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State Draws Down Reserves, Guard Investigated Over Inmate Escape

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State Drawing Down Reserves To Fund Government Operations Associated Press

State budget analysts say New Mexico is withdrawing more money from reserves this year than it has in at least two decades.

The state is reeling from low energy prices as members of the Legislative Finance Committee gather Monday to examine new revenue estimates.

More than $400 million is being drawn from state operating reserves to pay for day-to-day government operations during the fiscal year ending in June. That will leave reserve balances at less than 6 percent of annual general fund spending, under a $6.2 billion state budget for next year approved by lawmakers in February.

Economists at the Legislature say an ideal level for reserve balances is 10 percent. That keeps borrowing costs down and provides a spending cushion if tax receipts and royalties shrink further.

Guard Investigated In Inmate Escape Was SuedThe Associated Press

A New Mexico corrections guard under investigation after two violent inmates escaped from a prison transport van also has been accused of leaving inmates unattended in a hot van.

The cases raise questions about the handling of prisoner transports in the state.

Officials disclosed in documents obtained by The Associated Press that Taracina Morgan and Michael Ortega were in charge of transporting two violent felons who escaped at a gas station on March 9. Both were later apprehended.

The guards are on administrative leave amid an investigation into the escape and any possible misconduct.

Morgan is named in a lawsuit filed last year that says she and another guard left inmates in an unventilated transport van for up to an hour in 2013.

A corrections spokeswoman says the department investigated and didn't find her guilty of the accusations.

1,600 Citations In Crackdown On Road Rage In AlbuquerqueThe Associated Press

Authorities say more than 1,600 citations were issued for dangerous driving through a coordinated effort to crack down on road rage in Albuquerque.

Gov. Susana Martinez and Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry announced the results Monday for Operation Lilly. It's named after the 4-year-old girl who was fatally shot in a road rage incident last year.

Following Lilly's death, Martinez directed the New Mexico State Police to develop a plan to help curb dangerous driving and road rage in the Albuquerque area.

New Mexico State Police partnered with Albuquerque police and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office to crack down on dangerous driving from Nov. 18 through the end of February.

Officers issued 1,676 citations for reckless or dangerous driving and made 25 arrests, including five for DWI.

Settlement Proposed In Gallup Diocese Bankruptcy CaseThe Associated Press & The ABQ Journal

Attorneys for a New Mexico diocese have submitted a proposed settlement for a bankruptcy case that has spanned more than two years.

Attorneys for the Diocese of Gallup on Monday filed a reorganization plan that would use cash contributions of $21 million from nearly a dozen sources to settle claims filed by 57 alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the settlement would also be used to establish a trust to pay for future claims.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma will consider the proposal at a hearing next month. The plan must also be approved by the claimants.

An attorney for the claimants says some terms are still being negotiated, including policies to protect children.

The diocese filed Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in November 2013.

New Mexico Child Obesity Rates May Be Leveling OffThe Associated Press

The New Mexico Department of Health says childhood obesity rates in the state may be beginning to level off after a downward trend in recent years.

The department says childhood obesity among third-graders dropped 16 percent between 2010 and 2015 while dropping 10 percent among kindergarteners, but each category increased slightly between 2014 and 2015.

According to the department, the increases noted between 2014 and 2015 are statistically insignificant.

Deputy Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher says the new data in the state's annual update indicates a possible leveling-off of childhood obesity rates.

She says state officials are proud of progress being made but that there's still work to be done because more than one in three third-graders and one in four kindergarteners are overweight or obese.

Thousands Walk As Part Of 27th Bataan Memorial Death MarchThe Associated Press & The Las Cruces Sun-News

More than 6,600 people participated in an annual walk honoring those who died in the Bataan Death March.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that people came from as far away as the Philippines and Canada to participate in the 26.2-mile trek from White Sands Missile Range on Sunday.

The Bataan Memorial Death March honors the World War II soldiers who suffered during the April 1942 march after thousands of American and Filipino service members surrendered to Japanese forces. Many died during the 80-mile march or became prisoners of war.

Eight survivors of the march were in attendance Sunday. One survivor, 98-year-old Ben Skardon, has traveled from South Carolina for the past nine years of the annual march. He hiked eight and a half miles at the memorial.

Rio Grande To Flow In Southern New Mexico This WeekThe Associated Press & The ABQ Journal

Federal officials will release Rio Grande water destined for irrigation in southern New Mexico months earlier than last year.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will release water from Elephant Butte and Caballo dams this week, two months earlier than the water was unleashed last year.

Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Carlson says the Rio Grande reservoirs have more water than they did a year ago thanks to an exceptionally wet 2015, though they are still well below half full.

Releases from Elephant Butte Reservoir, located near Truth or Consequences, will begin flowing to Caballo Reservoir, near Elephant Butte, on Monday. Caballo will start releasing water March 26.

The water is used to irrigate lands in southern New Mexico and West Texas.

Data Shows More Women Traveling To New Mexico For Abortions Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Though abortions among residents are down the number of out-of-state women traveling to New Mexico for abortions has grown significantly over the past three years.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that according to state Department of Health data, about 20 percent of the roughly 4,500 abortions performed in New Mexico in 2014 involved women from out of state. Reports suggest that number can be attributed to New Mexico's few restrictions on abortion.

New Mexico hasn't passed an abortion law in 16 years and is one of seven states that permits abortions at any stage in a pregnancy.

Comparatively, neighboring Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma each adopted 10 or more abortion restrictions from 2011 to 2015.

Federal Monitor Says Albuquerque Police Slow To Reform Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

A federal monitor overseeing Albuquerque police reform says the department is still having problems writing new policies.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that monitor James Ginger wrote in a report released Friday that the department has reached operational compliance with only eight of 227 reforms and compliance with 22 of 277 primary tasks.

Ginger's recent statement follows previous status reports critical of the department's policymaking process.

Despite the slow work, Ginger says the police have recently attempted to clarify the policy writing process that could lead to positive changes.

Albuquerque police came under scrutiny starting several years ago for dozens of police shootings since 2010. It's one of several agencies nationwide under a court-ordered agreement with the Justice Department.

Albuquerque City Council To Decide On Rapid TransitAlbuquerque Journal

A controversial rapid transit proposal heads to the Albuquerque City Council tonight where councilors will consider giving the nod to the federal grant that is key to the project.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that meetings on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project have been generally rowdy and contentious, but public comment is usually limited at the council meetings to two minutes per person.

The transit project is a priority for Republican Mayor Richard J. Berry. The council proposal to accept the $70 million Small Starts federal grant is being sponsored by Democrat Ken Sanchez and Republican Don Harris.

The rapid transit project would cost about $119 million and create dedicated lanes and stations in the middle of Central Avenue for buses. The city already has about $31 million in other federal money and the remaining funding – about $18 million – would come from city sources.

Democrats Pushing Federal Bill To Protect Medicaid ProvidersAlbuquerque Journal

In the wake of a shakeup in the state’s behavioral health system Democratic members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are pushing safeguards for Medicaid providers facing fraud allegations.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the Medicaid Due Process Integrity Act comes as a response to actions by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration in 2013 that stopped payments to 15 providers because of alleged fraud.

Thirteen of those providers have been cleared by the attorney general with two still undergoing investigation. At least 10 providers are now suing in federal court.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., said providers have been forced to close, disrupting service to residents. He and Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham say this was a manufactured crisis and that the proposed federal bill would put safeguards in place.

The bill would require a Medicaid agency to consult with the attorney general before stopping payments and states would be required to create an appeals process to challenge allegations.

Providers in New Mexico said they were never given opportunities by the state to review the charges against them and challenge them.

Woman Accused Of Helping Escaped Inmates Appears In Court KOB-TV, Associated Press

A woman accused of helping two New Mexico convicts who sparked a manhunt after escaping from a prison transport van made her first court appearance.

KOB-TV in Albuquerque reports that 45-year-old Celeste Salcido went before a judge Saturday.

Salcido, of Albuquerque, has been charged with harboring or aiding a felon and assisting escape.

Authorities say she is the partner of Olivia Cruz, the sister of convicted murderer Joseph Cruz.

He and fellow convict Lionel Clah escaped March 9.

The judge ordered Salcido held on $10,000 bond.

It was not known if she had an attorney.

Salcido, Olivia Cruz and two other women are facing charges for allegedly helping the convicts.

A man in Carlsbad was also arrested for allegedly driving them from southeastern New Mexico to Albuquerque.

Sobering Center opens in San Juan County Daily Times, Associated Press

A facility that will help people with alcohol addiction is set to open in San Juan County this week.

The Daily Times in Farmington reports that the Sobering Center is scheduled to open Monday.

County officials say the sobering center will fill a gap left by the Four Winds Recovery Center.

Four Winds Recovery has long been the only detox center in the county.

San Juan Regional Medical Center, the city of Farmington and Presbyterian Medical Services all worked with the county to open the Sobering Center.

It has private rooms for transgender people or those having a mental health crisis.

Operators plan to serve up to 40 people.

Bighorn Ruling Could Have Ramifications On Western Grazing -
Keith Ridler, Associated Press

A ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recognizing a connection between bighorn sheep die-offs and diseases transmitted by domestic sheep could have far-reaching ramifications on federal grazing allotments in the West.

The ruling earlier this month against domestic sheep producers upheld a lower court ruling in Idaho supporting a U.S. Forest Service decision to close grazing allotments to protect bighorns.

Laurie Rule of Advocates for the West says it's the first time a U.S. circuit court has ruled on disease transmission between the species and the decision could guide federal agencies or be used in future lawsuits.

The Idaho Wool Growers Association sued in 2012 contending the Forest Service illegally shut down 70 percent of sheep grazing in the Payette National Forest in western Idaho.

Ape Found After Short Lockdown At Albuquerque Zoo KRQE-TV, Associated Press

Albuquerque's zoo went into a brief lockdown after an ape went missing from its enclosure.

KRQE-TV reports that the zoo had visitors stay inside for about an hour Saturday morning after Tika, a 2-year-old siamang, got through a hole in some mesh.

Zoo officials say Tika did not go far.

Zoo keepers made a larger hole for the ape to get back into the exhibit and be with its mother.

Dana Feldman, of the City of Albuquerque, says a tree branch may have caused the initial tear that led to the hole.

The mesh was already scheduled to be replaced within the next two months.

Officials say the siamangs will not be on display for a few days while the hole is repaired.