89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

State Vaccination Rates At Record High, Former Sheriff Part Of Medical Marijuana Firm

James Gathany, Judy Schmidt
/
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Infant being held by his mother while receiving an intramuscular vaccination in his left thigh muscle free stock photograph is in public domain.

New Mexico Vaccination Rates Reach Record High Associated Press

New Mexico health officials say vaccination rates among toddlers reached an all-time high last year.

The state Health Department says New Mexico now ranks 10th in the nation for vaccinations among children between the ages of 19 months and 35 months.

New Mexico's rate for the vaccine series that covers illnesses such as whooping cough, tetanus, polio, measles and mumps was 75.9 percent in 2014. That's up from 65.7 percent in 2013.

Health Department spokesman Kenny Vigil says the measles outbreak earlier this year helped to raise awareness and the state is interested to see what effect that will have on 2015 rates.

New Mexico is one of nine states that purchase all vaccines for children. Public health offices across the state provide vaccinations for children who are uninsured or otherwise unable to get vaccinated.

Business As Usual At Embattled Secretary Of State's Office The Associated Press

Secretary of State Dianna Duran's top staffers say the office's daily operations are proceeding as usual despite the criminal charges their boss faces.

Duran's chief of staff Ken Ortiz said Friday that Deputy Secretary of State Mary Quintana has been overseeing day-to-day business and that Duran has kept in regular contact with top staff members.

However, the office did cancel two hearings this week on proposed rule changes related to the campaign finance system and the order of offices on the ballot.

Duran has been absent since charges of fraud, money laundering and embezzlement were filed against her last week by the attorney general's office.

She faces a 64-count complaint stemming from allegations she funneled campaign donations into personal bank accounts and withdrew large sums of money from those accounts while frequenting casinos.

Inmates Hope To Be Freed By Court From Solitary ConfinementThe Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican

The cases of two Penitentiary of New Mexico inmates who have filed petitions to be removed from solitary confinement will be heard in court.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports hearings for 36-year-old Jacob Steven Chavez and 32-year-old Timothy Martinez are scheduled for Friday.

Chavez has been held in solitary for 10 years, confined alone in his cell for at least 23 hours a day. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Chavez filed his petition May 2014.

Martinez says he was placed in solitary in March 2014 after being implicated in another inmate's death. He was later cleared in the killing.

Corrections Department spokeswoman Alex Tomlin says some inmates in solitary need to work to gain back privileges before being released.

Judge: Injunction Against Water Rule Limited To 13 StatesThe Associated Press

A federal judge in North Dakota says his injunction blocking a new Obama administration rule aimed at regulating some small waterways applies only in the 13 states that sued to block the rule.

U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson issued his ruling Friday. It was meant to clarify his temporary injunction last week that was requested by North Dakota and 12 other states including New Mexico to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers from regulating some small streams, tributaries and wetlands under the Clean Water Act.

The EPA had maintained that the injunction applied only to the 13 states and said it was beginning to enforce the rule elsewhere. Lawyers for the states argued it applied nationwide.

Martinez: Trump's Criticism Of Bush's Spanish A DistractionThe Associated Press

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's criticism of rival Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish is a distraction.

A Republican and the nation's only Latina governor, Martinez said Friday following a news conference the spat was taking the focus away from real issues facing the country.

Bush said he had been responding to a reporter's question in Spanish this week when he replied in Spanish to criticize Trump.

Trump told Breitbart News that Bush should "set the example" by speaking English while in the U.S.

Martinez says she grew up speaking English and Spanish and uses both languages to communicate with reporters and residents.

She previously criticized Trump for remarks he made comparing Mexican immigrants to murderers and rapists.

New Mexico State Police To Step Up Labor Day Patrols The Associated Press

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says state police will step up patrols for the Labor Day weekend to catch would-be drunk drivers.

Martinez said Friday that state troopers will be extra vigilant over the holidays and urged New Mexico motorists to call cabs or "crash on a friend's sofa" rather than get behind the wheel.

The extra patrols come as New Mexico State Parks have scheduled numerous events in hopes of attracting visitors over the Labor Day weekend.

State Parks Director Christy Tafoya says numbers have been excellent so far this summer thanks in part to lower gas prices and high water levels at the state's reservoirs.

In a typical year, some 3.8 million people visit the state's 35 parks. Tafoya says she's hoping to surpass that this year.

Erin Brockovich To Tour Navajo Nation Areas Damaged By SpillThe Associated Press

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will be touring the Navajo Nation next week to get a firsthand look at the damage caused by the spill of wastewater from a Colorado mine.

President Russell Begaye said Friday that Brockovich will join him in surveying areas devastated by the Gold King Mine spill.

The Aug. 5 spill from the mine near Silverton, Colorado, sent toxic sludge into waterways including the San Juan River that flows through the reservation.

The tribe has been critical of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's response.

Brockovich says she is "deeply concerned" by the EPA's actions.

She is scheduled to visit Tuesday.

The environmental advocate was famously portrayed in the 2000 movie, "Erin Brockovich," which earned actress Julia Roberts an acting Oscar.

Former Sheriff Now Director Of Medical Pot Nonprofit – Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe Reporter

Among the applicants for a medical marijuana producer license is a well-known former law enforcement officer.

The Albuquerque Journal reports a nonprofit firm called Purlife is one of 17 applicants seeking state approval to become a producer. One of Purlife’s directors is Darren White, who has served as Bernalillo County Sheriff, public safety director for the city of Albuquerque and as chief of the state Department of Public Safety.

White resigned from his state post in 1999 when then-Gov. Gary Johnson called for legalization of all drugs. Johnson is now CEO of Cannabis Sativa, which develops and markets legal cannabis products.

White told the Journal he was asked by Purlife to develop a risk and security assessment. White started his own security firm last year.

The Santa Fe Reporter first reported on the identities of applicants for the medical marijuana producer licenses after its reporter and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government sued the New Mexico Department of Health for access to those documents.

Supreme Court To Decide If Judge Must Release DataAssociated Press

The New Mexico Supreme Court will decide whether judges are subject to public record requests in a case associated with a proposed horse slaughterhouse.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the court heard arguments Wednesday in the case of Valley Meat Co., which requested communications and campaign page Facebook messages from State District Judge Matthew Wilson of Santa Fe.

The company is facing a lawsuit from state Attorney General's Office. The office wants horse slaughter permanently blocked.

In January 2014, the judge issued an injunction to block the company's proposed horse slaughter plant.

Lawyers for the company say Wilson exceeded his judicial immunity by asking his wife, a law library worker, to proofread a draft of the injunction.

Attorney Scott Fuqua is representing Wilson. He argued parties in a lawsuit suing the judge for information may result in intimidation and harassment.

Second Human Plague Case Is Confirmed In Bernalillo CountyAssociated Press

A second human plague case has been confirmed in New Mexico's Bernalillo County.

The New Mexico Department of Health says a 59-year-old woman from Bernalillo County is recovering.

Her name isn't being released.

It's the third human case of plague in New Mexico this year and the second in Bernalillo County.

The other cases in the state occurred in a 52-year-old woman from Santa Fe County who died from the illness and a 65-year-old man from Bernalillo County who recovered.

Plague is a potentially fatal illness in people that occurs in many parts of New Mexico.

It is caused by bacteria found in rodents, especially ground squirrels, rabbits and hares.

Most human cases of plague are acquired through the bite of infected fleas.

GOP-Ers Say Politics Could Interfere With Probe Of EPA SpillAssociated Press

Some members of Congress say they're concerned that politics will influence the U.S. Interior Department's investigation of a toxic mine spill caused by another federal agency.

An Environmental Protection Agency cleanup team triggered the spill of 3 million gallons on Aug. 5 while doing excavation work on the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. Interior officials are reviewing the accident, which contaminated rivers in three states.

In a letter sent Thursday to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Republicans questioned whether the agency's review would be independent.

It was signed by Representatives Jason Chaffetz and Rob Bishop of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight Committee, and Bishop chairs the Natural Resources Committee.

Interior spokeswoman Emily Beyer said the agency was aware of the letter. She offered no further comment.

Another Dead Body Found In New Mexico's Sandia MountainsAssociated Press

Authorities say another dead body has been found in the Sandia Mountains.

The Albuquerque Journal reports it was 70-year-old James Whitehead, who didn't return from a hike Tuesday on the Ellis Trail.

The body of another hiker — 40-year-old Bryan Conkling — was found early Wednesday near the La Luz Trial in the Sandia Mountains.

The Rio Rancho man went for an overnight hike Saturday and was reported missing by his family Sunday night after he didn't return home.

This is the fourth person this year to die in the Sandias. In March, 17-year-old Maya Spencer died in a fall near Sandia Crest. And in May 24-year-old Brittany Johnson was found dead at the bottom of a cliff.

Inmates Hope To Be Freed By Court From Solitary Confinement Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press

The cases of two Penitentiary of New Mexico inmates who have filed petitions to be removed from solitary confinement will be heard in court.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports hearings for 36-year-old Jacob Steven Chavez and 32-year-old Timothy Martinez are scheduled for Friday.

Chavez has been held in solitary for 10 years, confined alone in his cell for at least 23 hours a day. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Chavez filed his petition May 2014.

Martinez says he was placed in solitary in March 2014 after being implicated in another inmate's death. He was later cleared in the killing.

Corrections Department spokeswoman Alex Tomlin says some inmates in solitary need to work to gain back privileges before being released.