New Mexico Deputy In Shooting Pleads Not Guilty - The Associated Press
A New Mexico sheriff's deputy accused of fatally shooting a fellow deputy following an argument at a hotel has pleaded not guilty.
Tai Chan entered his plea to the murder charge at his first court appearance in Las Cruces on Wednesday.
Police say Chan shot Deputy Jeremy Martin at the Hotel Encanto after the two drank at a nightspot and got into a heated argument. They were staying there after dropping off a prisoner in Arizona.
It's not clear why the two men were arguing.
Records released Wednesday say the girlfriend of Chan heard someone say, "Please don't, please don't," while on the phone with him. The documents say she then heard gunshots.
Chan is being held without bond in the southern New Mexico city of Las Cruces.
Judge Won't Toss Most Charges In Homeless Killings - The Associated Press
A judge has refused to throw out most of the charges against three New Mexico teenagers accused of beating two homeless men to death with cinderblocks and other objects.
KOV-TV reports that a state District Court judge on Wednesday denied a motion to dismiss 24 of the 27 charges. The teens are charged with first-degree murder and other crimes.
In July, Albuquerque police arrested 18-year-old Alex Rios, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old in the killings of 44-year-old Allison Gorman and 46-year-old Kee Thompson. Their bodies were discovered in a vacant lot.
The three have pleaded not guilty. The Associated Press is not identifying the two younger defendants because of their ages.
The victims were Native American, but police have said there's no indication the crime was racially motivated.
Former Tucumcari Officer Faces Arson Charges - The Associated Press & The Clovis News Journal
A former Tucumcari police officer who resigned after New Mexico State Police searched his home is facing charges in connection with a series of arsons.
The Clovis News Journal reports that court records show Dustin "Dusty" Lopez was charged this week in Quay County Magistrate Court with arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
Records show Lopez had been the target of a state police investigation in a series of arson fires in the city during September.
Lopez resigned Oct. 2, the day after state police searched his home.
Tucumcari Police Chief Jason Braziel says Lopez did not give a reason for his decision to resign.
Official Told That Campaign Work Payments Not OK - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A state official who has acknowledged paying himself with public campaign financing for time he spent campaigning for his re-election is being told he can't do that.
The Secretary of State's Office told Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Hall in a letter that allowed uses of public campaign financing don't include candidates paying themselves for time spent campaigning.
Hall had previously told the Albuquerque Journal that he had used nearly $7,000 of his public campaign financing to pay himself and his fiancee for time they spent on campaign work.
The Secretary of State's Office gave Hall five days to explain whether he has paid himself for campaigning. It doesn't dismiss payments to his fiancee.
Hall says he doesn't feel like he has done anything wrong.
Police Arrest Man In Albuquerque Home Invasions - The Associated Press
One of two men sought in a string of Albuquerque home invasion robberies is in custody after being arrested at the end of a barricade situation.
Police say 37-year-old Joe Barela surrendered and was arrested Wednesday about two hours after he holed up in a home and refused to come out.
Police had gone to the home with an arrest warrant.
At least two of the home invasions targeted women who were in their mid-70s. The victims were held at gunpoint and robbed.
Police say the second suspect remains at large.
Charges Dismissed Against Former Athletic Director - The Associated Press and KRQE TV
Prosecutors are dropping a criminal case against a former Albuquerque high school athletic director who was accused of planting drug paraphernalia in a coach's office to frame him.
KRQE-TV reports that prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss charges against Tom Knauber, the former athletic director of Sandia High School.
Prosecutors and defense attorney Jason Bowles both said surveillance video that showed Knauber entering coach Alvin Broussard's office with something in his hands didn't prove that Knauber actually planted drug paraphernalia.
The District Attorney's Office said the video was possible circumstantial evidence but that it was appropriate to dismiss the case because the video didn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
EPA Awards Navajo $785 For Storage Tank Work - The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation has been awarded $465,000 to oversee the cleanup of nearly 60 underground storage tanks that have been leaking petroleum or other hazardous substances.
The money comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The tribe is getting another $320,000 to inspect tanks at 100 facilities across the reservation to ensure they meet tribal and federal standards. The owners of the tanks are responsible for making sure they're in good condition and must pay for cleanup if they leak.
The leaky storage tanks are located at several abandoned trading posts, and in the Arizona communities of Tuba City, Lupton and Chinle, and in Shiprock, New Mexico.
The EPA says it plans to award the tribe $3.8 million for work on storage tanks over five years.
NM Supreme Court Denies Request In Water Fight -The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has cleared the way for the state's top water manager to continue considering an application by a commercial venture that calls for piping drinking water from western New Mexico to more populated areas.
The court this week denied a motion filed by a ranching family that sought to toss the latest application filed with the state engineer's office by Augustin Plains Ranch.
It will be up to the state engineer whether to grant a public hearing on the application.
The venture has proposed drilling more than three dozen wells that would be capable of pumping more than 17 billion gallons of water a year to supplement dwindling supplies in the Rio Grande Valley.
Residents surrounding the San Augustin Plains are concerned the pumping would eventually suck the aquifer dry.
Flags At Half-Staff For NM Officer - The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has ordered flags around the state to fly at half-staff in honor of a Rio Rancho police officer who was killed last weekend in a single-vehicle crash.
The order is in effect from sunrise to sunset Thursday.
Police say they still don't know what caused Officer Anthony Haase's police cruiser to swerve off a road and crash into a ravine early Sunday. The 24-year-old officer was killed.
Haase was responding to a domestic violence call when the crash happened.
Haase had been a Rio Rancho police officer for a year. He is survived by his wife, Nicole.
After pitching for Rio Rancho High School and for Cochise College in Arizona, Haase was drafted by the Texas Rangers. He played two years in the minor leagues.
New Mexico Candidates To Disclose Fundraising - The Associated Press
Candidates are to make a disclosure of their campaign spending during the final stretch leading to next week's election.
Campaign finance reports must be filed Thursday by candidates for governor and other state offices and by political committees trying to influence the outcome of races in New Mexico.
The reports will show contributions and spending during the past three weeks. The next complete campaign finance disclosure isn't due until December.
The latest reports come as campaigns focus on turning out their supporters at the polls. Early voting ends Saturday and Election Day is Tuesday.
In the governor's race, incumbent Republican Susana Martinez had cash-on-hand of $2.7 million as of Oct. 6, and Democratic challenger Gary King reported a cash balance of not quite $124,000.
EPA Awards Navajo Funds For Storage Tank Work - The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation has been awarded $465,000 to oversee the cleanup of nearly 60 underground storage tanks that have been leaking petroleum or other hazardous substances.
The money comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The tribe is getting another $320,000 to inspect tanks at 100 facilities across the reservation to ensure they meet tribal and federal standards. The owners of the tanks are responsible for making sure they're in good condition and must pay for cleanup if they leak.
The leaky storage tanks are located at several abandoned trading posts; some in Shiprock.
The EPA says it plans to award the tribe $3.8 million for work on storage tanks over five years.
Obama Signs New Mexico Disaster Declaration - The Associated Press
Federal aid is coming to New Mexico after areas of the state were hit by severe storms and flooding last month.
The White House announced Wednesday that President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for New Mexico as the state continues to recover from the storms and flooding on Sept. 15-26.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis.
It would be for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged in Colfax, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln, Otero, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Sierra counties.
Federal funding also is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Additional designations may be made later if requested by the state and warranted by results of further damage assessments.