- New Mexico AG calls for uniform use of force policies
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is joining the call for police reforms amid the latest wave of protests. Balderas on Tuesday said state lawmakers should create uniform use of force policies that would require body cameras and ban chokeholds, among other things. Balderas in 2016 called for a review of how police departments handled shootings by officers. Recommendations were adopted by the board in 2017 but a year later, they failed to gain traction as many departments said they hadn't even received the recommendations. His office did not immediately respond when asked about the push for reforms in the wake of the report.
- Legislature closes Capitol to public for budget rewrite
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Capitol will be off limits to the public as a health precaution against the coronavirus as the Legislature gathers next week to plug a hole in the state budget, leading lawmakers decided Tuesday. A panel of lawmakers approved safety restrictions and procedures for a special session on June 18 and related financial arrangements. The Democrat-led Legislature is meeting to rewrite the state's spending plan for the fiscal year that starts on July 1 as state government income falls sharply amid a U.S. recession and a downturn in the state's crucial oil and natural gas sector.
- State epidemiologist departs as New Mexico reopens economy
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's lead specialist for tracking and combating infectious disease has resigned amid the coronavirus pandemic. A Health Department spokesman has confirmed the departure of epidemiologist Michael Landen's from the agency. He was appointed state epidemiologist in 2012 under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and was a leading figure in the state's response to the opioid epidemic. Deputy Epidemiologist Chad Smelser will lead the epidemiology and response division, while a nationwide search takes place. Smelser accompanied Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at news conferences in the early stages of the pandemic. The state now has more than 9,100 confirmed cases and the death toll stands at 404.
- Endangered Mexican wolves welcome 7 pups at Albuquerque zoo
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two endangered Mexican gray wolves housed at the Albuquerque zoo are the proud parents of seven pups. Zoo officials announced Tuesday that the pups recently came out of their den for the first time. Zookeepers have only been able to view the pups by camera so far because the mother is being protective. Whenever possible, the pups will undergo an exam and their sexes will be determined. The zoo is part of a nationwide captive-breeding network that supports the recovery of the endangered predators in the Southwest U.S. The latest pups are the second litter for the wolf pair at the zoo.
- Trooper resigns after text about coughing to spread COVID-19
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia state trooper has resigned after he claimed in a text message that he intentionally coughed on a driver he ticketed in hopes of spreading the coronavirus. Virginia State Police began an internal investigation into Trooper Jacob Gooch after the texts surfaced during a homicide investigation in Arizona. Gooch's brother, Mark Gooch, is charged in the killing of a Sunday school teacher who disappeared from a Mennonite community in New Mexico. In one text exchange in mid-April, Jacob Gooch told Mark and another brother that he gave a Mennonite man a ticket and coughed on him "so he would spread Corona to the wedding they were going too." Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Jacob Gooch resigned late last month.
- Task force investigating police shooting of 81-year-old man
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Police in Las Cruces fatally shot an 81-year-old man who they say fired multiple rounds at officers and struck a police vehicle. The shooting happened Monday afternoon. The three Las Cruces Police Department officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on standard administrative leave. Police had been responding to a report that the man was having suicidal thoughts. They say he fired toward officers from inside his home and ignored commands to put the weapon down. Police say the man eventually came out of his home, still armed, and three officers fired their weapons.
- Wildfire closes 39-mile stretch of highway in rural Arizona
MORENCI, Ariz. (AP) — A 39-mile stretch of a scenic highway in a sparsely populated part of eastern Arizona is closed due to a lightning-sparked wildfire burning in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The Arizona Department of Transportation says travelers can get round the closure of U.S. 191 between Morenci and Hannagan Meadow by detouring on U.S. 180 and State Route 78 in western New Mexico. The department says the closure is expected to be prolonged and that the highway is open only to local traffic. According to a post on the multia-gency Inciweb website, the fire as of Tuesday had burned 800 acres of timber and brush.
- Former Albuquerque detectives file whisteblower lawsuit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A whistleblower lawsuit filed by former New Mexico police detectives says they were retaliated against for repeatedly raising concerns about the operation of their department's sex crimes unit. The Albuquerque Journal reported the lawsuit was filed in 2nd Judicial District Court by former Albuquerque Police Department detectives Mandi Abernathy, Sally Dyer and Teresa Romero. Their lawsuit says the sex crimes unit leadership undermined the investigation and prosecution of serial rapists and failed to train newer detectives on how to investigate complex and sensitive cases. The lawsuit also alleges mishandling of their work and assignments or mistreatment by a superior.