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Friday News Roundup: Blowing Snow Expected In Parts Of New Mexico

Blowing Snow Expected In Parts Of New Mexico - The Associated Press

The National Weather Service says residents and travelers in New Mexico can expect accumulating and blowing snow in parts of the state Friday and into the weekend.

Forecasters say several inches of snow may accumulate Friday night in the northern mountains, the northeastern highlands and the plains.

A hazardous weather outlook also says there could be reduced visibility due to blowing snow on Interstate 25 between the Glorieta Pass area and the Colorado line as well as on sections of Highways 64 and 87.

Forecasters say the snow will continue over portions of northern and northeastern New Mexico through Saturday morning before tapering off.

Another storm system could hit the area in the middle of next week.

Santa Fe Police Chief Announces Retirement - The Associated Press

Santa Fe's police chief is retiring after three years in the job.

Chief Raymond Rael says he'll step down on Monday. He was appointed Sante Fe's police chief in March 2011. Rael previously worked for the department from 1978 to 1999, rising to the rank of deputy chief.

Outgoing Mayor David Coss says Rael's tenure as chief has seen a decrease of property crimes, the filing of all vacancies in police ranks and clearing of backlogs of internal affairs investigations.

There's also been friction within the department over policies, including the switch to five-day workweeks from a four-day schedule.

An interim chief is expected to be selected early next week. 

Few Attend Town Hall On Mishap At Nuke Dump - The Associated Press

Few people attended a town hall meeting Thursday as the U.S. Department of Energy released more information on its efforts to recover from a radiation leak last month at the nation's only underground nuclear waste dump.

Several dozen residents, workers, elected officials and others turned out for the evening meeting, but the large auditorium at the edge of town was nearly empty.

Questions about what caused the leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the extent of the contamination and the future of the federal government's national nuclear cleanup efforts have been swirling for weeks now.

Some of the uncertainty was quelled late Wednesday when officials announced that the level of radioactive particles being captured by monitoring stations in the Carlsbad area had decreased significantly and were close to normal.

Officials said further testing on the 13 workers who were at the plant at the time of the leak shows they aren't likely to experience any serious health effects.

Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway told the town meeting audience that the systems at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant worked, with filters capturing most of the radiation that escaped from the underground mine. Still, he says the investigation needs to be swift and efficient.