New Mexico Breaks Temperature Records – The Associated Press
The blast of wintry weather moving across New Mexico has resulted in several broken records.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Albuquerque say Eagle Nest led the pack yesterday with a low temperature of minus 17. The mountain community hadn't been that cold this early in a season since Nov. 10, 1950, when the temperature dropped to 20 below zero.
Taos, Moriarty, Raton, Las Vegas and Roswell also set records.
David Craft with the National Weather Service says things will warm up around the state by midweek, but another round is expected to bring more cold temperatures and snow to parts of New Mexico by the weekend.
US To Close Family Detention Center In New Mexico - The Associated Press
The Obama administration plans to close a temporary family immigration detention center in New Mexico by the end of the year.
The government told members of Congress on Tuesday about the planned closing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement opened the jail at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico, in late June. That was during a crush of tens of thousands of Central American families caught crossing the border illegally.
In the advisory to Congress, ICE officials said newly apprehended families have not been sent to the temporary jail since Nov. 7. The remaining roughly 450 people being held in Artesia are mostly mothers and young children. They will be either released to await immigration court hearings or transferred to another family jail.
5 More Sue Archdiocese Of Santa Fe Over Abuse - The Associated Press
Five more victims are suing the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and are accusing priests of sexually abusing them as young children and teens decades ago.
The lawsuits filed in New Mexico State District Court in Albuquerque come as more than two dozen victims have made similar claims in recent years against priests in court documents.
According to the latest lawsuits, three of the victims were abused by priests in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Court documents say another victim, a female, was abuse by a priest in Albuquerque on a church bus.
The lawsuits seek an unspecified amount in damages.
An Archdiocese of Santa Fe spokeswoman says she was looking into the lawsuits.
Ranchers Get First Mexican Wolf/Livestock Payments - The Associated Press
The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Coexistence Council has issued its first payments for the presence of wolves to 26 Arizona and New Mexico livestock operators who qualified for the plan's first year.
The Coexistence Council developed the plan that presents a new way of addressing wolf-livestock conflicts.
Payments address the negative financial impacts on livestock producers that accompany Mexican wolf recovery.
The innovative plan was announced in March this year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service appointed the 11-member volunteer council. It represents livestock producers, tribes, environmental groups and counties in Arizona and New Mexico.
Senators Seek Funds For Nuke Repository - The Associated Press
Members of the state's congressional delegation are seeking an additional $113 million to help fund ongoing recovery efforts at the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico.
U.S Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich outlined their request Tuesday in a letter to the chairman and ranking member of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has been closed since February, following a fire and then a radiological leak from a canister of waste shipped from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Cleaning up WIPP and resuming full operations could take years. The cost has been estimated at more than $500 million.
The U.S. Department of Energy is finalizing a report on the cause of the radiation release. That's
New Mexico Ex-Lawman In Deputy Killing Posts Bond - The Associated Press
A former sheriff's deputy charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a fellow lawman during an alcohol-fueled argument in New Mexico has been released on bail.
Ex-Deputy Tai Chan was released Monday night after posting $600,000 bond. His lawyer earlier Monday entered a not guilty plea in state District Court to the murder charge on Chan's behalf.
Authorities say Chan fatally shot fellow Santa Fe County Deputy Jeremy Martin at a Las Cruces hotel last month after they drank at a nightspot and got into a heated argument.
Police said the two deputies were staying at the hotel after dropping off a prisoner in Arizona.
Chan lost his job after the arrest.
Snowfall Gives Hope To Southwest Ski Resorts - The Associated Press
Spirits are high at New Mexico's ski resorts after a storm brought more than two feet of snow to some spots, and forecasts call for more snow this weekend.
Freezing temperatures are also allowing crews to crank up snow-making machines.
Following a string of lackluster years and negative perceptions spurred by the realities of drought, ski resorts are looking to make a comeback.
The director of the group Ski New Mexico says resorts in the state want to meet the million-skier mark this season. The number of annual skier visits hasn't topped that in at least a decade.
Lawmakers Back 'Timeout' On Pension System Changes - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Some New Mexico legislators agree that there shouldn't be policy changes made to the state's big retirement system for public employees for at least five years.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a legislative oversight committee yesterday indicated support for a "timeout" proposed by the board that oversees the Public Employee Retirement Association,
It'd be up to the full Legislature to decide whether there actually would be a pause on changes to the retirement system's retirement and benefit guidelines.
Pension system executive director Wayne Propst said the board believes more time is needed for changes made in 2013 to get the system on solid financial footing.
Some New Mexico city officials have raised concerns about whether the 2013 changes are causing a flood of retirements, particularly among police officers.
Ex-Navajo Lawmaker Pleads Guilty In Criminal Case - The Associated Press
A former Navajo Nation lawmaker accused of funneling nearly $25,000 in tribal funds to her family has pleaded guilty in a criminal case.
Orlanda Smith-Hodge entered her plea yesterday in Window Rock District Court to a single count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
She had been charged with six counts of bribery, four counts of abuse of office and five counts of unauthorized compensation. Those charges will be dismissed with prejudice if she cooperates with prosecutors in similar cases against her one-time colleagues.
A sentencing date won't be set until those cases are resolved.
Smith-Hodge faces up to a year in jail, probation and community service. The tribe also could seek restitution.
New Mexico Says State Teacher Evaluation System - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Education Secretary Hanna Skandera says New Mexico is taking steps to improve its system for evaluating public school teachers but that decreasing its reliance on students' test scores won't be one of them.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Skandera told a legislative study committee yesterday that steps being taken include assigning a Public Education Department liaison to each school district and charter school and increasing training on how the system works.
But Skandera indicated that the department will not compromise on use of student measurements that make up 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation.
Republican Sen. Gay Kernan of Hobbs told Skandera that the state should consider decreasing the percentage, and Democratic Rep. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque called the current percentage a "disservice" to teachers.
Plane Missing On New Mexico-To-Colorado Flight - The Associated Press
Authorities are looking for a single-engine plane missing since it departed Moriarty, New Mexico, to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on Friday.
FAA records indicate the plane is registered to a man with an address in Rio Rancho, an Albuquerque suburb, but it's not known if anybody other than the pilot was aboard.
Details on the search aren't immediately available, but Lt. Emmanuel Gutierrez of the New Mexico State Police said Tuesday it'll be difficult to define a search area along the border between Colorado and New Mexico without more information.
That mountainous region had wintry weather over the weekend.
Chaco Canyon Among Parks Proposing Fee Increases - The Associated Press
Northwestern New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park wants to more than double its entrance fees.
Officials will seek public input on the proposed increases, which include raising the per-vehicle charge of $8 to $20. The $4 fee per motorcycle would increase to $15, and the $4 charge per bicycle would rise to $10.
According to officials, Chaco's fees have been in place since 1998 and the proposed increases likely would be phased in over three years.
Chaco Canyon is among more than 100 national parks planning to propose fee increases.
The National Park Service says the proposed increases are intended to bring in more money for visitor services and start addressing a backlog of projects ahead of its centennial.
Planned Chaco projects include upgrading trails and renovating structures.
Painting Of Homeless Man Shot By Police Sold - The Associated Press and KRQE-TV
A painting of a homeless camper, whose death at the hands of Albuquerque police sparked protests around the city, has sold at an auction.
KRQE-TV reports that David Santiago's painting of 38-year-old James Boyd sold for $2,100 and proceeds will go to Albuquerque Heading Home. The group helps find housing for those living on the streets.
In March, Boyd was fatally shot in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains during an hours-long standoff with Albuquerque police. Video from an officer's helmet camera showed police fired on Boyd, who had struggled with mental illness, as he appeared to be preparing to surrender.
The painting was purchased by a lawyer who is representing the Boyd family in a lawsuit against Albuquerque police.