Santa Fe Archbishop Addresses Immigrant Fears Since Election—Associated Press
Santa Fe Roman Catholic Archbishop John Wester is addressing the fears that have emerged among immigrants since Election Day.
Wester says he knows there are people within the archdiocese who are fearful of what may happen to them if the incoming Trump administration repeals, as promised on the campaign trail, an Obama administration program that allows immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to avoid deportation and get work permits.
He announced in a statement that the diocese will support and advocate for immigrants in the church, saying many fled persecution, poverty and violence in their countries to come to the United States.
New Mexico Wrestles With Cleanup Costs At Oil Wells—Associated Press
The New Mexico State Land Office says a Texas-based oil company will be denied access to well sites until it agrees to the agency's directions for cleaning up spills of oily salt water.
State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn announced Friday that it would deny site access to Siana Operating of Midland, Texas, until the company agrees to a preliminary cleanup plan that will determine the extent of ground pollution at well sites in southeastern New Mexico.
The State Land Office is locked in litigation with Siana on accusations the company trespassed and spilled waste on state trust lands where it stopped making lease payments years ago.
Dunn says Siana reached a cleanup agreement with the state Oil Conservation Division that does not address the possibility of groundwater contamination.
New Mexico Professors Seeking Immigrant Student Protections—Associated Press
A group of professors at the largest university in the nation's most Hispanic state are asking for more protection of immigrant students.
Professors and instructors at the University of New Mexico delivered a letter Friday to the school's president, Bob Frank, amid uncertainty from immigrant students who are living in the country illegally but have temporary protective status.
Advocates say the students are scared of being deported after the election of Republican Donald Trump as president. Trump has previously said he wanted a "deportation force" to remove immigrants living in the country illegally.
The University of New Mexico has long allowed immigrant students who are living in the country illegally to attend at in-state tuition rates.
Frank says university lawyers are looking into a "sanctuary" designation.
Navajo Youth Travel To San Francisco To Protest Coal Plant—Associated Press
Thirty Navajo youth have traveled from their reservation in Arizona to San Francisco to protest a federal decision that they say would allow a massive coal-fired power plant near their homes to bypass strict pollution-control regulations for the next several decades.
Navajo environmental activists say in a lawsuit set for arguments Friday before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that federal officials set a double standard when they allowed for operators of a Navajo Generating Station to wait three decades to implement a pollution control plan for the aging plant. Other plants are expected to adhere to a speedier timeline.
Sheldon Natoni and Sebale Tsosie are among the young activists in San Francisco. They say they felt compelled to attend the hearing because they believe smog from the plant is affecting the health of fellow Navajos.
Mentor Williams, 'Drift Away' Songwriter, Dead At 70—Associated Press
Mentor Williams, the songwriter behind the 1970s pop hit "Drift Away," has died in Taos, New Mexico, at age 70.
Paul Williams, also a famed songwriter who is the president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or ASCAP, confirmed for The Associated Press that his brother Mentor Williams died Wednesday morning at his home after battling lung cancer.
"Drift Away" sung by pop artist Dobie Gray reached No. 5 on the Billboard charts and won awards in 1973. A year later, Williams produced the album "Feelings," which included the songs "Sunday Driver" and "L.A. Cowboy."
Williams had lived in Taos with his partner Lynn Anderson, a 1970s country music star who sang "Rose Garden." She died in 2015 at age 67.
State Authorities Describe Horseman's Mountain Rescue—Associated Press
State authorities say a 64-year-old man was thrown from his horse in a remote, wilderness area of New Mexico before game wardens rescued him.
New Mexico Department of Game & Fish said Friday that horsebackrider Randy Van Zant, of Chama, was airlfited from a field after breaking his arm.
He had been riding in the 10,000-acre Humphries Wildlife Management Area when his horse was spooked on Nov. 3 and threw him to the ground.
Another rider who was out with Van Zant sought help for him.
Attendance Dips, Revenues Rise At New Mexico State Museums—Associated Press
A decision to raise ticket prices and eliminate some free-entrance days at New Mexico's state museums and historic sites has provided a boost in revenue to the state's cash strapped culture agency since the start of July.
The changes also have been accompanied by a drop in ticketed attendance at a network of eight state museums and eight cultural sites that are an engine of the state tourism economy, where more than a million people flock each year learn about Billy the Kid and admire international folk art, oil paintings and space rockets.
Cultural Affairs Secretary Veronica Gonzales said the agency is on track to raise an additional $450,000 from ticket sales and special events this fiscal year — not enough to offset state spending cuts.
NM Teen Pleads Guilty To Role In Bartender's Death—Associated Press
One of six New Mexico teens charged with killing a 60-year-old man in his driveway has taken a plea deal.
The 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to 10 criminal counts, including aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon. A hearing in February will determine whether he will be sentenced as a juvenile.
An adult sentence could carry up to 31 ½ years in prison.
Prosecutors dropped a murder charge, among others, in exchange for the plea.
The boy was 16 when police say he and five other teenagers were breaking into cars and homes around Albuquerque. Police say popular bartender Steven Gerecke confronted the group in July 2015 and one of the teens shot and killed him.
Police say the gunman will go to trial in January. The others have taken plea deals.