- OIL BOOM-CRIME
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in a New Mexico region that is rich in oil and gas say they have participated in a recent blitz targeting thefts and burglaries in the oilfields. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage said detectives and deputies conducted an operation last week at various oilfields amid concerns over crime. Earlier this year, the Eddy County Sheriff's office investigated an alleged theft from Concho Resources near Carlsbad. The estimated loss from 139 stolen barrels of crude oil was around $7,000. The sheriff's office said an estimated $35,000 of oilfield equipment was allegedly stolen from Tiger Industrial in July 2018.
- ABUSE-KILLING PUPPIES
ANTHONY, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing abuse charges after authorities say he choked his child, brutally killed his children's puppies as they watched and forced one of the siblings to bury the animals. The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office said this week that Miguel Angel Sanchez was arrested following a child abuse investigation. Deputies say the 34-year-old hit one of his children with a wooden paddle, choked another, and punished another for praying over his other brothers. The children also reported watching their father kill several puppies by either throwing them into oncoming traffic or by shooting them in the desert.
- 2019 BABY NAMES-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Sophia and Liam were the most popular names for babies born in New Mexico during 2019. The state Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics says Ava was the second most popular name for girls while Noah was the top runnerup among names for boys. Other girls names in the top 10 were Sophia spelled with a "p-h" in the third spot and Sofia spelled with an "f" in the eighth spot. The other top-10 names were Isabella, Mia, Emma, Abigail, Camila and Aria. The other top boys names behind Liam and Noah were Mateo, Elijah, Ezekiel, Sebastian, Daniel, Ezra, Logan and Isaiah.
- SAWMILL SHUTDOWN AVERTED
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — The governor of New Mexico has announced that a sawmill will not shutdown after a forest has become a new source of wood for the facility. The Gallup Independent reports that the Democratic governor says the family-owned business averted a shutdown and the loss of about 40 jobs. Officials say the a state forestry department signed an agreement with landowners that would enable a forest restoration project. Officials say a judge halted fuelwood permit sales and timber management activities on all national forests in New Mexico as a result of a 2013 lawsuit. The governor says the state worked around the judge and was able to find a solution to get debris out of the forest.
- TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A first-term congresswoman from a swing district in southern New Mexico held a town hall meeting with constituents by telephone minutes after the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico received both high praise and biting criticism for her vote in favor of two articles of impeachment. Torres Small said she was saddened by the anger and political divisions linked to the impeachment and that her vote was necessary to safeguard U.S. elections.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican candidate in a critical Congressional race in New Mexico says her GOP primary opponent's 2018 general election loss partly resulted in President Donald Trump's impeachment. Claire Chase's campaign said late Wednesday that Yvette Herrell's poorly run campaign and loss to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small gave Democrats one more vote. Torres Small voted for two articles of impeachment against Trump. Herrell's campaign manager Dakotah Parshall called Chase's charge "desperate" and said conservative leaders across the country have endorsed Herrell.
- HEALTH CARE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Native Americans in New Mexico go without medical insurance at a much higher rate than other state residents and the nation as a whole. A state-commissioned study by the Urban Institute explores gaps in medical insurance by ethnicity, age, education and location. About 16 percent of Native Americans statewide go without medical insurance. Health insurance coverage also is relatively scarce in the northwest area of the state that is home to the Navajo Nation. New Mexico's expansion of federally subsidized Medicaid health care gave coverage in 2014 to more people on the cusp of poverty. That cut in half the number of people without insurance.
- MEXICO-MIGRANT SMUGGLING
HERMOSILLO, Mexico (AP) — The business of smuggling migrants to the U.S. southern border is adapting to a year of changes on both sides of the frontier. Smugglers and migrants along routes that thread their way north from Central America say the costs are up, but for migrants willing to pay the steep price there's still a way. Mexico has deployed thousands of National Guard troops along migration routes. The U.S. government has reached bilateral agreements with Central American nations to make it more difficult for those hoping to seek asylum in the U.S. Smugglers and governments say the number of people migrating is dropping, but those who profit assure the money continues to flow.