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Headlines: ABQ City Council Withdraws Support For PNM Plan, Reduced Speed Limit On County Roads...

Courtesy San Juan's Citizen Alliance

Albuquerque Withdrawing Support For San Juan Plan - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque City Council has withdrawn its support for a plan to replace part of an aging coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico.

The resolution passed last night states the city supports an agreement reached by federal officials, Gov. Susana Martinez's administration and Public Service Co. of New Mexico to shut down part of the San Juan Generating Station in an effort to reduce haze-causing pollution.

But the resolution doesn't support PNM's plan for replacing it with more coal-generated power. It cites mistakes made in calculating fuel costs.

The city of Santa Fe has already passed a resolution opposing the plan, and some environmental and consumer groups have withdrawn their support.

PNM contends the plan is the most cost-effective for its customers.

Law Will Roll Back Default Speed Limit On NM County Roads - The Associated Press

Starting next year, you won't be able to drive more than 55 mph on New Mexico county roads where there's no speed limit posted.

Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation Monday that makes 55 mph the default speed limit on county roads.

Republican Sen. Pat Woods of Broadview says the current 75 mph legal limit doesn't make sense for many local, narrow, dirt roads. He says these roads aren't designed or built for the higher speeds allowed on the state's highways and interstates.

Woods says Curry County requested the lower limits on county roads for which the current law makes no exception.

The new default speed limit will take effect Jan. 1, 2016.

Trial Postponed For Woman Accused Of Fleeing Police In Taos - The Associated Press

Trial has been postponed for a Tennessee woman accused of child abuse and fleeing from a law enforcement officer in New Mexico.

A district judge in Taos granted a request Monday by the lawyer for Oriana Farrell to postpone her trial, which had been scheduled to start April 27.

After being stopped for speeding near Taos in October 2013, Farrell allegedly twice fled from New Mexico State Police.

A police officer fired shots at the Memphis woman's van that was carrying five children, but nobody was injured.

The officer says he was aiming at the minivan's tires and didn't know there were children in the vehicle. He later resigned from the police force.

The 40-year-old Farrell has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also include possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gov. Martinez Signs Border Town Overweight Zone Bill - The Associated Press

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has signed two measures aimed at helping the border town of Santa Teresa.

One measure extends the overweight cargo zone in Santa Teresa and two other New Mexico ports of entry, a move officials say could attract more companies to the area.

The other bill brings New Mexico's weight limit for oversize load permits in line with federal standards and neighboring states at up to 80,000 pounds.

The newly extended cargo zone will include the new Westpark Logistics Center and the Union Pacific Intermodal Facility.

Martinez also announced that MCS Industries, a picture frames manufacturer, will relocate its printing operations from Pennsylvania and construct a 215,000 square-foot facility in the Westpark Logistics Center.

The company plans to invest $11.1 million to expand its warehousing and distribution facility.

NM Law Prohibits Distributing Intimate Images To Harass - The Associated Press

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed a bill making it a crime to distribute sensitive images of a person in an effort to harass or injure that person.

Posting intimate photos or videos on the internet or disseminating such images electronically or otherwise will be a crime under the so-called "revenge porn" bill signed Monday.

With Martinez's signature, New Mexico joins at least 16 states that have enacted similar laws in the past 10 years.

Under the law, sensitive images are defined as those of a person whose genitals are exposed or images depicting certain areas of a woman's breast.

Once the law takes effect July 1, the first conviction will be a misdemeanor. Subsequent convictions would constitute a fourth-degree felony.

Martinez Signs Bill To Encourage Nurses To Become Educators - The Associated Press

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed legislation that supporters say will help address New Mexico's shortage of nurses.

Martinez signed the bill, sponsored by Democrat Pete Campos of Las Vegas, during an event Monday in Las Cruces.

The measure passed both chambers on unanimous votes during the recent 60-day legislative session.

The legislation expands the pool of people eligible to receive financial aid from the state's nurse educators fund. It's aimed at those who pursue advanced nursing degrees to teach the next generation of nurses at public colleges and universities.

The state Higher Education Department spent nearly $145,000 on the nurse loan-for-service program last year. At the time, only faculty members were eligible to receive aid.

Lawmakers have called for spending $850,000 in general funds on the program next year.

New Mexico Auditor Investigates Use Of DWI Funds - The Associated Press

The McKinley County Sheriff's Office is being investigated by the state auditor following tips about the alleged misuse of drunken driving prevention funds.

The auditor's office announced Monday it's reviewing allegations of financial irregularities by the previous administration. Investigators are looking at a time period between 2010 and 2014.

The auditor's office says current county officials are cooperating with the investigation, which was triggered by calls to a fraud hotline.

Undersheriff Paul Lucero referred questions to McKinley County Attorney Doug Decker, who was out of the office Monday and unavailable for comment.

Auditor spokeswoman Justine Freeman says the investigation is ongoing and she couldn't speak to the details of the case or whether any charges might result.

Freeman says a final report is expected before the end of June.

Prescribed Burn Planned For New Mexico's Valle Vidal - The Associated Press

Officials with the Carson National Forest are watching the weather as they plan for a prescribed fire next week on the east side of the Valle Vidal.

The work is scheduled to begin next Wednesday. The project includes more than four square miles east of the McCrystal Campground.

Crews will be clearing out pine litter, grasses and other woody debris using drip torches to ignite the flames by hand.

Forest officials say the goal is to improve wildlife habitat by decreasing the density of tree stands and increasing the diversity of tree size and age.

The prescribed burn will also help with the restoration of meadows and reduce the potential for a high-intensity wildfire.

Smoke will be visible from the communities of Cimarron and Ute Park.

Body Of Man Found In A Ditch In Albuquerque Is Identified - The Associated Press

Authorities have identified the body of a man found in a ditch in Albuquerque last week.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's officials announced Monday that the man was 58-year-old Lawrence Garcia.

They say foul play doesn't appear to be a factor in the death.

A person walking near the area found the body last Thursday morning.

Authorities say the body was face down in an irrigation ditch.

Sheriff's officials say the cause of Garcia's death remains under investigation.

Santa Fe Police Find Cache Of Burglary Loot In Vehicle - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican

Santa Fe police have located what they're calling "a massive amount of loot" apparently stolen during residential burglaries in recent months.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the recovered stolen property is worth about $50,000 and includes vintage baseball cards, silverware, coins, wedding rings and other jewelry.

According to police, the property was found in a vehicle that an officer located at a home Friday after police got a description of a vehicle involved in a March 31 burglary.

Sgt. Gardner Finney said police will create an inventory of the items, photograph them and then return them to the victims or store them as evidence.

The suspect has not been arrested yet.

New Mexico Psychotherapist Accused Of Having Sex With Minor - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal

A former state Children, Youth and Families Department psychotherapist has been indicted for allegedly having sex with a boy incarcerated at a juvenile detention center near Ruidoso.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the indictment of 36-year-old Julie Ann Barham came after the minor alerted staff at the Lincoln Pines Youth Center on Feb. 8.

The boy reported that Barham allegedly gave him prescription medication and would snort the drug with him prior to engaging in sex.

Barham was hired by CYFD last fall. She resigned the day after the minor reported the alleged incident.

Authorities say she is being held on suspicion of second-degree criminal sexual penetration, distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, bringing contraband into a juvenile correctional facility and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

New Mexico State University To Hike Tuition In 2015-2016 - The Associated Press

New Mexico State University's Board of Regents has voted to approve a 2.4 percent blended increase in tuition and fees for the 2015-16 academic year.

Regents also asked university officials on Monday to create a proposal for a four-year guaranteed tuition rate program.

They also want the school to review whether student employees can be utilized to cover certain duties assigned to positions considered for possible elimination and move the university's benchmarking to four-year graduation standards instead of six years.

The approved tuition increase is within an agreement with the Associated Students of New Mexico State University, which limits tuition and fee increases to 6 percent or less per year from 2015-2019.

The hike translates to an additional $72 per semester for an in-state undergraduate student carrying 12 credit hours.

New 'Better Call Saul' Tours Launched In AlbuquerqueThe Associated Press

Businesses in Albuquerque have launched "Better Call Saul" tours to cater to visitors seeking Albuquerque locations from the AMC-TV series.

ABQ Trolley Co. announced this week it will hold two-hour "Saul Tours" this month to feature around 15 spots from the show.

The $50-a-person tour will allow fans to see the nail salon where lawyer Jimmy McGill, played by Bob Odenkirk, works to get his struggling law practice going.

The Candy Lady, an Albuquerque Old Town candy store, also has incorporated "Saul" sites into its "Breaking Bad" limo tours.

"Better Call Saul" follows McGill, who later changes his name to Saul Goodman and becomes an attorney for drug lords in "Breaking Bad," another AMC series that was filmed in Albuquerque.