- GAG ORDER SETTLEMENTS-LAWSUIT
ALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Albuquerque woman wants a judge to throw out a law against revealing details of a civil settlement with a state agency before a set period.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Shani Madden filed the lawsuit this week seeking to overturn a 180-day gag order on settlements that have been interpreted differently by New Mexico governors.
Her lawsuit is connected to her 7-year-old divorce case and a settlement filed under the state Inspection of Public Records Act against the General Services Department for failing to respond to a request for public records.
Madden says she wants to be able to talk about the public records settlement.
General Services Secretary Ken Ortiz said the department is committed to transparency on claims by the Risk Management Division "to the extent allowed by law."
- ALBUQUERQUE POLICE SHOOTING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say multiple officers have fatally shot a man at a bus stop in Albuquerque.
They say callers reported a man was waving a gun near a store Thursday afternoon.
Police didn't immediately release details of the shooting and the name of the man who was killed hasn't been released yet.
It's the second police shooting in Albuquerque this week.
On Tuesday afternoon, a police officer shot and wounded a man who allegedly was driving erratically and waving a gun.
- WILDLIFE TRAPPING-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New restrictions on wildlife foot traps and wire snares are being proposed by New Mexico Game and Fish officials amid conflicts arising from trapping traditions, evolving attitudes about animal suffering and outdoor enthusiasts with dogs.
The agency that oversees trapping rules and regulations on Thursday suggested a prohibition on traps and snares for public lands on the outskirts of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Taos. It also suggested a half-mile no-trapping buffer at certain hiking trailheads as well as training requirements for trappers.
The proposal initiates a months-long rulemaking process with opportunities for public comment. Rule changes are decided by the New Mexico State Game Commission, appointed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Trapping regulations holds implications for wildlife and recreation across an estimated 30 percent of New Mexico.
- JEFFREY EPSTEIN
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed up to 20 staff members at the jail where Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
That's according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because grand jury proceedings are secret.
The subpoenas suggest authorities may be pursuing criminal charges against employees at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein took his own life Aug. 10.
Since Epstein's death, there has been mounting evidence that employees at the jail abdicated their responsibility to keep the 66-year-old from killing himself while he awaited trial on charges of sexually abusing teenage girls.
A Justice Department official told the AP last week that several people, including guards, were not cooperating with the investigation.
- BREAK THINGS-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest city is the latest to play host to a new business that allows people to unleash their rage.
The ABQ Rage Room opened Thursday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the new venture will allow visitors to come into a room and break all sorts of items with weapons.
For as little as $29 or as much as $119, a visitor will be placed in a room with protective gear and can swing a weapon at random pieces of wood.
The ABQ Rage Room is part of a growing trend of businesses that invite visitors to come and break items with weapons.
Smashology , a new business venture in Manly, Iowa, for example, lets folks show up and break stuff with hammers and bats.
- PRISON-SEXUAL ASSAULT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Three former inmates of a New Mexico prison say they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by guards and their complaints were met with indifference or retaliation.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the women recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court over assaults that allegedly occurred in a Springer, New Mexico, prison from 2016 to 2018.
According to the lawsuit, the prison guards forced the women to show their body parts and kiss each other.
One woman says her abuser harassed her when she was in solitary confinement by turning the lights on every half hour to wake her up and made derogatory comments about her body.
New Mexico Corrections Department spokesman Ricardo Montoya says the department has not seen the lawsuit.
- NEWBORN DEATH
ALCALDE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a newborn baby found in a trash bag inside a residence in northern New Mexico.
According to the State Police, the baby's body was found during a welfare check of a residence in Alcalde where the baby's mother was staying.
Officials say a man had reported Aug. 17 that he returned to his home in La Madera from a trip and found that his unborn child's mother was no longer showing signs of being pregnant and wouldn't disclose the child's location.
No identities were released and officials said their investigation continues.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine cause and manner of death.
Alcalde is 28 miles (46 kilometers) north of Santa Fe. La Madera is 40 miles (65 kilometers) southeast of Santa Fe.
- BORDER WALL
PHOENIX (AP) — Construction on a 2-mile portion of replacement fencing funded by President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration has begun in southern Arizona, one of several projects that will build hundreds of miles of new and replacement barriers.
Crews broke ground on the project Thursday and plan on installing 30-foot (9-meter) steel fencing to replace older barriers next to the official border crossing this week.
The project is funded through the Defense Department. Use of the department's money was previously frozen by lower courts while a lawsuit proceeded. But the U.S. Supreme Court last month cleared the way for the use of about $2.5 billion.
Environmentalists have sued over some of the construction contracts, saying they would damage wildlife habitat.
A border wall was a major milestone of the president's election campaign. Congress this year allocated $1.4 billion, but the president wanted much more.