Police Use Smoke, Pepper Spray Against Trump Protestors – Associated Press
Albuquerque police say they used smoke grenades to disburse a crowd of angry protesters outside a Donald Trump rally after demonstrators threw burning T-shirts, plastic bottles and other debris at officers.
Initial indications were that it was tear gas, but an officer said police used smoke and some pepper spray as the protesters became violent.
The unruly crowd overran police barricades earlier in the night and overturned trashcans as Trump spoke to some 4,000 supporters inside the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Some protesters were also escorted out of the event after interrupting the candidate's speech.
Bill Clinton Wraps Up Campaign Swing In New Mexico – The Associated Press
Former President Bill Clinton has wrapped up a two-day swing in New Mexico with a low-key rally at a packed Albuquerque community center.
Clinton told the crowd Wednesday that his wife, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, plans to address income equality and college debt and bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States.
He also made a pitch to the working class, saying he understands their frustrations and that his wife doesn't want to leave anyone behind.
Clinton's visit comes days after Democratic rival Bernie Sanders drew thousands to rallies in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and southern New Mexico.
Though Hillary Clinton hasn't campaigned in New Mexico, her team has opened offices in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Las Vegas.
New Mexico's primary election is June 7.
O'Keeffe Museum Buys Artist's Rarely Seen Lake George Work – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe has acquired a rarely seen painting created by the artist in 1926.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the museum purchased "The Barns, Lake George" from Christie's Auction House in New York City for $3.3 million.
The work has been held in private collections since 1946 and only shown publicly once in the past 50 years. It features rustic barns overlooking the shores of Lake George in New York, where the artist and her husband had a retreat.
Museum officials say the Lake George painting will fill gaps in the collection to tell a more complete story of O'Keeffe's development. Curator Carolyn Kastner says it comes as a surprise to many people that the artist painted things other than flowers.
Bernalillo County Approves Tax Breaks For Mountain Top Coaster – Albuquerque Journal
The Bernalillo County Commission voted to grant tax breaks for a mountain top coaster and restaurant on Sandia Peak.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the commission voted unanimously for a package of bonds totaling $9 million for the projects by Sandia Peak Ski Co. and Peak Dining LLC.
The deal means about $260,000 in property tax breaks for the projects, which would require approval from the U.S. Forest Service.
Commissioners rejected a proposal by Commissioner Debbie O'Malley to require the project to hire local contractors and residents. Opponents argued for a broader policy in the future on preferences for local hires for all bond projects.
Congressman Calls On New Mexico To Help With Water Dispute – The Associated Press
New Mexico's only Republican member of Congress has joined the fight between ranchers and the federal government over access to water on national forest lands.
The U.S. Forest Service has fenced streams, springs and other watering holes to protect the habitat of an endangered mouse. The agency has defended the action, saying it has responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act.
But U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce said Wednesday the agency is blindly implementing laws without weighing the effects on livelihoods, customs and culture in rural New Mexico.
He says the federal government is trampling on private property and water rights and the state has the authority to step up.
Fifty state lawmakers also have written to New Mexico's top water manager, voicing concerns that the federal government has overstepped its authority.
Albuquerque Board: Police Shooting Case Reviews Slowed By DA – The Associated Press & KOAT
Albuquerque's Civilian Police Oversight Agency says the county district attorney's office has a backlog of more than a dozen officer-involved shooting cases, forcing ACPOA to delay its own investigations.
KOAT-TV reports that it's up to District Attorney Kari Brandenburg to decide whether or not to file charges when an Albuquerque officer fires on a suspect. CPOA, however, is tasked with reviewing the cases for any police department policy violations.
When asked about the issue, Brandenburg's office sent a statement saying they are working as quickly as possible.
CPOA Executive Director Ed Harness says as many as 16 such cases are still awaiting full review, some dating back to 2013. The agency cannot review pending cases.
Harness says the backlog also keeps the pending cases hanging over officers' heads.
Planners Seek To Transform Border Town Into Destination – Associated Press
A nonprofit group that operates a booming border town in New Mexico is working to transform the area from a place where people work into one where they might live.
Officials in Santa Teresa are drafting plans that call for the building of a plaza on an upslope, surrounded by Mediterranean-style housing and international restaurants.
Such developments also could include hotels, retail stores and entertainment attractions that would turn this industrial park into a new hot spot just a stone's throw away from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Christopher Lyons, who owns the Santa Teresa industrial area, says the idea for the plaza and housing has been floating around for years.
Santa Teresa is near the busy ports of entry in El Paso, Texas. The town has its own port of entry and brings in millions of revenue for New Mexico.
Widow, Witnesses Take The Stand In Deputy's Murder Trial – Associated Press
Prosecutors have begun calling witnesses to the stand in the trial for a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of fatally shooting a fellow deputy during an argument.
The first witness to take the stand Tuesday was Sarah Martin, the widow of Deputy Jeremy Martin. Authorities say the deputy was shot and killed at a Las Cruces hotel by Tai Chan during an October 2014 work trip.
Chan, now 29, has been charged with murder in Martin's death.
Sarah Martin's testimony lasted several minutes before prosecutors finished questioning. Defense attorneys declined to question her.
Randy Hudson, a guest at the hotel the night of the shooting, also testified, saying he heard a rapid burst of gunfire before three distinct shots were fired.
Chan's attorney told jurors in opening arguments that evidence indicates he acted in self-defense.
New Mexico, Texas Schools On Team Competing For Lab Contract – Associated Press
New Mexico and Texas universities are members of a team competing for a federal contract to manage Sandia National Laboratories.
The University of New Mexico announced Tuesday that a team led by Chicago-based Boeing Co. and Battelle, a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit, includes the New Mexico school as well as Texas A&M University and the University of Texas System.
The University of New Mexico says more than 2,400 of its graduates are employed by Sandia, a federally-funded research and development center based in Albuquerque.
Other companies interested in the contract include the current operator, Lockheed Martin.
US Official Says Tribal Items Auction 'Wrong' – Associated Press
A U.S. Department of State official says the auctions that put up Native American ceremonial and cultural items for bidding in Paris are "fundamentally wrong."
The comments from Mark Taplin, an official within the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, came during an emergency meeting held Tuesday afternoon in Washington to address a looming auction set for Monday in Paris.
Officials say an Acoma Pueblo shield, Plains warshirt and numerous other cultural items are set to be sold May 30.
In recent years, the auctions have presented a diplomatic issue between the United States and France, where U.S. laws prohibiting the sale of Native American ceremonial items hold no weight.
Acoma Pueblo and other tribes have issued appeals to federal officials and the French to halt the auction, though similar attempts in the past have not stopped the sales.
Feds Announce $10 Million For Wildfire Projects In 12 States – Associated Press
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Tuesday toured a massive wildfire rehabilitation effort in southwest Idaho that's part of the federal government's new wildfire strategy and then announced $10 million for projects in 12 states to reduce wildfire threats.
The money is part of the Wildland Fire Resilient Landscapes Program intended to restore public lands.
Recipients include Santa Clara Pueblo, which will receive $800,000 to protect cliff dwellings and other cultural sites. The Valles Caldera will get $1.03 million to improve the ability of ecosystems to recover from wildfires and other natural disturbance events.
Others include:
—Southern Utah, which will receive $3.5 million to improve habitat for greater sage grouse.
—About $1 million to protect habitat for Bi-State sage grouse on the Nevada-California border.
—Another $1 million in Colorado and Utah to improve Gunnison sage grouse habitat.
Dozens Displaced By Early Morning Fire At Albuquerque Motel – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Dozens of people have been displaced by a fire at an Albuquerque motel.
The Fire Department says two people were treated for inhalation of smoke from the fire early Tuesday morning at the Desert Sands Motel where some people stay for weeks or longer.
The American Red Cross is assisting with the location of nearly 60 people displaced by the fire.
Over 20 fire units were dispatched to fight the fire. The Albuquerque Journal reports some residents said they heard an explosion, but the cause of the fire isn't yet known.
The motel, a classic Route 66 property that also had long-term residents, is on Central Avenue just west of San Mateo. It was used in the film “No Country For Old Men.”
AG Says County Board Broke Open Meetings Law – Current-Argus, Associated Press
The New Mexico Attorney General's office has found that a former county board violated the state's Open Meetings Act by failing to provide specific descriptions in its agendas.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that the state says the Eddy County Board of Commissioners violated the law in approximately 26 agendas in 2013 and 2014. Three members of the current board were commissioners at that time: Susan Crockett, Glenn Collier and Royce Pearson.
All three said they were unable to comment because they have not yet seen the document from the state Attorney General's Office.
The office says the descriptions for closed meetings contain generic phrases like "limited personnel matters." The Open meetings Act requires that agendas provide specific information about what will be discussed behind closed doors.