Major Albuquerque Construction Project Finished – The Associated Press
Dignitaries attended a ribbon-cutting last night to celebrate the completion of the $93-million dollar reconstruction of the I-25 and Paseo del Norte interchange.
This morning the flyover that takes drivers headed northbound on I-25 to westbound Paseo del Norte is open.
Government officials had to piece together money from city, county and state bonds to pay for the project.
The interchange serves an estimated 180,000 people who live on Albuquerque's west side and in the surrounding communities of Corrales and Rio Rancho.
22 Fugitives Arrested During New Mexico Operation – The Associated Press
Federal authorities say a law enforcement task force made 22 arrests during a fugitive-apprehension operation in northwestern New Mexico last weekend.
The U.S. Marshals Service says the task force attempted to serve more than 60 state and federal warrants during the two-day operation.
According to the Marshals Service, all of those sought are violent fugitives and three of those arrested are charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Others face charges for robbery, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and sex offenses.
The Marshals Service says the operation was the first phase of five phases that will be conducted in 2015. The next phase will be conducted in February in another part of the state.
Pueblo, Feds Appealing Ruling On Gambling Compact – The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
The federal government and a northern New Mexico tribe are appealing a judge's ruling in the tribe's dispute with the state over a proposed new gambling compact.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the Interior Department and Pojoaque Pueblo last week filed notices that they're appealing U.S. District Judge James Parker's October ruling.
Parker's ruling stopped the department from approving a compact for the pueblo without the state's consent.
The pueblo and Gov. Susana Martinez's administration have failed to agree on a compact to replace an existing agreement set to expire in mid-2015.
Issues between the state and the tribe have included the tribe's proposed provisions to halt payments to the state, lower the gambling age to 18 from 21 and allow alcohol to be served in gambling areas.
New Mexico Court Tells Judge She Must Step Down - The Associated Press
The state Supreme Court says a District Court judge for three northern New Mexico counties must step down after losing a retention election.
The justices ruled unanimously yesterday that the election results stand and that Judge Sheri Raphaelson must give up her judicial post on Dec. 31.
Raphaelson serves in a judicial district comprised of Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties, and she primarily hears cases in Tierra Amarilla.
Raphaelson unsuccessfully challenged the election results by saying she didn't have to stand for retention yet in the first place because she was initially elected to fill a midterm vacancy.
Two justices said during a hearing that Raphaelson could have objected before the election to her name going on the ballot.
Gov. Susana Martinez will appoint a replacement.
Review: NM Agency Overwhelmed By Relief Requests - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Internal reports, emails, audits and interviews show relief aid for New Mexico communities affected by fires and flooding was slowed by dysfunction within the state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a review of records shows the agency was overwhelmed by even relatively modest requests for relief.
Officials in San Miguel County say it took nearly a year after torrential rains forced a disaster declaration that the department came out to assess the damage from 2013. Heavy rain in September then caused more damage.
Gov. Susana Martinez's office is defending the agency. A spokesman says the department has leveraged resources from across the state and worked with federal officials to ensure projects were done quickly and correctly.
The governor recently appointed M. Jay Mitchell to take over the agency.
Gallup Diocese Gives 'Credibly Accused Clergy' List - The Associated Press
The Diocese of Gallup has released a list of "credibly accused clergy" linked to decades-old sex abuse cases in New Mexico and Arizona.
The list released yesterday includes 31 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year.
Gallup Diocese Bishop James Wall says he was making the new list public to protect children and in the spirit of transparency.
In a statement, Wall apologized for the actions of those who committed "these terrible acts."
Wall says that if victims recognize the names of the priests on the diocese's website they should contact law enforcement.
Previously, the diocese released the name of 10 priests linked to such cases. The new list adds 22 new names.
Court Clears Way For Dairy Hearings In Roswell - The Associated Press
A hearing on proposed changes to the way New Mexico's dairy industry deals with wastewater will be held in Roswell after all.
The state Supreme Court yesterday upheld an earlier decision by the Water Quality Control Commission to hold the hearing in southeastern New Mexico. State officials say about 90 percent of dairies are located in the region.
Environmental groups had argued that state law required the technical hearing to be in Santa Fe.
The court also tossed a request by the state Environment Department to keep the attorney general's office from providing testimony during the proceeding.
Approved in 2010, the dairy rules regulate discharge permits for manure waste from dozens of dairies in the state. The industry has sought numerous amendments to the rules.
Waste Bacteria Found In San Juan County Rivers - The Associated Press
Preliminary results from a study of the San Juan and Animas rivers in San Juan County reportedly has found high levels of bacteria associated with human waste.
The Daily Times reports that preliminary results of the study indicate that leaky septic tanks and illegal waste dumping are the sources of the pollution.
The study is being conducted by two Farmington-area organizations — the San Juan Watershed Group and San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District
The study is scheduled for completion in January or early February.
Navajo Chief Hearing Officer Removed From Post – The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation's chief hearing officer who disqualified a presidential candidate for not speaking Navajo fluently as required by tribal law was fired Tuesday.
Tribal spokesman Deswood Tome says Richie Nez was given the option to resign or be terminated for not having a state bar license.
Nez's appointment to the Office of Hearings and Appeals required him to get a license from Arizona, New Mexico or Utah within a year. Other tribal judges don't have the same requirement.
Nez, who is licensed with the Navajo Bar Association, says he knew termination was possible and doesn't plan to appeal it.
The Navajo Supreme Court seemingly has shut the door to challenges on Nez's rulings. The justices recently wrote that Nez was at least serving as a de facto judge.
Former Las Cruces Cop Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence – The Associated Press
A former Las Cruces police detective faces a lengthy prison term after being sentenced in a sex case involving minors.
State District Judge Fernando Macias on Monday sentenced former Detective Michael Garcia to 30 years in prison but suspended 10 years of the sentence.
Garcia was convicted of multiple counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
He was initially arrested in August 2013 and accused of sexually assaulting a minor and then arrested again in September 2013 on additional charges involving another victim.
Garcia has already received a nine-year federal sentence in a case involving a teenage girl who was an intern with the Police Department in 2013.
The sentences will run at the same time, with Garcia serving the federal sentence first.