West Nile Virus Detected In Bernalillo County Mosquitoes – Associated Press
Health officials in Albuquerque say the West Nile virus has been detected in some mosquitoes in Bernalillo County.
They say it's the first positive West Nile detection so far this year in the county.
The mosquitoes were collected through routine monitoring.
Health officials say an extremely wet spring plus a heavy monsoon season have created extensive mosquito breeding habitat throughout the county.
They also say mosquito numbers are significantly higher than experts have seen in the last three years.
West Nile virus symptoms are fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches.
In rare cases, West Nile virus can cause meningitis or encephalitis.
Health experts say people older than 60 are at most risk for serious disease from West Nile virus.
Expert: Homeless Man Was Turning Away When Shot By Police - The Associated Press
A forensics expert testified today that a homeless man was turning away when he was shot and killed by two New Mexico police officers now charged with murder.
Expert Barie Goetz testified at a preliminary hearing for Albuquerque police Officer Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy in the killing of James Boyd in 2014.
Goetz said Boyd was turning away from officers when Sandy and Perez each fired three shots.
Defense lawyers tried to discredit Goetz by suggesting he didn't spend enough time examining evidence and didn't read the full police report on the shooting.
Sandy and Perez are the first officers to face criminal charges in the 40 shootings by city police since 2010.
Police have said Boyd, a schizophrenic, was camping illegally in the foothills and threatened officers with two knives before he was killed.
Father Of Ex-Owner Of Hobbs Gun Shop Is Sentenced To Prison - The Associated Press
The father of the former owner of a Hobbs gun shop has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating federal firearm laws.
Prosecutors say 61-year-old Carlos Carlon Cruz was sentenced Wednesday in Las Cruces.
He's an ex-employee of Hobbs Satellite Company Guns and Ammo.
His wife was sentenced last week to three years of supervised release for her conviction on firearms charges and the couple's son was sentenced in February to 366 days in federal prison.
All three were indicted in June 2013.
Prosecutors say the three defendants made making false statements in connection with the sale of firearms to a person buying weapons for others.
Under terms of their plea agreements, the three must forfeit about 165 firearms, six silencers and more than 25,000 rounds of ammunition.
Santa Fe Opera To Commission Production On Steve Jobs – The Associated Press
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be the subject of an upcoming opera.
The Santa Fe Opera announced Wednesday that its latest commission will be based on the technology pioneer.
Opera leadership says "The Revolution of Steve Jobs" will premiere during the company's 2017 season and will be written by composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell.
This will be the first opera produced by Bates, who has gained national attention during the past decade by fusing traditional symphonic resources with electronic sounds.
Armed with a laptop computer, he often performs in the presentation of his compositions.
Campbell has authored 15 librettos since the mid-1990s, including the opera "Silent Night."
Jobs died in 2011.
Lawsuit Filed In Teen Girl's Death At Albuquerque Concert – The Associated Press & The ABQ Journal
A Santa Fe lawyer representing the estate of a 14-year-old girl who died after taking a hallucinogenic drug at a rave concert has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against 10 defendants, including the state of New Mexico.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the wrongful death complaint filed Monday seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Hannah Bruch ingested MDMA, also known as "Molly," before the August 2013 concert at Expo New Mexico and fell ill during the show. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The lawsuit claims that security personnel and EMTs weren't prepared to handle the girl's condition and that medical personnel had failed to diagnose and treat Bruch.
An Expo New Mexico spokeswoman released a statement saying security staff had taken the necessary measures to provide on-site medical attention.
Calculation Error Prompts Concern At Nuke Waste Site – Associated Press
Officials with the federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico say a calculation error prompted short-lived concerns of a radiation release.
Officials at the troubled Waste Isolation Pilot Plant activated their emergency operations center Sunday night in response to elevated radiological readings.
The agency said that there was no indication of a radiation release underground or anything leaving the site. Plant workers were directed to shelter in place and people in the area were notified.
Officials later said that multiple checks had shown no signs of contamination.
"Radiological control technicians have determined a calculation error caused a false positive," the agency said in a press release. "Based on this information, the event has been terminated. There is no release."
The plant has been closed since a February 2014 radiation release that stemmed from a chemical reaction among waste improperly packed inside a drum.
Detective Describes Unraveling Encounter In Which Man Killed – Associated Press
An Albuquerque police detective has testified that an officer charged in the shooting death of a homeless man said the encounter unraveled when the man held two knives and took a defensive stance.
Detective Geoff Stone, the lead investigator in the 2014 shooting, said Tuesday that then-Detective Keith Sandy, one of two defendants in the case, said James Boyd was acting erratically at a campsite.
Stone said Sandy told him he felt officers were in danger because of their position near a hill and because Boyd refused to obey commands.
Sandy told Stone that Boyd placed knives in both hands at chest level and had a defensive posture. Attorneys for former Detective Sandy and Officer Dominique Perez are expected Wednesday to question witnesses at the preliminary hearing, which will determine if the officers must stand trial.
Albuquerque-Based Air Force Lab, Univ. Of Arizona To Collaborate– Associated Press
A military laboratory in New Mexico and the University of Arizona have agreed to collaborate on technological research.
The agreement between the Albuquerque-based Air Force Research Laboratory New Mexico and the Tucson-based school calls for collaboration between scientists and engineers of the lab's directed energy and space vehicles directorates and students and faculty from the university.
An announcement of the collaboration agreement cites the university's work in optics research, which it said is particularly important to the lab's research.
The agreement calls for encouraging joint research and development projects. It also gives university students and faculty increased access to lab personnel, specialized test facilities and surplus equipment that can be used for research and education.
New Mexico Again Offers Amnesty For Unpaid Child Support – Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez's administration again is offering temporary amnesty for parents facing possible arrest for unpaid child support.
The governor's office announced this week an enforcement crackdown will start at the end of the month targeting those who don't take advantage of the program.
State officials say individuals can visit a state Child Support Enforcement Division office without fear of arrest and pay a bond to cancel outstanding bench warrants for not paying child support.
Efforts will be made to negotiate a payment plan for those who can't afford the full bond.
The amnesty runs through Aug. 31, but police will start a sweep for people with arrest warrants during the final week.
A list of parents with outstanding bench warrants is posted on a state web site.