Senators Call For Action To Increase Security Along Border – The Associated Press
New Mexico's U.S. senators are calling for more personnel and equipment to help the Border Patrol secure the U.S.-Mexico border along the state's southwestern corner.
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich say their call to U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a response to concerns voiced by residents of the Bootheel region as well as by Border Patrol agents and CBP officials.
The lawmakers say agents need additional horses, all-terrain vehicles and night vision gear, and they say bonuses and other incentives would help reduce turnover among agents.
According to Udall and Heinrich, federal authorities ought to work with the New Mexico National Guard so Guard helicopters can help the Border Patrol cover more territory.
New Mexico Drilling Regulators Present Spill Allegations – The Associated Press
New Mexico oil field regulators are providing evidence that a Texas-based driller spilled oily salt water repeatedly at waste-water injections sites without properly reporting it, and ignored initial warnings to stop.
The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division on Thursday provided testimony, photographs and a video at public hearing to back up allegations that Siana Operating of Midland, Texas, failed to report spills of contaminated water. The spill took place at a cluster of wells outside Eunice in the southeastern corner of New Mexico.
A newly hired attorney for Siana asked for more time to respond and was given two weeks until another hearing.
A violation finding from the adjudicatory panel would give enforcement officials authority to ensure compliance or declare wells abandoned, plug them and access security bonds.
State Police Work To Change Amber Alert System – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
The New Mexico State Police Department is working to change the way Amber Alerts are issued so officers have more control over what information is broadcast after a child is abducted.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a State Police spokeswoman says the changes have been in the works for months and are not because of misinformation that was sent during an Amber Alert on Monday.
Monday's alert reported incorrect license plate information after a 9-month-old was abducted by her mom's boyfriend, and then abandoned in an SUV that had been stolen. The information was quickly corrected and the child was found unharmed a few hours later.
In the new Amber Alert system State Police will use a federal alert system and send the alert themselves. Currently the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sends alerts.
New Mexico Highlands University Regents OK Tuition Hike – Las Vegas Optic, Associated Press
Regents for New Mexico Highlands University have voted for steep double-digit tuition hikes.
The Las Vegas Optic reports that regent voted last week to increase the annual cost of attending Highlands by between $582 and $976. Regents also signed off on a new $150 per year student fee to improve campus life for students.
The 12.5 percent increase means tuition and fees for a full-time undergraduate who is a New Mexico resident will range from $4,800 a year to $5,550.
Highlands President Sam Minner says the tuition increase was not an easy decision.
Minner says the new student fees will fund the launch of a new outdoor experience program.
Authorities: Stray Tortoise Found In Downtown Santa Fe Area – The Associated Press
Anyone missing their pet tortoise? That's what the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society wants to know.
Animal control officers with the Santa Fe Animal Services say they picked up a stray tortoise around 6 p.m. Wednesday in the downtown area.
The shelter's director of adoptions, Dylan Moore, has a background in working with exotic creatures.
He says the tortoise is likely an African spurred tortoise, a popular breed that does well in Northern New Mexico.
Moore says the tortoise is about 2 feet long, 1 ½ feet wide and likely several years old. They have a lifespan of between 50 and 150 years.
Moore says tortoises are notorious for pushing through a fence or digging under a fence.
The wayward tortoise likely wandered off from its owner.
New Mexico, Appointments Times Lag For Medicaid Patients – Associated Press
State government analysts say low-income Medicaid patients in New Mexico are waiting on average from three weeks to nearly two months to get an appointment with a doctor.
The Legislative Finance Committee on Wednesday published a survey on appointments for new patients enrolled in Medicaid. It says the results and other studies raise concerns about barriers to health care access among the poor and disabled.
Medicaid enrollment has grown by two-thirds in the state's main metropolitan area since Republican Gov. Susana Martinez agreed to expand coverage in 2014 under the federal Affordable Care Act. In some rural areas, enrollment has doubled.
Recent state reports show that Medicaid patients are increasingly resorting to hospital emergency rooms for relatively minor conditions that can be treated at urgent care clinics or doctor offices.
New Mexico Pays More Benefits In 1988 Lawsuit – Associated Press
Legislative analysts estimate New Mexico has spent an extra $5.4 million for Medicaid and cash food assistance benefits since 2014 as a result of a long-running class action lawsuit.
Staff for the Legislative Finance Committee announced Wednesday that additional benefits of $2.4 million have been paid out as a result of the 2014 ruling, with additional administrative costs.
The committee warned that upcoming court hearings could result in more significant sanctions and a partial takeover of the Human Service Department.
The so-called Debra Hatten-Gonzales lawsuit against the Human Service Department was brought in 1988 regarding eligibility for food stamps and Medicaid benefits.
Ex-Japanese Ambassador To Visit New Mexico To Push Trade – Associated Press
A former Japanese ambassador to Brazil and Spain is leading a delegation to New Mexico to talk about investment in the state.
Ambassador Ken Shimanouchi is scheduled Friday and Saturday to visit Albuquerque and speak about increased trade opportunities.
He also is expected to talk about changes in Japanese society, and how Japan is tackling the issue of its aging society.
Officials say Japan is the 4th largest export destination for New Mexico with exports to Japan totaling $74 million.
New Mexico Seeks Charter School Standards – Associated Press
New Mexico's public education secretary is urging state lawmakers to establish standards for closing charter schools that do not measure up to academic standards and financial controls.
Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera on Wednesday told members of the state Legislative Finance Committee it was important to hold charter schools accountable by developing new standards. She also says it's important to acknowledge excellence in charter-school education and share recipes for success.
New Mexico's state auditor recently has reported financial control problems and missing files on background checks and teacher licenses at state-sponsored charter schools overseen by the Public Education Department.
New Mexico has turned to charter schools amid some dissatisfaction with traditional schools. The number of state-sponsored charter schools grew to 59 last year from just two in 2008.
Woman Convicted In Son's Disappearance Faces Hearing – Associated Press
An Arizona woman who served prison time in the 2009 disappearance of her child faces a probation revocation hearing Thursday.
None of the alleged probation violations against Elizabeth Johnson stem from the case of her missing 8-month-old son Gabriel, who has never been found.
Among other things, Johnson is accused of failing to get approval before traveling out of New Mexico, associating with a person with a criminal record and not notifying probation officials when she married last December.
Johnson was released from prison in 2014 after serving about 17 months.
She had been sentenced to more than five years on interference and imprisonment convictions.
Authorities say the child was last seen with his mother in December 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.
Ex-Navajo Lawmaker Is Sentenced In Tribal Slush Fund Case – Associated Press
A former Navajo Nation lawmaker who pleaded guilty to misusing tribal funds has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.
Young Jeff Tom Sr. was sentenced Wednesday.
He was the first of more than a dozen former and current lawmakers to be sentenced in criminal cases stemming from a years-long investigation into the Tribal Council's use of discretionary funds.
Tom pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in February.
He faced up to six months in jail and could have been ordered to repay up to $13,750 — the amount he was accused of misusing.
Tom said in court documents that he conspired with five former colleagues to provide tribal funds to each other's family members, even though he knew it was illegal.
Sandia Peak Owners Eye Mountain Roller Coaster In New Mexico – Associated Press
Sandia Peak owners want to build a mountain roller coaster to attract tourists to one of Albuquerque's top spots.
Sandia Peak Ski Company and Peak Dining LLC are asking for a $9 million Industrial Revenue Bond to build the roller coaster. The money also would be used for a new restaurant, bistro and bar.
Sandia Peak president Benny Abruzzo says coaster riders would start at the top of the tram, and zip down the mountain.
Bernalillo County commissioners agreed Tuesday to consider financial incentives.
The bond would be sold to investors and the company would pay that money back.
If Sandia Peak gets the funding, they hope to complete the mountain coaster and restaurant by 2018.
The U.S. Forest Service would have to approve any plans for a roller coaster.
New Mexico Governor Heads To New York Fundraiser – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is traveling to New York to join GOP presidential candidates at a fundraising gala ahead of that state's Republican primary.
A spokesman for Martinez says she left on Wednesday for New York City. The Republican Party of New York is paying for her trip.
Martinez had campaigned briefly for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio before he dropped out, and has not indicated which remaining candidate she favors.
On Friday, Martinez plans to travel on to Palm Beach, Florida, for a meeting of the Republican Governors Association. She is the chairwoman of the GOP fundraising group. The governors association will pay for travel to the event.
Company Proposes Nuclear Waste Storage In New Mexico – Hobbs News-Sun, Associated Press
An energy equipment company has taken steps toward opening a long-term storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico.
The News-Sun reports that Holtec International has submitted a letter of intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission about its bid to open a $5 billion Consolidated Interim Storage Facility in Lea County.
Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb says the formal notice to the NRC is the latest development in a years-long process.
Holtec is proposing a long-term facility that could have a lifespan of 100 years. Company officials have said they anticipate initial licensing for the first 40 years.
The company's letter to the NRC says it hopes to submit a site-specific license application by the end of November.
Plane Had Engine Trouble Before Landing On I-40 – Associated Press
The Federal Aviation Administration says the pilot of a single-engine plane reported engine trouble before the aircraft made an emergency landing on Interstate 40 in eastern New Mexico.
FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford also says there were two people aboard the Piper PA-24 and that neither was injured.
The incident occurred late Wednesday morning about six miles west of Tucumcari.
New Mexico State Police say the plane was moved into the highway's median until it can be removed.
Paramedic Accused Of Stealing, Using Dead Man's Credit Card – Associated Press
Authorities say a New Mexico paramedic stole a debit card from a man getting treatment and used it to spend more than $11,000 after the patient died.
Police arrested Michael John Harcharik after Allan Pearson's daughter noticed multiple purchases on her father's account, including of a riding lawn mower.
Police believe Harcharik stole the card when paramedics went to Pearson's Santa Fe home after he was found unresponsive March 25.
Rebecca Pearson says she'd written her father's PIN number on his debit card.
Harcharik was arrested Monday on suspicion of theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Joseph Walsh, an attorney who represented Harcharik during an initial court appearance, declined to comment Wednesday on the allegations.
A call to a phone number listed under Harcharik's name wasn't immediately returned.