Suspect In Killing Called Religiously Active – The Associated Press
A woman who knew an 11-year-old Navajo girl and the man accused of kidnapping and killing the child says the suspect was active in cultural and religious life on the nation's largest American Indian reservation.
Sher Brown, of Lower Fruitland, New Mexico, says one of her brothers knew Tom Begaye, and they regularly went to sweat lodges and church meetings on the Navajo Nation.
The U.S. attorney's office in New Mexico says investigators found and arrested Begaye on Tuesday night at a sweat lodge outside Shiprock. Sweat lodges are considered sacred places.
Brown says she was shocked by the allegations.
She says victim Ashlynne Mike and her siblings would play at Brown's brother's house, where Brown remembers braiding the girl's hair. She described the girl as kind and obedient.
Facebook Voting Reminder Extends To 35 States – The Associated Press
People across New Mexico are getting an unsolicited reminder to register for primary elections in June as they log onto Facebook.
The reminder went out on the social network's new feeds Thursday as the state's May 10 registration deadline approaches.
New Mexico instituted online registration at the start of the year for eligible citizens with current or expired New Mexico driver's licenses. Voters can also register in person at any Motor Vehicle Division or county clerk's office.
The Facebook registration drive has gone out to users in 35 states so far this year. A link takes users to the U.S. government website Vote.USA.gov that directs people to the New Mexico voter registration page.
Facebook is capitalizing on election-year conversations about politics as a sponsor of GOP and Democratic presidential debates.
Feds Reviewing Proposed Wolf Legislation – Associated Press
Federal wildlife officials say they'll be doing a thorough review of legislation introduced by two U.S. senators that would affect endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest.
Arizona Republicans John McCain and Jeff Flake have introduced a measure that would push the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work more closely with states to revamp a decades-old recovery plan for the wolves.
The agency has already agreed as part of a settlement with environmentalists to have a recovery plan crafted by the end of 2017.
Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman John Bradley says the agency appreciates the senators' interest in the wolf and that the goal remains the recovery of the species.
He says the agency will support growth of the population, improvements in genetics and the eventual transfer of management of the species to the states.
Santa Fe Schools Superintendent Finalist For Nashville Post – Santa Fe New Mexican
The superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools is among six candidates in the running to head the public school system in Nashville, Tenn.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Joel Boyd was hired in 2012 and has worked to turn around the district. He pledged to stay five years, but last year he emerged as the top candidate for superintendent for the Forth Worth Independent School District in Texas. Boyd ultimately withdrew his name.
Boyd said he was contacted by a recruiter about the job with Metro Nashville Public Schools. He said their interest shows they want to emulate the successes of Santa Fe Public Schools.
The graduation rate in Santa Fe was 56 percent when he arrived. The most recent numbers indicate it’s now around 67 percent. But he has also faced criticism over a contract and his response to hazing incident on a school bus.
Santa Fe County To Offer $5 Cab Rides On 'Cinco De Mayo' – The Associated Press
A county in northern New Mexico says it will offer $5 subsidized cab rides for "Cinco De Mayo" celebrators.
Santa Fe County officials say the 'cinco on cinco' program is aimed at combatting drunken driving around Santa Fe and will allow partygoers to get an inexpensive ride home.
Lupe Sanchez, the county's DWI program coordinator, says the $5 cab ride home is a cheaper way to beat a $5,000 drunken driving penalty.
The program will run 5:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla between the victorious ragtag army of largely Mexican Indian soldiers against the invading French forces of Napoleon III.
New Mexico AG To Speak On Consumer Protection Rule Proposals – Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is slated to address a federal agency tasked with protecting consumers from predatory lenders.
The Democrat is scheduled Thursday to speak to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Albuquerque about proposed rules that would ban lenders from using "free pass" arbitration clauses to block consumers from filing class action lawsuits.
Balderas is expected to say those clauses especially hurt poor and minority residents in New Mexico.
Buried in many contracts for consumer financial products like credit cards and bank accounts, most arbitration clauses deny consumers the right to participate in group lawsuits against companies.
PNM Reports Income Drop Partially Due To Intel – Albuquerque Journal
Declining demand for electricity from chipmaker Intel Corp. contributed to a sharp drop in quarterly income by PNM Resources.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that PNM reported a drop of 27 percent in net income while its local utility, Public Service Co. of New Mexico, saw a drop of nearly 60 percent in the first quarter.
A number of factors contributed to the decline. Those included plant outages at PNM’s power plants and lower earnings from its nuclear plant in Arizona.
But a drop in usage by Intel’s chip plant in Rio Rancho also contributed to a drop in PNM’s industrial load.
Intel is laying off about 11 percent of its workforce globally but has not confirmed layoffs in Rio Rancho, where it employs about 1,900 people. The Journal reports the company has not done any large upgrades at the plant since 2009.
New Mexico Governor Stays Mum As Trump Advances – The Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is declining to say whether she will vote for Donald Trump now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
Martinez on Wednesday declined through a spokesman to say whether she would cast her ballot for Trump in November.
The second-term Republican governor has criticized Trump's proposal to build a bigger wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as a threat to international trade relations. And Martinez has objected to Trump's comments that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the U.S. and are rapists.
At the same time, speculation continues to swirl around Martinez as a potential vice presidential pick.
Martinez is a prominent Republican fundraiser in New Mexico and nationwide as chairwoman of the Republican Governors Association, a fundraising arm of the GOP.
Archbishop 'Concerned' As Primaries Head To New Mexico – Associated Press
Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester says he is "concerned" about the political rhetoric surrounding immigration as the presidential primary campaign heads to New Mexico.
Wester told The Associated Press on Monday candidates who seek to blame immigrants for the nation's problems are diverting attention from other issues like poverty and inequality.
The Roman Catholic leader in the state with the highest percentage of Latinos didn't mention any candidate by name. But Wester says some of the immigration policy proposals suggested have been "deplorable" and should alarm voters.
GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump has drawn the most scrutiny from immigration advocates for saying he would push for the mass deportation of an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.
New Mexico will hold its primary on June 7.
New Mexico Prison System Fights Fair Pay Claims – Associated Press
The New Mexico prison system is arguing it's exempt from a state law requiring employers to pay women and men the same amount for comparable work.
The New Mexican reports that Gov. Susana Martinez signed the Fair Pay for Women Act in 2013, but her administration is fighting claims filed under the law.
The Corrections Department is challenging claims from former female employees who say they earned less than men in similar positions.
Former Corrections Department lawyer Melinda L. Wolinsky says she earned $8,000 less a year than a male colleague in the same job, while former deputy warden Alisha Tafoya-Lucero says she was paid $29 an hour while a male colleague earned $39 per hour.
A department spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Facebook Voting Reminder Extends To 35 States – Associated Press
People across New Mexico are getting an unsolicited reminder to register for primary elections in June as they log onto Facebook.
The reminder went out on the social network's new feeds Thursday as the state's May 10 registration deadline approaches.
New Mexico instituted online registration at the start of the year for eligible citizens with current or expired New Mexico driver's licenses. Voters can also register in person at any Motor Vehicle Division or county clerk's office.
The Facebook registration drive has gone out to users in 35 states so far this year. A link takes users to the U.S. government website Vote.USA.gov that directs people to the New Mexico voter registration page.
Facebook is capitalizing on election-year conversations about politics as a sponsor of GOP and Democratic presidential debates.