Holly Holm Loses Bantamweight Title In Bout – KOB-TV
Albuquerque fighter Holly Holm returned home Sunday night without the UFC title she won last year.
KOB-TV reports Holm lost by submission to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in her first bout defending the bantamweight title she took from Ronda Rousey in a major upset.
It was a close fight with many observers estimating Holm entered the final round tied with Tate. After Tate put her in a choke hold and forced her into submission, the referee called the fight.
KRQE-TV reported that in a post-bout press conference, Holm said she is ready to get back to training and prepare for her next fight.
White Sands Missile Range OKs New Mexico Driver's Licenses – The Associated Press
White Sands Missile Range has announced it will begin accepting New Mexico driver's license for entrance again.
The move Monday comes after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave the state a temporary extension on adopting on pending REAL ID state law.
The base had initially stopped accepting the state driver's licenses after federal officials said they weren't in compliance with the federal REAL ID Act. But after state lawmakers passed a bill to make the state compliant, the federal government gave New Mexico officials more time to adopt the law.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is expected to sign the measure this week.
The REAL ID Act requires proof of legal U.S. residency for those who want to use state identification to access certain areas of federal facilities.
New Mexico Delegation Wants EPA To Move On Compensation – The Associated Press
New Mexico's congressional delegation has concerns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over delays in compensation for expenses and damages caused by Gold King Mine spill.
The delegation's five members said Monday they signed on to a letter sent to the EPA.
They're asking the agency to process reimbursement claims submitted by the state and the Navajo Nation and to set up a claims office to begin processing compensation for victims.
The lawmakers also want EPA to approve a long-term water monitoring plan that's acceptable to state regulators.
They're pushing for the cleanup of water and soil contaminated by the August 2015 spill in southwestern Colorado that fouled rivers in three western states. They suggest that spring runoff could stir up heavy metals in the Animas and San Juan rivers.
Ranchers Call For More Security At New Mexico Border - The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
Ranchers in southwestern New Mexico are calling for better security at the Mexico border.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the cattle growers associations of both New Mexico and Arizona are hosting a meeting this week in Animas, New Mexico, to voice their problems to elected officials.
Ranchers in the Bootheel region say the area is overrun by illegal traffic from Mexico, particularly drug trafficking.
Border Patrol reported apprehending 11,000 unauthorized border crossers in fiscal 2015 and seizing more than 15,000 pounds of marijuana, though officials say it is impossible to say how much of those incidents were in the Bootheel region.
The outrage comes months after a ranch hand in the area was kidnapped by alleged drug runners in Animas.
Updates To Santa Fe Airport Focus On Passenger Comfort – The Associated Press & The New Mexican
Santa Fe Airport officials say departing passengers will have a more comfortable experience once terminal renovations are completed.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that passengers leaving the capital city have had to contend with restricted access to food and restrooms since security enhancements following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Santa Fe Airport Advisory Committee chairman Steve Ross says passengers have to sit in a tiny room after they go through security.
But a renovation expected to be complete in May will let screened passengers use a larger waiting area with access to restrooms and food.
Airport board member and Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Brackley says the updates will improve customer experience and attract more air service to the city.
Sunland Park Cancels Points Races For Kentucky Derby – The Associated Press
Sunland Park Racetrack has long been a stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby, where horse owners could earn qualifying points for the prestigious race. Not this year.
Officials confirmed Monday there will be no Sunland Derby or Sunland Park Oaks as the track recovers from an equine herpes outbreak that infected dozens of horses.
No new cases have been reported, but a quarantine at the track along the Texas-New Mexico border remains in place.
Sunland Park has been conducting live racing since New Mexico livestock officials cleared the way in late February. The race cards have been filled mostly with horses already boarded at the track.
The Derby and Oaks scheduled for March 20 are being renamed. The purse for what would have been the Derby has been adjusted and no points are at stake.
BLM Proposals on Wild Horses Stir Controversy – Santa Fe New Mexican
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking new guidelines for managing wild horses, but the proposal is drawing criticism from advocates.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the BLM is asking Congress to let the agency remove the designation of “wild” from thousands of horses. That would allow officials to capture and train them, then transfer them to various agencies for use as work animals.
BLM officials say the change is needed to keep the numbers of wild horses under control so they will remain healthy rather than starving and damaging the land where they roam.
But horse advocates say the new guidelines will remove legal status that protects wild horses from slaughter. They also oppose a BLM proposal to launch a spay and neuter program for the horses.
Businessman Enters Plea In Embezzlement In Farmington Court – Associated Press
A businessman accused of misleading investors of a Kirtland hospital project has entered a plea related to embezzlement charges.
The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General says Bobby Willis pleaded no contest Friday to two felony counts of embezzlement in Farmington District Court.
Willis faces up to 12 years in prison under the agreement.
He has also been ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
Willis is also scheduled to go on trial in June for federal wire fraud charges.
Willis is the former owner of New Mexico Title Co.
Authorities say Willis stole gemstones and jewelry from a former business partner and embezzled from an escrow account. He also defrauded a couple of nearly $1 million, urging them to invest in the construction of a VA hospital.
Half Of State’s Private Sector Workers Lack Sick Leave – Santa Fe New Mexican
Nearly half of workers in New Mexico’s private sector do not have paid sick leave, according to a new report.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the study claims the state leads the nation in the number workers who cannot take paid leave for illness.
Officials with New Mexico Voices For Children, which published the report, argues for expanding the benefit and says it’s a matter of public health and is ultimately more expensive.
While one quarter of the state’s workers are in the public sector where benefits are more available, it’s less common for sectors like hospitality and retail, said report author Gerry Bradley.
The study advocates expanding access to paid sick leave and points to examples across the country where ordinances or laws do so.
A working group of businesses, government agencies and advocates are working on recommendations for paid parental leave in New Mexico. They will hold meetings around the state this year.
San Juan County Fears Extra Patrol Burden At Navajo Lake – Farmington Daily Times, Associated Press
San Juan County officials say they will be left holding the bag if New Mexico State Parks is allowed to stop patrolling thousands of acres around Navajo Lake.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Saturday that officials are up in arms over a proposal to reduce the area overseen by parks personnel.
Under the proposal, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office could potentially be forced to patrol 15,000 more acres of land by the end of the year.
San Juan County commissioners plan to pass a resolution condemning the idea.
County Undersheriff Shane Ferrari says the state continues to push more duties onto local agencies despite a lack of funding and resources.
State Parks Deputy Director Toby Velasquez says there are not enough personnel to enforce such a large area.
Sunland Park Quarantine From Equine Virus May End Next Week – Associated Press
State officials have set a tentative date for a quarantine to be lifted at Sunland Park Racetrack, which has been caught in an outbreak of an equine herpes virus.
The racetrack announced that the New Mexico Livestock Board says the quarantine will end Wednesday and horses will be allowed on and off the property.
The news comes after a horse tested positive for the virus last week.
The infected horse was not entered to race but others in neighboring stables were. Those horses have been quarantined as a precaution.
The outbreak at the track along the Texas-New Mexico border began in January. More than 70 horses in New Mexico have been infected and two cases have been documented in El Paso County, Texas.
The virus poses no threat to humans.
Attorney Seeks Personnel Files In Church Abuse Lawsuit – Albuquerque Journal
An attorney representing victims suing the Dioceses of Gallup over alleged clerical sexual abuse is seeking the release of church records, including personnel files.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Robert Pastor said those records are necessary to any settlement in the church’s bankruptcy case.
The diocese filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2013 after numerous civil lawsuits were filed by people claiming they were sexually abused clerical officials.
Only one personnel file has been released so far, although the diocese published a list of 30 priests and one lay teacher accused of “credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor,” reported the Journal.
A total of 57 people have filed claims against the diocese.
Ranchers Outraged By Lack Of Border Security – Albuquerque Journal
Ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico are holding a meeting this week in southern New Mexico demanding more security at the border.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that recent break-ins and other incidents of ranchers and their workers running into drug runners prompted the cattle growers associations of both states to convene the gathering.
In one recent incident, a ranch hand in the Bootheel said he was taken hostage by drug runners who loaded his vehicle with narcotics and forced him to drive to Willcox, Ariz. They left him alive but warned him not to call police.
The Border Patrol said it’s working to staff up its Lordsburg station, which is down by 50 agents.
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce who represents southern New Mexico is among the elected officials invited to the meeting