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Girl's Killing Is State's Latest Horrific Child Death, School Pulls Out 60 Kids For Dress Code

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Girl's Killing Is New Mexico's Latest Horrific Child DeathAssociated Press

The killing this week of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl who was drugged, raped and dismembered is just the latest horrific child slaying case for New Mexico, which has the nation's highest youth poverty rate and a state government that has had heavily publicized difficulties protecting children from abuse.

Victoria Martens was not known to have been a victim of previous violent abuse. But officials acknowledged Friday that the man accused of injecting her with methamphetamine before raping her was not being monitored by probation officers or tested for drugs as mandated by a judge last year.

Alamogordo Schools Pull 60 Kids Out Of Class For Dress CodeAssociated Press, Alamogordo Daily News

Parents are complaining after about 60 students were pulled out of class at Alamogordo High School due to dress code violations.

The Alamogordo Daily News reports that over the course of two days about 60 students were told to call their parents to have them bring a change of pants to school due to rips in their jeans.

At an Alamogordo Public Schools Board of Education meeting Wednesday a number of parents voiced concerns about their daughters' jeans being criticized. Most parents said they are careful about what their child wears to school and that they did not believe the pants were inappropriate.

School officials say students were warned of the policy and that allegations that only girls were affected were untrue.

 New General Takes Charge At White SandsAssociated Press, Las Cruces Sun-News

A new general is in charge at White Sands Missile Range.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that U.S. Army Brig. Gen Eric L. Sanchez took over the New Mexico range after a Change of Command Ceremony on Thursday.

Sanchez is a 1987 graduate of the New Mexico State University. He is returning to his home state after serving as the commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Shafter in Honolulu.

The mayor of the nearby town of Mesilla attended the ceremony, as did many Mesilla residents. Sanchez' wife, Teresa Sanchez, is a Mesilla native and says it is good to be home.

Long-Shot Cardullo Called Up By RockiesAssociated Press

The Colorado Rockies called up Stephen Cardullo from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, the first time the 28-year-old infielder-outfielder has been on an active major league roster.

Cardullo hit .308 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs in 115 games for the Isotopes this season. Prior to that, he spent four years in independent ball and was the MVP of the Canadian-American Association in 2015.

Cardullo was selected by Arizona in the 24th round of the 2010 draft and released after two seasons of rookie ball.

The Rockies optioned infielder Ben Paulsen to Triple-A and transferred right-hander Scott Oberg to the 60-day disabled list. Paulsen hit .115 (3-for-26) with one RBI and one walk in 10 games since being recalled from Albuquerque on Aug. 12.

Judge Denies Nevada County's Claim To National Forest RoadAssociated Press

A dirt road in a national forest at the center of a decades-old dispute between the Forest Service and a rural Nevada county will remain in federal hands after a judge ruled county officials failed to prove it was theirs before the remote wilderness was permanently reserved in 1909.

U.S. District Court Miranda Du says the agency had no authority to cede control of the land to Elko County in a 2001 settlement agreement granting a rare right of way to the road near the Idaho line.

Du ruled the fact some miners and sheep herders may have traversed the route before the national forest was created doesn't constitute a legal right of way under a 1866 law intended to promote mineral exploration.

Conservationists say it's a critical victory in the face of similar confrontations across the West.