- NEW MEXICO SCHOOL SHOOTING-LAWSUIT
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The family of a New Mexico student who was killed when a gunman opened fire inside Aztec High School in 2017 is suing the school district and police, saying more could have been done to prevent the tragedy. Casey Jordan Marquez's family recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit in state court. School officials and police have declined to comment on the lawsuit. Marquez and classmate Francisco "Paco" Fernandez were killed. The shooting prompted lawmakers to allocate more money for infrastructure projects to improve school security around New Mexico, but Marquez's family says not much has changed at Aztec High School.
- JACKSON WINK ACADEMY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jackson Wink MMA Academy, the storied mixed martial arts gym that has trained UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones and other notable fighters, will offer naming rights. Gym co-owner Greg Jackson told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he and fellow owner Mike Winkeljohn will begin entertaining naming rights offers for their globally known training facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jackson Wink MMA Academy is a sought out gym for mixed martial artists around the world. He says the naming rights could potentially grant international exposure to a company. Jackson didn't give a price for naming rights.
- SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a school bus carrying 25 children has been involved in an accident on a freeway interchange but there's no immediate indication whether any children were injured. A police spokesman says the accident occurred Thursday morning on a flyover ramp from eastbound Interstate 40 to northbound Interstate 25. The interchange is known as the "Big I." The spokesman said the flyover remains open but that the accident will cause significant traffic delays. A traffic camera image posted online by KRQE-TV showed the bus upright and parked with several emergency vehicles nearby. No additional information is immediately available on circumstances of the accident.
- AP-US-ODD-MISTAKEN-CALL-GETS-WALKER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An 84-year-old New Mexico woman's misdial meant for a medical supply store went to an investigator in a district attorney's office _ and led to a new walker. KOB-TV reports Bernice Weems mistakenly called Kyle Hartsock with the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, seeking a new walker. She left a voicemail. It turns out Hartsock's number is just one digit off from the medical supply store she was trying to call. Hartsock says instead of ignoring the message, he went out and got Weems a walker.
- AFFORDABLE HOUSING-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Several Native American tribes in New Mexico will share more than $36 million in federal funding for affordable housing projects. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department announced the funding Wednesday. In all, tribes across the country will be getting nearly $200 million in grants for new construction. Officials say the money is expected to result in about 1,200 new housing units for low-income families living on reservations or in other Native American communities. Housing authorities that serve Zuni Pueblo and the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache tribes are among the recipients.
- PRINCIPAL-BAT ATTACK
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico middle school principal is facing charges after police said he threatened his brother with a baseball bat while drunk. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports West Las Vegas Middle School Principal Thomas Sanchez was arrested Monday a day following his alleged altercation with his brother. According to police, the 39-year-old Sanchez showed up to his brother's house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and threatened him with a bat. Sanchez then reportedly damaged his brother's truck. West Las Vegas Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Gutierrez says Sanchez has been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending an investigation.
- AP-SKI-WORLD-PRO-SKI-TOUR
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Efforts to revitalize traditional professional alpine ski racing are culminating in a network-televised world championship event planned for April 2020 at Taos Ski Valley in northern New Mexico. On Wednesday, World Pro Ski Tour CEO Jon Franklin announced the single-elimination, head-to-head competition with a $100,000 purse and competitors including U.S. Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety. The U.S.-based World Pro Ski Tour was revived in 2017, and the April race is the first championship-style event since then. The ski mountain on U.S. Forest Service land outside the town of Taos has been transformed by new investments in amenities in recent years.
- IMMIGRATION-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. lawyers want a judge to dismiss claims by New Mexico that immigration officials shirked their duties earlier this year by quickly releasing thousands of mostly Central American migrants into communities after they crossed into the United States. New Mexico claimed in a lawsuit filed in June that the practice left communities to pick up the tab for housing and feeding the asylum-seekers until they moved on to find relatives or other hosts elsewhere in the U.S. A judge heard arguments Wednesday but it could be some time before a ruling is issued.