Hillary Clinton Wins New Mexico Primary – Associated Press
Hillary Clinton has won New Mexico's Democratic presidential primary in the final round of state votes, a day after she secured enough delegate commitments to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Clinton prevailed at the polls on Tuesday with about 52 percent of the vote, while Bernie Sanders had 48 percent. Clinton won without campaigning directly in New Mexico. Bill Clinton made two swings through the state on behalf of his wife in the weeks leading up to the primary.
At stake in New Mexico are 34 pledged delegates and nine superdelegates, the party leaders who are free to choose their candidate. Seven of New Mexico's superdelegates sided with Clinton before Tuesday's vote, and two have been uncommitted.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders attracted jubilant supporters in May to a trio of public rallies in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and the southern part of the state.
Primary Draws Record Number Of New Mexico Democrats – The Associated Press
The number of ballots cast in the Democratic presidential primary election in New Mexico outpaced previous years as overall turnout by eligible voters from both parties was above average.
Preliminary results show one in three eligible Democratic and Republican voters — or more than 325,000 — cast ballots across the state. That's more than in each of the presidential primaries and caucuses in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Turnout has averaged 28 percent in presidential election year primaries in New Mexico since 1996.
Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff says a competitive race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders helped fuel turnout, with a record 37 percent of Democrats casting votes.
He says there was still a lot of interest in the contest despite news that Clinton had clinched enough support from delegates.
Raul Torrez Crushes Ed Perea In Race For Bernalillo County DA Nomination - KOB-TV
In the race for the Democratic nomination for Bernalillo County District Attorney, Raul Torrez handily beat Ed Perea with 67 percent of votes. KOB-TV reports the former deputy U.S. attorney general will face Republican Simon Kubiak in November.
Kari Brandenburg, who has served as Bernalillo County DA for 15 years, did not run for re-election this year.
Quezada Torrez And Bearce Win Bernalillo County Races – Albuquerque Journal
Actor Steven Michael Quezada, known for his role in “Breaking Bad,” narrowly defeated two opponents to win the Democratic nomination for a seat on the Bernalillo County Commission.
The Albuquerque Journal reports unofficial returns give Quezada 36 percent of the vote, with Adrian Pedroza and Robert G. Chavez trailing closely behind. Quezada will face Republican Patricia Paiz.
The commission race was dominated by debate around the controversial Santolina project planned for the west side of the Rio Grande. A political action committee funded by the developer backed Quezada and Chavez. Quezada says he has not made up his mind about the project.
Nancy Bearce, a newcomer, took the Democratic nomination by a wide margin for Bernalillo County Treasurer, defeating three men with ties to the troubled office, incumbent Treasurer Manny Ortiz, former Treasurer Patrick Padilla, and Christopher Sanchez, the accounting manager for the office.
Raul Torrez won the Democratic nomination in the District Attorney race. He’s a former prosecutor and defeated attorney Edmund Perea, a former police officer.
2 Races Still Too Close To Call - The Associated Press
New Mexico election officials are preparing to recount ballots in two primary elections for the state House of Representatives that were too close to call.
Kari Fresquez of the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office said Wednesday that two races finished within a margin of less than 1 percent that triggers a recount.
Based on unofficial results, Republican Vicki Chavez led Scott Chandler by 12 ballots out of 1,764 counted. The winner of that race will run against Democrat Candie Sweetser of Deming in November.
Democrat Mary Hotvedt of Pinos Altos led Karen Whitlock by 31 votes out of 3,487 counted. The winner will run against Republican Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences.
The recounts still must be authorized by the New Mexico State Canvassing Board.
Romero Wins GOP Nod In New Mexico Congressional Contest – Associated Press
Retired law enforcement officer Michael Romero has won the GOP nomination in New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District.
Unofficial results show Romero ahead of challenger Michael Lucero with more than 60 percent of the vote.
The race marks Romero's first foray into politics. He served in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Grants High School. Following a stint with the Taos County Sheriff's Office, Romero worked with the police department in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Romero will face four-term, Democratic incumbent Ben Ray Lujan of Santa Fe in the general election.
Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-1 in the expansive northern New Mexico congressional district. The district was created in 1983. One Republican has held the seat for an abbreviated term.
Sons Of Madalena And Varela Lose Fathers’ Seats – Associated Press
Democratic political dynasties were at stake in two state House districts, but the sons of longtime lawmakers Luciano "Lucky" Varela of Santa Fe and Roger Madalena of Jemez Pueblo weren't able to hold onto their fathers’ posts.
Santa Fe school board president Linda Trujillo beat out Jeff Varela and former Santa Fe County Commissioner Paul Campos for the seat that has been held since 1987 by the retiring Varela.
Derrick Lente of Sandia Pueblo finished ahead of Darryl Madalena in the other contest.
In western New Mexico, former Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly trailed in a four-way contest that saw Harry Garcia of Grants winning the Democratic nod.
Serna Wins Three-Way Race For DA – Santa Fe New Mexican
Marco Serna won a three-way contest to snag the Democratic nomination in the District Attorney race in northern New Mexico.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Serna took 35 percent of the vote, followed by Maria Sanchez-Gagne and Jennifer Padgett, each with 32 percent.
Padgett, formerly with the Children, Youth and Families Department, was appointed to the office by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to finish the term of Angela “Spence” Pacheco.
Serna was the only candidate who said he would refer all officer-involved shootings to an outside agency rather than sending them to investigative grand juries, a controversial practice.
Montoya Loses PRC Seat To Hall – Santa Fe New Mexican
A heated race for the Public Regulation Commission ended with Cynthia Hall defeating incumbent Karen Montoya amid a push by conservation groups to oust Montoya.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports unofficial results show Hall winning 57 percent of the vote and a seat on the five-member PRC board since no Republican is running.
At issue in the race was the San Juan Generating Station owned by Public Service Company of New Mexico. It plans to close two of the plant’s coal-fired units and replace the power with a combination of nuclear, natural gas and renewables.
Hall pushed accusations against Montoya raised by New Energy Economy that Montoya had a conflict of interest because of her relationship with PNM.
Shendo Defeats Jeff For Senate Slot – Associated Press
Sen. Benny Shendo, of Jemez Pueblo, has beaten a former state representative in the Democratic primary for his state Senate seat, making him one of the party's eight incumbent lawmakers to fend off challenges Tuesday.
Unofficial election results show Shendo bested Sandra Jeff, of Crownpoint, in the closely watched state Senate race.
Shendo's sprawling northwestern district stretches from the outskirts of Albuquerque past Crownpoint and to the Colorado state line. The population is roughly 65 percent Native American.
Jeff, a former representative, was a swing vote in the House when Democrats still held a narrow majority, often supporting Republican Gov. Susana Martinez on key votes.
Shendo served as Cabinet secretary for the Indian Affairs Department under former Gov. Bill Richardson.
Group: Sparse Data Exists On Native Sentencing Disparities – The Associated Press
A group of judges, prosecutors and tribal officials says not enough data exists to determine whether American Indian defendants are treated similarly for crimes under state and federal law.
The Tribal Issues Advisory Group released its findings after conducting the first review in more than a decade of the effect U.S. sentencing guidelines have on tribal communities.
The group is encouraging states to collect data on American Indians' sentences.
It also has some suggestions for amending U.S. guidelines that ensure punishments for the same crime don't vary widely across federal courts.
Among them is clarification on when tribal court convictions can be considered in federal cases. Convictions in state courts automatically factor in.
The group will present its findings and recommendations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission next month.
Superfund Plan For Colorado Mines Stirs Few Protests Now – The Associated Press
A proposal to deploy the powerful Superfund program to clean up leaky Colorado mines isn't stirring up much passion, despite formidable resistance in the past.
Some residents feared that a Superfund designation would scare off vital tourist traffic. Others thought it was a federal intrusion.
But by Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had received only seven comments opposing the planned cleanup in southwestern Colorado. It would include the Gold King Mine, the site of a 3-million-gallon wastewater spill last year.
Eighteen comments supported the cleanup.
The EPA says it has received just 33 comments, total, with 25 clearly for or against. Others made suggestions about specific sites and another was a duplicate.
Opposition softened after the Gold King spill, which tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
More Than 200 CNM Workers Owe School For Insurance – The Associated Press & The Albuquerque Journal
Central New Mexico Community College says more than 200 employees owe money on their health and life insurance benefits, while the school owes money to other workers.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that some employees underpaid on their health and life insurance benefits, while others overpaid. CNM President Kathie Winograd sent an email Tuesday explaining the situation and saying she deeply regrets the error.
In total, employees owe about $89,000 to the school and the college owes about $9,000 to its staff.
The number of effected employees could change because CNM has only reviewed 40 percent of flagged employees.
Winograd says a clause in the state constitution requires CNM to collect the debts owed to it, even if they were caused by the school's mistake.
Judges Must Ask About Youths' Tribal Status Under New Rule – The Associated Press
A new federal rule will require judges in every state to ask whether a child is a Native American during foster-care and adoption proceedings.
Under the rule announced Wednesday by the Interior Department, judges also must ask about a child's status as a tribal member during hearings to determine whether or not a mother or father's parental rights will be terminated.
The rule goes into effect in December as part of the Indian Child Welfare Act — a law passed by Congress intended to reunite Native American families after statistics showed they were broken up at disproportionately high rates.
Larry Roberts, who oversees the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, says the rule aims to establish more consistency within state courts in handling child welfare cases involving Native American youth.
Mistrial Declared In Case Of Deputy Who Shot Co-Worker – Associated Press
A mistrial has been declared in the murder case of a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of killing a fellow deputy in 2014.
Jurors told a Las Cruces judge Tuesday that they couldn't reach a decision in the trial of Tai Chan after nearly 14 hours of deliberations.
The jury reportedly was undecided between first-degree murder, second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter charges and could not reach a consensus.
Doña Ana County District Attorney Mark D'Antonio says his office plans to retry the case.
Chan had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jeremy Martin.
The two deputies had dropped off prisoners in Arizona and were staying the night at a Las Cruces hotel in October 2014 when shots were fired, killing Martin.
Western New Mexico University To Host Symposium On Gila – Associated Press
Western New Mexico University is hosting a three-day symposium on the Gila Wilderness.
The symposium beginning Wednesday will feature three days of lectures and panel sessions by recognized authors and academics touching on subjects such as nature, conservation and history.
The wilderness is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest in western New Mexico. It is the largest designated wilderness area in the state.
The symposium also will touch upon the water and resources of the wilderness.
Restoration Of The Bonito Lake Eyes 2018 Completion – Alamogordo News, Associated Press
Officials say restoration of the Bonito Lake, damaged after the 2012 Little Bear Fire, is estimated to be completed in 2018.
The Alamogordo News reports that Alamogordo's Public Works Director Brian Cesar recently told city commissioners that workers are still pulling material out of the lake.
Debris from the fire had plugged pipeline coming into Alamogordo.
Cesar says construction time for pulling material out of the lake has been expanded because officials don't workers d in the basin during monsoon season.
The intake tower was not damaged by debris but staff is recommending more intake ports be installed in the future so they can draw from multiple levels and get the best water quality.
The lake is owned and maintained by the City of Alamogordo but it is located in Lincoln County.
Man Set Fire To Apartment To Escape Sex Noise – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Authorities say an Albuquerque man took drastic action to escape the sounds of his neighbors having sex — he set fire to his own apartment.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Reuben Cook told police Sunday he "tried to burn anything he could think of" in his apartment to run from the annoying sounds.
A criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court says police found minor fire damage when they arrived to Cook's apartment.
The complaint says the 36-years-old Cook told police he heard people having sex upstairs and decided he wanted to go to prison and get away from the noise.
The Albuquerque Journal reports his father, David Cook, said his son is mentally impaired from a stroke he had seven years ago.
Cook was charged with arson. He was released on his own recognizance Tuesday.
It was not known if Cook had an attorney.