New Mexico Sues Texas Oil Company For Lease Payments – Associated Press
The New Mexico State Land Office is suing a Texas-based oil company for years of overdue fees and recent environmental cleanup costs at a waste-water injection well used by various oil producers.
Siana Operating of Midland, Texas, was notified Thursday of the lawsuit in Santa Fe District Court seeking civil sanctions. State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn says that Siana continued to operate a salt-water injection well on state trust lands after its lease expired while avoiding $114,000 in disposal fees.
At the same time, creditors have filed a lawsuit in Texas against Siana Operating and affiliate Siana Oil & Gas seeking to reclaim $13 million in debts and interest payments outstanding.
A Santa Fe-based attorney for Siana said his client is reviewing the lawsuits and had no immediate comment.
State Workers Say They Used Fake Numbers To Deny Aid – Santa Fe New Mexican
Five state employees said they deliberately put false information on applications for emergency food assistance resulting in needy people being denied benefits.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the testimony was part of a hearing in U.S. Magistrate Court to decide if the Human Services Department's medical and food assistance programs should be placed with a monitor to ensure the state is complying with federal law.
The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty contends the state is not in compliance and is illegally delaying or denying benefits. Federal law dictates that those applying for emergency benefits under the Supplemental Food and Nutrition Assistance Program should get those benefits within seven days. Employees testified they were pressured to alter requests for assistance to show applicants had up to $400 in assets they didn’t have.
The New Mexico Political Report reports that one employee testified her superiors wanted to cut down the list of overdue emergency SNAP cases by adding non-existent assets to applications.
Human Services Department Secretary Brent Earnest said at the hearing that his department has missed deadlines laid out by court orders to train employees and do proper screening. But he argued putting the programs in receivership with an independent monitor would complicate the issue and increase costs.
New Mexico Appoints New Health Department Secretary – Associated Press
A new Cabinet secretary has been appointed to lead the New Mexico Department of Health after the death of Sec. Retta Ward in March.
Gov. Susana Martinez on Thursday tapped Truth or Consequences native Lynn Gallagher to lead the public health agency.
The Health Department has made recent strides in reducing rates of teen pregnancy and childhood obesity while expanding childhood vaccinations.
Gallagher's resume includes recent stints as deputy health secretary and general counsel for the Long-Term Services Department, after an early career in business and finance in New York and Florida.
Ward died on March 3 at age 62 from an apparent heart problem while driving in Santa Fe.
Prison Gang’s Mission Was To Kill Corrections Chief – Albuquerque Journal
New details have emerged about a plot by a prison gang to kill New Mexico Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel and other officials.
The Albuquerque Journal reports a federal indictment that was unsealed lays out a plan for a hit man to be murdered with a lethal dose of heroin after he killed Marcantel.
It also adds more members of the Syndicato Nuevo Mexico as defendants and charges the syndicate in at least six homicides around the state.
The gang was formed after the notorious prison riot in Santa Fe in 1980. The indictment contends the defendants directed gang members despite being in prison and closely monitored.
More than 40 defendants are being charged with racketeering and 20 others with drugs and weapons offenses. They’re all in federal custody and have pleaded not guilty.
GAO: Health Care Access Hard To Measure For Native Americans – Associated Press
Federal investigators say access to health care for American Indians is difficult to gauge because the agency that oversees it does a poor job of tracking patient wait times.
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Thursday says long wait times are a known problem at Indian Health Service facilities. One facility on the Navajo Nation reported that new patients have waited up to four months to see a physician and a month for a routine vision check.
Officials with the Indian Health Service say they've struggled to provide timely care because of staffing shortages and outdated equipment.
The agency serves about 2 million American Indians, a population that suffers disproportionately from illnesses including diabetes and chronic liver disease.
Federal investigators says those disparities can be improved through better access to primary care services.
Los Alamos Lab Plans To Hire Hundreds By 2020 – Los Alamos Monitor, Associated Press
The head of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is assuring Santa Fe leaders that the lab will remain a strong force in the region as it looks to hire about 2,000 people in the next four years.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports that Director Charlie McMillan told leaders Thursday about plans to hire 600 to 700 scientists, 400 support technicians and 1,400 people to fill jobs in its business services and operations sectors. The employees will replace those who are retiring in the next four years.
McMillan says recruitment efforts have already begun.
The employment plan comes after the lab failed to get a renewed contract with Los Alamos National Security to manage the facility because of performance issues. The contract will go out to bid after 2017.
Carlsbad To Get Official Tent City For Homeless Residents – Current-Argus, Associated Press
The city of Carlsbad is set to provide homeless residents with another place to stay as it prepares to open up a tent city.
The Current-Argus reports that Carlsbad Community of Hope is scheduled to open the tent city on June 16. The action comes after the City Council approved an ordinance rezoning the area from an industrial district to one available for commercial use on Tuesday.
Project organizer Robert Jacquez says homeless residents will have access to shelter as well as a resource center offering a variety of services, including haircuts, educational classes and mental health support.
The tent city will have 30 tents for people who have filled out necessary paperwork to prove that they are homeless. Residents will be able to stay for 90 days.
New Bernalillo County Budget Includes Belt-Tightening – Associated Press
A new operating budget approved by the Bernalillo County Commission includes some belt-tightening.
The spending plan approved unanimously Tuesday night would close a budget shortfall by a variety of measures.
Those include cutting employee travel, requiring some workers to take unpaid days off and reducing funding for some departments by 1 percent.
Employees not represented by a union would have to take six days off without pay. Employees making less than $35,000 a year are excluded.
The budget covers the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The county currently employs about 2,500 people.
Xcel Energy Approves $40M In New Transmission Projects – Associated Press
More than 30 miles of transmission lines and several electrical substations will be upgraded as part of eight infrastructure projects being planned by Xcel Energy.
The company announced Thursday that the $40 million investment is part of a push to strengthen the grid along the New Mexico-Texas border.
The projects are expected to be complete by 2021.
Overall, Xcel says it has invested in nearly 800 miles of new transmission lines and 10 substations in New Mexico and Texas since 2011. More than 700 miles of additional lines will be built over the next few years.
In New Mexico, crews are currently working on 70 miles of transmission lines and two substations. Texas crews are also building two new substations and putting up 40 miles of lines.
Las Cruces Police Investigating An Apparent Murder-Suicide – Associated Press
Police say they're investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide involving an elderly couple at their Las Cruces home.
Officers were asked by a caregiver to conduct a welfare check Thursday on the couple.
After entering the residence, police say husband and wife were both found dead in the master bedroom.
Police say the couple's names won't be released until relatives are notified.
But they say preliminary findings from the investigation leads detectives to believe the 83-year-old man used a handgun to shoot his 82-year-old wife before turning the weapon on himself.
Police say the couple reportedly had health issues that required extensive medical attention.
Chief: University Of New Mexico Police, DA Not At Odds— Associated Press
The University of New Mexico campus police chief says his department is not at odds with the Bernalillo district attorney's office. Despite officers telling federal investigators they were frustrated with how frequently prosecutors dropped sexual assault cases.
The U.S Justice Department released a report that found UNM administrators and staff failed to comply with federal law when handling sexual assault and harassment claims.
The report said the UNM Police department told the Justice Department that they felt District Attorney Kari Brandenburg's office doesn't pursue many sexual assaults on campus.
Brandenburg says sexual assault cases are extremely difficult to prosecute.
Indigenous Dancers Compete At North America's Largest Powwow— Associated Press
North America's largest powwow has started in the state.
Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers attending the Gathering of Nations packed University of New Mexico Arena today.
The dancers entered from each stairway and spiraled inward until the arena floor was packed. The pace was set by the music of singers and drum groups stationed at the edges.
Spectators caught glimpses of feathered bustles, buckskin dresses and beaded head and hair pieces — all elements of some of the dancers' elaborate outfits with detailed, hand-stitched designs.
Organizers say the annual event draws more than 100,000 people to Albuquerque.