Budget Woes Could Call New Mexico Lawmakers Back To Work-Associated Press
New Mexico's Legislature could be called back to the capitol for a special session later this year if state revenues continue their downward slide.
Lawmakers headed home warily Friday to distant corners of the state after approving a $6.2 billion budget that reduces spending.
The state is drawing down its reserve funds and pinching pennies to pay for day-to-day government operations because of plunging revenues linked to oil and natural gas production, as well as weaker-than-expected sales and income tax receipts.
Republican Governor Susana Martinez says it's unlikely lawmakers will need to reconvene on budget matters. The state has a little more than $100 million in contingency funds available before it would need to tap into a tobacco settlement fund. That last resort measure requires the Legislature's approval.
Ex-New Mexico Secretary Of State Wants Her Probation Altered-Associated Press, KRQE-TV
Former New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is asking a judge to reconsider the conditions of her probation.
KRQE-TV reports Duran says the required speaking engagements will endanger her life and they should be reevaluated and removed.
She's also asking a judge to reconsider the number of community service hours she has to serve and that she be allowed to travel around the state without having to get permission first.
Duran resigned and pleaded guilty last October to felony counts of embezzlement and money laundering for using political campaign funds to fuel a gambling spree.
In December, Duran accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail.
She's required to make four public appearances per month and to serve 2,000 hours of community service.
Notices Issued To Federal Contractors After Radiation Leak-Associated Press
The federal government has issued a pair of preliminary notices of violation against two contractors after a radiation leak forced the shutdown of the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository.
The U.S. Department of Energy said Friday the notices mark the completion of investigations into the 2014 disaster as well as the enforcement process against the managers of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The notices cover worker safety violations at the southern New Mexico repository as well as violations stemming from the handling of waste at the lab.
The contractors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Investigators determined the radiation leak was caused by waste that had been inappropriately packed at the lab then shipped to the repository for storage.