Regents Approve Tuition Hike For UNM Students – Associated Press
Some University of New Mexico students will have to pay more per semester now that regents have approved a 2.5 percent tuition hike and a 10 percent increase in student fees.
The regents voted on the increases during their budget summit Tuesday.
The university's administration had proposed a 3 percent tuition increase, but regents moved to lessen the amount after hearing from faculty and student representatives.
Regents did approve tuition increases for the university's branch campuses, but agreed to a 1.1 percent tuition decrease for medical school students.
The university faced a funding shortfall in the wake of a legislative session that saw state lawmakers trim higher education spending due to evaporating revenues. University officials also are expecting lower enrollment next fall.
Judge Refuses To Seal Motions In Boyd Case – Albuquerque Journal
A judge overseeing the case of two former police officers charged with the murder of a homeless camper has rejected an attempt by the special prosecutor in the case to seal records on that man’s background.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Randy McGinn argued that information on James Boyd’s criminal history would prejudice the jury. But Judge Alisa Hadfield rejected that argument and set deadlines for attorneys to file motions on evidence that will be presented.
Former Officer Dominque Perez and retired Detective Keith Sandy are facing second degree murder charges after they shot and killed James Boyd in 2014. He struggled with schizophrenia and had numerous arrests on his record.
Attorneys for the former cops as well as those representing media outlets opposed sealing the records.
Solar Incentives Sunset As States Grapple With Tight Budgets – The Associated Press
Homeowners and small businesses in the second sunniest state in the nation have invested nearly a quarter billion dollars in roof-top solar and related labor thanks to a program fueled by tax credits.
But the popular incentives will be going away after New Mexico lawmakers concerned about a budget crisis did not extend the 10 percent tax credit for installing solar.
In what has become a nationwide trend, state tax credits and other incentives aimed at boosting the solar industry are disappearing.
Of the 16 states that offer personal tax credits for solar, half have already had their credits expire or are in line to see them sunset over the next two years.
Some worry the lack of a tax credit will steal momentum from what has been one of New Mexico's few economic bright spots.
Complaints Prompt Analysis Showing Broad Use Of Lodging Tax – The Associated Press
An auditor's analysis conducted after business owners complained shows lodging tax dollars can be used for a broad range of purposes.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports state Auditor Tim Keller said in a statement that contrary to popular opinion, the tax collected for overnight stays can go toward projects even remotely tourism-related.
Cities have used the funds for paving, erosion-control projects and to pay bond debt related to convention centers.
Keller said local businesses need to work with municipal governments or urge the Legislature to earmark specific uses for the tax.
Lawmakers recently allowed lodging tax revenue to go toward commercial airline service subsidies.
Roswell will use revenue from its lodging tax to subsidize American Air Lines' direct service to Phoenix if ticket sales are insufficient.
Jurors Could Hear Background On Man Fatally Shot By Police – The Associated Press
A judge will not seal motions related to the criminal history of a mentally ill man fatally shot in the back by Albuquerque police after a standoff.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Second Judicial District Judge Alisa Hadfield denied the request last week to seal records containing background information on James Boyd and the officers charged in his death.
Special prosecutor Randi McGinn argued the records would prejudice jurors.
Boyd was arrested at least a dozen times.
Hadfield ruled there are less restrictive ways of protecting the right to a fair and impartial trial.
The Journal and Albuquerque TV stations sided with the defense in arguing against sealing the records.
Former officer Dominique Perez and retired Detective Keith Sandy are scheduled for a September trial on charges including second-degree murder.
New Mexico Marks 36-Year Low Of Drunken Driving Deaths – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez says New Mexico saw a 36-year low in the number of people killed in drunken driving crashes last year.
In all, there were 122 DWI deaths. That's a 28 percent decrease from the year before.
The governor released the latest figures during a news conference Wednesday in Albuquerque.
She says drunk driving has been a major problem in the state for years. While encouraged by the progress, she says the goal is to have no DWI deaths.
Executive actions over the past year to curb drunk driving included more saturation patrols on key highways, the targeting of repeat offenders and roundups of DWI fugitives.
The state also aired a series of television ads featuring law enforcement officers and first responders sharing their stories about the consequences of driving drunk.
Coach Says He Was Suspended For Praying With Team – The Associated Press
A boys' basketball coach says he's been placed on leave for praying with his team.
Espanola Valley High School coach Richard Martinez told KOAT-TV he prayed with the athletes he coaches and was suspended as a result. He said he doesn't know when he'll be back on the job.
Espanola's Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez declined to comment on personnel matters, but said Martinez was notified Monday.
The team won a state championship less than two weeks before the suspension.
Martinez said the team winning the school its second state basketball title was like entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
$3M Settlement Reached In Police Sexual Assault Case – The Associated Press
A New Mexico city has agreed to a $3 million settlement in the case of a high school police intern who was sexually assaulted by an officer during a ride-along.
Michael Garcia of the Las Cruces Police Department was sentenced in 2014 to nine years in federal prison for the sexual assault.
The victim, Diana Guerrero, sued the city last year saying the department allowed for a culture of sexism and inappropriate behavior and that Garcia was never disciplined for a history of misconduct.
Guerrero says she's glad the lawsuit brought to light what she called "a cesspool of sexual violence and harassment" in police departments across the country.
In a yearlong investigation of sexual misconduct by U.S. law enforcement, the AP uncovered about 1,000 officers who lost their badges in a six-year period for various sex crimes.
New Mexico AG Joins Call For New Student Debt Relief Rules – The Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is supporting efforts by the U.S. Education Department to clarify rules for forgiving student loans in cases where the borrowers are defrauded.
Balderas is among the several attorneys general who sent a letter this week to Joseph Smith, the Education Department's special master.
The attorneys say they're familiar with the fraud and abuse committed by certain schools in an effort to secure federal loan funds and the devastation that follows for borrowers.
They agree with the department's goal of making the process of forgiving loans transparent and fair.
They also called for changes to the draft rules, including removing any statute of limitations. They argue victimized students are often unfamiliar with their legal rights and unaware of the violations until years later, if ever.
Albuquerque's Urban Refuge Gets $1M In Extra Funding – Associated Press
The Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge on the southern edge of New Mexico's largest city will be getting an extra $1 million in funding.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the funding Tuesday, saying the refuge will use it to engage urban communities and youth in conservation and outdoor recreation.
The refuge is located a few miles from downtown Albuquerque. It has been working with the community to create opportunities to connect with families and students.
Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe says Valle de Oro has the potential to become an essential ecological, education and recreational resource for the Albuquerque area and the region.
The refuge was established in 2012.
New Mexico Official Weighs In On River Fight – Associated Press
New Mexico's top water manager says he's not aware of any unauthorized diversions from the Rio Grande by one of the state's major irrigation districts.
State Engineer Tom Blaine made the comment in response to a lawsuit filed this week by WildEarth Guardians.
The environmental group claims the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District has failed to prove to the state engineer's office that the water being diverting is being put to beneficial use.
The group says under state law, Blaine is required to either set a deadline for the irrigation district to respond or cancel the permits that were issued to the district more than 80 years ago.
District officials have declined to comment on the legal challenge.
The district delivers irrigation water to more than 100 square miles of cropland in central New Mexico.
New Mexico Prosecutors Seek Judge To Try Former Senator – Associated Press
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office is pushing for an initial court hearing to present fraud charges against a former state senator after several judges have recused themselves from the case.
Revised charges against former Democratic Sen. Phil Griego were filed Tuesday in state First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. Four judges have bowed out of taking the case since a nine-count criminal complaint was filed against Griego on Feb. 29.
Griego maintains his innocence and has not yet formally entered a plea. Prosecutors say Griego used his role as a legislator to receive personal compensation in a real estate deal and then failed to disclose it as required by state law.
Former Corrales Municipal Judge Indicted For Embezzlement – Associated Press
A former Corrales municipal judge has been indicted for allegedly embezzling workers' compensation benefits.
Prosecutors say a Bernalillo County grand jury has charged Luis Quintana with two counts of embezzlement including one of more than $20,000.
They say one felony count carries a maximum penalty of nine years in the state prison and a $10,000 fine. The other felony count is punishable by up to a three-year prison term and a $5,000 fine.
Quintana was representing one worker who suffered a head injury and eventually died late last year. He's accused of embezzling his clients' benefits, totaling more than $31,000.
Quintana was disbarred by the New Mexico Supreme Court in May 2015 and suspended as municipal judge without pay earlier this year.
He's scheduled to be arraigned on April 1.
Study: Farms, Hydropower At Risk In West's Changing Climate – Associated Press
The federal government says climate change could upset the complex interplay of rain, snow and temperature in the West, potentially hurting food production, the environment and hydroelectric power.
A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation report released Tuesday says some areas could get less snow and more rain, which would reduce the amount of water in reservoirs when farmers need it to irrigate.
The report says reservoirs could lose more water to evaporation because of high temperatures, particularly in California.
And hotter summers could mean more demand for hydroelectric power in the summer, but reservoirs may have less water to run their generators then because of changes in precipitation patterns.
The report looked at eight rivers from Washington state to Texas, including the Columbia, the Sacramento and San Joaquin and the Colorado.
Police Search For Missing Saucer In Roswell, New Mexico – Associated Press
Police say a spaceship — or at least a fiberglass and metal version of one — is missing in Roswell, the New Mexico town that still stirs debate about extraterrestrials seven decades after the 1947 crash of a flying object.
Police say the model flying saucer was stolen from the UFO Museum in Roswell early Saturday and remained missing Tuesday.
Some on social media suggested in jest that "men in black" or "aliens" were to blame. But police say surveillance video shows three thiefs hauled away the spaceship in a pickup truck.
The spaceship is a fixture in downtown Roswell, where it was long mounted outside the UFO museum before a recent snowstorm damaged it. Police say the suspects stole it from behind the museum, where it was being stored.
New Mexico Tax Refunds Will Be Delayed This Year – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
New Mexico will take longer to process tax refunds this year because the state is taking extra measures to protect against fraud.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Taxation & Revenue Cabinet Secretary Demesia Padilla told lawmakers Monday that security concerns are forcing New Mexico to double-check refund claims.
She says taxation and revenue information has not been compromised.
The federal Internal revenue Service and private companies have reported computer breaches in which W-2 wage and personal identification might have been stolen. Padilla says such information could be used to file a fraudulent tax return in New Mexico.
Refunds will take from six to eight weeks instead of the usual two weeks.
Taxes are due on April 18.