Judges Step Aside As Santa Fe Powerbroker Called To Court – Associated Press
A criminal case against an influential former state senator is shining a light on awkwardly close ties among judges and politicians in the New Mexico state capital, even before the defendant can be arraigned.
Five state district court judges have recused themselves without detailed explanations from overseeing fraud and other charges against former Sen. Phil Griego. The 67-year-old Democrat is accused of using his role as a legislator to receive personal compensation from a private company in the sale of a state-owned building in Santa Fe.
Political observers say the recusals paint a frustrating picture of delays and special treatment when it comes to the prosecution of a prominent ex-official in New Mexico.
Griego's prosecution and other high-profile cases have prompted calls for ethics reforms in New Mexico state government.
City Council Will Consider Proposal To Seize Dangerous Dogs – Albuquerque Journal
The Albuquerque City Council will consider a major shift in law next month that would allow animal control officers to immediately seize dogs that attack and kill or maim an animal or person.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that current law allows officers to make a judgment call on whether to take custody of dangerous dogs. But this would let the city take action with the owners’ permission or through court approval.
There were at least two incidents last year where small dogs being walked on leashes by their owners died after being attacked by other dogs, but the city did not immediately take the animals from their owners.
Animal control officials say the proposed changes would make it easier for the city to seize dangerous dogs. The city ordinance would also call for better evaluation of dogs in city shelters and whether they are dangerous.
New Mexico Reviews Water Injection Wells For Damages – The Associated Press
New Mexico's state land commissioner is ordering a broad examination of easements for injection wells used by the oil and natural gas industry to dispose of waste water, in response to environmental damage at a site in the southeast of the state.
As of Friday, state regulators still were negotiating with a Midland, Texas-based company to clean up a spill of oily water at an injection site 20 miles southwest of Eunice, New Mexico.
Public Lands Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is instructing his agency's district managers to look at each of about 60 waste-water disposal sites on state trust land. Administrative reviews of leases also are planned.
State regulators accuse Siana Operations of trespassing and damaging the site outside Eunice after it stopped making lease payments. Siana is not commenting.
Roswell Proposal Would Cite Parents For Kids Missing School – The Associated Press & The Roswell Daily Record
A proposal under consideration in Roswell, New Mexico, would make it a minor crime to allow a child to accumulate 10 or more unexcused school absences.
The Roswell Daily Record reports that Mayor Dennis Kintigh unveiled a proposal Thursday that would make the "educational neglect" of a child 13 or younger a misdemeanor.
If the City Council approves the ordinance, the guardian of the child would have to appear before a judge in municipal court and face a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Kintigh says the proposal is intended to motivate parents to get their kids in school for the well-being of the community. He says state truancy statutes are difficult to enforce.
Albuquerque Considers Proposal To Seize Aggressive Dogs – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
The Albuquerque City Council is set to consider a proposal that would allow the city to immediately seize dogs that attack and kill without provocation.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the council will consider the proposal next month in response to two fatal attacks last year on small dogs that were on leashes being walked by their owners.
Currently, it's rare for the city to seize such dogs and current law leaves it up to animal control officers' discretion over whether to take custody of the offending animal.
The proposed ordinance would have the city take dogs into custody after an attack the killed or seriously injured a pet or person. The owner could contest the seizure in an administrative hearing.
Appeals Court Upholds $2 Million Ruling In Investment Suits – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
The New Mexico Court of Appeals has upheld the validity of more than $2 million worth of settlements in a long-running legal battle over state investment deals.
The Santa Fe New Mexico reports that the court on Thursday upheld the settlements despite finding that a State Investment Council committee that initially approved the settlements in a closed-door meeting violated the state Open Meetings Act.
The settlements are part of an ongoing slew of allegations that the State Investment Council employed a pay-to-play scheme that improperly shaped investment decisions by the Educational Retirement Board in favor of former Gov. Bill Richardson's supporters.
An investment council spokesman was happy with the ruling.
Wildfire At Arizona-New Mexico Border Stoked By Wind – The Associated Press
Firefighters dealing with gusty winds and dry conditions are battling an Arizona wildfire that's now crossed into New Mexico.
The fire near Douglas is about three square feet and is 15 percent contained but firefighters have an uphill battle thanks to dangerous weather conditions.
Jon Cambra, a fire spokesman, said the fire was reported on Sunday evening and crossed into New Mexico a day ago.
Cambra said it's threatening a ranch that's about a mile from the fire but that no other structures are threatened. There also haven't been any injuries as a result of the fire.
Authorities are investigating how the fire started. There are about 60 fire personnel on hand.
Doña Ana County's Treasurer Is Indicted, Facing A Jury Trial – Associated Press
Doña Ana County Treasurer David Gutierrez has been indicted on charges related to public corruption and faces a jury trial to determine if he should be removed from office.
Prosecutors say a county grand jury has formally accused Gutierrez of corruption in office or gross immorality by a public official.
They say the charges stem from accusations that Gutierrez offered a woman working in his office $2,000 to have sex with him.
The incident allegedly occurred in 2014. Charges weren't filed until after county officials formally requested that the district attorney's office investigate.
If convicted as charged in the criminal case, prosecutors say Gutierrez could face up to 18 months in prison.
They say if he's found guilty in the removal case, Gutierrez would be immediately removed from office.
Officials Lift Lockdown In Place Since 2 Inmates' Escape – Associated Press
Department of Corrections officials say they are lifting a lockdown that has been in place at prisons across the state since two inmates fled a transport van two weeks ago.
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Rose Bobchak says that visitor hours will resume at all prisons Friday, although some lockdown restrictions will remain in place for the correctional facility in Lea County.
The lockdown has been in place since March 10, the day after two prisoners with violent criminal histories escaped from a transport van that was stopped for gas along a southern New Mexico highway.
The two were apprehended days later in Albuquerque.
Police Chief: Mistreatment Of Public Won't Be Tolerated – Associated Press
A New Mexico police chief says the mistreatment of the public will not be tolerated and that the force has made changes in the wake of a case in which a high school intern was sexually assaulted during a ride-along.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya says he's confident the training and mentoring employees are receiving are steps in the right direction.
Montoya's comments come after attorneys announced Wednesday that a $3 million settlement had been reached with the victim, Diana Guerrero.
Her civil lawsuit claimed the police department allowed for a culture of sexism and inappropriate behavior that led to her being assaulted by a detective in 2011.
The City Council plans to meet Monday to finalize the agreement.
Montoya says he's hopeful the settlement will give closure to Guerrero and the department.
Lawsuit: Mormon Church Failed To Protect Navajos – Associated Press
A spokeswoman for the Mormon Church says officials will examine a lawsuit filed by two Navajo siblings who allege they were sexually abused in a church program.
Kristen Howey says the church doesn't tolerate abuse of any kind and works to prevent it. She says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will respond appropriately to the lawsuit filed in Navajo Nation court this week.
The lawsuit seeks written apologies, unspecified damages, changes in church policy and the creation of a task force to help address cultural or social harm to Navajos.
The siblings were placed in Mormon foster homes in Utah in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Their attorney, Billy Keeler, says at least two church program leaders were alerted to abuse but failed to protect the siblings.
Companies Pay Oil Workers $1.5M In Back Wages, Damages – Associated Press
Oilfield companies doing business in New Mexico and West Texas have paid workers $1.5 million in back wages and damages following a federal investigation.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division announced Thursday that Nova Mud Inc., Nova Hardbandings LLC and Nova Sand LLC violated overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The companies paid employees fixed semi-monthly salaries without regard to the number of hours they actually worked. Federal officials say that resulted in overtime violations when the employees worked more than 40 hours a work.
The companies signed an agreement with the department requiring them to take proactive measures to ensure workers are paid accordingly in the future. One measure calls for setting up an anonymous complaint system for employees.
States Ready If Melting Snow Kicks Up Metals From Mine Spill – Associated Press
States and Indian tribes are getting ready in case runoff from melting snow stirs up potentially toxic metals in two rivers after a massive spill from a Colorado mine last August.
More than two dozen agencies said Thursday they'll monitor the Animas and San Juan rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah at about 18 sites.
A crew led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inadvertently triggered the 3 million-gallon spill at the Gold King Mine Aug. 5 during preliminary cleanup work.
The EPA estimates it released 880,000 pounds of metals into the rivers. Some settled to the bottom and could be stirred up when snowmelt swells the rivers.
It isn't clear what effect the melting snow will have. Officials say that so far they don't expect above-average runoff.
Moody's Reaffirms New Mexico Credit Rating – Associated Press
A credit ratings agency is reaffirming a top grade for New Mexico general obligation bonds as the state grapples with declining revenues from the oil and natural gas industry.
The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration on Thursday announced the triple-A bond rating from Moody's Investor Services.
Moody's says the rating reflects the state's conservative financial management practices as well as relatively stable and adequate reserves. New Mexico expects to draw down it general fund reserves during the fiscal year ending in June to help balance general fund revenues and spending amid weak energy prices.
The Finance and Administration Department told Moody's that reserves should fall to about 7.9 percent of general fund spending by the end of the fiscal year, down from 11.6 percent the previous year.
FBI: Office Was Investigating Stolen Car – Associated Press
Authorities say a tribal police officer was investigating reports of a stolen vehicle before he was injured in a shooting that killed one person outside a New Mexico casino.
FBI spokesman Frank Fisher says the shooting happened at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Laguna Pueblo Officer Peter Tanzilli sustained non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.
In a video released by the FBI, the officer approaches two males outside the Route 66 Casino west of Albuquerque. The video doesn't have sound or show the shooting itself, which authorities say killed one of the suspects.
The other suspect fled wearing a pair of black shorts, black jacket and black shoes. The FBI was searching for him Thursday.
Ratheon Ktech Wins Counter-Electronics Missile Contract – Associated Press
Raytheon Missile Systems' Albuquerque division will help design a new type of missile that uses directed energy to destroy targets.
Raytheon's Ktech division has won a $4.8 million U.S. Air Force contract to finalize the missile, which uses energy like lasers or microwaves rather than explosives. Vice President for Business Development Bob Fitzpatrick says the weapon's precision could eliminate collateral damage in warfare.
During a Wednesday event, Fitzpatrick called the missile design "stuff of the future."
Raytheon Ktech employs 170 people in New Mexico. The new contract will lead to more hiring, but it's not clear how many new employees the company will take on.
The company will work with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque on the missile project.
New Mexico Governor Shuns Work Email Account – Associated Press
Records requested by the Associated Press show that New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez seldom uses her state email account to conduct official business and keeps half of those messages under seal.
The governor's office has released three emails and withheld three others in response to a request for emails sent and received by Martinez on her state account during the first week of February.
The AP sent open-records requests to the top lawmakers in all 50 states and most governors, seeking copies of their daily schedules and emails from government accounts for the week of Feb. 1-7. The requests were met with more denials than approvals.
A spokesman for the governor says she generally prefers to hold in-person meetings and have phone conversations with her Cabinet.