14 Cities Get Bloomberg 'Innovation Team' Grants - The Associated Press
Fourteen cities ranging from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Jerusalem are getting money from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's foundation to create "innovation teams" to jump-start new approaches to poverty, public safety, job growth and other issues.
New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the winners Monday. They'll receive from $400,000 to $1 million annually for three years.
Michael Bloomberg says in a statement the innovation teams help cities generate ideas and execute them.
Five U.S. cities got similar awards in 2011. The new round expands the program internationally.
The 12 U.S. cities were chosen from over 30 applicants. Winners range in size from Centennial, Colorado, with about 106,000 residents, to Los Angeles, with nearly 3.9 million.
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel, were invited to apply after expressing interest. More info…
Albuquerque Police: Man's Shooting Was Accidental – The Associated Press
An Albuquerque man was wounded in what police describe as an accidental shooting by an officer.
Police spokesman Simon Drobik say the officer's gun discharged as he climbed through a broken window of a second-floor apartment while investigating a burglary early Sunday.
The bullet went through the apartment's floor and into the unit below, where it struck a man in the back.
Drobik says the man was hospitalized in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Drobik, the shooting occurred after officers took into custody a man who was loading items into a vehicle. The officer whose gun discharged then entered a second floor apartment through a broken window to see if anybody was inside.
Identities weren't released.
Atari's 'E.T.' Game Joins Smithsonian Collection – The Associated Press
One of the "E.T." Atari game cartridges unearthed this year from a heap of garbage buried deep in the New Mexico desert has been added to the video game history collection at the Smithsonian.
Museum specialist Drew Robarge made the announcement Monday in a blog post.
He included a photograph of the crinkled game sitting next to an official cataloging number that was assigned to it by the city of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Officials have given every cartridge that was dug up from the community's landfill its own certificate.
Robarge says the cartridge is one of the defining artifacts of the dark days of the early 1980s when the U.S. video game industry crashed.
Until now, he says that moment had not been represented in the museum's collection.
Major Albuquerque Construction Project Finished – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez and others are celebrating the completion of a $93 million project aimed at smoothing travel through a major Albuquerque traffic corridor.
Officials are scheduled to attend a ribbon-cutting event Monday evening for the reconstruction of the I-25 and Paseo del Norte interchange.
Crews are expected overnight to open the last piece — a flyover that takes drivers headed northbound on the interstate to westbound Paseo del Norte.
Initial plans called for a $360 million interchange. Those were scrapped due to dwindling funding, and work was started in October 2013.
Government officials had to piece together money from city, county and state bonds to pay for the project.
The interchange serves an estimated 180,000 people who live on Albuquerque's west side and in the surrounding communities of Corrales and Rio Rancho.
New Mexico Senators Get New Committee Assignments - The Associated Press
New Mexico's two U.S. senators will have new committee assignments when Congress starts up a new session in January.
Sen. Martin Heinrich will join the Armed Services Committee. His announcement notes that New Mexico has several military installations, including White Sands Missile Range and Kirtland, Holloman and Cannon Air Force Bases.
Heinrich will continue to serve on several other committees, including the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Sen. Tom Udall will return to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He previously served on that committee from 2009 to 2012. He says the committee works on economic matters of concern to the state.
Udall also will continue to be a member of several other committees, including Appropriations, Foreign Relations and Indian Affairs.
Insurance Enrollment Underway In New Mexico - The Associated Press
New Mexicans who are looking for health insurance through the state's exchange will have to enroll now if they want coverage by the first of the year.
If they miss Monday's deadline, they'll still have a chance to enroll through the BeWellNM exchange until February 15.
Exchange CEO Amy Dowd says she doesn't have any hard figures about the enrollment rate so far, but counselors, agents and brokers have fielded a steady stream of inquiries via the website, phone and in-person visits at the exchange's enrollment center in Albuquerque.
Dowd says five insurers are part of the exchange this year and consumers can chose from an average of 43 plans in their counties.
During the last open enrollment period, about 32,000 people in New Mexico bought insurance through the exchange.
Albuquerque May Summon Retired Police Officers - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Retired police officers could be back on the job as Albuquerque officials try to deal with a severe staff shortage.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Mayor Richard Berry will lobby state lawmakers next month to approve legislation allowing retired officers to come back but continue to draw from their pension.
Berry says the proposal would limit the number of participating officers and the practice would be phased out within a few years.
The Legislature banned "double dipping," or collecting salary and a pension simultaneously, in 2010 because of concerns about draining state retirement accounts.
Albuquerque has already lost 20 percent of its police force — more than 200 officers — since 2010. A wave of pending retirements could leave the department at a 25-year low.
Insurance Enrollment Underway In New Mexico - The Associated Press
New Mexicans who are looking for health insurance through the state's exchange will have to enroll now if they want coverage by the first of the year.
If they miss today's deadline, they'll still have a chance to enroll through the BeWellNM exchange until February 15.
Exchange CEO Amy Dowd says she doesn't have any hard figures about the enrollment rate so far, but counselors, agents and brokers have fielded a steady stream of inquiries via the website, phone and in-person visits at the exchange's enrollment center in Albuquerque.
Dowd says four insurers are part of the exchange this year and there are now more than 40 plans to choose from.
During the last open enrollment period, about 32,000 people in New Mexico bought insurance through the exchange.
Las Cruces To Vote On Supporting Film Industry - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
Las Cruces officials are considering ways to boost the city's appeal to the film industry.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the city council will vote today on a resolution to increase support for the local movie industry.
The resolution will call for the city's economic development department and a film liaison to promote the area as an ideal location for film shoots.
The measure also calls for Las Cruces to develop a film, television and media center and try to increase the workforce.
Art Exhibit Planned For New Mexico Female Inmates - The Associated Press
Organizers are planning an art exhibit featuring work by female inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center and girls from the Youth Services Center
"Unconfined: Empowering Women through the Arts" will aim to celebrate their stories through art.
The exhibit will run through March in celebration of National Women's History Month.
Women artists residing in New Mexico also are invited to submit work.
Organizers say the exhibit will be on display at the African American Performing Arts Center Gallery. More info…
WNMU Approves Locked-In Tuition Rates For Students - The Associated Press
Western New Mexico University is raising its tuition but guarantees it will then remain unchanged for a student's entire college career.
The university's Board of Regents unanimously approved an initiative Friday that gives eligible students a locked-in tuition rate.
Starting next fall, students enrolled in at least 15 credit hours each semester and who maintain a minimum 2.0 grade-point average will qualify for the program.
WNMU President Joseph Shepard says students won't have to worry about predicting tuition costs.
Regents, however, also approved a tuition increase of $7.32 per credit-hour for in-state, undergraduate students.
School officials say the expected $350,000 in additional revenue will go toward scholarships and student-employment costs.
Bird Count Seeks New Mexico Numbers Amid Changes - The Associated Press
Hundreds of New Mexico bird enthusiasts are expected to take part in the longest-running citizen science survey of birds.
The National Audubon Society has launched the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count as species such as the black rosy-finch suffer under warming conditions in the state.
The black rosy-finch spends winters in the Sandia Crest area, and they are regularly monitored during the annual count.
Data compiled across New Mexico will record individual birds and bird species seen in specified areas.
Last year's court in New Mexico tallied 224 species statewide, and an all-time high of 525,000 individual birds. Albuquerque had the most species with 120.
The biggest contributor to the individual bird totals was Bosque del Apache with 146,000.