Trump Of Concern As Democrats Gather In New Mexico—Associated Press
The chairman of the Democratic Governors Association is pushing Governor Susana Martinez to say whether or not she would vote for Donald Trump if he is nominated as the GOP's presidential candidate.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said Friday he plans to talk about the issue during a pre-primary convention of New Mexico Democratic delegates this Saturday in Albuquerque.
Malloy and Susana Martinez are political fundraising counterparts atop the Democratic and Republican governors associations.
Malloy said he is coming to New Mexico to talk about what it means to be a Democrat and urge Martinez to "come clean" about whether she would vote for Trump. Martinez has been actively campaigning for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio after endorsing his presidential bid on March 3.
The Latest: 1 Of 2 Escaped New Mexico Inmates Is Apprehended—Associated Press
The Latest on the escape of two New Mexico inmates who fled from a prison van:
Authorities say one of two convicts who escaped from a fortified transport van in New Mexico has been captured.
New Mexico State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service announced Friday night that convicted murderer Joseph Cruz was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.
Cruz has been serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
Lionel Clah remains at large. He was convicted of armed robbery and other crimes.
The two inmates were able to slip away from prison guards while they were traveling in the transport van Wednesday night between Roswell and Las Cruces.
Corrections officers didn't realize they were missing until 1 a.m. Thursday.
Fire Destroys Carlsbad Hotel Construction Site—Associated Press, Carlsbad Current-Argus
A large fire in southeastern New Mexico has destroyed a construction project only two months away from being a new hotel.
Carlsbad Fire Marshal John Miller told the Current-Argus that firefighters from around the region worked through the night to put out the blaze.
Miller says the fire was under control by about 4 a.m. Thursday.
Officials say the flames erupted on the construction site of a Quality Inn being built between a fire station and an office belonging to Sandia National Laboratories.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
One of several hotel owners, Henry Bhakta, says the project cost about $4.2 million to build.
VA Wait Times Improving —Associated Press
New figures released by the VA show wait times at clinics in New Mexico have improved since the beginning of the year. As of March 1, less than 6 percent of appointments were delayed 31 days or longer. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall questioned VA officials about their efforts to improve health care for veterans during a budget hearing Thursday.
Forecasters Say Lake Mead Water Shortage Could Be On The Way—Associated Press, Arizona Republic
Federal forecasters say a warm, dry February has increased the chances that Lake Mead will have a water shortage by 2018.
The Arizona Republic reports that El Nino brought a snowy winter to the Rocky Mountains, but things dried up in February. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center projects that Lake Powell will hold only 80 percent of its long-term average amount of water this spring.
Lake Powell gathers most of the water that ultimately flows to Lake Mead.
Weather stations in the river basin have also recorded above-average temperatures, which could make future droughts even harsher.
University of Arizona geography professor Connie Woodhouse says past research indicates that droughts in the region will continue to get more intense as the changing climate warms the West.