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Judge Retains Murder Counts Against Officers, GOP Criticizes State Auditor's Gmail Account

SCREENSHOT FROM VIDEO PROVIDED BY APD THROUGH AN IPRA REQUEST
James Boyd in a standoff with police in March 2014

Manslaughter Charges Dismissed Against Police In ShootingAssociated Press

A New Mexico judge has dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges but retained murder counts against two Albuquerque police officers who shot and killed a homeless man last year.

Judge Neil Candelaria said Wednesday the manslaughter counts were not applicable.

However, he denied a motion by defense attorneys at the preliminary hearing to dismiss murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery charges.

The developments came after the state rested its case against police Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy at the hearing to determine if the case will go to trial.

Perez and Sandy shot and killed James Boyd in March 2014. Police say Boyd threatened officers with knives.

The defense has started calling witnesses to the stand.

Defense Witness: Police Did Everything Right In ShootingThe Associated Press

A defense witness in a case against two New Mexico officers charged with murder in the death of a homeless man testified today that police used the right tactics and followed standard training during the standoff.

Policing expert Ronald McCarthy based his testimony in part on his viewing of video taken by a nearby resident who saw the encounter with James Boyd in the Albuquerque foothills.

Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy face second-degree murder and other counts. A judge previously dismissed involuntary manslaughter counts.

Defense attorneys say they acted in self-defense when Boyd threatened officers with knives.

Tax Holiday For Back-To-School Shoppers - The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal

Shoppers in New Mexico can expect to save this weekend on back-to-school purchases as the state conducts its annual tax holiday.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the tax-free weekend, which is now in its 11th year, will start on Friday at midnight and end on midnight Sunday. The holiday offers consumers a break from gross-receipts tax on school-related items.

In Albuquerque, shoppers will save about $7 of every $100 spent on qualifying items, which include clothing, shoes, computers and classroom supplies.

According to state estimates, the tax holiday saved New Mexicans $3.4 million during fiscal year 2014.

Board Rejects Appeals Of New Mexico Attorney General FiringsThe Associated Press

The New Mexico State Personnel Board has rejected appeals by 20 former employees of the state Attorney General's Office seeking to get their jobs back.

Officials say the board on Thursday upheld an administrative law judge's recent ruling that Attorney General Hector Balderas had the authority to fire the workers and recommended that the State Personnel Office allow the firings to stand.

Balderas fired the workers when he took office last January.

The ex-workers appealed their terminations to the State Personnel Board, arguing the State Personnel Act protects their positions.

The administrative law judge said the board doesn't have jurisdiction to consider appeals because a specific state law on appointments by the attorney general governed the office's personnel matters.

1 Arrest In Shooting Outside Albuquerque Federal BuildingThe Associated Press

The FBI says nobody was hurt after a man fired a gun outside a federal building in Albuquerque.

FBI spokesman Frank Fisher says the shooting happened Thursday around 5:30 a.m. outside the Social Security Administration building near 5th Street and Coal Avenue.

According to Fisher, gunfire was exchanged during a confrontation between the suspect and U.S. Homeland Security officers.

The man was taken into custody.

His name has not been released.

Fisher did not give any additional information, citing an ongoing investigation.

Auditor, State GOP Disagree On Transparency Of Gmail AccountSanta Fe New Mexican, Associated Press

The state auditor is using a government email account to conduct business after the New Mexico Republican Party raised transparency concerns over his Gmail account.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports State Auditor Tim Keller set up the Gmail account to conduct government business shortly after his election. Spokeswoman Justine Freeman says the email was never for Keller's private use and was always considered public.

GOP spokesman Patrick Garrett said it's hypocritical for Keller to advocate for government ethics while showing a disregard for transparent government.

New Mexico Foundation for Open Government executive director Susan Boe says the Gmail account is not illegal if the emails can be made available through public records requests.

State To Seek Clawbacks With Google – Albuquerque Journal

Google announced this week it would pull its subsidiary, Titan Aerospace, out of New Mexico. And state officials say they will seek to recover funds invested to help the company build facilities in Moriarty.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that state investment included nearly $1 million for infrastructure improvements at the Moriarty Municipal Airport, plus $141,000 in job training funds granted to Titan in 2013.

Titan has been working to develop solar-powered drones that would replace communication satellites and bring Internet service to remote areas. Google acquired the firm last year. It gave no explanation why it’s ceasing operations in New Mexico and likely relocating Titan to the San Francisco Bay Area.

About 45 people are currently employed at Titan. It’s not clear how many would relocate.

Civil Rights Leader To Head Los Alamos Peace Conference – Associated Press

Civil rights leader James Lawson will headline a peace conference in Los Alamos aimed at drawing attention to the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings.

The confidant to the late Martin Luther King Jr. will speak Friday at the Campaign Nonviolence National Conference and Los Alamos Peace Vigils scheduled to last until Sunday.

Organizer John Dear says activists wanted to hold the conference in the town that gave birth to the atomic weapon during the anniversary of the bombings to highlight the continuing threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity.

Attendees also will see an English-language premiere of "Message from Hiroshima," a documentary by Hiroshima survivor Masaaki Tanabe.

During the World War II-era Manhattan Project, scientists at the then-secret city of Los Alamos developed the weapon dropped on the Japanese cities.

States' Emissions Goals Won't Include Cuts On Tribal Lands Associated Press

The partial shutdown of two coal-fired power plants on the Navajo Nation would have been enough for the tribe to meet the federal government's proposed limits for carbon dioxide emissions.

But the final rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week creates uncertainty.

The new targets in the EPA's Clean Power Plan are more stringent than proposed last year. The utilities that operate the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station near the Arizona-Utah border and the Four Corners Power Plant in northwestern New Mexico say previous and planned shutdowns of units might not be enough to satisfy the limits.

Since states don't have jurisdiction over reservations, the tribes can create implementation plans or defer to the federal government.

The limits on the reservation plants won't factor into state goals.

Lawsuit Filed In Teen Girl's Death At Albuquerque ConcertAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

A Santa Fe lawyer representing the estate of a 14-year-old girl who died after taking a hallucinogenic drug at a rave concert has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against 10 defendants, including the state of New Mexico.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the wrongful death complaint filed Monday seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Hannah Bruch ingested MDMA, also known as "Molly," before the August 2013 concert at Expo New Mexico and fell ill during the show. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The lawsuit claims that security personnel and EMTs weren't prepared to handle the girl's condition and that medical personnel had failed to diagnose and treat Bruch.

An Expo New Mexico spokeswoman released a statement saying security staff had taken the necessary measures to provide on-site medical attention.

Santa Fe Opera To Commission Production On Steve JobsAssociated Press

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be the subject of an upcoming opera.

The Santa Fe Opera announced Wednesday that its latest commission will be based on the technology pioneer.

Opera leadership says "The Revolution of Steve Jobs" will premiere during the company's 2017 season and will be written by composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell.

This will be the first opera produced by Bates, who has gained national attention during the past decade by fusing traditional symphonic resources with electronic sounds.

Armed with a laptop computer, he often performs in the presentation of his compositions.

Campbell has authored 15 librettos since the mid-1990s, including the opera "Silent Night."

Jobs died in 2011.