Budget, Gambling Compact Pending In New Mexico House - The Associated Press
The fate of a proposed $6.2 billion spending plan that would fund public schools and other government services during the next fiscal year is still unsettled as the New Mexico Legislature approaches adjournment.
Also pending is approval of hundreds of millions of dollars in capital outlay projects and a gambling compact that would clear the way for a handful of American Indian tribes to keep their casinos open.
The 60-day session wraps up Saturday.
House Republican floor leader Nate Gentry has accused Senate Democrats of stifling debate on the more contentious House bills. But Democrats in the Senate are questioning why the House is stalling on the budget and the gambling compact.
Senate Finance Chairman John Arthur Smith said Wednesday the bickering is to be expected in the final stretch.
Police Shootings Of Mentally Ill Reveal Gaps In Care – The Associated Press
Mental health advocates say a series of deadly encounters between police and the mentally ill show more must be done to offer care that prevents explosive moments of crisis.
The National Sheriffs' Association says at least half the people shot and killed by police each year have a mental health disorder.
The problem has been highlighted in recent confrontations, including in Albuquerque, that triggered large demonstrations.
Advocates say police crisis intervention efforts and diversion courts are helpful in stemming the violence, but more changes are needed, such as modifying state laws that prevent mandatory psychiatric care until a person poses a danger.
Others criticize a hodge-podge of state health systems allow too many people to fall through the cracks.
NM Senate Panel Approves Two-Tier Driver's License Bill – The Associated Press
A New Mexico Senate committee has approved a two-tier driver's license bill, sending it on for a full Senate vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to approve the measure that calls for two distinct licenses, allowing people in the country illegally to still have driving privileges.
The bill by Republican Sen. Stuart Ingle of Portales and Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming calls for one driver's license that complies with federal requirements and another that does not.
The House last month rejected an amendment akin to the long-serving senators' proposal and approved a bill to end the state's practice of giving driver's licenses to people even if they can't prove they are in the country legally.
More than 100,000 licenses have been issued to foreign nationals since 2003.
New Mexico Senate Oks Bill Limiting Police Drones - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Senate has passed a measure that would limit the use of warrant-less drones by law enforcement agencies.
The billed passed by a 38-0 vote on Wednesday and comes as police and sheriffs' agencies across the country test the new drones. Agencies also are trying to develop policies on how and when they can use them for police work.
State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat, and Rep. Paul Pacheco, an Albuquerque Republican, sponsored the measure. It would prevent material collected without a warrant from being used in court and would allow people targeted by drones to seek civil action.
The measure would not prohibit the use of a drone when "swift action is necessary to prevent imminent danger to life."
New Mexico Supreme Court Denies Senate Vacancy Petition – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has denied an emergency petition that was filed in an effort to speed up the process for filling a state Senate vacancy.
The court issued a brief order Thursday but offered no explanation for the decision.
Anthony and Jennifer Trujillo of Santa Fe County and Rick Lopez, chair of the Torrance County Republican Party, filed the petition Monday.
They sought to force Bernalillo, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Valencia counties to call emergency meetings so nominees could be chosen for the seat left vacant by the abrupt resignation of Democratic Sen. Phil Griego.
Bernalillo County nominated Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefanics on Wednesday. The other counties plan to meet Friday to name their selections.
Gov. Susana Martinez will choose from the list of nominees.
Film Tax Credit Bill Clears New Mexico Legislature – The Associated Press
A bill that would encourage the film industry to buy and hire locally has cleared the New Mexico Legislature.
The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. William Payne of Albuquerque was unanimously approved by the Senate last week. The House approved the measure Wednesday on a 51-2 vote.
The bill now goes to the governor.
Under the proposal, tax credits would be adjusted to encourage production companies to hire New Mexico crew members, patronize local sound stages and sets and purchase goods and services from local vendors.
The bill also clarifies which production expenditures may be eligible for the film credit and it adds television pilots to the type of productions eligible for increased credits.
Industry leaders say production in the state is showing no signs of slowing.
Northern New Mexico Sheriff Target Of New Probe – The Associated Press
A northern New Mexico sheriff who replaced a sheriff convicted in a road-rage case is the target of a new investigation.
Rio Arriba County officials say an investigation found that Sheriff James Lujan recently made inappropriate comments to staff.
The investigation comes after a pair of deputies claimed Lujan used inappropriate slurs and discriminated against them for their political association with former Sheriff Thomas Rodella.
Rodella was sentenced in January to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as a fit of road rage.
Officials say the two deputies have since resigned.
The county gave Lujan, elected in November, a letter telling him to use better judgment with staff.
Lujan did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.
Developer Eyes New City West Of Albuquerque – The Associated Press
A developer is planning a new city west of Albuquerque that could be home to 90,000 people in 50 years.
KOB-TV reports that developer Jim Strozier unveiled his plans for a city called Santolina through a new website.
Strozier says Santolina — a 13,000 acre master-planned community west of Albuquerque's edge — won't just be a mess of homes and will be planned out. But he says the biggest concern for the future city will be water.
According to plans, the city would have a town center, business park, and then industrial district along the west edge
He says the city has been in the planning stages for nearly two years but has yet to be approved by the Bernalillo County.
Panel Nominates Santa Fe County Commissioner For Senate Post - The Associated Press
Bernalillo County has nominated a Democratic commissioner from Santa Fe County to fill a vacant state Senate seat.
Bernalillo County commissioners said Wednesday their choice of Liz Stefanics will be forwarded to the governor, who will make a final decision after receiving nominations from five other counties covered by Senate District 39.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is awaiting nominations from Santa Fe, San Miguel and Valencia counties. Lincoln and Torrance counties submitted the names of two Republican nominees on Sunday.
The vacancy is the result of the abrupt resignation of Democratic Sen. Phil Griego over an ethics violation that stemmed from his role in the sale of a state-owned building in Santa Fe.
Martinez had wanted to name a replacement before the end of the legislative session on Saturday.
Judge Rules In Favor Of New Mexico's Closed Primary System - The Associated Press
A New Mexico District Court judge has upheld the state's closed primary system against a challenge from an independent voter.
State District Judge Denise Barela-Shepherd said in the ruling issued Wednesday that the state legislature had not exceeded its authority when it set up the process
Currently, only Republicans and Democrats can vote in primary elections — something critics say contributes to low voter turnout.
Albuquerque resident David Crum sought to allow people the right to pick a party on the day of the primary so they can vote.
Turnout dropped 8 percent in the state's June primary election, with only one in five Democratic and Republican voters casting ballots.
Crum's attorney, Ed Hollington, says he plans to appeal the case all the way to the New Mexico Supreme Court.
New Mexico Regulators Hear From Public About Power Plant - The Associated Press
New Mexico regulators are taking more public testimony on a plan to shutter half of an aging coal-fired power plant that supplies communities around the Southwest.
Dozens of people attended Wednesday's meeting in Albuquerque.
The plan to shut down two units at the San Juan Generating Station and replace the lost power with a mix of more coal, nuclear, natural gas and solar has been the subject of numerous hearings and hours of expert testimony.
Environmental groups say more renewable resources should be considered, but Public Service Co. of New Mexico argues the plan is the most cost-effective for customers.
Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones says the commission is facing what could be its most significant decision in decades.
The commission has received more than 11,000 letters and emails regarding the case.
Records Sought In Fatal Shooting Of Santa Fe Deputy – The Associated Press
A state judge has given lawyers in case involving a New Mexico sheriff's deputy accused of killing a fellow deputy two weeks to present evidence on certain records.
Las Cruces District Court Judge Fernando Macias told lawyers on Wednesday they had 14 days to present arguments on why or why not employee records of slain Santa Fe County Deputy Jeremy Martin should be released.
Tai Chan is accused of killing Martin in October after they went drinking in Las Cruces where they were staying after transporting a prisoner. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
John Day, attorney for Chan, wants Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office to release copies of Martin's employment records. Chan's defense believes those records would help corroborate Chan's self-defense claim and reveal Martin's "proclivity to violence."
The sheriff's office has refused to release the records.
Former NMSU Student Pleads Guilty In Online Threat Case - The Associated Press
A former New Mexico State University student has pleaded guilty to hindering an investigation into an online threat to shoot up the school last year.
Prosecutors say 19-year-old Zachary Milton Hess of Las Cruces pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a misdemeanor.
Under terms of his plea agreement, Hess will be sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $78,000 in restitution to cover the school's cost in responding to the threat.
Hess was arrested last Aug. 25.
Authorities say someone threatened to shoot up the NMSU campus within three days during an internet chat on May 27.
An FBI investigation linked the threat to Hess' home computer.
Prosecutors say Hess admitted that he knew about the online threat and assisted in hindering the investigation.
Jury Awards $12M For Death From Bullet Shot Through Door - The Associated Press and KRQE-TV
The family of a man killed in an Albuquerque-area housing complex by a stray bullet that went through his door has won a $12 million judgment against a condominium association and a property management firm.
KRQE-TV reports that a jury in state District Court in Santa Fe awarded the judgment to the family of 31-year-old Andrae Davis on Tuesday.
Police don't know who fired the shot that fatally wounded Davis in 2011 at the complex.
His family's suit contended that Eagle's Nest Condominium Association and Roger Cox & Associates Property Management were responsible because they should have done a better job screening tenants and dealing with previous reports of trouble at the complex.
Attorneys Seek To Ensure April Election For Navajo President - The Associated Press
Attorneys in a Navajo Nation election case are asking the tribe's high court to enforce an order to hold the belated presidential contest without further delay.
Navajos were set to vote on their next president April 21.
That date is uncertain now after lawmakers approved a bill to give first priority for election funding to a referendum vote on language requirements for the tribe's top two posts. President Ben Shelly signed the bill Monday.
Attorneys David Jordan and Justin Jones filed a motion Wednesday asking the high court to ensure the April 21 election occurs and prohibit lawmakers from interfering.
The bill's sponsor, Leonard Tsosie (SOH'-see), says the high court should respect the lawmakers' decision. He says the presidential contest should not have been scheduled without the money it needed.