- PENSION REFORM-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's Democratic governor has signed sweeping pension fund reforms into law that affect more than 100,000 current and former state and local government workers. The legislation increases employee and taxpayer contributions to a public pension fund that has more than $6 billion in unfunded liabilities. Annual cost-of-living increases also will be tied to pension fund investment returns for the trust overseen by the Public Employees Retirement Association. The governor has acknowledged that the changes require some sacrifice but that the legislation ensures the sacrifice is shared and that vulnerable groups are protected.
- IMMIGRATION-ALBUQUERQUE SCHOOLS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest public school district will be reminding principals that federal immigration agents are not to come onto campus unless they have a warrant. A memo will be sent to all Albuquerque principals after a draft of the notice was presented to the school board last week. The memo states that schools are meant to be safe places for all children, including those who are believed to be in the country illegally. The memo follows recent reports of an uptick in activity by immigration authorities.
- SCHOOL LUNCHES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Low-income students who qualified for reduced-price school breakfast and lunch no longer have to come up with co-payments for the meals under a measure signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The governor signed the bill Monday, saying that while many families meet the criteria for reduced fees, they still have difficultly coming up with the money when they have multiple children in school. The legislation comes with a $650,000 appropriation the state Public Education Department will use to reimburse districts for the fees the children normally would have paid. Supporters say the change will make school meals accessible to an additional 12,500 students.
- OUTDOOR RECREATION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division has announced the first wave of events funded by new outdoor recreation incubator grants. The agency says San Juan College will be hosting an outdoor recreation base camp in Farmington on Saturday while Creative Startups will be putting on meetings at rural libraries in Estancia, El Rito and Taos. Five more events will follow later this year. San Juan College and Creative Startups received grant funding for the effort in 2019. The goal is to highlight outdoor recreation business opportunities, share networking and marketing tools, and link businesses with the BLM and other federal land agencies.
- GUARDIAN FRAUD CASE
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A U.S. judge has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the former president of a now-defunct nonprofit that provided guardianship services for vulnerable and special needs clients after she failed to appear for sentencing for money laundering and other crimes. The Albuquerque Journal reports a warrant also was issued for the woman's husband. Federal prosecutors said 73-year-old Susan Harris had been facing a minimum of 30 years in prison while her husband, William Harris, faced less time. Defense attorneys told the judge they could not reach the couple by phone Monday when they failed to show up in court.
- UNIVERSITY LAND-HOMELESS SHELTER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico community is conflicted over the idea to build a homeless shelter on land owned by the school. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller is pushing for unused university land to be the site of a 300-bed emergency shelter. The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday the site is one of three being considered. Keller says the area would be ideal because it's not near the campus and would be cheaper to build on. Some UNM employees and students, however, have expressed reservations. Among them are parents whose children attend the university's day care center.
- LAS CRUCES-POLICE CHASE
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police are investigating the death of a man who led Las Cruces police on a foot chase and was taken into custody after one officer used a Taser. Medical investigators have yet to determine the cause of death. Authorities say a Las Cruces police officer pulled over a pickup truck early Saturday and discovered that a man inside the vehicle had a warrant out for his arrest. When the officer asked him to get out of the truck, he fled and police followed. Authorities say he was eventually handcuffed but officers noticed soon after that he was unresponsive.
- SUICIDE RATE
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A new report says Wyoming had the second-highest suicide rate in the United States in 2018. The Casper Star-Tribune reported an American Association of Suicidology study released earlier this month found 25.4 out of every 100,000 Wyoming residents took their own lives in 2018. The figure fell from 2017 when Wyoming had more than 27 people per 100,000 people who died by suicide. Wyoming's age group with the highest rate of suicide was between 20 and 24 years old. The 2018 national suicide rate was 14.8 per 100,000 people. New Mexico had the highest rate with 25.6 that year.