Arguments Heard In New Mexico PARCC Testing Contract Fight – The Associated Press
Lawyers have submitted arguments in a legal challenge to New Mexico's contract with a testing company that may halt a much-debated assessment exam in the state.
Santa Fe District Judge Sarah Singleton heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could overturn a contract awarded to London-based Pearson and potentially tangle up other states using the same test.
Last year, Pearson was awarded a contact given out by states belonging to a consortium for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam, or PARCC.
Thomas McGovern, a lawyer for the Washington-based American Institutes for Research, says New Mexico and the consortium unfairly helped shape bidding requirements crafted especially for Pearson.
Ex-Deputy May Claim Self-Defense In Fatal Shooting Of Deputy – The Associated Press
A former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of killing another deputy may argue he acted in self-defense.
A court document filed Monday by an attorney for former Deputy Tai Chan said Chan's defense needs Sheriff's Department employment and psychological records for the deputy who was killed because they'd be essential for a self-defense claim.
Chan is charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty. He's accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Jeremy Martin last October after they went drinking in Las Cruces where they were staying after transporting a prisoner.
Defense attorney John Day said he might argue that Martin had "a "proclivity to violence."
The Sheriff's Department is fighting release of the records. It contends that the records are protected from inspection under New Mexico's public records law.But attorneys for New Mexico say the process was fair and AIR did not submit a bid.
NM Senate Panel To Take Critical Vote On Right-To-Work Bill – The Associated Press
A Senate panel could stop the advance of a right-to-work bill that has drawn scores of people to the State Capitol for hours of hearings.
The Public Affairs Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that prohibits requiring workers to join a union or to pay dues as a condition of employment and includes a 50-cent-per-hour minimum wage increase.
The bill ended up getting referred last week to three Senate panels over the objection of Republicans, who were unsuccessful in forcing a hearing before the full Senate. The Public Affairs Committee took testimony on the proposed legislation Sunday when people packed its meeting.
The GOP-controlled House passed the legislation 37-30 last month. The Democratic leadership in the Senate has said it's united in stopping the legislation.
Spaceport Director Gives Update In Dona Ana County – The Associated Press
New Mexico Spaceport Authority executive director Christine Anderson says test flights of the spaceship being developed by anchor tenant Virgin Galactic are expected to resume later this year.
Anderson provided an update to Dona Ana County commissioners during their meeting Tuesday in Las Cruces.
She says work on the spaceship is about 80 percent done and that Virgin Galactic has also started construction on another spaceship.
A visitors' gallery at the spaceport is also expected to open next month.
Taxes imposed in Dona Ana and Sierra counties have helped pay for the nearly quarter-billion-dollar spaceport. Some state lawmakers say they're tired of taxpayers footing the bill.
Commission Chairman Billy Garrett says Dona Ana County is making a large investment but the project will eventually benefit the entire state.
Rash Of Dog Thefts Seen In Albuquerque Area - The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
Authorities in the Albuquerque area say there's been a rash of dog thefts and that it may be related to dog fighting.
Bernalillo County sheriff's Sgt. Aaron Williamson said about a dozen dogs have been stolen in the area in the past two months.
The Sheriff's Department spokesman said some of the stolen dogs likely were taken for use as fighting dogs while others were intended to be used as bait in training fighting dogs.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Williamson's advice for dog owners is to keep their animals inside if they can and to look outside kennels to make it difficult to steal dogs.
Appeals Court Upholds Decision In Santa Fe Wi-Fi Case - The Associated Press
The state Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision in the case of a Santa Fe man who claimed that a neighbor's wireless Internet system and other electronic devices damaged his health.
Anti-Wi-Fi activist Arthur Firstenberg sued his neighbor and landlord in 2010 contending that their use of wireless devices was making him sick because he has electromagnetic sensitivity.
District Judge Sarah Singleton ruled in 2012 that Firstenberg lacked sufficient evidence to support his claim.
The appellate court ruled last week that Firstenberg's vague and general arguments provided no basis for reversing Singleton's decision to dismiss his claims.
Firstenberg has another case pending that names the city of Santa Fe as a defendant. He's challenging plans to install a wireless system for reading water meters.
Navajo Leader Pushes For Approval Of Gambling Compact - The Associated Press
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly says the importance of New Mexico lawmakers approving a proposed gambling compact during this legislative session can't be stressed enough.
Shelly made the comments Monday as the Legislature enters its final stretch. The session will adjourn March 21.
Agreements that allow a handful of American Indian tribes, including the Navajos, to operate casinos will expire in June.
If the tribes want to legally operate casinos, a new compact has to be approved by the Legislature before adjourning. After that, the compact would need the U.S. Interior Department's approval.
Shelly says the proposed compact is the result of a long and tedious negotiation process with the state and that thousands of jobs are at stake.
Lawmakers are expected to take up the compact later this week.
New Mexico High Court Ruling: All Must Report Child Abuse - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that all residents are required by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect.
The ruling issued Monday reverses a 2013 decision by the state Court of Appeals that limited who was required to report abuse and neglect allegations. That previous ruling prompted a proposal being considered by state lawmakers that would require all persons to report suspected abuse and neglect.
According to the high court's ruling, state law reporting requirement applies to both privately and publicly employed social workers and statements made during counseling sessions aren't protected from disclosure in court.
The ruling stems from the case of a man accused of sexually abusing his minor daughter. He had private counseling sessions with a licensed social worker in private practice.
Officials To Publicly Discuss Kirtland Jet Fuel Spill - The Associated Press
Federal officials will host a public meeting to discuss the latest on the Kirtland Air Force Base fuel leak clean-up efforts.
The meeting will be held at the African American Performing Arts Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The Air Force has missed a deadline to design and implement an interim system for cleaning up contamination.
Authorities believe anywhere between nearly 6 million and 24 million gallons of fuel were leaked, although Air Force officials say it's likely at the lower end of those figures.
The Air Force discovered the leak in 1999. It contaminated groundwater and risks affecting drinking water as well.
Man Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Food Stamp Program - The Associated Press
An Albuquerque man has pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding a food stamp program.
Authorities say 33-year-old Joshua Moya abused his power as a family assistance analyst to issue food stamps to people who did not qualify for the program. Moya is one of six who face charges in the investigation by federal authorities.
Moya accepted a plea agreement that will send him to prison for six months. He'll also have to pay nearly $2,500 in restitution.
Moya worked for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. He was responsible for determining applicants' eligibility and benefits level.
Padilla changed his plea to guilty on Monday.
New Mexico Ruling: Some Gov't Appointees Can Get Benefits - The Associated Press
New Mexico's highest court has ruled that certain state government appointees are eligible for unemployment benefits.
The court ruled Monday that a former state management employee, fired after Gov. Susana Martinez took office four years ago, was entitled to unemployment compensation.
The case centered on a lawsuit by Sandra Perez, who was state personnel director for more than six years under former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson. A month after taking office in 2011, Republican Martinez fired Perez, who was exempt from the state personnel system and could be terminated without cause.
Court records show that Perez sought unemployment benefits and initially received $3,860 before the state Department of Workforce Solutions cut off her payments.
Los Alamos Gets 2 Submissions On Possible Air Service - The Associated Press
Los Alamos County officials have received responses from two carriers who might be interested in serving Los Alamos Airport.
County officials plan to evaluate the two submissions and then begin talks with the one which gets the highest score.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports that the identities of the two respondents won't be released pending submission to the County Council, possibly on April 14.
New Mexico Airlines ceased service to Los Alamos in January.
Navajo Nation Eyes Immigration Program To Boost Its Economy - The Associated Press and Daily Times
Navajo Nation officials hope to lure foreign investments by using a carrot provided by a federal immigration program.
The Daily Times in Farmington, New Mexico, reports that an immigrant investor program known as EB-5 offers legal residency to foreign investors who start a new business or rescue an existing one in the United States, including on tribal lands.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said using the EB-5 program could help create jobs and accelerate the tribe's economy with outside investment.
Albert Damon is executive director of the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development.
He said economic development on the Navajo Nation has been hampered by a lack of startup capital and that using the EB-5 program may help solve that.
115-Year-Old New Mexico Lodge Purchased By Texas Couple - The Associated Press and Alamogordo Daily News
A Texas couple has purchased and plan to renovate the Lodge At Cloudcroft, a 115-year-old southern New Mexico property that includes a 59-room hotel.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that Joe and Lanna Duncan of Fort Davis, Texas, purchased the lodge from Great Inns of the Rockies Inc., which bought it in 1992 and which previously owned it in the late 1980s.
Besides the hotel, the property also includes an 18-hole golf course, a restaurant and a bar.
Lanna Duncan said she and her husband Joe bought the lodge because of a love of history and historic preservation.
The Duncans own hotels in Marfa, Texas, and Van Horn, Texas, and previously owned a hotel in Fort Davis.
Man Suspected Of Selling Fatal Drug To Teen Pleads Guilty - The Associated Press
A New Mexico man suspected of selling ecstasy to a teenage girl who later overdosed on the drug has pleaded guilty in court.
Eric Stone pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute controlled substances to a minor.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the 27-year-old will be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison according to the terms of his plea agreement.
Hannah Bruch was 14 years old when she and two friends consumed about $100 worth of a type of ecstasy known as "Molly." Bruch overdosed on the drug and died in August 2013.
WNMU Signs Agreement With Mexican Universities - The Associated Press
Western New Mexico University has signed agreements with two Mexican universities in hopes of boosting opportunities for student and faculty exchanges.
Administrators from Western New Mexico recently visited Universidad De Occidente in the city of Culiacan, Mexico, to sign a memorandum of understanding.
The Mexican university officials said they were interested in having WNMU professors teach English courses on site during the summer semester.
An agreement was also signed with the Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa, the university system for which many of last summer's Mexican students are enrolled. The agreement cited performing joint research projects and enabling academic and administrative exchanges.
Last year, Western New Mexico signed a similar agreement with Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez.
District Attorney Seeks Help In Holding Cell Investigation - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
The Dona Ana County district attorney's office is asking for help in the investigation of a holding cell incident that left a Las Cruces man hospitalized.
The district attorney's office announced Monday that it's seeking the help of New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas. The office has also requested that state police conduct an independent investigation.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that local police are also investigating.
A federal lawsuit filed last week accuses two Las Cruces officers of brutality against Ross Flynn, who was being booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a police officer and resisting or obstructing a police officer.
Attorneys claim Flynn was injured during a tussle with the officers inside a holding cell at the police station.