Winter Weather Advisory For Snow – National Weather Service
A winter weather advisory for snow remains in effect until 6 pm MST. 1 to 2 inches of additional snow over the Santa Fe Metro Area and surrounding high country and over the Sandia and Manzano Mountains. Up to an inch of additional snow over the western and southwestern high country.
Areas of snow, heavy at times, will continue through the morning before tapering off around noon. Snow impacts this afternoon will be primarily limited to higher
elevations north of Interstate 40. Winds west to northwest to 20 mph.
Visit the website of the National Weather Service for the latest information.
Euthanasia At Albuquerque Shelter Drops In 2014 - The Associated Press and KOAT-TV
Efforts to boost animal adoptions are starting to pay off for Albuquerque's Animal Welfare Department.
The shelter brought in more than 6,000 animals this year, but hasn't had to put down nearly as many as it has in the past. In 2009, the city-run shelter euthanized more than 6,600 cats. This year, that number dropped to 513.
The department has also reduced the number of dogs it euthanizes.
Department director Barbara Bruin tells KOAT TV the focus for the last five years has been on getting every adoptable pet out alive.
Bruin says several factors have contributed, such as more adoptions and more people fostering young pets.
The department has also been able to educate the public on the importance of spaying and neutering.
Unruly Passenger Forces Delta Plane To Land In Albuquerque - The Associated Press & ABQ Journal
Authorities say a disruptive passenger forced a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles to land at the Albuquerque International Sunport between 6 and 7 p.m. Thursday.
Airport spokesman Daniel Jiron told the Albuquerque Journalthat Sunport police arrested the passenger, who was traveling on Delta Flight 81, once the plane landed.
Jiron tells the Journal that he doesn't know the nature of the incident that made the pilot feel he had to land the plane.
He adds that the FBI was called, which is standard in cases like this.
The man was not charged and did not get back on the plane. The plane left for Los Angeles around 8 p.m.
Jal Police Chief In Sex Tape Flap Resigns – The Associated Press & The Hobbs News-Sun
A police chief in a southeastern New Mexico city who was suspended earlier this year for having sex in the back of an ambulance has submitted his resignation.
The problems for Jal Police Chief Larry Burns began last spring when a secretly recorded tape of him and a female companion was released to Albuquerque news stations. At the time, Burns was seeking a magistrate judge seat.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports that Burns had been off the job since early October when the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy suspended his license for one year. Burns is fighting the suspension of his license.
Jal City Manager Bob Gallagher says Burns' resignation is effective Dec. 31.
Mauricio Valeriano will remain as the interim chief until the city decides how to move forward.
'The Interview' Packs Deming, Santa Fe Theaters - The Associated Press
Showings of "The Interview" packed theaters in Deming and Santa Fe on Thursday, helping push the film to just over $1 million in ticket sales.
Despite hacker threats, Sony Pictures reversed course earlier this week and decided to allow independent theaters across the country to show the film. The studio also made it available for rental and purchase on digital platforms.
In Deming, the manager of the Luna County-owned and operated Starmax Family Entertainment Center says word that the theater would be showing the film prompted calls from people in Alamogordo, Truth or Consequences, Silver City, Lordsburg and even El Paso, Texas.
Moviegoers also packed Santa Fe's Jean Cocteau Cinema. Owner and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin was among the first to offer his theater for screenings.
NM Health Supervisor Files Whistleblower Suit – The Associated Press
A New Mexico Health Department supervisor who complained about understaffing in the division that certifies health care facilities to receive Medicaid funds says she has been targeted.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Amber Espinosa-Trujillo filed a whistleblower lawsuit in state court this week.
According to her attorney, Espinosa-Trujillo was demoted after she complained about a shortage in personnel to review hospitals and other health care sites.
She claims her superiors refused to hire full-time employees for at least half of the division's 50-plus budgeted full-time employee positions. She also says they methodically wasted money by hiring private contractors at rates more than twice what a regular state employee would cost.
The department has declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Man Shot By Police Not Likely To File Legal Action - The Associated Press
A man who was accidentally shot by an Albuquerque police officer says he doesn't plan on pursuing legal action.
Ramiro Armendariz was able to enjoy Christmas at home after being released from a hospital this week.
Authorities say Officer Tamas Nadas was investigating a burglary in a second-floor apartment Dec. 14 when he tripped, causing his gun to go off. Police say the bullet went through the floor and struck Armendariz in the apartment below.
Armendariz underwent surgery and has to use a walker. He says he has not spoken to an attorney and wants to focus on getting better.
Nadas, who has been with the department since April 2013, was put on administrative leave.
Police are paying for Armendariz's medical bills and brought food and presents to his home.
Prescott Murder Suspects To Be Tried Separately - The Associated Press and The Daily Courier
A couple accused of killing the woman's husband in Prescott and dumping his body at a New Mexico airport will face trial separately.
The Daily Courier reports that a judge ruled this week that 48-year-old Marzet Farris III and 46-year-old Laura Stelmasek will not be tried together.
Defense attorneys argued they could implicate each other in front of a jury.
Prosecutors say it doesn't matter in a conspiracy case.
Farris and Stelmasek are charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a dead body.
Authorities say they fatally stabbed Craig Stelmasek and left his body in a van at Albuquerque International Sunport airport in June 2011. They were arrested more than a week later at Farris' home near Raleigh, North Carolina.
Farris is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 7.
Book Details Life Of 'Forgotten' US Latino Scholar - The Associated Press
Latino scholar George I. Sanchez regularly is left out of books on the civil rights movement. Even people in his birth-state hardly know his name.
A new biography seeks to change that.
This month, Carlos Blanton released his long-awaited book, "George I. Sanchez: The Long Fight for Mexican American Integration." The Texas A&M University history professor is hoping the biography finally places Sanchez in his proper place in history.
Born in Albuquerque in 1906, Sanchez worked as a school teacher in New Mexico before becoming one of the nation's top scholars on education. His writings later were used by lawyers in key desegregation cases.
There are a dozen or so schools in Texas and California named in his honor. However, there are none in New Mexico.
New Mexico Police Officers Give Hand To Shoplifter - The Associated Press and KRQE-TV
Instead of arresting a father who was caught stealing baby formula, four New Mexico police officers ended up offering him a helping hand.
KRQE reports that police were called to a grocery store in Roswell earlier this month when employees spotted a man hiding formula in a baby carrier.
Roswell Officer Joe Mason says he and the other officers confronted the man and found the formula. The man told them he recently lost his job and the formula was for his 11-month-old son.
After having a long talk with the man, the officers pitched in about $80 and bought him the baby formula. The store also contributed and decided not to press charges.
The story quickly spread on social media. The officers' sergeant called it "old fashioned compassion" in his Facebook post.