- CHICANO GROUP-NAME CHANGE
Mexican American group MEChA eyes name change amid furor
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — MEChA (MEH'-cha), a Mexican American student group founded 50 years ago, is considering a name change, highlighting the divisions between older and younger activists.
Student leaders voted Sunday in Los Angeles to drop the reference to "Chicano" and "Aztlan" from the group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan over concerns the words are "homophobic" and "anti-black."
Chicano, which refers to Mexican Americans, gained popularity during the militant Chicano Movement of the 1970s. Aztlan is the mythical home of the Aztec, which some activists say is the present-day American Southwest.
Proponents of the change say it would make the student group more inclusive to transgender and black students.
But former MEChA members say the change is shortsighted and unfairly places homophobia on the term Chicano since homophobia exists among all ethnic groups.
- CRIMINAL JUSTICE-NEW MEXICO
ACLU pushes for criminal record expungements in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates for criminal justice reform are urging Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign legislation that would allow for people to have certain arrests or convictions removed from their records.
The American Civil Liberties Union says dozens of people who served time in prison as well as crime victims hand delivered letters to the governor Tuesday.
The move marks a final push to get the bill to become law. The governor has until Friday to sign bills approved by the Legislature in their 60-day session that ended last month.
The record expungement legislation was among a slate of measures aimed at improving ex-convicts' chances at obtaining employment, treatment and other services.
Sponsors argue the bills would make people who are restarting their lives after prison more productive members of society.
- TRUMP IMMIGRATION
Trump takes a step back from threat to close southern border
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration officials are exploring actions to satisfy President Donald Trump's call for a strong response to a surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says she's creating an emergency operations center and having a veteran official manage the response within the department.
A person on a conference call Tuesday night tells The Associated Press that Nielsen said border issues would be treated "as if we have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane."
Meanwhile, Trump eased up on his threats to close the southern border, saying Tuesday that he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken in recent days.
- GILA MONSTER-UTAH
Utah names Gila monster as official state reptile
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah has named a venomous lizard with black and yellow bead-like scales as its state reptile.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed a bill into a law last week that adds the Gila monster to the list of state symbols.
Republican state Rep. Lowry Snow had sponsored the bill after students at Lava Ridge Intermediate School in Santa Clara had lobbied the lawmaker.
According to the state Division of Wildlife Resources, the lizard can be found in Snow Canyon State Park in southwestern Utah. People are likely to see the monsters during daytime hours in April and May and on warm summer nights.
The lizard is named after the Gila River, a Colorado River tributary that flows through Arizona and into New Mexico.
The lizards are found across the Southwest.
- INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY - NEW MEXICO
New Mexico scraps Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples' Day
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is doing away with Columbus Day in favor of a holiday honoring Native Americans.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday signed legislation that creates Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday in October and strikes Columbus Day from a list of official state holidays.
The initiative from state Rep. Derrick Lente of the Sandia Pueblo tribe in central New Mexico stirred emotional debate at the Legislature.
At least five states stretching from Hawaii to Vermont have done away with Columbus Day celebrations in deference to Native Americans. The federal holiday honoring Italian explorer Christopher Columbus remains in place.
Tributes to European conquerors in many New Mexico communities are being written out of consideration for the state's 23 American Indian nations and tribes.
- OUTDOOR RECREATION-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico courts outdoor recreation economy
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is seeking a bigger share of the nation's outdoor recreation economy with the creation of a special division dedicated to expanding the state's foothold in the lucrative industry.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled to a state park in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on Tuesday to sign legislation that creates a state outdoor recreation office.
The initiative takes cues from states including neighboring Colorado that promote outdoor adventure as an engine of economic development and a resource for public health and consciousness about natural wonders.
Democratic state Rep. Angelica Rubio of Las Cruces says New Mexico has added a unique component to subsidize outdoor experiences for children of the working poor from diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise have the time or means to explore nature.
- OVERDOSE PREVENTION MEASURES
State council recommends 11 ways to cut drug overdose rates
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico council has made 11 recommendations to cut drug overdose rates in the state.
The New Mexico Overdose Prevention and Pain Management Advisory Council is comprised of state agencies, regulatory bodies and multiple medical professional associations.
The council reviews the status of overdose prevention and pain management standards and education efforts for consumers and professionals in New Mexico and recommends pain management and clinical guidelines.
The health department reported in December that New Mexico's national ranking improved for the third consecutive year — from the second highest death drug overdose death rate in the country in 2014 to 17th highest in 2017.
The council's recommendations cover three areas — training, emergency room screenings, and increasing the availability of the medication Naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses.
- DROUGHT COLORADO RIVER PLAN
Bills in Congress would implement drought plan in West
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Federal legislation has been introduced on a plan to address the shrinking supply of water from a river that serves 40 million people in the U.S. West.
Sen. Martha McSally and Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced identical bills Tuesday and vowed to move them quickly through the chambers. Lawmakers from Colorado River basin states signed on as co-sponsors.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming have spent years crafting drought contingency plans. They aim to keep two key Colorado River reservoirs from falling so low that they cannot deliver water or produce hydropower.
The states want congressional approval by April 22 so that Mexico will join some states in contributing water to Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border.
The drought plans got their first congressional hearings last week.