New Mexico Mayor Who Urged Saving Water Using A Lot – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
A New Mexico mayor who campaigned on reducing water consumption appears to use significantly more water than most of his neighbors.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports documents show that Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber consumes way more water than the average single-family residential customer in the city he now leads.
And according to documents obtained under an open-records request, his water usage is only going up.
During certain months, the water usage at Webber's gated home is more than eight times what the average single-family residential customer in Santa Fe consumes.
Webber and his wife, Frances Diemoz, live in a nearly 5,000-square-foot home valued at nearly $1.15 million.
The mayor says he's taking steps to reduce his water usage.
The report comes as almost half of New Mexico is struggling with extreme drought conditions.
After Brief Relief, Forecasts Indicate Drought Will Continue – The Associated Press
Recent showers temporarily relieved drought conditions in parts of the southwestern United States, but dry weather will persist through the summer.
Forecasters said Monday a months-long drought is considered "extreme" from southern California to central Kansas. Conditions are even worse in the Four Corners region and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles.
The drought has contributed to numerous wildfires. Forecasters say it will last at least through July, with some improvement east of a line from Albuquerque to Denver.
The scientists said the desert-like air is responsible for some anomalies. At Alva, Oklahoma, the temperature last Tuesday climbed from 33 degrees to 101 in less than a day.
Also, Oklahoma hasn't had a tornado this year and storms aren't expected. The state hasn't had an April without at least one tornado.
New Mexico Court Issues Opinion In Pre-Trial Detention Case – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court says judges can't deny a defendant pre-trial release just because that person is accused of a crime that would have qualified for capital punishment had the state still allowed for death sentences.
The court in an opinion released Monday said first-degree murder isn't currently a constitutionally defined capital offense that would authorize a judge to categorically deny bail.
The opinion comes in the case of Muhammad Ameer, a suspect in a deadly stabbing and robbery last year in Albuquerque.
Prosecutors sought to keep Ameer in custody under the new rules that stemmed from a voter-approved bail reform amendment.
Instead, the district court ordered detention based on a 1912 constitutional provision providing an exception to the right to bail in capital offenses.
The lower court will now have to determine if Ameer should have been held under the new rules.
Incumbent Raises Most Money In New Mexico Senate Race – The Associated Press
Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich raised more campaign cash during the first three months of the year than his Republican and Libertarian election rivals, according to federal filings release Monday.
Heinrich reported raising roughly $546,000 during the first financial quarter.
Republican Mick Rich raised about $123,000 including the use of his car for travel. The Albuquerque-based construction contractor lent his campaign an additional $15,000.
Libertarian Senate candidate and State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, a newcomer to the race, said his campaign did not begin raising money in the first financial quarter. Dunn switched from the Republican Party earlier this year to run for Senate as a Libertarian.
None of the three major-party candidates face primary competition.
New Mexico School District Eyes Mandated Drug Teaching – The Associated Press, The Las Vegas Optic
A northern New Mexico school district may require all teachers, staff and student athletes to undergo drug testing.
The Las Vegas Optic reports West Las Vegas Schools is considering a proposal that would mandate drug testing amid an opioid crisis that has severely hurt parts of northern New Mexico.
Board member Ambrosio Castellano says those using narcotics or medications may not be fully aware or fully coherent during an emergency.
He cited a poll conducted among teachers which found that 35 percent of them said that their stress level was very high, and they were coping by taking antidepressants or other medications.
Superintendent Chris Gutierrez says he would look into the issue and conduct a survey to get feedback from teachers.
It's unclear if the proposal would require testing of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and opioids, or just opioids.
Santa Fe's City Manager Resigns At The Request Of The Mayor – The Associated Press
Santa Fe's city manager has resigned at the request of the mayor.
City Manager Brian Snyder had approved pay hikes of 10 percent and 15 percent for 37 staff members on the eve of the Mayor Alan Webber's inauguration last month.
Webber says the municipal government will halt the pay increases Snyder had approved.
The mayor had initially defended the move as an important part of a project to modernize Santa Fe's software system.
Webber has now conceded that a policy enacted in 1992 required City Council approval for the pay raises.
Snyder has been city manager since 2013, but he won't be off Santa Fe's payroll altogether.
Under a contract provision approved by a former mayor, Snyder will return to a supervisory job in the city's water division.
Hundreds Mourn New Mexico Woman Killed In Southwest Flight – The Associated Press, The Albuquerque Journal
Family and friends gathered Sunday to mourn an Albuquerque bank executive who died after the Southwest Airlines plane she was on blew an engine in midair.
Nearly a thousand people attended the evening service for Jennifer Riordan, 43, the Albuquerque Journal reported. The service was held at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, her alma mater.
"We appreciate the outpouring of support from the community. It truly touches our hearts," the Riordan family wrote in a statement. "We know there are many in the community who want to celebrate Jennifer."
Lt. Gov. John Sanchez presented Michael Riordan with a flag that was flown at half-staff at New Mexico's Capitol in Jennifer Riordan's memory.
"She was considered a friend, colleague, and pillar of the community and will be forever missed," Sanchez said.
The community leader and mother of two had been heading home from a business trip Tuesday on a flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport bound for Dallas.
Early in the flight as the plane was at 32,000 feet one of its twin engines suddenly exploded. The impact showered the jet with debris and shattered the window next to Riordan.
Authorities said Riordan was fatally injured when she was sucked partway through the window, sending passengers scrambling to help her as the aircraft shook violently and went into a rapid descent. The plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. Riordan was the only one of the 149 people on board who suffered fatal injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board believes one of the engine fan blades snapped.
Riordan was well known in the Albuquerque area for an established career in community engagement and volunteerism. She served as vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo's New Mexico operations. She oversaw the company's corporate giving program in New Mexico and volunteered her time with a number of area nonprofit groups and boards.
"She was the face of giving. If you were an idea or a dream that needed a little help, she was your gal. Her currency was compassion," said Albuquerque poet laureate Hakim Bellamy, who read an original poem at the memorial. "The kind of kindness that folds like a hug like a laugh like her wings before she was so close to heaven that the angles recognized her and plucked her from the sky."
Jennifer Riordan graduated from the University of New Mexico with a communications degree in 1999 and previously worked as the media relations manager at UNM Hospital.
Jennifer Riordan and her husband, Michael Riordan, a former chief operating officer for the city of Albuquerque, were married for more than 20 years.
Federal Funding OK'd For Dona Ana County Wastewater Systems – The Associated Press
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation say the federal government has agreed to provide more than $14 million to help renovate wastewater systems serving two unincorporated communities in Dona Ana County.
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich on Friday announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded an $8 million grant and approved a loan of $6.2 million to improve systems for Mesquite and Brazito.
The senators' announcement says the funding provided to the Lower Rio Grande Public Water Works Authority will pay for connections to eliminate the use of hundreds of septic tanks and reduce the possibility of groundwater pollution and contamination.
The two communities have 1,088 residential and 20 commercial users.
Navajo Nation Approves $2.4 Million For Veterans’ Facility – The Associated Press
The Navajo Nation has given approval to help fund a veterans’ facility in New Mexico that will prevent patients from having to travel far for care.
Navajo Nation council members voted 19-0 this week to give $2.4 million toward the construction of a service center for veterans in the community of Thoreau.
The center, which will be about 33 miles east of Gallup, will offer physical therapy as well as medical services.
Thoreau Chapter Veterans Committee Commander Lester Emerson says they will work with the state Department of Veterans Services to hire a doctor to be based there.
Emerson says the hope is that veterans will no longer have to make the two-hour journey to Albuquerque for medical services.
The facility also will have a space for events and meetings.
Albuquerque Police ID 20-Year-Old Victim Of A Fatal Shooting – The Associated Press, KOB-TV
Police in Albuquerque have identified the victim in a fatal shooting incident.
They say 20-year-old Clifford Patterson III died Friday following a deadly altercation inside a vehicle in a southwest Albuquerque neighborhood.
Police say another person is hospitalized in stable condition following the shooting.
They're still searching for suspects in the homicide.
KOB-TV reports that it's the 23rd homicide so far this year in Albuquerque.