- AP-US-NAVAJO-NATION-MANAGED-CARE
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is seeking to become one of the first Native American tribes to create its own managed health care entity. A Navajo corporation recently announced it plans to contract with Molina Healthcare to work toward a managed health care offering under New Mexico's Medicaid program. A Navajo Nation Council delegate says the new entity will improve access and quality of health care on the largest Native American reservation. About 75,000 Navajos living in New Mexico are eligible for Medicaid. Under provisions established by the federal government, each state is allowed to structure and tailor Medicaid programs.
- AP-US-ATTORNEY-GENERAL-VIOLENT-CRIME
DETROIT (AP) — The Justice Department is launching a crackdown aimed at driving down crime in seven of the nation's most violent cities. Attorney General William Barr announced the initiative known as Operation Relentless Pursuit at a Wednesday news conference in Detroit. He was joined by the leaders of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Justice Department will intensify federal law enforcement resources in the seven cities with violent crime rates way above the national average. They are: Detroit, Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, Memphis and Milwaukee.
- SPORTS BETTING
LINCOLN, R.I. (AP) — Legalized sports betting's rapid spread across the U.S. could face some bigger tests in 2020. Less than two years after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the door to sportsbooks outside Nevada, sports betting has been legalized in states that are home to about one-third of the nation's population. But moral opposition and complicated gambling landscapes might slow the spread elsewhere. Still, the topic is already on the agendas of lawmakers from Georgia to California. The most successful efforts so far have come in states that have allowed online betting, a form some states are reluctant to offer.
- HYENA-BLOODY HAND
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque Biological Park officials are investigating an "emergency incident" involving a zookeeper and a hyena. KOB-TV reports the zoo confirmed Monday it is looking into a Nov. 7 episode before the park opened. According to emergency dispatch calls, first responders reported a 40-year-old female with "some type of hand injury" who was bleeding profusely. The calls also indicated the need for medical transport at the time and that "this is a city employee." The city's Cultural Services Department says the hyena was inside the enclosure the whole time and wasn't harmed.
- STATE SENATOR-DRUNKEN DRIVING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state Sen. Richard Martinez has been found guilty of aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving in connection with a June car crash. Judge Francis Mathew delivered the verdicts on misdemeanor charges against the former magistrate judge and prominent Democratic legislator in connection with a June 28 wreck in the community of Española. Martinez's car hit another vehicle that was stopped at a red traffic light, injuring Martinez and two people in the stationary vehicle. Police say Martinez refused a blood-alcohol test after the crash. Police body-camera video showed Martinez fumbling over a field sobriety test.
- SAUDI STUDENT ARRESTED-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Saudi Arabian student who prosecutors say illegally obtained a gun in the U.S. and told someone he wanted to kill a professor and others has been ordered held until his trial. A U.S. magistrate judge ruled Tuesday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that Hassan Alqahtani posed a danger after hearing allegations of domestic violence and threats made to others. Witnesses told investigators that the 27-year-old Alqahtani had physically attacked his wife and threatened a girlfriend. He is facing a federal firearms charge. His defense attorney says the case is based on hearsay.
- FILM OFFICE STAFF EXPANSION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A film office in New Mexico has expanded its staff to better meet the demand of film productions and public inquiries. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the New Mexico Film Office has added two full-time employees to its previously three-person staff in the past month. Officials say they are seeking another two positions to further restructure the Santa Fe office. Film Office officials say the office expects to have overseen about 80 completed productions in the state by the end of the year. Officials say 29 projects were in production as of early December including eight television shows and nine films.