Property Crimes Were Down In Santa Fe In 2014 – The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe police say policy and staffing changes likely are factors in an apparent drop in property crimes in the northern New Mexico city.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the city had closed to 1,100 property crimes in the first 11 months of 2014.
December figures are not yet available, but the 11-month figure is down 26 percent from the same period of last year.
Property crime includes residential, commercial and auto burglaries, as well as attempted burglary and unlawful entry.
Police Chief Eric Garcia has said his department's return to a work week of four 10-hour days provides patrol officers with more time to work on property crime cases and helps solve crimes faster.
Lt. Andrea Dobyns also cites a policy of targeting drug offenders.
Assaults On Border Patrol Agents Drop Again – The Associated Press
Assaults against U.S. Border Patrol agents have dropped again even as apprehensions of immigrants illegally crossing the border increase.
The Arizona Republic reports that figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency, show there were 373 assaults against agents in the 2014 fiscal year. That's down 20 percent from the previous year and two-thirds from 2008.
Meanwhile, apprehensions of people crossing the border illegally were up 16 percent from the previous year.
Nearly all the assaults occurred along the Southwest border. The Border Patrol's Tucson sector in Arizona had 99 assaults, the most of any sector, but that number was down 37 percent from the previous year.
PRC Prepares To Take On Coal-Fired Plant's Future – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is preparing to take up what some energy experts have called a watershed utility case that could set the stage for energy policy in the state for decades to come.
On Monday, the commission will begin a two-week hearing on a proposal that calls for closing part of the San Juan Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant that serves more than 2 million customers in the Southwest.
The terms of the proposal were negotiated in 2013 and federal officials have already signed off. The negotiations were aimed at balancing the need to cut haze-causing pollution with keeping customer rates reasonable.
One environmental group has filed a motion seeking the recusal of Commissioners Patrick Lyons and Karen Montoya. The group is pushing for a decision to be made before the hearing starts.
Joint Inauguration Set Saturday For 3 Officials - The Associated Press
A joint inauguration is planned for three Democrats elected to statewide offices.
The inauguration ceremony for Attorney General Hector Balderas, Treasurer Tim Eichenberg and State Auditor Tim Keller will take place tomorrow morning at Saint Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe.
Balderas has been the state auditor but he defeated Republican Susan Riedel to win the race for attorney general. He's succeeding Democrat Gary King, who ran unsuccessfully for governor.
Keller resigned his state Senate seat after defeating Republican Robert Aragon in the race to succeed Balderas as state auditor.
Eichenberg defeated Republican Rick Lopez to replace James Lewis as treasurer. Term limits barred Lewis from running again.
State Revenue Picture May Postpone New Judgeship - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
The presiding judge for Dona Ana County's judicial district is concerned that a dimmer state revenue picture may put off creation of an additional judgeship.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Presiding Judge Fernando Macias' optimism has faded somewhat now that legislators and Gov. Susana Martinez have learned that a drop in oil prices apparently will reduce the increase in state revenue in the next fiscal year.
That means there likely will be stiffer competition among projects and programs for state funding.
Macias says the Third Judicial District is streamlining its operations by having judges specialize in types of cases, but he says it'll be difficult to reduce its case backlog without an additional judgeship.
Macias says a new judge would likely specialize in children's cases.
College, District Eye Building For Charter Schools - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque's public school district and Central New Mexico Community College are teaming up on construction of a building to house two charter public schools on the college's campus.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that an agreement call for the planned building to serve Native American Community Academy and the College and Career High School beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.
The agreement is subject to voter approval of bond issues to provide the funding.
The project's estimated cost is $35 million, but college President Kathie Winograd says more precise costs won't be known until building designs are complete.
The College and Career High School is already located on the college's campus, but Winograd says it is outgrowing its current space.
Albuquerque Police To Release PSA Videos - The Associated Press and KOB-TV
Albuquerque police are releasing videos aimed at coaching residents on how to deal with officers.
KOB-TV reports that the troubled department is putting together public service announcement videos that officials hope will make residents feel more comfortable when interacting with police.
The department also hopes the PSAs will help residents who end up the victims of a crime or, in the case of the first released video, guide motorists when getting pulled over.
The move comes as a federal judge mulls over a pending U.S. Justice Department agreement to overhaul the force amid more than 40 police shootings since 2010
Mckinley County Has 8th Suspected Exposure Death - The Associated Press and Gallup Independent
An 8th death this winter suspected of resulting from exposure has been reported in northwestern New Mexico's McKinley County.
The Gallup Independent reports that a woman's dead body was found in a field near a Gallup-area fireworks stand east of U.S. 491 on Tuesday.
A Sheriff's investigator says the woman's identity won't be released until it's confirmed by the state Office of the Medical Investigator.
The death remained under investigation but there were no apparent signs of foul play.
The investigator estimated that the woman died 24 to 36 hours before she was discovered late Tuesday morning by a person walking in the area.
Broken Pipe Closes Carlsbad Caverns National Park - The Associated Press
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico near the Texas line is temporarily closed due to freezing and breaking of the main pipe that supplies water to the park.
Park officials say Friday's closure resulted from freezing temperatures that froze and broke approximately 100 feet of the above-ground water line.
The pipe supplies water to the visitor center, center, offices, and residential housing.
Spokeswoman Valerie Gohkle says park officials are working on a temporary fix to get water supplied to those facilities while a long-term solution is considered.