New Mexico Newspaper's Twitter Account Hacked
Federal authorities are investigating a cyberattack on the Albuquerque Journal.
The newspaper's Twitter account was hijacked Tuesday morning. Someone replaced the profile picture with an image that expressed support for Islamic militants.
Numerous posts followed, including photos of driver's licenses belonging to New Mexico residents, inmate profiles and warnings to residents that their confidential information was at risk.
By midday, the newspaper's account was restored.
FBI spokesman Frank Fisher confirmed Tuesday that the agency was looking into the case.
It marks the second time in less than two weeks that the newspaper was targeted by hackers.
Apparently the same group hijacked a Maryland news station’s website and Twitter feed.
WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Maryland, says hackers calling themselves CyberCaliphate took over the website and Twitter feed Tuesday. The site briefly displayed the extremist group's black-and-white flag and a message saying, "I love you, ISIS."
Kirtland Voters Approve Town Incorporation - The Associated Press
The state has one more municipality now that Kirtland voters have approved incorporation of the northwestern New Mexico town.
Of the 121 people who cast ballots in Tuesday's election, 80 voted in favor of incorporating the 337-acre strip of land along U.S. Highway 64. The incorporation also includes the Harper Valley subdivision, where nearly all the town's more than 400 residents live.
The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration approved a petition last month from residents wanting incorporation be put on the ballot.
The Daily Times reports the San Juan County Clerk's Office mailed 388 ballots to eligible residents. Forty residents voted no.
With incorporation, the town can now collect gross receipts taxes and residents can elect a mayor and trustees who will have authority to pass ordinances.
Suspect In Shooting Of Albuquerque Officer Pleads Not Guilty – The Associated Press
A homeless man with a lengthy criminal record has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the shooting and wounding of an Albuquerque police officer during a weekend traffic stop.
Christopher Cook appeared in court with his attorney Wednesday afternoon.
Cook was arrested before dawn Tuesday after being spotted staggering along a road. Police Chief Gordon Eden said the arrest was a lucky break in a case that spurred a massive three-day manhunt.
Cook is accused of shooting Officer Lou Golson last Saturday. The officer remains in stable condition at an Albuquerque hospital.
Cook faces numerous state charges, including attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, shooting from a motor vehicle and receiving and transferring a stolen vehicle.
He's also facing a federal firearms charge.
Man Faces Federal Charge In Shooting Of Albuquerque Officer –The Associated Press
The Albuquerque police chief says the man suspected of shooting and wounding a police officer during a weekend traffic stop was homeless and driving a stolen SUV.
Chief Gordon Eden says the manhunt for 36-year-old Christopher Cook proved to be difficult because he had been moving around and acquaintances had severed ties with him.
Cook has a long criminal history, and Eden says he was released from prison about a year ago after serving time for multiple violent felonies. Online court records don't list a lawyer for Cook.
Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies took Cook into custody without incident around 4 a.m. Tuesday after spotting him staggering along a road.
Cook will face state and federal charges.
BLM Postpones Oil And Gas Lease Sale – The Associated Press
The Bureau of Land Management has postponed an oil and gas lease sale for a handful of parcels in northwestern New Mexico, saying more time is needed to review public comments.
The federal agency says three of the parcels will be considered again during the October sale. The remaining two will be put off while the agency reviews the potential environmental effects of managing an expected shale oil boom in the San Juan Basin.
Environmentalists contend the leases would have opened the door for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, before the agency updates its management plan.
In October, a coalition of groups asked the BLM to stop approving new drilling permits in the basin over concerns that the cumulative effects could harm the environment and cultural sites such as Chaco Canyon.
Indian Health Services Doctor Facing Child Porn Charges – The Associated Press
Authorities say an Indian Health Services physician has been arrested on federal child pornography charges.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 61-year-old Thomas Murray is accused of transporting, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Federal prosecutors say Murray moved to New Mexico in October to take a job as a general practitioner with Indian Health Services at Acoma Pueblo.
The FBI began investigating Murray in December after receiving a report from the state attorney general's office. Investigators uncovered an IP address linked to Murray's home that was allegedly being used to download and distribute pornographic images.
The FBI arrested Murray and searched his home on Monday.
Report Of Smoke Odor Evacuates Floor Of Albuquerque Hospital - The Associated Press
Patients and employees on one floor of an Albuquerque hospital were briefly evacuated because of a reported smoke odor.
Albuquerque Fire Department officials say firefighters noticed an electrical odor on the ninth floor of the downtown Lovelace Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. They say a melted motor in the HVAC system was the culprit.
There were no injuries and all patients and employees later returned to the ninth floor.
Judge Won't Reconsider Ending Lawsuit Over Killings Arrest – The Albuquerque Journal, The Associated Press
A federal judge is refusing to reconsider his dismissal of a salesman's lawsuit against the Albuquerque Police Department and a former police chief in connection with the conduct of the investigation into two 2007 killings.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson in late December also refused to allow Travis Rowley to file a new version of the suit that Johnson ordered dismissed last July.
Rowley and another door-to-door salesman were jailed for nearly 17 months before being cleared.
DNA evidence eventually linked the crimes to another man, Clifton Bloomfield, who confessed in that case and four other killings.
Johnson ruled that the city had immunity because detectives had probable cause to arrest Rowley and go to the grand jury with evidence they'd gathered.
Attorney Says Santa Fe Can't Force Sale Of Electric System – The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Associated Press
Santa Fe may not be able to legally force Public Service Co. of New Mexico to sell its electric distribution system in Santa Fe to the northern New Mexico city.
City Attorney Kelley Brennan advised the City Council recently that state law on electric utilities apparently doesn't allow cities to use condemnation to force a sale of an existing electric utility.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Brennan's legal opinion represents a major snag in Santa Fe's yearslong push to create a government-owned electric utility.
Meanwhile, PNM says its lines and other equipment in Santa Fe are not for sale.
Advocates for establishing a public electric utility in Santa Fe have argued that it would give community residents more control over how their electricity is generated.
Arizona Files Notice For Possible Suit Over Mexican Wolves – the Associated Press
Arizona officials are putting the federal government on notice that they may sue to force development of an update of the current recovery plan for endangered Mexican wolves.
The state Game and Fish Department announced Tuesday it has served a notice of intent with Interior Department officials.
State officials contend the current recovery plan is outdated and lacks recovery criteria required by federal law.
According to state officials, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has 60 days to respond to the notice, which is a requirement before a lawsuit can be filed.
Efforts to reintroduce the predators to parts of western New Mexico and eastern Arizona have been hampered over the years by illegal shootings, among other things.
Balloon Pilots Prepare To Break Long-Distance Record – The Associated Press
An international team led by two veteran pilots is preparing to break a pair of major ballooning records when it launches its helium-filled balloon this week.
Albuquerque pilot Troy Bradley and fellow pilot Leonid Tiukhtyaev of Russia say they anticipate launching early Friday morning from Saga, Japan.
The team's mission control will be located in Albuquerque at the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum.
The two pilots aiming for the shores of North America, an attempt that will put them on course to break a distance record of 5,208 miles.
They're also looking to break the flight-duration record set in 1978 when Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman made the first trans-Atlantic balloon flight. That record of 137 hours in the air in a traditional gas balloon is considered the "holy grail" of ballooning achievements.