Judge To Consider Venue Change Arguments In Police Shooting Trial – The Associated Press
A state district judge says she'll consider arguments before issuing a written decision on whether to move the case of two former Albuquerque police officers charged in the on-duty shooting death of a homeless man in 2014.
Judge Alisa Hadfield gave no indication Tuesday how soon a decision will come.
Defense attorneys and the special prosecutor assigned to the case spent about an hour arguing whether the trial of now-retired detective Keith Sandy and ex-officer Dominique Perez should be moved from Albuquerque to Las Cruces.
Defense attorneys say a fair trial in Albuquerque would be impossible given all the publicity surrounding the case.
Prosecutor Randi McGinn says the jury selection process will ensure an impartial panel is seated for the August trial.
New Mexico Governor Emphasizes Policing, Teachers In Budget – The Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is unveiling a $6.46 billion budget proposal that emphasizes increased spending on public education, law enforcement initiatives and economic development programs.
Martinez announced her budget recommendations Tuesday at Corrections Department offices in downtown Albuquerque. Legislators convene later this month to craft a state budget.
The Republican governor wants to increase spending by $282 million over last year. That represents a 3.7 percent expansion.
About $101 million in new spending would go toward efforts to improve public education. Base pay for public school teachers would rise by $2,000.
Pay raises also are planned for prison guards, probation and parole officers, state police and child abuse case workers.
New state expenses associated with the federal expansion of Medicaid would consume $69 million.
State Agriculture Official To Meet With Farmers, Ranchers – The Associated Press
The state's top agriculture official will be talking to dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers in southeastern New Mexico impacted by last month's record snowstorm.
New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will join officials from the state's Farm Service Agency at two informational meetings organized by the Dairy Producers of New Mexico.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss disaster programs with dairy farmers, ranchers and other affected agricultural producers.
One meeting is scheduled Wednesday in Roswell at the Chaves County Extension Office with the other Thursday in Clovis at the city's Civic Center.
Witte and other leaders within New Mexico's agricultural community are urging those who had livestock or other agricultural losses in the storm to contact their county FSA office.
Traffic At Albuquerque Airport Spikes In Late 2015 – The Associated Press & KRQE
The city of Albuquerque is hopeful that an upward trend in airline passengers will continue in 2016.
KRQE-TV reports that travel at the Albuquerque International Sunport saw a dramatic decline after fiscal year 2008, when federal agencies made travel cuts and a regulation that had forced many flights from Dallas to stop in Albuquerque expired.
But the Sunport recently ran promotions touting New Mexico's 310 days of sunshine to lure travelers from places like Chicago, Seattle, Kansas City, Portland and New York.
The number of Sunport passengers went up 2.4 percent in October 2015 and ridership increased again in November.
Mayor Richard J. Berry says it's an indicator that the city is coming out of the recession.
New Mexico National Guard Unit Deploys To Southwestern Asia – The Associated Press
Members of a New Mexico National Guard unit are headed to Kuwait and other outposts in southwestern Asia for nine months.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the 126th Military Police Company had a send-off Monday before heading to Texas for training and then Kuwait and beyond.
At the event, Gov. Susana Martinez said the support of soldiers' friends and family, who were in attendance, was critical to the guard's success.
The current deployment is the third overseas mission for the 126th. The company was deployed to Iraq from October 2004 through February 2006 and to Kosovo from January 2011 to January 2012.
New Mexico Cleans Up Its Unbalanced Checkbook – Associated Press
State Auditor Tim Keller says New Mexico is making progress toward balancing its government checkbook after an estimated $100 million discrepancy was reported last year.
The Office of the State Auditor announced Monday that the discrepancy is now about $4.1 million between the state's general ledger and actual balances in bank accounts.
The accounting problems have been traced to software adopted by the state in 2007.
The assessment of the state's 2015 general ledger was completed by an Albuquerque based consultant.
The report finds that it may not be possible to reconcile some account activity between July 2003 and January 2013 because of incomplete data. The report found that state financial statements are now presented fairly.
New Mexico National Guard Unit Deploys To Southwestern Asia – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Members of a New Mexico National Guard unit are headed to Kuwait and other outposts in southwestern Asia for nine months.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the 126th Military Police Company had a send-off Monday before heading to Texas for training and then Kuwait and beyond.
At the event, Gov. Susana Martinez said the support of soldiers' friends and family, who were in attendance, was critical to the guard's success.
The current deployment is the third overseas mission for the 126th. The company was deployed to Iraq from October 2004 through February 2006 and to Kosovo from January 2011 to January 2012.
Dem Leader Presses Gov. Martinez On REAL ID Letter – Associated Press
New Mexico Democratic Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez is pressing Gov. Susana Martinez about a REAL ID letter amid a pending deadline.
Sanchez wrote Martinez and GOP House Speaker Don Tripp on Monday that all sides should come to a "fair agreement" on writing a letter to Department of Homeland Security seeking an extension on federal REAL ID requirements.
Last month, federal officials said New Mexico could get an extension if Martinez and lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seeking an extension.
Federal officials want Martinez and lawmakers to say they will pass a REAL ID compliant law during the next session, which begins Jan. 19.
If New Mexico doesn't pass a REAL ID compliant law, holders of state driver's licenses could find they are unable to use them for some federal purposes.
Widespread Rain And Snow Showers Forecast For New Mexico – Associated Press
Widespread rain and snow showers are expected in large areas of New Mexico this week.
The National Weather System says a storm system will move across the Four Corners region, producing rain and snow before tapering off Tuesday afternoon.
Much of southwestern New Mexico will get snow, with snow levels dropping from around 7,500 feet on Monday to 4,500 feet by Tuesday morning.
Snowfall amounts in that region are expected to total 3 to 6 inches below 7,000 feet and 4 to 7 inches above 7,000 feet.
Forecasters say there'll also be moderate to locally heavy snowfall in northern, central and eastern New Mexico, with a mix of rain and snow in the Rio Grande Valley but little snow accumulation along the river.
New Mexico Proposals Take Aim At Chronic Drunken Driving – Associated Press
Lawmakers in New Mexico are proposing a series of new criminal penalties for repeat drunken driving offenses.
Legislators on Monday introduced three bills that would increase jail time and trigger other felony sanctions against drunken drivers under existing New Mexico laws for habitual offenders.
One bill proposes increased penalties for those who lend their car to someone whose license has been revoked or suspended because of a prior DWI offense.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has voiced support for tougher laws to discourage repeat DWI offenses ahead of this month's legislative session.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez says the state already has some of the toughest drunken driving laws in the nation and he has accused the governor of trying to distract voters from issues of poverty.
New Year's Eve Drunken Driving Checkpoint Only Nets 1 Arrest – Associated Press
While many in Albuquerque may have celebrated the new year, police made few arrests for drunken driving.
KRQE-TV reports that the Albuquerque Police Department made only one arrest at their checkpoint near Interstate 25. Overall, only 11 people were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center for drunken driving offenses after midnight on New Year's Eve.
Police say most intoxicated people who passed through their checkpoint were in the passenger seat.
A total of 149 vehicles passed through the checkpoint.
Meanwhile, New Mexico State Police announced Monday that officers wrote 1,147 citations between 6 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday with 22 DWI citations and nine drug-related arrests.
Police also say they investigated 31 crashes during that time span, but none were fatal accidents.
Albuquerque Homicides Increase By 53 Percent In 2015 – Associated Press
A crime wave in New Mexico's largest city brought a rise in homicides in 2015, with early figures showing the number of killings in Albuquerque increased by about 53 percent from the previous year.
Albuquerque police say preliminary figures for 2015 show that they investigated at least 46 homicides. It's the highest number of homicides the city has seen since 2009, when FBI statistics show there were 56 in Albuquerque.
In 2014, FBI figures show there were 30 reported homicide cases in Albuquerque, while the overall violent crime rate jumped from 7.75 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2013 to 8.83.
Mayor Richard Berry has repeatedly attributed a recent rise in violent crime in Albuquerque to career criminals who authorities say return to the streets after serving sentences for prior offenses.
AG Calls For State To Release Names Of Marijuana Producers – Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says health officials would be running afoul of open record laws by withholding the names of those who apply to be licensed medical marijuana producers in the state.
Balderas has sent a letter to the state Department of Health in response to proposed confidentiality changes.
A public hearing on the changes is scheduled Wednesday in Santa Fe.
While the names of licensed producers would become public, Balderas is concerned about a provision that would allow for the names of those vying for licenses to remain secret during the application period.
Confidentiality surrounding producers was challenged last year in a lawsuit by freelance journalist Peter St. Cyr and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
They say the agency was violating the state's public records law by keeping the names secret.