Man Killed In Las Cruces Police Shooting – The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
Authorities say police shot and killed a man after an hourslong manhunt and standoff in Las Cruces.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that police spokesman Sgt. Roberto Gutierrez says officers were called to a fight around noon Monday on La Fonda Street. A man fled in a stolen Ford pickup. Police say they believe he was armed.
Gutierrez says police found a pickup matching the description and that the suspect was in a storm drain. Police say the man exited the drain an hour and a half later, and police shot him. He died at the scene.
Gutierrez says he does not know who fired first. The man's name has not been released.
Police are investigating.
Group Seeks Transparency With NM Water Exchanges - The Associated Press
Environmentalists are crying foul over a water exchange between the federal government and the city of Santa Fe.
The group WildEarth Guardians has sent a letter to the U.S. Interior Department, saying such transactions along the Rio Grande should be transparent and that policies need to be changed to allow for the river's flows to be protected.
The dispute stems from an agreement reached this fall between the Bureau of Reclamation and Santa Fe that cleared the way for water stored in El Vado Reservoir to be used by the city. They traded the water in El Vado with water already in Elephant Butte Reservoir to the south.
The group says the exchange meant no water would physically flow down the river.
Environmentalists have been fighting to keep the river flowing to benefit endangered species.Group seeks transparency with NM water exchanges
Environmentalists are crying foul over a water exchange between the federal government and the city of Santa Fe.
Majority Of Migrants At New Mexico Center Released – The Associated Press
Authorities say a majority of Central American immigrants held at a southeastern New Mexico detention center over the last six months have been released.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement says more than two-thirds of an estimated 1,200 immigrants were released before the Artesia facility closed last week.
Those more than 800 people face follow-up court appointments before an immigration judge. ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa says about 370 people were deported.
American Civil Liberties Union officials say most of the immigrants plan to seek asylum and argue their case in court, even with the potential of deportation.
The Obama administration commissioned two new facilities in Texas amid the recent influx of children pouring across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Advocates say immigrant families fled drug violence and poverty.
Woman Reports Sexual Assault On Albuquerque Trail - The Associated Press
Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault of a woman who was on a popular Albuquerque running trail.
The victim, a woman in her 30s, told authorities the incident happened Sunday around 5 p.m. in the Bear Canyon Arroyo.
The suspect is described as Hispanic or mixed race, between the age of 18 and 20, approximately 5-foot-4 and with short curly hair. He was last seen wearing a brown jacket, black pants with white stripes down the sides and black gloves.
Police say they are looking into whether the assault is related to a rape of a woman at knifepoint in the Bosque last summer.
Authorities say anyone out on the trails alone should be aware of their surroundings.
Santa Fe Paving Company Boss Released On Bond - The Associated Press
The owner of a paving company convicted of embezzling $1 million from Santa Fe County will not have to spend the holidays in jail.
A state District Court judge allowed the release of Joe Anthony Montoya on bond Monday.
The release was approved after Montoya's sister posted a property bond with her Taos home.
The judge also ordered that the 53-year-old be electronically monitored and not leave the state.
A jury last week convicted Montoya of bribing public officials, committing fraud and engaging in conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Montoya and his wife, Marlene, involved two county employees in an embezzlement scheme that took place between 2007 and 2010.
Montoya's defense attorney says he plans to appeal the conviction.
The 53-year-old is due to be sentenced in four to six weeks.
Construction Begins At Albuquerque Balloon Park - The Associated Press
Work is underway on a new pilots' pavilion at Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park.
City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. They say the $2.3 million project is expected to be done in time for the 2015 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The 12,000-square-foot building is named after Sid Cutter, the founder of the fiesta.
Mayor Richard Berry says the project acknowledges the importance of Balloon Fiesta Park as the city's largest park and the host of the state's largest tourist event, which draws hundreds of pilots and thousands of visitors from around the world each year.
Voters approved general obligation bonds in 2011 and 2013 to help pay for the pavilion.
New Mexico Builders Eye Pending Immigration Reform - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Builders in New Mexico are watching how new immigration relief will affect their industry.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that builders are working with immigrant advocates to determine just how many workers will benefit for coming changes.
Builders recently sponsored a lunch forum with Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a Santa Fe-based immigrant rights group.
Advocates are holding legal workshops around the state to prepare immigrants who might be eligible for relief following President Obama's announcement.
The executive director of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association, says her group estimates that around 75 percent of the industry's workers are immigrants.
'Layaway Angel' Pays Woman's Christmas Bill - The Associated Press and KOAT-TV
An Albuquerque woman got a holiday surprise when she went to pay the layaway bill for her four children's gifts — an anonymous person paid the tab.
KOAT-TV reports that Lesley Corliss recently discovered her $500 layaway bill at the Toys R Us was paid in full.
She says the manager told her a secret shopper came in Friday morning and paid off all layaway remaining in the store. The overall bill: around $50,000
The unknown person bought Corliss' children a doll, Legos and Octonauts.
Corliss says whoever the person is she wants them to know the kind gestures means a lot to her family.