- ETHICS COMPLAINT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's fledgling State Ethics Commission says it has received its first complaint without disclosing its contents or who it involves. The commission treats complaints as confidential until there is a finding of probable cause. That doesn't prevent people from going public with accusations that are submitted to the commission or rebuttals. The commission in January started to field complaints and requests for advisory opinions regarding campaign finances, government contracting, gifts from lobbyists, and more. Allegations of criminal conduct are referred to state or local prosecutors. Voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of the commission in 2018.
- ALBUQUERQUE CRIME
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An analysis shows that Albuquerque police are taking 93% longer to respond to 911 calls from nine years ago. KOAT-TV reports an examination on the Albuquerque Police Department's response times shows officers now take an average of 48 minutes to arrive to a scene. That's a 23-minute jump from 2011. Albuquerque Emergency Communications Center manager Erika Wilson says police are doing the best they can with the resources available. Albuquerque police say currently it has about 950 officers. In 2011, it had around 1,100 officers. FBI statistics show Albuquerque had a violent crime rate of 1,365 per 100,000 residents in 2018. The national rate was about 369 violent crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
- FATAL POLICE SHOOTING
DEMING, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a New Mexico State Police officer fatally shot a man who fired at police at the end of a chase. The state police said the incident started at 4:15 p.m. Saturday when Deming police, with help from the Luna County Sheriff's Office, pursued a man in a red minivan who was believed to have violated an order of protection. State police said the man drove into a berm, leading his car to get stuck, the agency said. The man then ran off with a shotgun and fired a shot toward a sheriff's deputy, hitting the deputy's vehicle. The agency said a state police officer fired at the man at least once. The man died at the scene.
- REDACTED VICTIM INFO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Is it acceptable for prosecutors to redact portions of victims' and witnesses' Social Security numbers and dates of birth when they provide case documents to the defense? That's what defense attorneys in Albuquerque want to know. According to the Albuquerque Journal, defense lawyers say there are no rules that allow for this new practice and that prosecutors unilaterally made a decision to deprive them of information that they're entitled to get. The attorneys now worry that allowing the state to decide what information the defense deserves sets a bad precedent. Prosecutors and victim advocates say providing criminal defendants with this sensitive material leaves witnesses vulnerable to intimidation and possible harm, which may dissuade them from participating in the process.
- COAL-HEATING HOMES
POLACCA, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo and Hopi families in northeastern Arizona that have long relied on coal to heat their homes are looking to other sources after last year's closure of a coal mine. The Kayenta Mine shut down after decades of supplying the Navajo Generating Station. The Navajo and Hopi tribes shared in the coal royalties. Tribal members also had access to the coal, regularly loading the long-burning fossil fuel into pickup trucks or buying it from roadside vendors. Now they're having to travel farther for coal, switching to firewood or even burning household items to stay warm.
- TRANSMISSION LINE FIGHT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two New Mexico counties and rural residents are standing up against a proposed transmission line that would connect the potential for more wind farms in New Mexico with markets in other western states. Commissioners in Valencia and Socorro counties have voted to oppose the Western Spirit Transmission Line. Critics fear the project's huge towers and miles of high-voltage lines will spoil their rural quality of life by obstructing pristine vistas, impacting wildlife and undermining tourism-related income and property values. Western Spirit has the federal and state permits it needs, but developers must still negotiate right-of-way agreements with landowners in the two counties.
- IMMIGRANTS-GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
PHOENIX (AP) — Advocates say new guidelines that disqualify more people from green cards if they use government benefits is prompting droves of immigrants to drop government social services. That even includes citizens and legal residents who may be entitled to the benefits but fear they will be kicked out of the U.S. Advocates are scrambling to find other options to fill the needs of a traditionally low-income population. They predict that the Trump administration guidelines taking effect Monday will result in extreme hardship for many. The government says the rule will help make immigrants more self-sufficient and protect American taxpayers.
- BODY FOUND-MISSING WOMAN
Authorities are investigating whether a body found in northern Arizona is that of a northwestern New Mexico woman reported missing over a month ago. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico says it was notified Friday by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office in Arizona of the discovery of a body matching the general description of 27-year-old Sasha Krause, a Farmington-area resident. She was last seen the evening of Jan. 18 picking up items items from the Farmington Mennonite Church where her car was found parked outside. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office said an autopsy will be conducted as early as Monday to establish the identity and to determine cause of death.