Udall To Announce Legislation In Wake Of Mine Waste Spill – The Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall is expected to announce legislation aimed at compensating communities affected by the torrent of toxic wastewater from a Colorado mine that fouled two Southwestern rivers.
The New Mexico Democrat scheduled a conference call Tuesday to discuss his plans. His office says the legislation would require water quality monitoring of the Animas and San Juan rivers.
A cleanup team contracted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accidentally triggered the spill of millions of gallons of wastewater as it was doing excavation work on the inactive Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado.
The plume turned the Animas a sickly yellow color as the pollution tainted with heavy metals flowed downstream to New Mexico and Utah.
The spill also has reignited efforts to reform federal mining laws.
EPA Says It Will Build Temporary Treatment Plant For Mine – The Associated Press
The Environmental Protection Agency says it will set up a temporary treatment plant for wastewater flowing from the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado after 3 million gallons surged out of the mine in August, tainting rivers in three states.
The EPA said Wednesday it needs the plant because it will be unsafe to operate the settling ponds now in use when winter temperatures dip below zero.
The EPA released documents last week saying it was considering the plant.
The $1.8 million plant is expected to start operating by Oct. 14 and run for 42 weeks. The EPA says it will cost $20,000 a week to operate.
An EPA-led crew triggered the August blowout. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were affected.
Water continues to flow from the mine.
FEMA Removes Elite State Rescue Team From Federal Listing – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
Federal emergency managers have stripped New Mexico's elite search and rescue team of its federal status and funding.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports New Mexico Task Force 1, which was one of only 28 elite urban search and rescue teams in the county, was removed last week from the list of qualified response teams. The Federal Emergency Management Agency cited the team's ongoing struggles with finances, training and falsified training certificates.
The task force will no longer receive millions of dollars for specialized training and equipment that have contributed to the state's disaster response.
The emergency response teams each have 70 members and are trained to assess the stability of buildings during a disaster, evaluate hazardous materials and rescue victims.
State officials say they will appeal FEMA's decision.
Navajo Nation Approves Collective Bargaining Agreement – The Associated Press & The Daily Times
The Navajo Nation has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the United Mine Workers of America for the union to represent 1,300 tribal employees.
The Daily Times reportsthat the agreement announced Monday was ratified in a mail-in ballot vote by employees earlier in the summer.
The tribe now agrees to recognize the union under the agreement as the only collective bargaining agent regarding wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.
Bob Butero, Region IV organizing director, says the three-year agreement was finalized after 15 years of negotiations. The agreement was signed by former Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly last year and was reviewed by employees before the vote this summer.
Judge Keeps Case On Horse Slaughter, Expands Injunction – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
A judge has refused to dismiss a 2013 lawsuit against a company that wanted to open a horse slaughterhouse in Roswell.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that State District Judge Francis Matthew on Tuesday rejected the Valley Meat Co.'s argument that the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General's Office is no longer relevant.
Matthew also expanded a preliminary injunction to prevent another company from opening a slaughterhouse on the site.
A trial to decide whether the operation should be barred permanently is tentatively scheduled for next August.
The Attorney General asked the judge to expand the injunction because he believes Valley Meat has started a "shell company."
Valley Meat's attorney argues that the company abandoned plans to slaughter horses, something currently made impossible by Congress' refusal to fund the relevant inspections.
New Mexico State To Reorganize Amid Declining Enrollment - The Associated Press
New Mexico State University President Garrey Carruthers has announced the school will restructure amid declining enrollment and a new study faulting the way staff is organized.
Carruthers told reporters Tuesday the university expects to save $53 million over the next seven years under a restructuring that seeks to streamline management and IT services.
The university has struggled recently with declining enrollment, increasing costs and shrinking federal funding for research. This year, the university increased tuition by 3 percent to help offset declining revenue.
According to New Mexico State University, its 2015 fall enrollment was 15,490. Officials say that's a 14 percent drop from 2011.
Citing falling enrollment numbers, Standard & Poor's recently lowered the school's long-term rating to "AA-minus" from "AA."
College Enrollment In New Mexico Drops Amid Reform Push - Russell Contreras, Associated Press
Colleges in New Mexico are seeing declining enrollment and administrators says they are trying to adjust to the changing landscape.
New Mexico State University for example reported an enrollment drop for 2015, continuing a decrease over five years like other schools.
According to New Mexico State University, its 2015 fall was 15,490. Officials say that's a 14 percent drop from 2011. Standard & Poor's recently lowered the school's long-term rating to 'AA-' from 'AA' citing falling enrollment numbers.
NMSU Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Angela Throneberry says despite the enrollment decline the school saw a record number of first-time freshman in 2015.
The state Department of Higher Education says latest numbers show New Mexico saw a 2 percent statewide enrollment drop from 2013 to 2014.
Dog In Police Shooting Being Retired, May Be Put To Sleep - Mary Hudetz, Associated Press
Albuquerque police say a service dog that was unleashed after officers shot a homeless man last year is being retired and may be put to sleep.
Police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says K-9 Rex's time on the force is ending after his handler, Officer Scott Weimerskirch, retired Friday.
At 9-years-old, she says, Rex is too old to be trained to work with another handler.
She added Monday that Weimerskirch cannot keep the dog because he has a small child at home.
Weimerskirch's and the K-9's proximity to James Boyd during a March 2014 standoff has become a key factor in the case of two other officers charged in Boyd's death. The case is set to go to trial next year.
Authorities will decide on Rex's fate after attorneys weigh in on whether he's needed as they prepare their cases.
State Obesity Rates Hold Steady; 30 Pct Or More In 22 States - Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer
New government data shows that in most states, the rate of adult obesity is not moving.
Results from a telephone survey show obesity rates stayed about the same in 45 states last year. There were small increases in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah.
Some experts said they are glad, overall, that obesity rates aren't getting worse.
The 2014 survey found that in 22 states, 30 percent or more of the population was obese. They were mostly in the South and Midwest. Three states — Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia — had obesity rates over 35 percent.
The government Monday released the rates, which were analyzed in a separate report by the advocacy group, Trust for America's Health.
NM Officer Accused Of Kneeing Law Student Pleads Not Guilty – The Associated Press
An Albuquerque police officer accused of kneeing a law student in the groin and deleting a cellphone video has pleaded not guilty to charges in New Mexico's Second District Court.
Pablo Padilla appeared Monday during a brief arraignment hearing on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and tampering with evidence. He was released on his own recognizance.
An attorney for University of New Mexico law school student Jeremy Martin says his client was forced to undergo emergency surgery to remove a testicle after Padilla kneed him during an April 2014 traffic stop.
Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden later gave Padilla a 240-hour suspension.
The 39-year-old officer is currently on administrative leave.
Albuquerque Family Reunited With Missing Dog After 7 Years - The Associated Press
An Albuquerque family has been reunited with their missing dog seven years after it had vanished.
KOB-TV reports that Kiki the Pomeranian went missing in 2008. Owner Celeste Madrid says she got a call Friday that someone had found their dog wearing her original collar.
James Madrid says Kiki was found on the side of the road in Moriarty. When a motorist almost hit the dog, she took Kiki to the vet. The vet ran a microchip test and confirmed it was the Pomeranian who has disappeared so long ago.
Kiki was dehydrated, missing teeth and had a mouth injury that made it hard for her to eat, but seems to be recovering.
James Madrid says they don't know how long Kiki was on the street, but they believe initially she was stolen.