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Duran Released From Jail, Holloman AFB To House Immigrant Kids

Steve Terrell
/
CREATIVE COMMONS

Disgraced Former New Mexico Secretary Of State ReleasedAssociated Press

Former New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran was released Sunday from a Santa Fe County jail after a 30-day sentence for using political campaign funds to fuel a gambling spree.

A judge ordered Duran to be released at 9 a.m.

Duran pleaded guilty to felony counts of embezzlement and money laundering. Her transgressions have led to calls for a major overhaul of New Mexico's campaign finance and ethics laws during the legislative session that starts on Tuesday.

State probation officials say Duran will leave jail wearing a GPS location monitoring device that helps ensure she stay out of New Mexico casinos and race tracks.

For violating the laws she was expected to uphold, Duran also must hand-deliver letters of apology to political donors and talk to school children and civic groups regularly for three years.

Holloman Air Force Base To House Immigrant KidsAlbuquerque Journal

An unused portion of Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo will be used to house unaccompanied minors from Central America.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to detain up to 400 children at a time until they can be released to sponsors. The number of children apprehended by Border Patrol in the sector that includes New Mexico nearly tripled in the last part of 2015.

Most of the minors are fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Under federal law, unaccompanied youths from Central America must be taken in by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which must find a guardian to help children attend immigration hearings.

The American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns that many of the minors are dealing with serious trauma and will need social and legal resources that may not be available at the base.

New Mexico Alcohol Tax May Stop Funding ScholarshipsThe Associated Press

A New Mexico alcohol tax that has helped fund college scholarships is set to expire at the end of next year and lawmakers are looking to move that money elsewhere.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that in 2014 legislators voted to add $19 million from the alcohol excise tax to the lottery scholarship fund through mid-2018.

Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, says that money should go to drunken driving prevention instead of tuition.

The lottery scholarships cover about 90 percent of a student's tuition and fees. Higher Education Department officials say if the excise tax is lost, the scholarships would only cover about 60 percent.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, who designed most of the 2014 bill, says he is looking to renew the excise tax.

State Colleges Consider Discount For Some Mexican Students Associated Press

New Mexico lawmakers are weighing whether to offer lower tuition at state colleges to some international students from Mexico.

The Legislative Finance Committee discusses on Monday the proposal to allow reduced tuition rates to students from the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora who attend New Mexico state colleges.

If endorsed by the committee, the bill would be introduced at a 30-day legislative session that starts on Tuesday.

The committee also is considering proposals to increase the ratio of public school funding that goes toward students at risk of failing and restrictions against double-funding of students at charter schools under a growth-based formula.

Report: New Mexico Charter Schools Cost More, Perform Same Associated Press

An evaluation of student achievement at New Mexico charter schools finds higher spending per student with roughly the same academic results as traditional public schools.

The evaluation by New Mexico's Legislative Finance Committee looked at six representative charter schools. The full report is being presented Monday to lawmakers in Santa Fe.

The state's charter schools have received almost half of the new money available for public schools over the past seven years. Yet student achievement data for the past three years shows little difference in achievement between charter and traditional public schools.

Rapid growth of charter schools in New Mexico mimics a nationwide trend.

The evaluation also finds that charter schools authorized by local school districts perform below charter schools authorized by the state of New Mexico.

Feds To Search Laptop In Case Against New Mexico Rescue Team Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press

Federal investigators are looking for evidence that a New Mexico search-and-rescue team falsified training certifications to qualify for funding.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Federal Emergency Management Agency officials filed a search warrant request this week in U.S. District Court.

The warrant allows officials to search a laptop computer to see if it was used to print out false training certificates.

New Mexico Task Force 1 team, which deploys to disaster scenes, is accused of failing to properly account for funding.

FEMA ruled earlier this month that the team will no longer have status as one of the 28 elite urban search and rescue teams in the country.

The task force will no longer receive millions of dollars for specialized training and equipment.

Bill Proposes Postponing Navajo Nation ElectionsDaily Times, Associated Press

Navajo Nation Council is weighing legislation that would postpone this year's election because of possible restructuring of its chapter government system.

The Daily Times in Farmington reported Saturday that delegate Leonard Tsosie is introducing a bill that would delay races for chapter officials and other offices.

The Office of Navajo Government Development has been holding public meetings since December about amending the section of tribal law that lists the authorities of chapter governments.

Among the proposed changes is grouping all 110 chapters into a regional government structure.

The bill would put off election season until after voters decide on a referendum to restructure chapter governments.

A Navajo Election Administration representative was not immediately available to comment.

New Mexico Alcohol Tax May Stop Funding Scholarships Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

A New Mexico alcohol tax that has helped fund college scholarships is set to expire at the end of next year and lawmakers are looking to move that money elsewhere.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that in 2014 legislators voted to add $19 million from the alcohol excise tax to the lottery scholarship fund through mid-2018.

Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, says that money should go to drunken driving prevention instead of tuition.

The lottery scholarships cover about 90 percent of a student's tuition and fees. Higher Education Department officials say if the excise tax is lost, the scholarships would only cover about 60 percent.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, who designed most of the 2014 bull, says he is looking to renew the excise tax.

Suspicion Over Federal Wolf Plan Spreads To Colorado, UtahAssociated Press

Suspicion over federal plans to restore endangered wolves in the Southwest has spread to Colorado and Utah, where ranchers and officials are fiercely resisting any attempt to import the predators.

About 110 Mexican gray wolves roam parts of Arizona and New Mexico. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 11 wolves there about 20 years ago after the population nearly vanished.

The agency hopes to complete a recovery plan for the Mexican wolf in 2017, and officials say they've made no decision about releasing them in Colorado or Utah.

But neither state is waiting. Their governors accuse the agency of using flawed science and biased experts. Utah and Colorado wildlife commissioners also spoke out against releasing Mexican wolves.

The Fish and Wildlife Service defended the experts and the process.

Santa Fe To Have Own City Film CommissionAssociated Press

Santa Fe will have its own film commission to help lure productions and cultivate independent filmmakers.

The Santa Fe City Council unanimously approved establishing a 16-member commission last week amid inquiries about how it would use its $50,000 budget.

Councilor Joseph Maestas says he will "reluctantly support" the commission but wants more discussions about the film industry's potential in Santa Fe.

The panel will be in charge of expanding the city's reputation as a filmmaking destination, developing local productions and lobbying lawmakers to get rid of a $50 million cap on state incentives.

Mayor Javier Gonzales will be tasked with appointing commission members and the chair.

The panel will be made up of industry leaders, film crew representatives and people with ties to schools with film programs.