New Mexico Campuses Seeing Drop In Student Enrollment - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
College campuses across New Mexico have had the sharpest decline in enrollment compared to other states in the past year, according to a new study.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a nonprofit focused on research and education policy, has ranked New Mexico with the largest enrollment drop nationwide.
The report says registration at colleges and universities plummeted more than 8 percent between spring 2014 and this past spring.
Higher education enrollment in the U.S. in that same time period only dropped by 1.9 percent.
In all, New Mexico saw at least 10,000 fewer new students.
Some university and college administrators say more graduates are choosing to get jobs or move out of New Mexico.
Albuquerque Council To Weigh Police Chief Selection Proposal – The Associated Press
Albuquerque voters could decide whether city councilors have more say in the hiring and firing of the police chief under a pending proposal.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposal at its meeting Monday but is not expected to vote. If approved at a future meeting, the measure would be placed on the city's October ballot.
The proposal comes as Albuquerque works to reform its troubled police department.
The city and the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to a settlement after a scathing federal report last year outlined a pattern of excessive force by the police department.
According to the report, officers too frequently used deadly force on people who posed a minimal threat and used a higher level of force too often on those with mental illness.
Albuquerque City Council President To Retire At End Of Term – The Associated Press
The Albuquerque City Council's president plans to step down at the end of his current term. Council President Rey Garduno was elected to the council in 2007.
The Democrat represents a district that includes much of the Southeast Heights, including the University of New Mexico campus, Nob Hill and the International District.
Ted Turner Ranch In New Mexico Caught In Wolf Debate - The Associated Press
A sprawling ranch in southern New Mexico owned by media mogul Ted Turner is caught in the middle of a dispute between the state and federal wildlife officials over management of the Mexican gray wolf.
A bid by the Ladder Ranch to renew its permit for holding wolves in captivity on the private property was recently denied by the state Game Commission, triggering calls for Gov. Susana Martinez to reverse the decision.
A rally is planned Tuesday at the capitol.
Commissioners have said they couldn't approve the permit, citing the failure by the federal government to update a decades-old recovery plan for the wolves.
Officials with the Turner Endangered Species Fund say they're disappointed with the commission's decision and that tightening the screw on the ranch won't lead to a new recovery plan.
Clovis Man In New Solitary Confinement Lawsuit - The Associated Press
A lawsuit says a Clovis man with schizophrenia was placed in a Curry County solitary confinement cell without medical treatment for seven months.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court this month claims Alejandro Romero, Jr., was tossed in an isolated cell in 2012 following his arrest for misdemeanor criminal damage to property of a household member.
But according to court documents, Curry County Detention Center guards failed to provide Romero with proper treatment. As a result, the lawsuit says Romero's health deteriorated so bad that he smeared feces all over his cell.
Court documents say Romero was given proper care only after seven months and his charge was dropped.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
Curry County Manager Lance Pyle did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press.
Albuquerque Zoo Supporters Push For Raising Receipt Tax - The Associated Press and KOB-TV
Supporters of the Albuquerque Zoo are seeking to put a proposed tax raise on the municipal ballot to raise money for renovations.
KOB-TV reports that the New Mexico Bio Park Society is petitioning to have voters decide in October on whether to increase the gross receipt tax by one-eighth percent for 15 years.
The Bio Park Society says it needs to get more than 14,000 signatures in the next two months to get it on the ballot.
If it were to pass, the tax increase would go into effect July 1, 2016.
Bio Park Society development director Barry Blitzer says the revenue from the heightened tax would be used to renovate or expand on exhibit space for elephants, penguins and sea lions.
Other needs include an expanded parking structure.
Farmer Pleads Guilty To Falsely Claiming Organic Crops - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A Portales-area farmer will be on five years' probation after he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from claims that his crops were organic when they were not.
The Albuquerque Journal reportsthat Houston Wall pleaded guilty to the federal misdemeanor of misbranding products in interstate commerce for claiming in 2010 that crops of corn were organic. Wall farms about 6,000 acres in Roosevelt County.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wall made $300,000 by saying his crops were organic but not paying for the operation.
A USDA spokeswoman says the agency learned about Wall from workers who witnessed prohibited substances, such as pesticides, being applied to crops.
During his probation Wall will have to make restitution to buyers who were overcharged for the crops.
Man Fatally Shot By 2 Ruidoso Police Officers - The Associated Press
New Mexico State Police are investigating a fatal shooting involving two Ruidoso police officers at the scene of a domestic disturbance.
Authorities say the shooting happened around 5 a.m. Sunday when two officers responded to a call about a domestic incident.
Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo says the officers entered the home and came into contact with an adult male.
Both officers fired their weapons, striking him.
Armijo says the man died at the scene.
No further details are being released at this time.
Armijo says both officers are on administrative leave, which is routine procedure.
Mother Of Dead Inmate Suing San Juan County Jail, Hospital - The Associated Press and Daily Times
The mother of an inmate who died at a San Juan County prison is suing the medical staff that cared for him.
The Daily Times in Farmington reported Saturday that an attorney for Olga Salazar filed a complaint, saying the March 3 death of Jesus Marquez was caused by negligent medical care.
The county, a jail administrator, jail medical directors and a nurse are also named in the suit.
Salazar is asking for monetary damages and court-mandated changes in jail procedures.
The complaint argues San Juan Regional Medical Center staff ignored repeated requests for someone to check on Marquez, who was diabetic.
It alleges a nurse then didn't take Marquez's condition seriously.
Medical center spokesman Haroon Ahmad says the hospital will "vigorously defend" itself.
Las Cruces Family Seeks Return Of Girl's Custom Stroller - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
A Las Cruces mother is hoping whoever stole a custom wheelchair-stroller needed for her disabled daughter will return it.
The Las Cruces Sun-News says Ana Salinas discovered Thursday night that the stroller was missing from her vehicle.
Salinas says the stroller is for her 6-year-old daughter, Dominique Perriguey.
Dominique was born with a rare chromosomal disorder called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.
The disorder leaves her unable to walk and verbalize.
Salinas bought the $2,000 EZ Rider Mobility Stroller a few months ago because Dominique is too heavy to be carried everywhere.
Police are investigating but are asking the public to keep an eye out for the stroller.
Salinas says some people are urging her to seek donations online for a new stroller but she just wants the original back.
Texas Man Dies In Paraglider Crash In Northern New Mexico - The Associated Press
Authorities say a Texas man is dead after his paraglider crashed outside a northern New Mexico airport.
New Mexico State Police say 46-year-old Paul Johnson was found in a field just north of Angel Fire Airport on Saturday morning.
The Office of the Medical investigator pronounced him dead at the scene.
State Police say Johnson, an Austin police officer, last made contact with a friend around 8:30 a.m.
According to the friend, Johnson had landed in a field and was going to attempt a lift-off and return to the airport.
When he failed to show up by 10 a.m., friends began searching for him.
Authorities say the cause of the crash is unknown.
San Juan County Seeks Decision On Fire Service For Tribe - The Associated Press and Daily Times
San Juan County officials say they can no longer support fire services on the Navajo Nation without contributions from the tribe.
The Daily Times in Farmington reported Saturday that the San Juan County Fire Department will have to stop operating three fire districts on or near the Navajo Nation because of declining funds.
According to the county, Navajo officials have not yet responded to a proposal of solutions such as having the tribe contribute at least $800,000 a year for operational and equipment costs.
Another idea is to close the stations and let the tribe's own fire department fill the gap.
The county said it requested a response by Friday.
Tribal Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates says the tribe still needs to complete its due diligence before making a decision.
States Help Get Heroin Antidote Into Hands Of Regular Folks - The Associated Press
Narcan is not just for police and first responders anymore.
New York and a handful of other states are helping to make the life-saving heroin antidote available to regular folks, hoping to increase the odds it will be there when needed in an emergency.
State health officials say New York has trained 10,000 laypeople in the last six months alone, sending them home with a rescue kit containing Narcan and a nasal atomizer used to spray it in an overdose victim's nose. The training was helped by a law change last year that allowed prescribers to issue general, rather than patient-specific, prescriptions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says California, Illinois, New Mexico and Washington have similarly changed regulations.