- DOLORES HUERTA-BIRTHPLACE
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — The northern New Mexico birthplace of civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and the site of one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history is up for sale. A broker has listed the Dawson Elk Valley Ranch, where the town of Dawson once sat, for sale by its billionaire owner for $96 million. The listing says the 78-square-mile ranch lies in the most western reaches of the Great Plains to the front range of the rugged Cimarron Mountains. Huerta was born in Dawson in April 10, 1930. She later co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in the late 1960s.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Congresswoman Deb Haaland is maintaining a comfortable lead in the money race for reelection for her Albuquerque seat. Federal campaign election records show the Albuquerque Democrat raised over $243,000 during the first three months of 2020. Her campaign also reported having nearly $327,000 cash-on-hand. Republican dairy farmer Jared Vander Dussen reported raising over $30,000 and had over $106,000 cash-on-hand. Retired police officer Michelle Garcia Holmes pulled in nearly $14,000 and had nearly $126,000 cash-on-hand. Haaland is serving in her first term in Congress. She is one of the first Native American females in the U.S. House.
- RAN OVER-LOAN
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico woman is facing charges after police say she ran over a man with a car following an argument over $85. The Hobbs News-Sun reports Shilo Cassidi-Mae Howell was arrested Saturday nearly a month following a deputy finding a man lying on the ground in front of a Hobbs home. The victim told police Howell had hit him with her van after they got into an argument while drinking alcohol together. She was charged with two counts of aggravated battery and criminal damage to property. It was not known if Howell had an attorney.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico now has more than 2,000 coronavirus cases with seven more deaths, pushing that total to at least 65. State Department of Health officials announced 103 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday that increased the total number of cases to 2,072. They said five of the new deaths occurred in Bernalillo County and four were residents of the La Vida Llena retirement home in Albuquerque. The fifth county death was a resident of the Central Desert Behavioral Health facility in Albuquerque with the other deaths in Chaves County and McKinley County. Bernalillo County, the state's most populous, now has 585 coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, University of New Mexico scientists and clinical staff have started to sterilize and reuse single-use personal protective equipment.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Federal records show a Super PAC raised $75,000 to attack a Republican U.S. House candidate in New Mexico. Citizens for a United New Mexico reported raising the money during the first three months of 2020 before it launched a recent advertising blitz against former state lawmaker Yvette Herrell. The ads alleged that Herrell sent emails in 2016 "to undermine Trump's campaign for president" and attended an "anti-Trump soiree." Records show the Super PAC is registered to a northwestern New Mexico oil trucking company owner. It also lists Carlsbad rancher George Brantley as one of the Super PAC's major donors. He is married to Nancy Brantley, the campaign chair of House candidate Claire Chase, who is Herrell's opponent in the GOP primary.
- SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER KILLED-ARREST
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say an airman has been arrested in the death of a New Mexico woman whose body was found off a forest road in northern Arizona two months ago. Coconino County sheriff's officials say Mark Gooch was taken into custody Tuesday at Luke Air Force Base in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. It was unclear if he has a lawyer yet. Authorities said 27-year-old Sasha Krause was last seen Jan. 18 picking up items from the Farmington Mennonite Church in northwestern New Mexico where she taught Sunday school. Authorities haven't disclosed how Krause was killed or how long her body had been near Sunset Crater.
- ALBUQUERQUE SCHOOLS-SUPERINTENDENT
Albuquerque schools names COO as interim superintendent
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The board of the largest school district in New Mexico has named its chief operations officer as interim superintendent. The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education announced late Monday that Scott Elder will take over superintendent duties when Raquel Reedy retires in the coming months. Reedy announced in October that she planned to retire after more than four decades in public education. The district was in the middle of a search for her replacement when the coronavirus public health crisis closed schools for the remainder of the school year. The search has been suspended until school returns as normal.
- BOOSTER CLUB-EMBEZZLEMENT
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man has been sentenced to nearly a year in prison after he pleaded no contest in the theft of thousands of dollars for a high school football booster club. The Alamogordo Daily News reports Albert "Vincent" Flores Jr. was sentenced last week and ordered to pay oer $10,000 in restitution to the Alamogordo Tiger Touchdown Club. Prosecutors say the 45-year-old Flores used the organization's debit card and checkbook for Netflix, Redbox, Hulu, Peace Out, Nations Photo Lab, Black River Imaging, Walmart and various restaurants. Flores pleaded no contest to embezzlement over $2,500 without a plea agreement two days before his case was set to go to trial in September.