- PUBLIC WATERS-ACCESS FIGHT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The head of an agency that oversees hunting and fishing across New Mexico is asking a judge to settle a long-running dispute over public access to rivers and streams that flow through private property. The state Game and Fish director filed a complaint in state district court Wednesday. He asked for clarification on whether and under what circumstances private landowners can prohibit people from fishing and otherwise using waterways that cross their property. The state Game Commission voted last year to reconsider a contested rule adopted by previous commissioners that limited access. Critics have pointed to constitutional provisions that refer to the state's waters as public.
- TAX HOLIDAY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's tax holiday will be extended for another five years under a measure signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The legislation suspends the collection of gross receipts tax on the sale of qualified items at New Mexico small businesses. The governor says Small Business Saturday has become a tradition for many families during the holiday season and it's a way to support local businesses and save money on gifts. This year's tax holiday will be Nov. 28. Toys, electronics, sporting goods and other categories of merchandise qualify for the tax-free status as long as individual items cost less than $500.
- FATAL INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say two men have died after an apparent industrial accident at an oil drilling site in southern New Mexico. Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage says deputies responded to the accident Wednesday where they found 28-year-old Nicholas D. Gerberich of Roswell and 24-year-old Storm Hutchins of Carlsbad lying on the ground, unconscious and not breathing. Emergency medical service personnel pronounced both men dead at the scene. Authorities say the accident occurred at a Concho Resources lease location. Carlsbad Current-Argus and KRQE-TV said attempts seeking comment from Concho Resources were unsuccessful. The county sheriff's office was still working to determine what happened.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials say they are placing a new focus on safeguarding the state's elderly population from potential transmission of the new coronavirus. The state has no known infections since testing began this week for people with an elevated risk of infection because of travel and other factors. The first 10 tests for the new coronavirus were negative. Symptoms can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has awarded an initial $500,000 to the state for enhancing testing and surveillance.
- BALLOON FIESTA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A colorful spectacle often described as one of the world's most photographed events will celebrate its 50th year in 2021. Organizers of the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and officials at the international balloon museum are wasting no time planning. They've already amassed $400,000 through donations and state and local funds. They will be raising more money this year for a new permanent exhibition dedicated to telling the story of how New Mexico's largest city became the ballooning capital of the world. It will feature historical artifacts, virtual flights and a digital timeline. The nine-day fiesta draws hundreds of thousands each year.
- AP-US-IMMIGRATION-METERING-
PHOENIX (AP) — A U.S. appeals court says a partial ban on asylum doesn't apply to anyone who arrived at the border before the policy was announced last summer. The Trump administration announced in July it would deny asylum to anyone who traveled through another country without applying there first. Immigrant advocates sued on behalf of asylum-seekers who had arrived at the border before the policy but hadn't been allowed to ask for asylum because of a different rule requiring them to wait on an unofficial list. That other rule, known widely as "metering" makes asylum-seekers wait months before they can even walk up to a border crossing and make an asylum claim.
- MURDER SENTENCE-MIGRANT
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — A migrant in the United States illegally will serve nine years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder in the shooting death of a co-worker at a Roswell-area ranch. Jose Dominguez was sentenced Wednesday in the 2018 killing of 46-year-old Luciano Sifuentes, a fellow migrant from Mexico. The Roswell Daily Record reports that a prosecution recommendation accepted by District Judge Justin Hunter resulted in Dominguez being sentenced to 15 years in prison but with six years suspended. Hunter said Dominguez will be deported back to Mexico upon completion of his sentence. Dominguez acknowledged to investigators that he'd shot Sifuentes, He said Sifuentes had "disrespected" him and that he feared Sifuentes was going to hit or stab him.
- PUBLIC RECORDS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed an overhaul of the state's collective bargaining laws pertaining to public employees over the objections of open-government advocates who say the changes could shield access to information about job titles, salaries and work locations for government workers. The Democratic governor also signed legislation Thursday that eliminates a six-month waiting period for public disclosure of financial settlements to resolve accusations of abuses or misbehavior by public officials. A spokesman for Lujan Grisham said the administration has worked to restore transparency and open access to public records.