- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
US House hopefuls in New Mexico race unload dueling gun ads
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell have released dueling gun ads aimed at appealing to independent voters in New Mexico's southern district. This week Torres Small unveiled a commercial where she is shown shooting various firearms in the desert while proclaiming, "this is how I unwind." It's similar to the Las Cruces Democrat's 2018 ad showing her shooting a rifle. Herrell released an ad this week with Democratic Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace attacking Torres Small for voting for a gun control measure. The ad also shows Herrell shooting a gun but at a firing range.
- Albuquerque police pull tweet denouncing Wisconsin shooting
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police have deleted a tweet that denounced the "senseless" shooting of a Black man by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police and expressed sympathy for his family. Police Chief Mike Geier said Tuesday the tweet attributed to him was sent in error and apologized. The now-deleted tweet expressed sympathy to Jacob Blake's family and his children who witnessed the police shooting. Albuquerque Police Officers' Association president Sean Willoughby called the tweet embarrassing. Albuquerque police remain under court-order reforms following a harsh report about excessive force cases and the department's own string of police shootings that sparked violent protests in 2014.
- State Supreme Court hears challenge on indoor dining ban
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state Supreme Court is weighing a challenge against New Mexico's pandemic-related ban on indoor dining under the administration of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Arguments were scheduled Wednesday in Santa Fe at a court that recently upheld the state's authority to levy hefty $5,000 daily fines against businesses that flout health orders linked to the coronavirus. New Mexico is among a handful of states including California and New Jersey that prohibit indoor dining as a temporary safeguard against the spread of COVID-19. Attorneys for the restaurant industry assert that state health officials are invoking science as the basis of the ban without sharing specific scientific findings or deliberations.
- Family of late New Mexico lineman sues former coach, school
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — The family of a New Mexico football player who took his own life says school and its former coach ignored his pleas for help and instead made him play while injured. The mother and father of Nahje Flowers announced Tuesday they were suing the university, former head coach Bob Davie and the NCAA for not protecting the 21-year-old lineman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in November. The lawsuit filed in federal court said Davie and the university failed to protect Flowers after he sought counseling to fight depression. Davie's lawyer, Michael Kennedy, says the allegation that Davie overruled medical advice is false.
- Survey, focus groups aim to boost New Mexico competitiveness
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of New Mexico's largest economic development advocacy groups has launched an online survey to take the temperature of business owners and others on everything from taxes to public safety, broadband access and transportation infrastructure. The goal is to use the results and a series of upcoming focus groups to develop recommendations on how the state can better boost the competitiveness of businesses. The push comes as many businesses face ongoing pressures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and public health mandates. The state has reported 24,535 cases and 750 deaths since the pandemic began.
- Brother of airman charged with murder resolves Arizona case
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The brother of a U.S. Air Force airman charged with murder has entered a plea agreement in a separate but related case. Under the agreement, Samuel Gooch would avoid any time behind bars. He is scheduled to be sentenced in early October. Authorities had accused him of flying to Arizona from Wisconsin to pick up what he thought was the rifle used in the shooting of 27-year-old Sasha Krause. Gooch's brother, Mark, has pleaded not guilty in Krause's death. The Mennonite woman disappeared from northwestern New Mexico in January. Her body was found later in the forest outside Flagstaff.
- Deputies in New Mexico fatally shoot armed man
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico say deputies fatally shot a man who had opened fire in a neighborhood in northeast Albuquerque. Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales says deputies responded Monday afternoon after getting calls about a man who was walking around and pointing a gun. Gonzales says the man fired multiple shots at deputies and two returned fire, striking him while he tried to shoot again. Authorities say the shooting is under investigation and it wasn't immediately known how many shots were fired by the man or by deputies. The man's name hasn't been released.
- US crackdown on nonessential border travel causes long waits
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Trump administration crackdown on nonessential travel coming from Mexico amid the coronavirus pandemic has created massive bottlenecks at the border. Drivers have reported waits of up to 10 hours to get into the United States. U.S. citizens and legal residents cannot be denied entry under a partial travel ban the government introduced in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But Customs and Border Protection is shifting resources to create longer waits on weekends, when nonessential travel is heavy. Going to work, school and medical appointments are deemed essential travel but going to shop, dine or socialize is not.