- ATOMIC BOMB TEST-HISPANIC VILLAGE
Another protest planned near annual Trinity site opening
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Residents of a New Mexico Hispanic village near the site of the world's first atomic bomb test are planning another protest outside the annual opening of the site.
The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium say they will picket near the gates of the White Sands Missile Range April 6 as tourists travel to see the location of the Trinity Test.
The picket comes as a proposal to include New Mexico residents in the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act remains stalled in Congress.
Scientists working in Los Alamos developed the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project, which provided enriched uranium for the weapon. The bomb was tested in a stretch of the New Mexico desert near towns with Hispanic and Native American populations.
- PECAN KILLING BUG
New Mexico growers: Thin pest control hurts pecan bug fight
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Southeast New Mexico pecan growers say there aren't enough qualified pest control professionals in the area to help eradicate an invasive bug.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports growers told New Mexico Department of Agriculture officials last week they want to get rid of the weevil but it's hard to get overworked pest control workers to sites.
Eddy, Chaves, Lea and Curry counties were quarantined since last November, but Curry was later deemed controlled.
In late 2016, and January 2018, the weevil was found in pecan orchards in multiple southeastern New Mexico counties. The quarantine was intended to prevent the spread of the pecan weevil to the rest of the state until March 1, 2023.
Pecans were the highest crop commodity in the state in 2016 with cash receipts totaling $213 million.
- BORDER SECURITY-BRIDGE
US immigration to close holding area under El Paso bridge
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — U.S. immigration officials say they will close a holding area under a bridge connecting El Paso, Texas, with Juarez, Mexico, that is just a short distance from where a senior official declared an "operational crisis" at the border last week.
In a statement Sunday, Customs and Border Protection says that migrants being held under the Paso Del Norte International Bridge will be relocated to a place with more space and shelter.
The holding area is a few hundred yards from where Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan Wednesday announced that 750 border inspectors will be reassigned to cope with an influx of families from Central American seeking asylum.
The area held hundreds of migrants in a pen lined with concertina wire under the shade of a bridge.
- STREET RACING-FATAL CRASH-VIGIL
Vigil held for an Albuquerque woman fatally struck by a car
(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Friends and family held a candlelight vigil for a woman killed in a possible street-racing crash in southeast Albuquerque.
KOB-TV reports that people gathered Saturday evening at the spot where 39-year-old Angelica Baca died on March 23 to share memories and sell baked goods to raise money for her funeral.
Baca was crossing a street when she was fatally hit by a car.
The driver of the car was taken into custody and police are looking into whether street racing played a role in the crash.
Baca's children attended the vigil. Her family says Baca loved life, music and was a happy person.
Police investigators are reconstructing the accident scene to determine whether it stemmed from drag racing.
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- TV-TRE MAISON DASAN
New Mexico filmmaker examines the children of prison inmates
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico filmmaker's four-year project to document the lives of children with parents in prison is set to air.
Denali Tiller's "Tre Maison Dasan" is scheduled to air Monday on most PBS stations as part of the series "Independent Lens" and comes after she captured more than 350 hours of three Rhode Island boys coping with incarcerated parents.
The Albuquerque Academy says she began the project as a student at Rhode Island School of Design. She eventually was introduced to Tre Janson, Maison Teixeira, and Dasan Lopes who regularly visited a Rhode Island prison to spend time with parents. The film follows the boys of color as the deal with their anger about their situations.
Maison Teixeira, now 14, says he hopes the film opens minds.
- CLERGY ABUSE-NEW MEXICO
Fugitive priest accused of abusing boy faces trial
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A priest who was captured after fleeing the U.S. decades ago is facing a federal trial on charges that he sexually abused a New Mexico boy in the early 1990s at an Air Force base and veterans' cemetery.
Arthur Perrault, a one-time pastor in Albuquerque, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual abuse and others counts. His trial is set to begin Monday in Santa Fe with jury selection.
The church sent Perrault to New Mexico in the 1960s for treatment at a center for pedophile priests.
Federal authorities have said in court documents that he had as many as eight other victims. But the charges against him only involve an 11-year-old altar boy.
Perrault was returned to the United States in September after his arrest in Morocco.
His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
- HUNTING ROADBLOCKS
New Mexico to put up roadblocks for hunting, fishing seasons
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico wildlife managers will be setting up roadblocks statewide during the upcoming hunting and fishing season to gather harvest data and to look for people who are violating state wildlife laws.
The next season starts Monday, and the state Game and Fish Department says all hunters and anglers are required to purchase a new license. Guides and outfitters also must register with the state.
At the roadblocks, conservation officers also will be checking compliance with the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Act, and drivers of those vehicles hauling wood will be asked to show their permits under the Forest Conservation Act.
The agency also is asking people to report any wildlife crimes or suspected crimes to the Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline or online.
- GUN CONTROL-NEW MEXICO
Recall effort targets 3 Aztec officials amid gun debate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An effort is underway in Aztec to recall three city commissioners who did not support a resolution protesting new state gun-control measures approved by the Legislature.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that Aztec resident Diane Hathcock has volunteered to circulate petitions to recall Commissioners Rosalyn Fry and Mark Lewis and Mayor Victor Snover. The three voted against a resolution that would have banned local authorities from enforcing gun laws they believe violate constituents' constitutional right to bear arms.
The vote at the recent commission meeting led to an unruly debate that ended with police intervening.
If enough signatures are gathered for the petitions, then it would be sent to a district court judge for approval. The judge must find the mayor and commissioners violated their oath of office, or acted in malfeasance or misfeasance to approve the petition.