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Santa Fe Archbishop Decries Immigration Detention, State Police Say Man Shot By Marshals Had Gun

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Santa Fe Archbishop: US Detention Policy WrongAssociated Press

Santa Fe Roman Catholic Archbishop John Wester says the federal government isn't giving detained immigrants due process and called on U.S. officials to change that.

Wester told an immigration symposium on Wednesday at Albuquerque's Our Lady of Guadalupe that detained immigrants fleeing violence in Central America aren't being allowed to fairly present their cases.

He didn't mention the Obama Administration but criticized the federal government's detention policy and its obsession with enforcement.

Immigrant advocates around the country have been protesting the Obama Administration's policy on recent raids. However, advocates in New Mexico largely have been focused on the state's debate over immigrant driver's licenses.

Wester says the need to treat immigrants fairly is a "Gospel mandate, not a suggestion."

State Police: Man Brandished Gun Before Marshal Opened FireAssociated Press

State police say an Albuquerque man fatally shot outside his family's home by a deputy federal marshal brandished a gun before the marshal opened fire.

New Mexico State Police released details from their investigation into the shooting Saturday at a trailer park where the U.S. Marshals Service went to execute an arrest warrant for homicide suspect George Bond.

But before they located Bond, they confronted 23-year-old Edgar Camacho-Alvarardo — who state police said Wednesday started following a deputy marshal near the trailer park entrance.

According to authorities, Camacho-Alvarado wielded his weapon before fleeing to his house, where he pointed the gun at the deputy, prompting him to shoot.

The account from state investigators comes in contrast to statements from family members of Camacho-Alvarado who said he was repairing his pickup truck when he was shot.

New Mexico Wrestles With Backlog Of Campaign WarningsThe Associated Press

Records show New Mexico election regulators have yet to resolve a backlog of campaign finance accounts belonging to elected officials and candidates that were flagged for possible violations during the tenure of disgraced former Secretary of State Dianna Duran.

Only eight of nearly three dozen cases have been resolved through amended filings and fines of up to $350, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request.

After resigning last year, Duran served 30 days in jail for violating the laws she was supposed to uphold by using her own campaign contributions to fuel a gambling spree.

She left behind at least 33 cases in which officeholders, political candidates and political action committees had been warned of violating the state Campaign Reporting Act.

High Court: Reaching Behind Screen Was Breaking And EnteringThe Associated Press

New Mexico's highest court says window screens help provide protection against intruders other than just flies and that a man broke the law against breaking and entering by merely reaching behind a screen while trying to break into a home.

The state Supreme Court Thursday upheld Anthony Holt's conviction stemming from an abandoned attempt to break into a Las Cruces woman's home.

Holt only got as far as reaching behind the window screen before he saw the woman observing him. He then ran off.

Holt argued that he didn't break the law against breaking and entering because he didn't enter the home's interior.

The Supreme Court disagreed, saying that the law against breaking and entering both provides security and protects privacy and that entry is still entry, however slight.

Judge Approves $1B Settlement Between US And TribesAssociated Press

A judge has approved a nearly $1 billion settlement between the Interior Department and Native American tribes over a decades-old claim that the government failed to adequately compensate tribes while they managed education, law enforcement and other federal services.

U.S. District Court Judge James Parker in Albuquerque gave the agreement final approval Tuesday — about five months after federal officials and tribal leaders announced they had reached a deal to settle the case for $940 million.

The lawsuit accused the Interior Department of not paying tribes millions of dollars in federal contract costs to oversee federal Bureau of Indian Affairs programs and services dating back as far as the 1970s.

Nearly 700 tribes and tribal agencies are expected to claim compensation from the agreement, with payments ranging from $8,000 to as much as $58 million.

Judge Pushes Back Trial Date In Santa Fe Deputy Death CaseThe Associated Press

A judge has pushed back the trial date for a former Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy charged with fatally shooting his partner.

The trial of now-29-year-old Tai Chan was originally scheduled to begin in September 2015 and has been rescheduled three times. Chan is charged with murder in the 2014 death of 29-year-old Jeremy Martin after an alcohol-fueled fight in a Las Cruces hotel.

Chan's attorneys have asked the judge to order prosecutors not to discuss how Chan behaves under the influence of alcohol, calling it "opinion evidence."

State District Judge Fernando Macias of Las Cruces hasn't ruled on the request, but agreed Wednesday to postpone the trial until May 23.

Chan has pleaded not guilty.

John Day, one of Chan's lawyers, says he plans to argue that Chan shot Martin in self-defense.

Carlsbad Caverns Elevator Repair Moved To MayThe Associated Press

Carlsbad Caverns National Park officials say they plan to have a temporary solution for the lack of elevators at the park by May.

The Current-Argus reports that the temporary fix was originally expected to be done by March.

Officials plan to repair some of the steel guide rails in elevators that make the 650-foot descent into the cave. The elevators have been close for about a year after park engineers said they were too unsafe, noting deterioration in some of the steel rails in the elevator shaft.

Park spokeswoman Valerie Gohlke says the March date was only an estimate for the long and complicated process.

With the elevators out of commission, visitors can reach the underground using the natural entrance — a steep 750-foot descent and ascent.

Albuquerque Mom Competent To Stand Trial In Son's 2013 DeathAssociated Press

An Albuquerque mother accused in the 2013 beating death of her 9-year-old son has been found competent to stand trial.

A March 2 hearing is scheduled to set a trial date for Synthia Varela-Casaus.

She's facing charges stemming from the December 2013 death of Omaree Varela.

An autopsy found the boy died from severe internal bleeding caused by blunt-force trauma.

Varela-Casaus' case was put on hold earlier last year because both sides agreed there was a question of whether she was competent to stand trial.

Defendants must be able to understand the charges against them and assist in their own defense to be considered competent to stand trial.

The boy's stepfather, Stephen Casaus, was convicted of child abuse in the case last November and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Former Jail Guard Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Inmates Associated Press

A former Bernalillo County jail guard is accused of sexually assaulting multiple inmates.

A grand jury indictment charges 32-year-old Enock Arvizo with 11 counts of criminal sexual penetration of an inmate, one count of criminal sexual contact of an inmate, four counts of battery and two counts of assault.

The state Attorney General's Office announced the indictment Wednesday and said the charges stems from assaults on five different victims.

Arvizo is jailed in lieu of $1 million bonds.

His defense attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.

Senators Seek Reauthorization Of Tribally Controlled College Associated Press

U.S. senators in New Mexico and Arizona have introduced a bill to reauthorize the country's first tribally controlled college.

Dine College on the Navajo Nation was established in 1968 and now serves about 1,500 students. Its main campus is in Tsaile.

The bill sponsored by New Mexico Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, and Arizona Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain would reauthorize the college through 2020.

The bill also would require the U.S. Department of the Interior to make $2 million a year available to the college for construction grants.

New Mexico Track Ready For Racing Following Virus Outbreak -
Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

Horses will finally be hitting the track again at Sunland Park, more than a month after an equine herpes outbreak brought racing to halt while track managers and others scrambled to keep the virus from spreading.

Despite a continued quarantine, the track has the blessing of the New Mexico Racing Commission to resume racing Friday. Nearly 100 trainers have signed up to fill the race cards.

More than 70 horses tested positive for the EHV-1 virus since late January, but officials say there have been no new cases in the last week.

The fast-spreading virus has been documented at private stables from California to New York. But the outbreak at the track along the Texas-New Mexico border sparked concerns since there were more than 2,500 racehorses in the area and millions of dollars in purse payouts at stake.

Meeting Over Bus Rapid Transit Turns ChaoticAlbuquerque Journal

A meeting over the Albuquerque bus rapid transit project Wednesday night became contentious with participants yelling questions at city officials.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the meeting is the first of five planned this week and next and it drew about 110 people to the Special Collections Library near downtown.

The $119 million project would create dedicated bus lanes and stations along Central Avenue. President Obama’s budget allotted $70 million for the plan.

The city’s transit director, Bruce Rizzieri, tried to get participants to break into smaller groups with facilitators, but that was mostly unsuccessful. At one point architect Anthony Anella stood on a chair and said the city is promoting this as a done deal, but he said it is not.

The project has spurred controversy among many business owners, particularly in Nob Hill, who fear lengthy construction could have a big impact on their bottom lines.

Suit Planned Challenging Peabody Mine Clean Up Funding Steamboat Today, Associated Press

An environmental group plans to sue financially-troubled coal giant Peabody Energy, claiming it doesn't have the money to make good on its promise to clean up its mines in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

The Steamboat Today newspaper reports that WildEarth Guardians notified the St. Louis-based company Monday that it intends to file a lawsuit claiming it is violating the federal mine reclamation law. It's required to provide 60-days notice before filing suit.

The group says the costs could end up being shifted to taxpayers.

The company says it has an excellent restoration record and that its ability to pay for its own cleanup work was reaffirmed last year in all the states where it does so. Some states require that companies post bonds to pay for reclamation work instead.