Difficult Conditions Reported On Some New Mexico Highways – Associated Press
Forecasters predict heavy snow in the mountains and a mix of rain and snow in lower elevations as a winter storm moves across northern and central New Mexico.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation reported difficult driving conditions Friday morning on some highways, including Interstate 25 between Rowe and Watrous. That stretch of I-25 is wet, snow-packed and icy in spots, and crews are out plowing, salting and cindering.
Other highways in the Las Vegas area also have difficult driving conditions.
The National Weather Service says precipitation will continue through Saturday before diminishing Saturday night.
Forecasters say a foot of snow is likely at elevations above 9,000 feet, creating a possibility of roof collapses.
Flying Star Closing Two Locations, Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Albuquerque Business First
A popular café and coffee shop with remaining locations in Albuquerque has filed for bankruptcy.
Flying Star Cafes is closing two of its locations as part of the bankruptcy filing. According to Albuquerque Business First the two locations to be closed will be in Santa Fe and Bernalillo.
The filing states the company owes an estimated $6.2 million to its 20 largest creditors. After the filing, seven Flying Stars will remain. The company also operates seven Satellite Coffee locations too.
New Mexico AG Makes Mental Health Audit Public – Associated Press
A redacted version of an audit that led to the shake-up of behavioral health services for needy New Mexicans is now public.
State Attorney General Hector Balderas released the audit during a news conference in Albuquerque, saying the state needs to do a better job of ferreting out fraud without disrupting services that citizens depend on.
He says he's making changes in the way the attorney general's office investigates such matters.
Balderas began his first term as AG at the beginning of the year. The previous attorney general, Gary King, declined to release the audit because it was part of an ongoing investigation.
The 355-page audit spurred allegations that state Medicaid funding was mishandled by the nonprofit providers. That prompted Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration to freeze payments while the attorney general's office investigated.
Increase In Vaccination Exemptions A Concern For New Mexico – Santa Fe New Mexican
A measles outbreak traced largely to Disneyland in Southern California has New Mexico health officials concerned.
The outbreak has spread to Arizona, Colorado and other states but hasn't hit New Mexico yet. However, state officials say they're concerned because an increasing number of families have been seeking vaccine exemptions for their children.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the state Department of Health reported 3,335 registered exemptions last year, up 17 percent from two years earlier.
The exemptions registered with the Department of Health cover all vaccines, not specifically measles, but Health Secretary Retta Ward says the recent measles outbreak is reason to raise awareness.
New Mexico permits parents to request vaccination exemptions for their children based on medical need or religious beliefs.
Balloon Crew Nearing North America Surpasses Duration Record – The Associated Press
The pilots of a helium-filled balloon flying across the Pacific Ocean have surpassed a duration record as they approach North America after staying aloft for 138 hours and 27 minutes.
Pilots Troy Bradley of Albuquerque and Leonid Tiukhtyaev (too-kh-TY'-yev) of Russia were headed south along the California coast Friday morning when they eclipsed the duration milestone of 137 hours, 5 minutes and 50 seconds aloft in a traditional gas balloon.
To establish a record, international aviation rules required Bradley and Tiukhtyaev to stay aloft 1 percent longer than the current record.
The duration milestone is considered the "holy grail" of ballooning. It was set in 1978 when Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman made the first trans-Atlantic balloon flight.
The pilots surpassed a distance record Thursday.
Judge Refuses To Allow Testimony On 'Warrior Gene' – The Associated Press
A Santa Fe judge is refusing to permit trial testimony that a murder defendant's genetic makeup and maltreatment as a child made him more likely to act aggressively on impulse.
A state District Court judge ruled Thursday against allowing defense experts' testimony about a so-called "warrior gene" in the trial of 26-year-old Anthony Yepez in the 2012 choking and beating death of 75-year-old George Ortiz following an argument.
Allowing the testimony might persuade jurors that the killing wasn't premeditated and set the stage for a conviction for second-degree murder instead of first-degree murder.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said she was uncertain that the science behind the testimony was reliable enough.
Prosecutor Susan Stinson said many other factors could have influenced Yepez's behavior, and that his self-reported childhood abuse wasn't corroborated.
Two New Mexico Lawmakers Eye Regulating Ride-Sharing Companies – Associated Press
Two New Mexico lawmakers are pushing a measure aimed at regulating ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
Rep. Monica Youngblood of Albuquerque and Sen. Phil Griego of San Jose recently introduced the bipartisan legislation as state officials wrestle with how to respond to the expansion of Uber and Lyft in the state.
Under the proposal, ride-sharing services will be required to provide insurance and conduct rigorous background checks on drivers.
Youngblood, a Republican, says the proposal would help expand ridesharing services in the state and reduce drunken driving.
The legal threats are the latest challenges to the companies that have popular smartphone apps allowing passengers to order rides in privately driven cars instead of taxis.
Cab and limo operators in New Mexico and Washington state have sued the ride-sharing businesses.
New Mexico Immigrant License Repeal Effort Passes First Hurdle – Associated Press
An effort to repeal a New Mexico law that allows immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally to obtain driver's licenses has cleared its first hurdle despite a comparison to the Holocaust.
The House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee voted 5-4 along party lines Thursday to move along the GOP-led proposal aimed at revamping the state driver's licenses laws.
But Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, an Albuquerque Democrat, said the effort reminded her of stories from the Holocaust and warned it would create more divisions in New Mexico.
The proposal by Rep. Paul Pacheco of Albuquerque calls for creating a "two-tier" driver's license system for some immigrants.
But Marcela Diaz, executive director of the Santa Fe-based Somos Un Pueblo Unido, says that would only create "scarlet-letter" licenses.
New Mexico State To Fund Difference In Lottery Scholarships – Associated Press
New Mexico State University says it will fill a gap in lottery scholarships for the spring semester for all eligible students at the Las Cruces campus.
The state Higher Education Department notified colleges and universities in December that the scholarship award will not cover 100 percent of tuition this semester.
New Mexico State said its announcement Thursday means that students attending the Las Cruces campus won't have to pay as much as $129 out of their own pockets or through other financial aid.
The University of New Mexico announced a similar move two weeks ago.
Changes to the lottery scholarship program were enacted last year to shore up its finances because tuition increases and demand for the financial assistance had grown faster than lottery proceeds.
Right-To-Work Bill Passes First Hurdle
A bill that would make New Mexico the nation’s 25th state with a right-to-work law cleared its first House hurdle Thursday, despite opposition from labor union leaders and members who vowed to keep fighting the high-profile measure.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that after nearly five hours of debate, members of the House Business and Employment Committee voted 8-5 in favor of the proposed change in labor laws. They would bar New Mexico private- and public-sector workers from being required to join unions as a condition for employment.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Dennis Roch, told reporters after that a right-to-work law could bolster the state’s economic development efforts.
However, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, said he views the right-to-work legislation as “hurtful.” Right-to-work legislation has emerged as a hot-button issue in the 60-day session that began last week, prompted by a GOP takeover of the House for the first time in 60 years.