New Mexico Fire Prompts Emergency Decree, Evacuations - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
A wildfire burning in central New Mexico grew to more than three square miles and forced evacuations, after sending up a towering plume of smoke that blanketed the state's largest city in a thick haze.
The Dog Head Fire in the Manzano Mountains southeast of Albuquerque prompted Gov. Susana Martinez to declare an emergency, clearing the way for state funds to be used.
Officials late Wednesday night said evacuations were ordered for Bernalillo County residences from the junction of Highways 217 and 337 south to the Torrance County line. But there was no immediate word on how many people that order encompassed.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that the evacuated areas included the community of Chilili, made up of dozens of residents who live in homes scattered through the piñon and juniper dotted hills that abut the Cibola National Forest.
Shelters have been set up in Estancia and Tijeras, authorities said.
Dog Head Fire Still Burning – The Associated Press
Close to 700 firefighters are working to protect structures and build lines ahead of a fast-moving fire that has charred more than 19 square miles in central New Mexico and forced evacuations in some small communities.
Fire information officer Denise Ottaviano said Thursday that several air tankers and helicopters are working the blaze in the Manzano Mountains, but there's still zero containment.
She says winds are pushing the fire to the northeast and ground crews are stationed throughout the perimeter.
Officials say some structures have burned but crews are still entering an area near the community of Chilili to determine how many.
Others areas that have been evacuated include Mercid, Escobosa, Yrisarri and Ponderosa Pines. Ottaviano couldn't say how many structures were threatened overall.
Obamas To Fly Into Roswell Before Carlsbad Caverns Visit – The Associated Press & The Roswell Daily Record
President Barack Obama and his family are scheduled to fly into Roswell before their upcoming visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
The Roswell Daily record reports that the Obamas will land in Roswell Friday afternoon. Obama was last in the New Mexico city in March 2012, when he was on his way to an energy junket.
Mayor Dennis Kintigh says Obama went to the oil patch during that visit, but is passing through this time as a tourist.
A news release from the White House says the Obama family's brief stop at the Roswell International Air Center will not be open to the public. Kintigh says he will be there and only a few other people will be allowed in the area.
Suspect Dead After Shootout With Police And Deputies – Albuquerque Journal
A man is dead after a shootout with Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Albuquerque Police Department officers following a high-speed chase.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the man was a suspect in a homicide Wednesday outside an AutoZone near Rio Bravo and Coors. Bernalillo County Sheriff Manual Gonzales said the suspect fired on officers after a spike strip deflated one the tires on the stolen car he was driving.
An APD officer was not seriously injured after being hit with gunfire in his bulletproof vest. The suspect’s exact cause of death is still under investigation and officials say part of Central where the shootout took place on the Westside will be closed Thursday morning.
Retrial In Deputy Shooting Case Scheduled For November – The Associated Press & The Las Cruces Sun-News
The retrial of a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of killing a fellow deputy in 2014 has been scheduled for Nov. 28.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that last week jurors told a Las Cruces judge that they couldn't reach a decision in the Tai Chan case after nearly 14 hours of deliberations. Chan had been charged with first-degree murder in fellow deputy Jeremy Martin's death.
The judge scheduled the November trial on Tuesday, but Chan's defense attorneys say they are working to push the trail to early next year.
Chan and Martin were in Las Cruces the night of the shooting in October 2014, staying at a hotel after transporting prisoners to Arizona.
Chan's attorneys say the shooting was in self-defense.
Carlsbad Caverns Adjusts Schedule For Obama's Visit – Associated Press
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico has announced adjustments to its public schedule to accommodate a visit from President Barack Obama.
Park spokeswoman Valerie Gohlke says the public will be able to enter the park Friday until 11 a.m. when the main gate will close. Visitors already in the park then must exit before 1 p.m.
Big Room cave tours will be available in the morning, but no other cave tours will be offered to the public that day.
The Natural Entrance will remain closed all day.
The park is expected to open again at 4:30 p.m. with the bat flight program taking place as usual at 7:30 p.m. in the outdoor amphitheater.
Obama's visit coincides with the National Park Service's celebration of its 100th anniversary.
AP Analysis: New Mexico Statehouse Is Nation's Most Hispanic – Associated Press
An analysis by The Associated Press has found minorities remain significantly underrepresented in state legislatures across the U.S.
But it's a different story in New Mexico, where the Legislature is among the country's most diverse. The Southwestern state of 2 million people has the highest percentage of Latino lawmakers in the nation and is near the top with the number of Native American lawmakers.
And although New Mexico's Legislature falls short of mirroring the state's majority minority population, state Democrat and Republican lawmakers say the diverse body should be a model for the nation.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez says the diversity is a reflection of New Mexico's long history that dates back to its Spanish colonial and frontier days.
EPA Staffer Retires 10 Months After Spill From Colorado Mine – Associated Press
An Environmental Protection Agency official who oversaw operations at a southwestern Colorado mine has retired 10 months after a massive spill of acidic wastewater from the mine.
The EPA said Wednesday Steve Way is retiring after 32 years at the agency.
Way was the agency's on-scene coordinator for preliminary cleanup operations at the mine, but he was on vacation when an EPA-led crew inadvertently triggered the 3-million-gallon spill on Aug. 5.
Way didn't immediately return a call Wednesday.
The spill tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. New Mexico has sued the EPA in federal court and Utah says it intends to do so. Colorado hasn't disclosed its plans.
The EPA wants to clean up the Gold King and other nearby mining sites by declaring the area Superfund site.
State Auditor To Hold Meetings On Untested Rape Kits – Santa Fe New Mexican
State Auditor Tim Keller plans to hold a series of meetings across the state to discuss the backlog of unprocessed evidence kits related to sexual assaults.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the first meeting will be in Clovis on June 20. Other meetings will follow in Albuquerque, Espanola, Farmington, Hobbs and Las Cruces.
Keller will meet with advocates and community members. His office announced last month it would launch an audit of eight law enforcement agencies to address the backlog of rape kits. Albuquerque has nearly 3,500 untested kits and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has 472.
Legislators and Gov. Susana Martinez approved $1.2 million to hire more crime lab technicians and expand the state crime lab to process more kits.
Land Commissioner Proposes New Clean-Up Fund – Associated Press
New Mexico State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is asking lawmakers to create a new fund that would help remediate and restore state trust lands in response to recent spills of oil and polluted water by a Texas-based company.
Dunn presented the proposal to a committee of state lawmakers at a meeting in Artesia on Wednesday. He says there is a growing need for dedicated funding to restore state trust lands that are damaged not only by oil-industry spills but also illegal dumping, wildfires and invasive plant species.
The legislation would divert 1 percent of revenues from the state's land maintenance fund that receives money from renewable resources overseen by the land office such as grazing fees, rights-of-way and business leases. Dunn says other alternatives such as raising bonding requirement for oil well operators would require complex revisions to state statutes.
The State Land Office oversees oil, natural gas, mining and other leases across 13 million acres of public land that provide funding to schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions.
State Worker Accused Of Sexual Relationship With Teen Killer – Associated Press
A staffer at a state-run treatment center for troubled youth is being accused of having a sexual relationship with a teen who made headlines in 2013 after shooting and killing his parents and three younger siblings.
Amber Lucero, 35, made her first appearance in court Tuesday. She's charged with sexual contact of a minor by a person in a position of authority.
Lucero works at the Sequoyah Adolescent Treatment Center where Nehemiah Griego — now 19 — had received therapy prior to pleading guilty to charges stemming from the slayings.
According to a criminal complaint, police learned about the alleged relationship after being called to the treatment center last week.
State officials say the allegations are troubling and they're moving forward with terminating Lucero, who was placed on leave Monday.
It's unclear whether Lucero has an attorney.