Prosecutor In NM Police Shooting Wants More Ballistics Tests - The Associated Press
A special prosecutor reviewing the case of two Albuquerque police officers who have been charged with murder in the shooting death of a homeless man wants more ballistics testing to be done.
Randi McGinn says the scientific testing is to address defense attorneys' question about which of the two officers fired the most immediate fatal third shot into the man's back.
McGinn was tapped to prosecute officers Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy, who were charged this year in the March 2014 death of James Boyd during an hourslong standoff.
Three of the six shots fired by both officers struck Boyd. McGinn says for a correct charging decision it is important to identify who fired the third shot.
The testing will cause a slight delay in her charging decision.
Funding To Help New Mexico's Acequias As Drought Persists – The Associated Press
Federal officials are pumping more than $9 million into four water quality and conservation projects in New Mexico, including one aimed at revitalizing centuries-old communal canals that deliver water to farmers and ranchers.
The head of the Natural Resources Conservation Service visited northern New Mexico on Thursday to tour the oldest acequia in the nation and discuss ways the traditional irrigation canals can be used as a hedge against drought.
NRCS Chief Jason Weller says the idea is to make acequias more efficient so they can continue to deliver water to the communities that depend on them for raising livestock and growing crops.
Under the program, Weller says federal dollars are being combined with money from local and state governments, nonprofit groups and landowners to get more work done.
Albuquerque Program Directs Homeless To Shelters – The Associated Press
An initiative launched in Albuquerque hopes to steer panhandlers to services rather than the streets.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Mayor Richard Berry unveiled a new effort Wednesday, "There's a Better Way," that focuses on getting panhandlers the help they need.
The United Way of Central New Mexico is managing a website that allows people to donate to programs that provide services to the poor. Signs are being posted around the city telling panhandlers they can call a hotline that will direct them to shelters, food and programs for substance abuse and mental health problems.
Motorists will also see signs showing them the website where they can donate.
Air Force Demonstration Plane Makes Emergency Landing – The Associated Press
A fighter plane belonging to the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron has made an emergency landing at Albuquerque's international airport.
Airport officials say the F-16 Thunderbird landed at Albuquerque Sunport without incident Thursday morning after having engine problems during a training flight.
Officials say the airport offered the nearest runway to land. It was not immediately clear where the pilot was coming from or where the plane was headed.
The plane was towed to nearby Kirtland Air Force Base so mechanics could look at it.
The Thunderbirds precision flying team is scheduled to perform this weekend in New Jersey as part of the Millville Wheels and Wings Airshow. The team is based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Senators Propose Wilderness Areas In National Monument – The Associated Press
New Mexico's two U.S. senators are proposed the establishment of two new wilderness areas within the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument northwest of Taos.
The offices of Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall said the New Mexico Democrats on Thursday introduced a bill to establish the Rio San Antonio and Cerro del Yutta wilderness areas.
Heinrich said establishment of the wilderness areas would help preserve the culture, natural resources and economy of what he called a "stunning corner of New Mexico," while Udall said creating the wilderness areas would create jobs and boost northern New Mexico's tourism economy.
The two proposed wilderness areas would compromise about 9 percent of the 378-square-mile national monument created by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Officer Charged In Juvenile Detention Center Fight - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A youth program officer with the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center faces felony charges after allegedly asking one 17-year-old girl to beat up another.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Rachel deSantiago was named in a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. The complaint says deSantiago promised to get the girl who gave the beating something in return for her actions. The 17-year-old victims had allegedly been causing problems.
The attacker struck the other girl 15 times in the head and face during the assault.
A spokesman for the Youth Services Center says deSantiago is on paid administrative leave and that she has never faced formal disciplinary action prior to this incident.
New Mexico Utility To Break Ground On New Solar Plant – The Associated Press
New Mexico's largest electric provider is breaking ground on a new solar generating station in Santa Fe County.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at a site along Interstate 25 just south of Santa Fe.
The utility says the $19 million project will add nearly 10 megawatts of solar capacity to the utility's portfolio. With more than 40,000 solar panels, it will be capable of providing power for about 4,000 average residential customers.
The solar plant will also provide about $165,000 in taxes to Santa Fe County.
By the end of the year, the utility says it will have more than one million solar panels at 15 plants around the state.
New Mexico Senators Sign On To Minimum Wage Legislation - The Associated Press
New Mexico's two Democratic senators are throwing their support behind legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020.
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich said Wednesday that if the legislation were to pass and be signed into law, nearly 38 million workers would see an increase in wages.
Introduced by Democrats last week, the bill would raise the minimum wage for tipped workers and index the federal minimum wage to the national median wage.
Many states and cities have already acted on their own to raise wages. But critics say some businesses have trouble affording higher wages without raising prices.
Udall and Heinrich argue that raising the wage would put more money in the pockets of New Mexican families and that in turn would boost local economies.
Talks Break Down Over Benefits For Lab's Security Force - The Associated Press
Talks between the security workers who protect Los Alamos National Laboratory and the subcontractor that employs them have broken down.
Union officials announced Wednesday that their negotiating team walked out after learning that security company SOC-Los Alamos did not have the ability to deliver better retirement benefits it had promised the union it would pursue.
Union agent Chris Mandril accused the company of negotiating in bad faith. He said the union has learned SOC doesn't have the authority to work directly with federal officials to set contract terms.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The talks have been ongoing since January.
In April, the two sides agreed to a 60-day extension, meaning the security force would continue working as normal. That extension expires in June.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced In Food Stamp Fraud - The Associated Press
An Albuquerque man has been sentenced on his guilty plea to defrauding a food stamp program.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 33-year-old Joshua Moya was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison with credit for time already served, plus three years of supervised release.
Moya also must pay over $2,400 in restitution.
No Charges For Colorado Farm Workers Videotaped Hitting Pigs - The Associated Press
None of the workers caught on undercover video hitting pigs at a Colorado farm will face criminal charges.
Phillips County Undersheriff Thomas Elliott said Wednesday the district attorney concluded the abuse wasn't bad enough to warrant charges. He noted the workers involved have all been fired.
Seaboard Foods fired the five workers and two supervisors after Mercy For Animals filmed employees hitting animals with cans and boards at the northeastern Colorado farm.
Seaboard Foods says the handling of the pigs, which happened while they were being loaded onto trucks, is "unacceptable and inexcusable" and violates its standards.
Another recent undercover video by Mercy For Animals showed workers at a now-closed New Mexico dairy whipping, kicking and punching cows. That footage led to animal cruelty charges against four men last month.
New Mexico Cattle Disappear In Possible Rustling Case - The Associated Press and Carlsbad Current-Argus
Deputies are investigating possible cattle rustling at ranches near Carlsbad.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that Eddy County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Matt Hutchinson said it's the first time he's seen cattle stolen from area pastures on such a large scale.
Hutchinson says cattle are allowed to roam on the roadway and side of the road in New Mexico, which is one of the few remaining open range states.
That makes the cattle an easy target for rustlers.
Rancher Stacey Mills says he has taken about $70,000 worth of losses since December, when cows and calves began disappearing from his 120 sections of open range land.
Mills says about 16 cows were missing from his pasture in the beginning of April and no carcasses have been found.
Albuquerque Man Convicted Of Possessing, Making Child Porn - The Associated Press
An Albuquerque man faces up to 19.5 years in prison after being convicted of child pornography charges.
The state Attorney General's Office said District Judge Judith Nakamura on Tuesday convicted 50-year-old Thomas Dolphus of one count of possessing visual medium of sexual exploitation of children and two counts of manufacturing visual medium of sexual exploitation of children.
The Attorney General's Office said investigators from that office and the Albuquerque Police Department found CDs created by Dolphus within thousands of images of children engaged in sexual acts.
However, Attorney General Hector Balderas said a 2014 New Mexico Supreme Court ruling in another man's child pornography case required that the multiple counts of possession alleged in Dolphus case be reduced to one.
Dolphus is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 9.
Owners Of Albuquerque Pool Hall Plead Guilty In Tax Case - The Associated Press
Three brothers who own a billiards hall in New Mexico have pleaded guilty in a federal tax evasion case.
Prosecutors say 51-year-old Hrant Kostanian, 59-year-old Gayk Kostanian and 55-year-old Hrair Kostanian conspired to evade federal income taxes by maintaining false books and records and filing false tax returns.
The brothers all are naturalized U.S. citizens from Armenia and own Billiards Palace in northeast Albuquerque.
They were indicted last September on one count of conspiracy and four counts of tax evasion.
Prosecutors say the three men evaded about $263,600 in corporate taxes during tax years 2007 through 2010.
Each of the Kostanian brothers faces up to five years in federal prison when they're sentenced and will have to jointly pay full restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.