a "lack of transparency and accountability", and he called on the department to make changes.
Public Education Department officials say Keller's review is misinformed.
University Of New Mexico's Communications Director Resigns – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The University of New Mexico's communications director is stepping down from her post.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Dianne Anderson resigned from her post Thursday as the state's largest university's primary spokeswoman.
Anderson says she will move to Florida where her husband has taken a new job.
A familiar face in Albuquerque, she joined UNM in 2012 following a long career in local TV news, including more than 20 years total at KOAT and KRQE. She has lived in Albuquerque since 1989, but she said her children have both recently graduated moved out of state.
Billy Sparks, executive director of communications and marketing for UNM's Health Sciences Center, confirmed this week he may soon retire.