- BANKING RECORDS-PRIVACY PROTECTION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that prosecutors can obtain a person's banking records using a warrantless grand jury subpoena without violating the individual's right to privacy under the state's Constitution. In a unanimous decision Thursday, the justices concluded that a district court properly allowed the use of five years of personal financial records as evidence in a pending criminal case against a Taos couple facing charges of tax evasion and other finance-related offenses. The high court rejected the married couple's argument that the state's Constitution provided greater privacy protections for their financial records than offered under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
- AMERICA PROTESTS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Crews in Santa Fe , New Mexico, have removed a statue of a Spanish territorial governor from a city park amid a national debate over the appropriateness of monuments and other markers that recognize historical figures. The statue of Don Diego de Vargas was taken down Thursday ahead of a planned protest. In addition to the de Vargas statue, Mayor Alan Webber is calling for the removal of two other monuments that many Native Americans find offensive. The mayor also promised to revive a commission that will evaluate every statue and monument in the centuries-old city.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University is rolling out plans for students, faculty and staff as they prepare to return to campus in the fall. The document released this week outlines the steps the university will take to ensure what officials said would be a welcoming and functioning campus environment when classes begin Aug. 19. University officials say the plan is a living document and can be updated as more is learned about the novel coronavirus and as best practices evolve. The university planned a town hall for Thursday afternoon. The number of positive tests in New Mexico now stands at 10,153.
- SPECIAL SESSION-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal to distribute absentee ballots directly to registered New Mexico voters without a request or application was rejected by a state Senate panel at the outset of a special legislative session aimed primarily at shoring up state finances. The committee's Thursday vote means absentee ballots will continue to be available only by request in New Mexico. Lawmakers are confronting a 25% decline in estimated state government income for the coming budget year as the coronavirus pandemic takes its economic toll. An amended election reform proposal advanced to the Senate floor that would allow more time before an election to request an absentee ballot.
- TRUMP-ROSWELL
President Donald Trump says he's heard some interesting things about Roswell, but he's not sharing even with his eldest child. Trump made the comments Thursday in a Father's Day-themed interview with his son Don Trump Jr., hosted by the president's reelection campaign. Don Jr. wound down his interview by jokingly asking the president if he would ever divulge more information about Roswell, the New Mexico city known for its proximity to arguably the most famous UFO event. The president responded he "won't talk" but says what he's heard is "very interesting."
- GILA RIVER FIGHT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A panel of New Mexico water managers has voted to end work on an environmental review related to a proposal to divert and store water from the Gila River. The Interstate Stream Commission's 7-2 vote Thursday comes in a years-long battle over the future of the river. Supporters of the diversion project had argued it was vital to supplying drought-stricken communities and irrigation districts in southwestern New Mexico with a new source of water. But environmentalists have maintained that the effort would result in a $1 billion boondoggle. Officials cited the cost, missed deadlines and management concerns for their decision to pull the plug.
- SUPREME COURT-IMMIGRATION-EXPLAINER
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled President Donald Trump improperly ended the program that protects immigrants brought to the country as children and allows them to legally work, effectively rescuing the roughly 650,000 people enrolled in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The Supreme Court didn't say Trump can't end the program, just that his administration went about it the wrong way. Now, his administration will have to decide whether to keep it or dismantle it another way. There have been many efforts to pass legislation that would provide legal status and a path to citizenship for Dreamers, but even bipartisan plans have fallen flat.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-EDUCATION FUNDING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's latest oil bust and the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic have gutted the state's coffers. While education has always been a priority for lawmakers, the Legislature now faces an impossible challenge of boosting teacher pay and preserving the funding pipeline for landmark efforts to expand learning opportunities for more students. The legislative special session begins Thursday. The stakes are enormous for New Mexico children, who are grappling with coronavirus shutdown and endemic poverty in a state that ranks near-last in most academic achievement measures. The state also is under a court order to ensure adequate resources for all students.