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Headlines: Udall To Tour Chaco Canyon, NM Tourism Numbers Up ...

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Udall, Interior Deputy Secretary To Tour Chaco Canyon Area - The Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor are visiting northwestern New Mexico.

The two are planning to tour the Chaco Canyon area  today meeting with residents and local officials with the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The visit comes after Udall sent a letter to the Interior Department in which he highlighted constituent concerns about oil and gas development and potential effects on archaeological sites in the region.

Udall has been pushing the agency to ensure that any development near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a World Heritage site, is carefully planned.

Udall has said federal leasing activities should take into consideration the cultural, historical and ecological values of the area.

2 Former Officers Plead Not Guilty In Holding-Cell Beating The Associated Press

Two former Las Cruces police officers charged with aggravated battery in the beating of a man in a holding cell have pleaded not guilty.

The District Attorney's Office said ex-officer Danny Salcido entered his plea during an arraignment Monday in state District Court, while an attorney entered the plea for Richard P. Garcia on his behalf.

Salcido and Garcia were indicted in the Dec. 23 beating in a holding cell at the Las Cruces Police Department.

Lawyers for Ross Flynn have said he was severely beaten while handcuffed in the cell.

Flynn was later hospitalized with a skull fracture.

He had been arrested after allegedly pointing a rifle at his neighbor over a parking space and then ignoring officer's commands at the scene.

Salcido and Garcia were fired in May.

New Mexico Reports 'All-Time High' Tourism Numbers For 2014The Associated Press

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has announced close to 33 million visited the state last year, making it a record-breaking year for tourism.

Martinez said Monday that half a million more people visited New Mexico than in 2013 and credited the state's New Mexico True campaign. That campaign features the state's famous outdoor locations and New Mexico celebrities, such as mixed-martial arts fighter Carlos Condit.

In 2014, officials say the New Mexico True campaign helped lead to an all-time high in marketable overnight trips, or vacations, with a 40.6 percent increase since 2010.

Tourism Department Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Latham says an advertising budget increase allowed the state to aggressively pursue those types of trips.

New Mexico AG Criticizes Plan For San Juan Plant - The Associated Press and Daily Times

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is not a fan of a plan to keep an aging coal-fired plant going with a mix of coal, natural gas, nuclear and solar generation.

The Daily Times in Farmington reported Saturday that Balderas says Public Service Co. of New Mexico's proposal regarding the San Juan Generating Station "isn't good enough."

Balderas, who was a supporter in the past, said during a news conference Wednesday that the current proposal doesn't utilize enough renewable energy resources.

Balderas says he wants to see a revised plan by Aug. 1.

13 States (Including NM) Sue Over Rule Giving Feds Authority On State WaterThe Associated Press

More than a dozen states are challenging a new rule that gives federal authorities jurisdiction over some state waters.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says the "Waters of the U.S." rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers is "unnecessary" and "unlawful." He says it does nothing to increase water quality in North Dakota and other states.

Federal officials say the new rule aims to clarify which wetlands, streams and other waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act.

Stenehjem says a lawsuit seeking to have the rule thrown out was filed Monday in federal court in North Dakota.

The other states joining the lawsuit are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota and Wyoming.

DOE Names Acting Field Office Manager At Nuclear RepositoryThe Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Energy has named one of its longtime employees as the acting director of the field office that oversees the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository.

Dana Bryson is replacing Joe Franco, who recently took another job with the agency at the Hanford site in Washington.

The department says Bryson has more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry and has served as the deputy manager of the Carlsbad Field Office since 2013.

Bryson previously worked at the DOE's Richland Operations Office, where he was responsible for cleanup and restoration of 220 square miles of the Columbia River corridor.

DOE officials say they're confident he's up to the challenge at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which has been closed since a February 2014 radiation leak.

DWI Conviction Rate Decreases In Bernalillo County The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal

A state report says convictions for drunken driving cases in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court have been falling sharply, with fewer than half of 2014 cases ending in a conviction.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the state Administrative Office of the Courts report says the conviction rate has dropped below 50 percent for the first time in at least 17 years.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg's office says that more than half of the DWI cases that ended in dismissals were dismissed because officers didn't appear in court or for interviews with defense lawyers or because of problems obtaining lapel camera video of the arrests.

Albuquerque Police Department officials had no comment.

Police Searching For Person Who Shot, Killed Teen At Party - The Associated Press and KOB-TV

Albuquerque police are trying to figure out who shot and killed a Manzano High School senior during a party.

KOB-TV reportsthat police believe someone fired multiple shots into a house where Jaydon Chavez-Silver was visiting with some friends Friday night.

The teenager was a wrestler and football player at the high school.

There are bullet holes in the windows of the home where Chavez-Silver was shot. He was reportedly sitting on the kitchen counter when police say someone walked or drove by the home and fired up to six shots.

Chavez-Silver died in the hospital.

Police have not yet arrested anyone or named a suspect.

 
Part Of Proposed Sunzia Transmission Line May Move - The Las Cruces Sun-News, The Associated Press

A portion of a proposed $2 billion transmission line that would carry electricity generated by renewable resources in New Mexico and Arizona to markets across the West may get rerouted.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reported Saturday that the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project has submitted a tentative plan to the U.S. Department of Defense to move part of the line away from the White Sands Missile Range to avoid burying it.

Defense Department officials say the line's proximity to White Sands would interfere with military exercises.

Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel signed an agreement in May 2014 that allowed SunZia to bury 5 miles of the proposed line that would go across the White Sands training range.

But SunZia officials say burying the line would cost $500 million.

Judge Won't Block Santa Fe County Tax Hike - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican

A tax hike in the cities of Santa Fe and Espanola appears more likely to take effect this week.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that a judge late last week denied both cities' request for a temporary restraining order halting the tax increase.

However, First District Judge Sarah Singleton allowed a lawsuit initiated by the cities against Santa Fe County to move forward.

The cities are suing the county over a decision to raise its gross-receipts tax by one-eighth of a percentage point, a move that is supposed to start Wednesday.

Lawmakers approved a 2013 state tax package that allows local governments to impose a higher gross-receipts tax rate within their jurisdictions.

The two cities say county ordinances should only apply to unincorporated areas belonging to the county.

Blue Cross Files For Health Exchange Premium Increase - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal

A major insurer on the New Mexico health exchange is not budging from a proposal to raise its premiums for some customers by more than 50 percent.

The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico filed a request for a 51.6 percent increase with the state insurance office.

The exchange offers plans by five different insurance companies.

Three are asking to boost premiums between 2 and 17 percent, depending on the plan.

But CHRISTUS Health Plan, however, is not seeking any increase.

Blue Cross Blue Shield president Kurt Shipley says the hike reflects the actual costs of coverage instead of the projections used when it first set rates.

Insurance premiums are determined by several factors such as age, smoking habits and level of coverage.

Boy Scout Dies In Flash Flood While Camping In New Mexico - The Associated Press

New Mexico State Police say a Boy Scout on a camping trip with his troop has died after he and three other teens were swept away in a flash flood.

Sgt. Chad Pierce says eight Boy Scouts, three adult crew leaders and a scout ranger were on a 12-day trek at the Philmont Scout Ranch on Saturday when the flooding hit.

Pierce says at about 4:30 a.m., floodwaters came through the canyon where they were camping and swept away four boys, all between ages 14 and 17.

Ranch employees rescued three.

State Police were called around 9:30 a.m. and a rescue team recovered the remaining boy's body roughly a mile from where he was swept away.

Authorities are not releasing the boy's identity.

The area is in northern New Mexico, near the Colorado state line.

Girl, 17, Shot Inside Roswell Apartment Complex - The Associated Press and KOB-TV

Police in Roswell say a 17-year-old girl was shot inside an apartment and they have a possible suspect in custody.

KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports that police say the teen was wounded in the abdomen around 1 p.m. Sunday.

Police spokesman Todd Wildermuth says the girl, whose name has not been released, was listed in serious condition at a hospital.

He says he has not received any updates.

Meanwhile, officers captured an 18-year-old man following a short pursuit on foot.

Wildermuth says the man is being held for questioning but has not been arrested.

He says investigators are looking for two potential witnesses.

No Answers After Woman Apparently Gave Birth, No Baby Found - The Associated Press and Deming Headlight

Police say they are continuing to investigate the case of a Deming woman who showed up at an emergency room after giving birth but without a newborn baby.

The Deming Headlight reportsthat the 38-year-old woman was taken by ambulance from her home to the ER at Mimbres Memorial Hospital on June 14.

Authorities say she has since been transported to another medical center, but did not say where.

Although she denied that she was ever pregnant, police say a medical exam made it evident that the woman had recently given birth.

Deming Police Chief Brandon Gigante says police don't know if they are dealing with a fetus, miscarriage or stillborn birth.

No charges have been filed and police are still investigating the situation.

Aspen-Eating Caterpillars Won't Kill Trees Near Santa Fe - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican

Thousands of blackish-blue Western tent caterpillars have eaten the leaves of aspen trees in forests around Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Santa Fe National Forest entomologist Andrew Graves says the aspens aren't likely to die -- but their limbs will remain bare until later this summer.

He says the caterpillars will likely disappear in the next few days, living in cocoons underneath leaves until they emerge as small, brown moths.

Tent caterpillars are a normal part of the forest ecosystem. Graves says they periodically invade forests all over the West, although this is the first time he's seen them in the Big Tesuque area.

Graves says the insects are food for birds, and their chewed up leaves and dead larvae enrich the forest soil.