- CLERGY ABUSE-NEW MEXICO
APNewsBreak: 395 claims filed in church bankruptcy case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe say nearly 400 claims have been filed as part of a pending bankruptcy case that stems from the clergy sex abuse scandal.
The archdiocese released the numbers Friday, saying 374 claims involved allegations of sex abuse. The remaining 21 were related to other grievances.
The archdiocese shocked parishioners across much of New Mexico when it filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last year, joining other dioceses around the United States that have struggling with fallout from the abuse scandal.
Church officials say they're hopeful mediation through the bankruptcy proceeding will result in an equitable resolution for the claimants.
Lawyers will be gathering more information on the archdiocese's finances to determine how much is available to divvy up. It's expected to take many months for the case to be resolved.
- NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE
Political opposition grows to nuclear waste storage plan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Another member of New Mexico's congressional delegation is weighing in on plans to build a multimillion-dollar facility in the state to temporary store spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactors around the U.S.
Congresswoman Deb Haaland on Friday joined the growing list of politicians in opposition, sending a letter to the U.S. Energy Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that detailed her concerns.
New Jersey-based Holtec International is seeking a 40-year license from federal regulators to build the complex near Carlsbad.
Holtec says the project is needed since the federal government has yet to find a permanent solution for dealing with the tons of high-level waste building up at nuclear power plants.
The topic will be up for discussion when the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meets next week.
- GILA RIVER FIGHT
New Mexico regulators punt on Gila River plan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's senior U.S. senator says plans for diverting water from the Gila River are fatally flawed and residents are rightly concerned about the cost of the proposed project.
Democrat Tom Udall made his comments Thursday after a panel of state regulators delayed action on a work plan that details environmental reviews, legal services and other activities needed as part of the project.
It could be September before the Interstate Stream Commission considers the plan again. Commissioners indicated they want to review a draft environmental impact statement prepared for the project.
Officials are facing a deadline this year to have the reviews completed. It would then be up to the U.S. Interior Department to grant approval.
Environmentalists have been fighting the proposal for years, suggesting that millions of dollars would be spent for little return.
- MS WHEELCHAIR NEW MEXICO-CROWN
Thief steals crown of Ms. Wheelchair New Mexico
(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A crown belonging to Ms. Wheelchair New Mexico was stolen just days before a national competition.
KOB-TV reports that Irene Delgado says someone broke into her car in Santa Fe and took the crown.
Delgado is set to compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America competition in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the week of July 1.
The contest seeks to educate and advocate for people with disabilities.
Delgado says she left the crown in her car overnight because she needed to wear it at an out-of-town event the next day.
No arrests have been made.
M&J Bridal Boutique in Santa Fe announced it was donating a new crown for Delgado.
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- STABBING DEATH-SENTENCE
Man gets 2 years in youth detention for New Mexico killing
(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — An 18-year-old man convicted of stabbing a man to death in New Mexico was sentenced to two years in a youth detention center.
The Farmington Daily Times reports Trustin Begay was sentenced as a juvenile Thursday after a jury found him guilty last week of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 28-year-old Steven Begay.
Steven Begay was stabbed multiple times in Farmington in April 2018.
Trustin Begay apologized to the family in court.
Judge Sarah Weaver said she would have imposed a tougher sentence if she could.
The judge told Begay that she hopes he is truly sorry and takes this opportunity to change his life.
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- ARIZONA WILDFIRE-THE LATEST
The Latest: Thick smoke blankets west, central New Mexico
SUPERIOR, Ariz. (AP) — Air quality has deteriorated as smoke from a wildfire east of Phoenix drifts across eastern Arizona and the state of New Mexico.
The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque said to expect widespread reductions in visibility across large portions of western and central New Mexico.
Satelite-style maps of the plume show thick smoke wafting across communities including Gallup, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
About 250 homes have been evacuated as crews battled a human-triggered fire in the Tonto National Forest near Roosevelt Lake.
- INVASIVE MUSSELS
Invasive mussel threatens Lake Powell pipeline project
(Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An invasive mussel that has taken up residence in Lake Powell on the Colorado River is threatening Utah's push to develop a $1.8 billion pipeline to deliver water to fast-growing areas.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday that the Army Corps of Engineers has asked the state provide a plan on how it will prevent the pipeline from transporting quagga mussels from the lake on the Arizona-Utah border.
The 140-mile (225-kilometer) pipeline aims to transport water to Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah. The project requires a permit from the Corps.
The Corps has given the state until July 13 to produce a plan that addresses the mussel problem and a dozen other issues.
The state has not yet finalized a plan.
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- CALL CENTERS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico scales back incentives to call centers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is scaling back economic development incentives for call centers.
Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keyes on Thursday told a panel of lawmakers that jobs at call centers don't generate high enough wages in general to warrant major grants under the state's Local Economic Development Act.
At most the state will offer $1,000 per new job to offset infrastructure investments at urban offices that handle telephone calls for business customers. Recent state grants in urban areas provide about $6,000 per job created.
Keyes said that state intends to focus business incentives instead on sectors such as aerospace, film, cybersecurity, biosciences and clean energy that offer jobs requiring greater skill and higher pay.