EPA: 540 Tons Of Metals Entered River In Colorado Mine Spill – Associated Press
Nearly 540 tons of metals — mostly iron and aluminum — contaminated Colorado's Animas River over nine hours during a massive wastewater spill from an abandoned gold mine in 2015.
That's according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which released a report Friday on metals released into the environment during the August 2015 spill. The report says the total amount of metals entering the river was comparable to levels during one or two days of high spring runoff.
The EPA says its research supports earlier statements that water quality in the affected river system has returned to pre-spill levels.
An EPA-led contractor inadvertently triggered the 3-million-gallon spill while doing preliminary cleanup work at the old Gold King Mine. The blowout turned rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah a sickly yellow.
New Mexico High Court Ok's New Online Access To Court Records – Associated Press
New Mexico's court system plans to allow attorneys, law enforcement agencies and the news media to have secure online access to state court records in most civil and criminal cases.
The Supreme Court says the policy will improve governmental transparency, assist attorneys and government agencies do their work and help the media to provide timely and accurate information to the public.
The court's announcement Friday says the access could begin as early as March.
According to the court, approved users will be able to view and download court documents that are public records through a secure, restricted access system.
The court says public will be able to also have online access to case records in the future when there's funding to electronically redact records to remove protected information.
GOP Governor Who Clashed With Trump Will Attend Inauguration – Associated Press
A spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says the second-term Republican will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Michael Lonergan confirmed Friday that Martinez will attend the inaugural in Washington on Jan. 20.
Martinez was critical of Trump throughout the presidential campaign and never endorsed him, but offered congratulations after his victory. She publicly denounced Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants, his criticism of a bereaved military family and his lewd talk about women from a leaked 2005 videotape.
Trump in turn harshly criticized Martinez for her handling of the state's economy at an Albuquerque rally.
Sharp divisions over Trump's election have politicians, celebrities and others debating whether or not to participate in the inauguration.
Spanish-Language Vme TV Dropped In Large Hispanic Region – Associated Press
New Mexico PBS, a public television station in the nation's most Hispanic state, is dropping Spanish-language TV channel Vme from its lineup due to low ratings.
The move comes as Vme TV — the first and only Spanish broadcast television network associated with public television stations — recently announced it was transitioning to commercial cable over the next year.
New Mexico PBS marketing manager Michael Privett says Vme TV just never caught on in the Albuquerque area despite the region's large Latino population. The Albuquerque station had broadcast Vme TV for seven years.
Launched in 2007, the Miami-based Vme TV broadcast in more than 40 markets and partners with WNET in New York.
New Mexico PBS is replacing Vme TV with a new 24-hour PBS Kids Channel.
Santa Fe Mayor: Sanctuary City Will Still Apply For Grants – Associated Press
Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales says the city will continue to seek federal grants despite President-elect Donald Trump's threat to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities.
The New Mexican reports that Gonzales became a de facto spokesman for sanctuary cities last year when he defended policies like refusing to use local resources to help enforce federal immigration laws.
He made his recent comments at a news conference Thursday at which city officials announced a $150,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Santa Fe is one of five cities to receive one of the EPA grants under the President Barack Obama administration.
River and watershed coordinator Melissa McDonald says Santa Fe will use the money to write or rewrite its own storm water management plan.