EPA Proposes Adding Colorado Mines To Superfund List – Associated Press
Nearly 50 mining sites in southwestern Colorado, including one that spilled a torrent of wastewater into New Mexico and Utah last summer, are a bit closer to getting funding for a comprehensive cleanup.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed adding the sites, along with seven other locations nationally, to its list of sites with priority to get Superfund funding Wednesday.
The EPA has proposed a Superfund designation for the Gold King Mine and other nearby sites before but residents feared it would hurt the tourist-dependent economy. Local governments along with Gov. John Hickenlooper now endorse it.
The EPA will take public comment on the proposal before deciding whether to add the sites. If they are, cleanup work could still be months or years away after studies and planning.
New Mexico Saw Its Driest March In 122 Years – Associated Press
The National Weather Service says last month marked the driest March for New Mexico in more than 100 years.
The agency said New Mexico saw its driest March since 1895 as drought has returned to the state.
Close to 20 percent of New Mexico is in moderate drought.
Almost all of the remainder of the state is classified as abnormally dry.
A dry spell that started in January and continued through February and March has permitted drought and very dry conditions to creep back into the state.
New Mexico Treasurer Hands Out Raises To Top Employees – The Associated Press & KRQE
New Mexico's state treasurer has handed out a few sizeable raises despite cuts to his department's budget.
KRQE reports that Treasurer Tim Eichenberg gave pay hikes to nearly a dozen employees during his first year on the job. Some employees say their salaries increased by 20 percent and the chief financial officer's salary was boosted by 46 percent in ten months.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of the office's employees are doing the same work for the same pay and some jobs have been vacant since Eichenberg became treasurer.
He told KRQE that he plans to stick with his strategy of rewarding employees for extra work, extra training or extra value to taxpayers. Eichenberg says he plans to hand out 11 more raises in his next 15 months on the job.
EPA Adds Roswell Plume To National Priorities List – KOB-TV
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added a site Roswell contaminated by chemicals used in dry cleaning to its National Priorities List of Superfund sites.
KOB-TV reports the Lea and West Second Street site was contaminated in the mid-20th century and Roswell’s drinking water could be at risk.
One of those chemicals is tetrachloroethylene, which is potentially harmful to humans.
Study Shows Balloon Fiesta Economic Impact Jumps 51 Percent – Albuquerque Journal
The economic impact of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has increased to more than $177 million according to a new analysis.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that’s a 51 percent increase over 2011, the last time such a study was done.f
The report by Forward Analytics in Pittsburgh also found guest visits rose by 30 percent to nearly one million. The Balloon Fiesta also generated nearly $6 million in tax revenues for the state in 2015 and more than $4 million for the city of Albuquerque.
The fiesta takes place each October and is the largest gathering of balloonists in the world.
Woman Ordered To Pay Back $11,000 In Unemployment Benefits – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
A New Mexico woman has been ordered to pay back more than $11,000 in unemployment benefits.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the state supreme court last month ruled that Nancy Garduno is responsible for paying back the money she received after her former employer successfully appealed her benefits.
Garduno was fired from Albertsons in February 2010 for giving other employees deep discounts. The state Department of Workforce Solutions originally determined she was eligible for $402 in weekly benefits, which are available to employees who lost their job through no fault of their own.
Albertsons appealed the award and won in March but Garduno wasn't notified until August. She appealed the ruling, saying she wasn't notified in a timely manner.
Sotomayor Says Court Getting More Complicated – Associated Press
A member of the Supreme Court says U.S. law has become too complex for someone without extensive legal experience to work on the nation's highest court.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was answering a question from a student at St. John's College in Santa Fe on Wednesday about whether there is still a place on the court for non-jurists like Earl Warren and Louis Brandeis.
Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the court, says the law has become exponentially more complicated since their time and that a lot of that is the court's own creation. She said legal experience is a must.
Questions were not allowed regarding Supreme Court appointee and federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland and the Republican effort to delay the current confirmation process.
Santa Fe Mayor Bans Official Travel To Mississippi, North Carolina – Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales has banned nonessential travel on city business to Mississippi and North Carolina after those states passed laws he says discriminates against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Gonzales, who is openly gay, joins other mayors and governors who have taken similar steps. Nonessential travel includes conferences. However, essential travel such as training for police and firefighters or pursuing fugitives, is not subject to the ban.
Gonzales said he is hopeful such bans send a message to states that pass such laws. He took similar steps when Indiana passed similar legislation.
Judicial Committee Reviews Bail Bond Changes – Associated Press
A judiciary committee has redrafted state district court rules to bar judges from setting a bail bond higher than a defendant can afford for the sole purpose of keeping the person behind bars before trial.
The move Wednesday comes less than two months after state lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment with similar language that will go before voters for final approval in November.
Officials say the changes approved by the state Supreme Court's Pre-trial Release Committee at a meeting Wednesday aren't tied to the proposed constitutional amendment. The amendment also would allow judges to deny bail to defendants who are considered a danger to the public.
The committee's proposed changes must still be approved by state Supreme Court justices.
New Mexico AG Wants Felon To Resign From School Board – KRQE-TV, Associated Press
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office has told a northern New Mexico school board member convicted of cocaine possession he must resign or face the law.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports the New Mexico Attorney General's Office have given West Las Vegas School Board member Anthony Leroy Benavidez two weeks to step down.
A letter sent to Benavidez says if Benavidez is found to be holding his office illegally by April 20, state prosecutors may file "criminal or civil sanctions."
State court records show Benavidez was convicted in 2002 for felony drug possession.
New Mexico law prevents convicted felons from holding office without a pardon. Benavidez didn't disclose his conviction when he ran for office.
Benavidez told KRQE-TV he won't resign until the attorney general takes him to court.
Albuquerque School Board Delays Decision On Superintendent – Associated Press
The Albuquerque Public School Board has postponed a discussion about whether to extend the contract of acting Superintendent Raquel Reedy or open up the job to other candidates.
The board had been set to discuss the matter Wednesday, but delayed any action until April 20 because a board member had a death in the family.
Reedy's contract with the district runs through June.
Members of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation and the Albuquerque NAACP have voiced their support for Reedy, who they describe as a strong leader.
Reedy took over as superintendent on Aug. 31 after Luis Valentino resigned. Valentino had faced criticism after the district failed to complete its background check on then-deputy superintendent Jason Martinez, who had been charged with sexual assault on a child in Colorado.
Western New Mexico University OK Deal With Mexican College – Associated Press
Western New Mexico University has signed an agreement with a university in Mexico on academic exchanges.
The Silver City-based school recently established a memorandum of understanding with Universidad Tecnologica de Parral that focuses on several partnerships.
Under the agreement, future collaborations will include academic exchanges for short-term language courses, English courses for the general public and summer camps.
Welding courses also will be offered to Universidad Tecnologica de Parral with a chance to earn certifications in welding technology.
Universidad Tecnologica de Parralis based in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and was established in 2011.
Spat Escalates Over Secret Legislative Records In New Mexico – Associated Press
Staff attorneys and advisers to the New Mexico Legislature are standing by their refusal to turn over documents to prosecutors in the criminal investigation of former state Sen. Phil Griego.
The Legislative Council Service said Wednesday in court filings it is duty-bound to protect privileged communications between lawmakers including Griego and aides who help draft legislation.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas alleges that Greigo used his role as a senator to profit from the sale of a state owned building, and has subpoenaed background files on a legislative initiative that paved the way for the sale. Prosecutors also are seeking records from a Senate ethics committee that investigated the matter. That investigation prompted Griego's resignation in March 2015.
Griego has pleaded not guilty to fraud, bribery and other charges.
Documentary On Life Of Chicano Poet Set For Wide Release - Russell Contreras, Associated Press
A documentary based on Chicano writer Jimmy Santiago Baca is set for release in June and producers hope to get it into schools with Latino and Native American students.
Director Daniel Glick told The Associated Press the film will be released on DVD and online. It had been shown at festivals nationwide.
"A Place to Stand" follows the life of Baca from Estancia, New Mexico, to his time in the Arizona State Prison in Florence, Arizona. It covers his rise from a nearly illiterate convicted criminal to one of the most recognized Mexican-American writers in the country.
The film took more than three years to make and was produced after a social media campaign to raise money.
Baca is known for such poetry collections as "Poems Taken from My Yard."