Tribal Businessman Upsets Former Navajo President In Race - Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press
Russell Begaye easily beat a former Navajo Nation president Tuesday for the top post on the country's largest American Indian reservation.
Begaye led Joe Shirley Jr. by about 10,000 votes, according to unofficial results.
Begaye's victory came nearly five months after the original election was scuttled amid court battles sparked by a candidate's ability to speak fluent Navajo.
Begaye is a businessman who served one term on the Navajo Nation Council before jumping into the president's race. He came in third in the August primary, but he replaced Chris Deschene, who was disqualified for failing to prove he met the language requirements for the job.
Begaye says he'll work to create jobs on the reservation where the unemployment rate hovers around 50 percent.
New WIPP Boss Headed Site Where Radiation Release Occurred - The Associated Press
The man appointed to lead the company that oversees the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico previously ran a facility in Idaho where a radiation release contaminated workers in 2011.
Philip Breidenbach was named president and project manager of the Nuclear Waste Partnership last week. The company manages the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which has been closed since last year due to a radiation release.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Breidenbach used to run a plutonium facility at Idaho National Laboratory, where a radiation accident contaminated 16 workers.
The incident was blamed on a lack of safety precautions and worker training, much like the WIPP mishap.
Despite the criticisms of watchdogs, Nuclear Waste Partnership says Breidenbach has a track record of turning around a troubled operation.
New Mexico Regulators Expected To Rule On Lyft, Uber – The Associated Press
New Mexico regulators could halt ride-booking services Lyft and Uber as officials remain unsure what to do with the companies amid outdated state rules.
The Public Regulation Commission is scheduled Wednesday to decide whether to order the ride-booking services to stop operating in New Mexico after traditional taxi companies complained.
Last year, the commission ordered Lyft to cease operations in Albuquerque, where the company had launched its service. A district judge in Santa Fe refused to enforce the commission's order, allowing the company to operate in the state capital.
San Francisco-based Lyft and Uber use smartphone programs to connect people seeking rides with people who have cars.
The commission also is expected to vote on starting the process of crafting rules that would allow the services to operate.
Former Rio Arriba Sheriff Must Remain In Federal Prison – The Associated Press
A former Rio Arriba County Sheriff will remain in federal prison in Texas while awaiting his appeal charges of violating a person's civil rights while using a handgun.
Former Sheriff Tommy Rodella was sentenced in January to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in an off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as road rage.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Rodella's attorneys were unable to secure his release from prison.
U.S. District Judge James O. Browning denied the appeal and said Rodella has no exceptional circumstances that would warrant release.
Rodella's request said he should be released because he has a strong appeal, is in poor health and has status as a law enforcement officer, among other reasons.
Santa Fe Auditor Says Full Audit Would Waste Money – The Associated Press
Santa Fe might not conduct a full audit after a report found that $30.3 million parks bond was mismanaged.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the city's internal auditor Liza Kerr said Tuesday such an audit could be a waste of taxpayer money.
Kerr says too many records are missing to conduct a thorough review. She said there is no reason to pay a team "to come in and look at boxes of nothing."
The bond was supposed to pay for trail and park improvement projects, but many were never carried out or left incomplete.
City officials say they money was managed correctly but have not explained how it was spent.
An accounting firm found several flaws in the city's spending but only examined half the projects.
New Mexico Has 31st Straight Month Of Over-Year Job Gains - The Associated Press
Officials say New Mexico has notched its 31st consecutive month of over-the-year employment growth in March.
The Department of Workforce Solutions said Tuesday that New Mexico's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent last month. That's down from 6.8 percent a year ago.
The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.
Between March 2014 and March 2015, education and health services added 4,400 jobs, or 3.5 percent. This is up slightly from last month's gain and accounted for just over 30 percent of total over-the-year gross job gains.
New Mexico Regulators Expected To Rule On Lyft, Uber - The Associated Press
New Mexico regulators could halt ride-booking services Lyft and Uber as officials remain unsure what to do with the companies amid outdated state rules.
The Public Regulation Commission is scheduled Wednesday to decide whether to order the ride-booking services to stop operating in New Mexico after complaints from traditional taxi companies.
Last year, the commission ordered Lyft to cease operations in Albuquerque, where the company had launched its service. But a district judge in Santa Fe refused to enforce the commission's cease-and-desist order, allowing the company to operate in the state capital.
San Francisco-based Lyft and Uber use smartphone programs to connect people seeking rides with people who have cars.
The commission also is expected to vote on rules that would allow the services to operate but critics say new state laws were needed instead.
Utility Defends Plans To Replace Power From San Juan Plant - The Associated Press
New Mexico's largest electric provider is defending its plan to replace part of an aging coal-fired power plant with a mix of more coal, natural gas, nuclear and solar power.
Critics say the plan isn't in the best interest of ratepayers.
But Public Service Co. of New Mexico said Monday in a filing with state regulators that rejecting the plan could jeopardize the continued operation of the San Juan Generating Station and end up costing customers more.
A hearing examiner recommended earlier this month that PNM's plan not be approved unless changes are made. He pointed to uncertainty surrounding the ownership makeup of the plant and a lack of a coal contract beyond 2017.
State regulators will consider the case during their meeting Wednesday.
Disease Forces Removal Of Trout From New Mexico Hatchery – The Associated Press
State wildlife officials say they've found kidney disease in some rainbow trout being raised at a hatchery in northern New Mexico.
The discovery has prompted the New Mexico Game and Fish Department to remove more than 160,000 small trout from raceways at Lisboa Springs Hatchery near Pecos.
Regular testing in February turned up the bacterial disease. All of the trout are being destroyed to ensure full decontamination.
The affected area of the hatchery will be drained, disinfected, restocked and more tests done to ensure cleanliness before it's returned to full production. This process may take up to two years to complete.
Officials say the disease is naturally present in the environment and can be caught by fish due to a variety of circumstances.
New Mexico Senator Introduces Transmission Legislation - The Associated Press
Federal regulators would have narrow authority to approve new electric transmission lines in certain circumstances under a measure introduced in Congress.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich says his bill would ensure that transmission projects get timely regulatory approvals. The New Mexico Democrat says that's critical, especially when multiple jurisdictions are involved.
Under an order issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, transmission providers must participate in a regional planning process and develop methods for allocating the costs of a new regional transmission facility among those who will use or benefit from it.
Heinrich's bill would require developers of new priority regional transmission projects to first seek approval from local or state authorities. If approval doesn't come within a year, the bill would allow FERC to step in and provide backstop authority.
Officer Won't Face Charges In November Shooting Death - The Associated Press and Daily Times
The district attorney won't file charges against a New Mexico State Police officer in the November shooting death of 27-year-old Myles Roughsurface in San Juan County.
The Farmington Daily Times reports officers were investigating a report of a man who was threatened at gunpoint in Spencerville, northeast of Farmington, when they heard shots. More officers responded to the scene, including Sgt. James Rempe.
Rempe said he saw a man behind a fence, pointing a rifle at officers. An unloaded rifle was found next to Roughsurface's body, and a revolver with two bullets in the chamber was in his pocket.
A previous investigation cleared Rempe of an August 2008 shooting on the Navajo Nation that killed Cordell Dobey.
Ex-US Border Patrol Agent Is Sentenced In Child Porn Case - The Associated Press
A former U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison in a child pornography case.
Federal prosecutors say 27-year-old Abel Michael Quiroz, of Las Cruces, will be on supervised release for five years after completing his prison term and must register as a sex offender.
Quiroz was charged in a criminal complaint with receiving and possessing photographs of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct between February 2013 and October 2013.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents executed a search warrant at Quiroz's home where they seized evidence and arrested him last April.
Quiroz pleaded guilty in September to possession of child pornography.
Residents Suing Border Patrol Want Better View Of Agents - The Associated Press
Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the Border Patrol over an Arizona checkpoint have asked a judge to let them get closer to agents conducting inspections so they can monitor them.
The attorney for plaintiffs from the town of Arivaca on Tuesday argued for an injunction against the Border Patrol that would allow residents to watch agents from 20 feet away.
A lawyer representing the government says Border Patrol checkpoints are not a public forum, and having civilians so close to agents would pose a public safety risk.
The request stems from a lawsuit filed last year by the two Arivaca residents, Leesa Jacobsen and Peter Ragan. The suit alleges the Border Patrol violates their First Amendment rights and harasses residents who protest and monitor the checkpoint.
The checkpoint is on a two-lane road about 20 miles north of the border with Mexico.
'Independence Day 2' To Begin Filming In New Mexico - The Associated Press
It's been an open secret around Albuquerque for months.
But the New Mexico Film Office finally announced Tuesday that filming will begin next month on the sequel to the alien invasion movie, "Independence Day."
In the sequel, the nations of Earth anticipate the invaders' return and collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet only to see the aliens return with vengeance.
The film will star Liam Hemsworth and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Returning from the first film will be Vivica Fox and Bill Pullman.
The announcement comes after production of the alien sequel had been known for months in Albuquerque. Yet the production crew was ordered to remain silent so the New Mexico Film Office could make the announcement.
Experts Say Las Cruces Snake Sightings Probably Not Mojaves - The Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun-News
Snake experts are skeptical of claims that deadly Mojave rattlesnakes have been seen around Las Cruces recently.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Humane Society of Southern New Mexico President Frank Bryce says people are probably seeing Western diamondback rattlesnakes.
Bryce said the more common diamondbacks are hard to distinguish from their Mojave cousins unless inspected up close.
Diamondbacks are bigger and darker, but both snakes are often found on the edge of populated areas and blend in well with the surroundings.
Both have painful bites. Bryce said a person or animal should seek treatment within an hour of being bitten.
There have been reports of Mojave rattlesnakes along walking trails at Mesilla Valley Bosque Park.
The park superintendent, however, could only confirm sightings of the diamondback.
Teenager Goes Missing On His Way To Friend's Colorado Prom - The Associated Press and KNXV-TV
Family members of an Arizona teen missing since Thursday are searching for him by car and on foot.
KNXV-TV in Phoenix reports 18-year-old Edgar Vargas was on his way to a friend's prom in Colorado, but his family hasn't heard from him since he called his mom from a gas station in Bloomfield, New Mexico.
The Mesa teen was driving a red pickup truck. Anyone with information is urged to call authorities.