- US Senate hopefuls in New Mexico OK 1 debate, fight on more
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján and Republican Mark Ronchetti have only agreed to participate in one televised debate in New Mexico's U.S. Senate race. And their campaigns are pointing figures at the other for refusing to join more. The campaigns recently announced they will take part in a debate sponsored by KOAT-TV and the Albuquerque Journal. But Ronchetti has accepted offers for debates sponsored by Albuquerque-area outlets KOB-TV and KRQE-TV _ something Luján has shunned. Instead, Luján has accepted an invitation from PBS-affiliate KNME-TV. Ronchetti called KNME-TV a "liberal front-group." The station is non-partisan and its weekly "New Mexico in Focus" shows regularly host Republican guests.
- Operation Legend puts focus on violent crime, not politics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — President Donald Trump and his attorney general have touted Operation Legend as a much-needed answer to spiking crime. Trump claims it's caused, at least in part, by the police reform movement and protests that have swept across the U.S. since George Floyd's death in May. Trump also claims he's countering rising crime in cities run by Democrats. But to the 300 federal investigators deployed to nine cities, and the local law enforcement getting help, Operation Legend isn't about politics. It's about reducing crime, working to solve outstanding cases and prioritizing the arrest of violent criminals.
- Film shows trailblazing Black female editor, VP candidate
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Kamala Harris made history last week by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated to run for vice president on a major party's ticket. But the first Black woman to run for vice president in the nation's history was trailblazing newspaperwoman Charlotta Spears Bass. The groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist who ran in 1952 on the Progressive Party ticket is the subject of a new PBS/WNET "American Masters" short. It's the final installment of a series focusing on American women. Filmmakers Charlotte Mangin and Sandra Rattley say they wanted to introduce Bass to a new generation. The short is scheduled for release Wednesday.
- New Mexico's unemployment rate now exceeds national rate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The unemployment rate in New Mexico has jumped to 12.7%. That's the highest rate the state has seen since the coronavirus pandemic began in the U.S. in March. The Albuquerque Journal reports the figure is up from 8.4% in June. That reverses a downward trend since April, when the rate was 11.3%,. The national unemployment rate was 10.2% in July, down from 11% in June. State Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley says the main factor for New Mexico's increase was that temporary furloughs for workers converted into layoffs. State officials on Saturday reported 213 additional COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths, increasing New Mexico's totals to 24,302 cases and 743 deaths.
- Nuclear agency's new facility to be named after 1st leader
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The federal agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons cache and key deterrence initiatives around the globe will name its new facility in Albuquerque after a retired Air Force general who was the agency's first administrator. The National Nuclear Security Administration's leader announced Friday the facility under construction will be named after Gen. John A Gordon, who died April 19. NNSA Administrator Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty said the agency builds upon the "strong foundation" that Gordon set during his tenure from 2000 to mid 2002. The new facility is scheduled to be occupied in late 2021 by 1,200 NNSA staff members currently working in 25 separate buildings and facilities.
- New Mexico rights commission reconsiders immunity for police
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An effort to reform qualified immunity provisions that protect police officers from lawsuits against misconduct is underway in New Mexico. The state's newly appointed civil rights commission is scheduled to meet Friday for the first time to arrange assistance from the legal affairs office of the Legislature and state procurement officials. The Democrat-led Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved policing reforms during a special session in June that include the mandatory use of police body cameras. Protests over racial injustice and police brutality have prompted several states to pass significant policing reforms at a quick pace, often with bipartisan support.
- Execution of Native American man stirs emotion within tribe
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — As a Navajo man sits on federal death row awaiting his upcoming execution date, his tribe is asking officials to spare his life. The stance in support of Lezmond Mitchell is pushing up against the desires of some of the victims' family to see the Wednesday execution move forward. Mitchell was convicted in the grisly slayings of a fellow tribal member and her granddaughter in 2001 on the Navajo Nation. He is among a handful of inmates whose executions were announced after a 17-year, informal moratorium with a common thread of crimes against children. Mitchell is the only Native American on federal death row.
- 3 large corrals approved for western US wild horse roundups
RENO, Nev. (AP) — The federal Bureau of Land Management has approved construction of three corrals to hold more than 8,000 wild horses captured on federal rangeland. The pens are the next step in plans announced last year by the administration of President Donald Trump to speed up the capture of 130,000 wild horses over 10 years at an estimated cost of $1 billion. The new corrals are aimed at accelerating wild horse roundups that have been slowed down for lack of space in existing pens. The bureau issued final decisions on environmental assessments for corrals in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that are opposed by wild horse advocates.