Lottery Scholarships To Fund About 90 Percent Of Tuition – Associated Press
Despite rising tuition rates at more than a dozen colleges and universities in New Mexico, state higher education officials say about 90 percent of eligible students' tuition costs will be covered next year by lottery scholarship funding.
Still, officials are warning that without lawmakers adopting more reforms, the scholarship program will be affected.
New Mexico Higher Education Secretary Barbara Damron recently wrote to university officials.
She said changes made by the Legislature in recent years have benefited the solvency of the scholarship program, but lottery revenues aren't keeping up with demands.
The program's solvency has been a concern for years. Annual demand is about $60 million, and so far this year, the New Mexico Lottery has generated nearly $39 million for scholarships.
NASA 'Whistleblower' Gives Photos To Roswell's UFO Museum – The Associated Press & The Roswell Daily Record
A former National Aeronautics and Space Administration consultant pilot who says photos and films from Apollo missions were doctored has donated material to Roswell's UFO Museum.
The Roswell Daily Record reports Ralph Kennedy Johnston, Sr. gave last week digital copies of his three books to the International UFO Museum and Research Center.
Johnston says he has not donated the material to other institutions, although some copies of some photos are available online.
Johnston, a former trainer of astronauts and Belen resident, has said he saw NASA staff painting details out of lunar photos from Apollo missions. He believes the photos pointed to evidence of extraterrestrial activity on the moon.
Johnston was later fired from NASA. The agency has denied any existence of life on the moon.
Advocates: Albuquerque Police In Trump Protest 'Witch Hunt' – The Associated Press
Albuquerque police are continuing to search for suspects linked to a violent anti-Donald Trump protest while advocates say the effort is part of a "well-financed witch hunt."
Authorities are combing through police lapel video a week after arresting three people. Albuquerque businesses have donated $12,000 in reward money to help police arrest others involved in a riot that caused thousands of dollars in damage to the city.
But Javier Benavidez, executive director of the advocacy group Southwest Organizing Project, says Albuquerque police also were to blame for the violence. He and other advocates say police escalated tensions outside an Albuquerque rally for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
Police say officers were attacked with rocks.
Activists blasted the media on Monday for focusing on the violence and ignoring the earlier peaceful protest.
Officials: Prescriptions On The Rise For Overdose Antidote – The Associated Press
New Mexico is seeing a significant increase in the number of prescriptions for an overdose antidote being dispensed from community pharmacies.
The state Health Department on Monday reported there were 285 Medicaid claims from nearly three dozen pharmacies for naloxone in the first quarter of 2016. That's a fivefold increase over the same period last year.
State officials say one of New Mexico's overdose prevention strategies calls for expanding access to naloxone. Legislation aimed at doing that was signed earlier this year.
Naloxone can revive someone who has stopped breathing after overdosing on so-called opioids — highly addictive drugs that include prescription painkillers like Vicodin as well as illegal narcotics like heroin.
In the past, naloxone has been available mostly through clinics, hospitals or first responders like paramedics.
AG, Secretary Of State To Send Staff To Polling Locations – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Secretary of State and the state's Attorney General's Office will provide additional staff at polling locations for the state's primary.
Secretary of State Brad Winter and Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Monday the extra staff will work to ensure proper conduct at polling locations around the state.
The Attorney General's Office, however, will be dispatching "special agents" to monitor polling locations.
Under state law, the Secretary of State can ask the Attorney General's Office to assign investigators and lawyers to polling sites.
The U.S. Department of Justice says it does not plan to send monitors to polling locations in New Mexico for the primary.
The state's primary is Tuesday.
Jurors Set To Deliberate In Case Of Deputy Who Shot Coworker – The Associated Press
Both sides are delivering closing arguments in the trial of a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of shooting and killing a fellow officer two years ago.
Prosecutors urged jurors Monday morning to find Tai Chan guilty, saying he deliberately fired multiple times at Jeremy Martin, who tried to escape down a hotel hallway. Martin died from his gunshot wounds.
Chan is charged with first-degree murder.
A defense attorney has argued Chan shot in self-defense, and that prosecutors failed to prove otherwise.
Chan and Martin were in Las Cruces the night of the shooting in October 2014, staying at a hotel after transporting prisoners to Arizona.
Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Monday.
New Mexico Governor, City Leaders Try To Woo Businesses – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez and officials from two of New Mexico's largest cities are in Chicago this week to meet with business leaders about opportunities in the state.
The governor's office says Martinez is traveling with Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela and economic development officials from Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.
The city of Rio Rancho has been bracing for dozens of layoffs from one of the state's largest private employers, computer chip manufacturer Intel.
The company announced earlier this year that it would slash about 12,000 jobs worldwide. Local officials have refused to say how many workers at the Rio Rancho plant would be affected.
The plant has been a cornerstone of the community, pumping billions of dollars into the economy and funding a number of public schools over three decades.
New Mexico Congressman Finishes Solo World Flight – The Associated Press
A New Mexico Republican has completed a solo flight around the world to honor U.S. veterans killed in wars.
The office of U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce said the Hobbs Republican finished the final legs of his trip last week after the flight was delayed due to weather in Spain.
The Vietnam War veteran had 365 days to complete the last part of the worldwide expedition to be certified.
The flight, which began March 27 from Nevada, stretched across the Pacific and through the Coral and Java Seas. He then flew through the Persian Gulf and into the Mediterranean.
The 68-year-old Pearce told The Associated Press the trip in the tiny plane brought back memories of his time as a pilot in the Vietnam War. He says the experience was stunning.
Housing Costs Far Beyond Minimum Wage Earners In New Mexico – Albuquerque Journal
A new study finds the cost of housing in New Mexico means someone making minimum wage would have to work more than two full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the Out Of Reach study found that a two-bedroom that meets federal housing quality standards costs an average of $835 a month in the state and $941 in Bernalillo County.
To afford that apartment a renter would have to earn an average of $16 an hour and that rises to $18 an hour in Albuquerque. The state’s minimum wage is $7.50 an hour.
The study was conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition in Washington D.C. and the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness.
Endangered Fish Gets More Protected Habitat In New Mexico – The Associated Press
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has protected nearly 35 miles of critical habitat for an endangered 8-inch fish with a torpedo-shaped body in the headwaters of the Zuni River in northwestern New Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity says the designation for the Zuni bluehead sucker ensures that federally permitted actions such as logging, mining and livestock-grazing don't degrade streams where the fish lives.
The protected habitat is in McKinley and Cibola counties. One-third of the designation is on the Cibola National Forest and two-thirds are on state and private lands.
The Zuni bluehead sucker was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2014, a decade after the Center filed a scientific petition to protect the species.
The fish was first identified as needing protection in 1985.
Firefighters Still Battling Wildfires In New Mexico, Arizona – Associated Press
Firefighters are continuing to fight several wildfires in New Mexico and Arizona amid record high temperatures.
Officials in New Mexico said Sunday a blaze raging through the San Mateo Mountains around 25 miles southwest of Magdalena, New Mexico has grown to 12 square mile. The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Magdalena Ranger District says the inferno is 20 percent contained.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Arizona are battling a much larger blaze. The Juniper Fire just south of the town of Young is now burning on over 28 square miles in the Tonto National Forest. Portions of State Route 288 have been closed to help firefighters fight the fire.
Officials say the extreme heat and a dry winter mean there's a high risk of wildfires.
APS To Add Ethnic Studies In 2017 – Albuquerque Journal
All 13 high schools in Albuquerque Public Schools will offer ethnic studies starting in 2017 as an elective option for juniors and seniors.
The Albuquerque Journal reports APS joins a wider movement around the country to include the voices of minority communities and follows a push by Families United For Education late last year at Board of Education meetings.
Currently only two high schools in APS offer ethnic studies – Highland, which offers Chicano studies and Mexican-American literature, and Del Norte with Native American studies.
The Journal reports that a study from Stanford University found at-risk students in San Francisco that were part of a pilot ethnic studies program showed better outcomes than other students.
But elsewhere the issue has been highly contentious, particularly in Arizona.
New Mexico Border Town Incorporation Idea Gets Court Win – KVIA-TV, Associated Press
New Mexico residents of an unincorporated booming area near the U.S-Mexico border have won a court battle as they try to form their own city government.
KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, reports a New Mexico district court recently ruled that a group trying to incorporate Santa Teresa can move forward with plans in forming a new city. But citizens must prove within the next four months that nearby Sunland Park, New Mexico, cannot provide municipal services for their community.
The ruling comes as city of Sunland Park was attempting to annex residents near a county club area called Santa Teresa.
A nearby industrial area and Port of Entry, also called Santa Teresa, has brought in millions of dollar in revenue for the state but doesn't have any residents.
Nearly Half Of State Law Enforcement Skips Hate Crime Count – Associated Press
Nearly half of New Mexico's law enforcement agencies haven't reported hate crime totals to the FBI in recent years.
An Associated Press investigation found more than 2,700 police and sheriff's offices nationwide have not submitted hate crime reports between 2009 and 2014, the most recent years available for the annual FBI reports.
In New Mexico, 53 of the 118 agencies in the state — or 45 percent overall — did not report such crimes to the FBI.
Only Hawaii, Mississippi, Louisiana and Indiana had higher rates for unsubmitted hate crime reports by law enforcement agencies.
Small town police departments — as well as Las Cruces and Santa Fe police and the sheriff's offices in Doña Ana and Santa Fe counties — are among agencies that haven't submitted the reports.
Los Alamos Lab Looks To Recruit Young People Over 5 Years – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
As the Los Alamos National Laboratory faces thousands of job openings over the next five years New Mexico's community colleges are looking at how they can prepare their students for those jobs.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that representatives from the lab and community college presidents met in Santa Fe with U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, to figure out how small educational institutions can get their students employed at the lab.
Lab officials estimate almost 2,500 job vacancies will arise between now and 2020 in positions ranging from nuclear defense to operations as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age.
Los Alamos officials say they aren't just looking for scientists with doctorate degrees.
Company Says Trump Merchandise Stolen In Albuquerque Riots – KRQE-TV, Associated Press
A political merchandise company says it lost thousands of dollars during an anti-Donald Trump protest that turned violent in Albuquerque.
Greg Richards of The Political Mint told KRQE-TV in Albuquerque this week that more than $2,000 in merchandise was stolen then burned during the riot last month.
He says after protesters broke through police barricades set up at the Albuquerque Convention Center, vendors' merchandise stands were ransacked.
Richards says those who stole items should be prosecuted.
The city of Albuquerque announced last week that businesses have donated $12,000 in reward money to arrest those involved in the anti-Trump protest that turned violent.
Albuquerque police made three arrests last week and authorities say more are coming.
DA Races Hotly Contested Among Democrats In 3 Districts – Associated Press
The debate emerging from three races for district attorney in New Mexico's largest population centers are stirring up debate over crime and public safety issues that all remain hot topics in the state.
Contested races are underway on the Democratic side for the job of top prosecutor in state's First, Second and Third judicial districts, which separately encompass Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
Meanwhile, the Republican candidates in the three districts are running unopposed in Tuesday's primary.
Among Democrats, Dona Ana County District Attorney Mark D'Antonio is seeking a second term in the Third Judicial District amid a challenge from Alamogordo prosecutor James Dickens.
Ed Perea and Raul Torrez are vying for outgoing, longtime D.A. Kari Brandenburg's post in Bernalillo County.
And a three-way race is in play in the First Judicial District, which includes Santa Fe.
NASA 'Whistleblower' Gives Photos To Roswell's UFO Museum – Roswell Daily Record, Associated Press
A former National Aeronautics and Space Administration consultant pilot who says photos and films from Apollo missions were doctored has donated material to Roswell's UFO Museum.
The Roswell Daily Record reports Ralph Kennedy Johnston, Sr. gave last week digital copies of his three books to the International UFO Museum and Research Center.
Johnston says he has not donated the material to other institutions, although some copies of some photos are available online.
Johnston, a former trainer of astronauts and Belen resident, has said he saw NASA staff painting details out of lunar photos from Apollo missions. He believes the photos pointed to evidence of extraterrestrial activity on the moon.
Johnston was later fired from NASA. The agency has denied any existence of life on the moon.
Republican Albuquerque Mayor Mum On If He Voted For Trump – Associated Press
The Republican mayor in the largest city in the most Hispanic state in the nation won't say if he voted for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry says he voted absentee in New Mexico's Republican primary but refused to reveal which GOP candidate earned his vote.
Berry says revealing his vote would amount to an endorsement and he wasn't making any presidential endorsements yet.
An anti-Trump protest turned violent in Albuquerque last month after Trump held a rally in the city. Protesters spoke out against Trump's previous comments about Mexican immigrants.
At the rally, Trump criticized fellow Republican and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, the nation's only Latina governor. Martinez also has refused to endorse Trump.
New Mexico holds it primary on Tuesday.
New Mexico Congressman Finishes Solo World Flight – Associated Press
A New Mexico Republican has completed a solo flight around the world to honor U.S. veterans killed in wars.
The office of U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce said the Hobbs Republican finished the final legs of his trip last week after the flight was delayed due to weather in Spain.
The Vietnam War veteran had 365 days to complete the last part of the worldwide expedition to be certified.
The flight, which began March 27 from Nevada, stretched across the Pacific and through the Coral and Java Seas. He then flew through the Persian Gulf and into the Mediterranean.
The 68-year-old Pearce told The Associated Press the trip in the tiny plane brought back memories of his time as a pilot in the Vietnam War. He says the experience was stunning.