New Mexico Lobbying To Be Storage Site For Nuclear Waste - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
A rural area of southeastern New Mexico is being touted as an interim storage site for the country's high-level nuclear waste.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Gov. Susana Martinez reached out to the Obama administration earlier this month to consider the 1,000-acre parcel as a place for storing spent radioactive fuel rods from power plants.
In an April 10 letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, which was obtained by the newspaper, Martinez praised area residents for being able to "carve out a niche in the nuclear industry."
A spokesman for Martinez says the letter is only a preliminary endorsement.
Regional officials say the potential disposal ground could bring jobs and economic growth.
A facility in Texas is also campaigning to become the chief dumping ground.
NM Senator Wants Answers From Mental Health Care Officials - The Associated Press
A key Democratic state senator is asking Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration for answers as a mental health provider prepares to pull out of southern New Mexico.
Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen says she's concerned about the thousands of people who currently receive care from Arizona-based La Frontera. The provider is set to stop services June 1.
Papen outlined her questions about continuing patient care in a four-page letter made public Monday. She sent the letter to three of Martinez's cabinet members.
Papen says an independent assessment of La Frontera's performance confirms that the needs of those with serious mental illnesses haven't been met over the last 21 months.
The state Human Services Department has said it's working to help clients find services.
Salt Lake City Bishop Named New Santa Fe Archbishop – The Associated Press
Pope Francis has appointed Salt Lake City Bishop and immigration reform advocate John Wester as the new archbishop for Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Monday the 64-year-old Wester will replace Archbishop Michael Sheehan in June.
Wester was ordained a priest in 1976 for his native Archdiocese of San Francisco.
The 75-year-old Sheehan, who is retiring became age requirements, became Santa Fe Archbishop in 1993 after then-Archbishop Robert Sanchez resigned amid allegations of sexual relations with women. Sheehan led abuse investigations, removed priests and oversaw the financial consequences of lawsuits.
Church officials say Wester and Sheehan will serve in their current posts until Wester he is installed on June 4.
The Santa Fe Archdiocese includes more than 300,000 Catholics in central and northern New Mexico.
Longtime President Of Navajo Ministries To Step Down - The Associated Press
After 28 years at the helm, Jim Baker is preparing to step down as president of Navajo Ministries Inc.
The Daily Times reports that current Vice President Eric Fisher will take over after May 1.
Navajo Ministries is a faith-based nonprofit that includes the Four Corners Home for Children, the Navajo Ministries School, KNMI Vertical Radio and Navajo Nation Outreach.
Baker and his wife, Kay, moved from Pennsylvania to Farmington 40 years ago to work as house parents at the Home for Children, the nonprofit's largest program. Both Bakers will stay on as part-time co-directors after May.
Fisher will be the nonprofit's third president since its start in 1953. He said he hopes to expand the children's home and add a Navajo heritage museum to the property.
State Investigates Claims Of 132 Dangerous Dog Adoptions - The Associated Press
The state's inspector general is investigating allegations that the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department allowed dangerous animals to be placed with families.
The Albuquerque Journal reports department director Barbara Bruin is the subject of a complaint filed in late March by two upper-level employees who say she tried to "pull the plug" on the investigation, and keep evidence of dangerous dog adoptions from investigators.
Bruin denies the allegations. Behavior tests for animals are recorded as pass or fail, but Bruin said that isn't the only factor in whether animals are eligible for adoption. The department is in the process of revising its assessment policies.
Jim Ludwick, the department's second in command, and Carolyn Hidalgo, program manager and animal behavior specialist, claim 132 dangerous dogs were adopted out in 2014.
Regents Hike Tuition At New Mexico Highlands University - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Highlands University board of regents has voted unanimously to offer incoming freshmen an incentive to earn their undergraduate degree in four years.
Students who do that will received a $1,000 bonus check from the university after graduating.
The board on Friday also approved a 6.7 percent increase in tuition and fees for resident undergraduates and instituted a 6 percent per year tuition cap on increases going forward for the incoming freshman class.
In 2014, the board instituted a 12.5 percent increase in tuition and fees and raised tuition by 14.2 percent in 2013.
Full-time, resident undergraduates will pay $300 more a year in tuition and fees beginning this summer, pushing the total to $4,800 per year.
The cost is nearly $314 higher for
Civil Suit Targets Predatory Lenders – The Associated Press
Two New Mexico lenders are the defendants in a $900,000 lawsuit that claims they tricked low-income individuals into taking out high-interest tax refund anticipation loans.
The Daily-Times reports interest rates were as high as 240 percent on loans offered by Jeffrey Scott Thomas of J. Thomas Development of NM Inc. and Dennis Gonzalez, owner of Southwest Tax Loans.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Navajo Nation Department of Justice filed the lawsuit, saying tax filers who qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit were being steered toward these high-interest loans.
Thomas ran four H&R Block franchises, but the company severed its ties with him and is not named in the civil suit. Thomas's lawyer, Allen Denson, said the financial protection bureau has mischaracterized his client's business.
Rare California Condor Seen In Los Alamos – The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
A Los Alamos man who is also an avid birder says he spotted a California condor that was last seen in Colorado.
Joe Fitzgibbon told the Santa Fe New Mexican that he was "flabbergasted" to see the bird in his backyard on Friday.
Fitzgibbon says saw a large radiotransmitter "N8" tag on its wing.
Fitzgibbon contacted the nonprofit The Peregrine Fund, which is monitoring 70 condors in Arizona and southern Utah.
The group says N8 is a 2-year-old male released in the Grand Canyon. The bird was listed as "missing and feared dead" in February until a ranger saw it near Cortez, Colorado.
Bob Parmenter, a scientist at the Valles Caldera National Preserve, says it is likely the first condor sighting in New Mexico since before recorded history.
Jurors To Resume Deliberation In Santa Fe Murder Trial - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
A jury will resume deliberations Monday in the murder trial of a Santa Fe man charged with fatally beating an elderly man and then setting his body on fire to cover up the crime.
The Santa Fe New Mexican says jurors told a judge in a note last week that they were at "a standstill" in settling on a verdict.
The jury began deliberating Thursday in the case against 28-year-old Anthony Yepez. Though he faces a first-degree murder charge, Yepez could also be found guilty of a lesser murder charge.
Yepez says he fought Oct. 29, 2012 with 75-year-old George Ortiz, his girlfriend's step-grandfather, after Ortiz punched her.
The defendant says he did not intend to kill him.
The girlfriend, Jeannie Ann Sandoval, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Inmates Sue San Juan County Jail For Inadequate Medical Care - The Associated Press and Daily Times
Several San Juan County prison inmates are suing the jail over claims they were left injured or in pain after being denied basic medical care.
The Daily Times in Farmington reports that 18 current and former San Juan County Adult Detention Center inmates filed a complaint earlier this month in state district court.
In the April 17 complaint, they allege the jail's health care providers displayed a "severe and deliberate indifference" to their medical needs.
The inmates are asking for financial compensation as well as court-mandated changes in jail policies, training and procedures.
San Juan Regional Medical Center and Correctional Healthcare Companies, Inc. oversee medical care at the jail.
Medical center spokesman Haroon Ahmad says the hospital does not discuss ongoing lawsuits but does plan to "vigorously defend" itself.
Albuquerque Police Seek UFC Fighter Jones In Hit-And-Run - The Associated Press
Albuquerque police are searching for UFC fighter Jon "Bones" Jones in connection with a hit-and-run.
Police spokesman Officer Simon Drobik says Jones is wanted for questioning regarding possible involvement in the Sunday morning incident.
A pregnant woman driving another vehicle was hospitalized with minor injuries. No charges have been filed.
Police say they have been unable to reach Jones and have not heard back from his lawyer.
Miss Indian World Crowned At Albuquerque Powwow - The Associated Press
A North Dakota State University student has won the title of Miss Indian World.
Pageant officials say 22-year-old Cheyenne Brady was crowned Saturday night at the 32nd annual Gathering of Nations at the University of New Mexico arena in Albuquerque.
Brady, a member of the Sac and Fox tribe, was chosen among 21 Native American women from different tribes and traditions.
As Miss Indian World, Brady will travel around the world and serve as a cultural ambassador for a year.
The crowning closed three days of festivities at what is considered North America's largest powwow. The event draws hundreds of competitive dancers and tens of thousands of spectators from across the U.S. and parts of Canada and Mexico.
Twenty-five-year-old Ashley Pino of Acoma, New Mexico, was first runner-up.