- Albuquerque to test electric passenger bus on city route
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — City officials in New Mexico have welcomed back electric buses after failed attempts in years past with the Albuquerque Rapid Transit. Transit Department Director Danny Holcomb said on Friday that the electric bus service will begin operations on Saturday on a single route. Holcomb said multiple routes will be added to test how the vehicle's battery life will be affected. Holcomb said the 40-foot bus can carry 37 passengers and is expected to run up to 175 miles a day in one charge. The leased bus will serve as a test, as the city anticipates purchasing five before the end of the year. Each bus will cost about $925,000.
- Cowboys for Trump leader refuses virus test in jail
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The jailed leader of Cowboys for Trump has been held in solitary isolation for two weeks as he refused to take a coronavirus test. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on Friday said Couy Griffin also ejected offers to speak with an attorney regarding his arrest in connection with the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. Griffin has been jailed and charged by federal prosecutors with entering the Capitol grounds. He was arrested Jan. 17 as he returned to Washington. Griffin has said he wasn't involved in violence at the Capitol and never went inside the building as he waded among throngs of Trump supporters on an outer balcony.
- New Mexico reports 752 additional COVID-19 cases, 17 deaths
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Saturday reported 752 additional known COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths, increasing the state's pandemic totals to 173,539 cases and 3,265 deaths. Nearly all the additional deaths involved people in their 70s, 80s and 90s. In another development, Santa Fe's school superintendent announced Saturday that schools will reopen in a voluntary hybrid model on Feb. 22. That's two weeks after when state officials have said New Mexico school districts and charter schools can reopen. Superintendent Veronica Garcia said the Feb. 22 date provides time to inspect schools and for teachers to set up their classrooms while giving families and staff at least two weeks notice as promised.
- New Mexico tribe sues US over hospital closure amid pandemic
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico Indigenous tribe is suing the U.S. government, claiming federal health officials have violated the law by ending emergency and in-patient medical care at a hospital on tribal lands. Acoma Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo said during a briefing Friday that the tribe's pleas have fallen on deaf ears and that the lack of emergency health care services could not have come at a worse time as COVID-19 continues to take a toll on his community. Acoma is asking a federal judge to overturn a decision by the Indian Health Service to shutter the facility. The agency argues that it hasn't violated the law.
- Man faces federal charges in New Mexico train derailment
VADO, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing federal charges for allegedly derailing a freight train. Federal prosecutors say Luis Angel Rodriguez made an initial court appearance Friday. The 27-year-old La Mesa man will remain in custody pending a preliminary hearing. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Authorities say Rodriguez in the early morning hours of Dec. 2 allegedly placed railroad ties on the track near Vado. That caused two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway locomotives and 12 empty rail cars to derail, resulting in millions of dollars in damage. The conductor and engineer also were injured.
- New Mexico prison chief says private jails needed, for now
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is sticking with its approach to contracting with privately operated prisons — and possibly phasing them out as time and money allow. State Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero on Thursday spoke out in opposition to a bill that would make it unlawful for the state and local governments to contract with private prisons across New Mexico. The bill from Democratic legislators including Rep. Angelica Rubio of Las Cruces would cut loose three private prison operators that oversee four New Mexico facilities — and nearly half of state inmates. The proposal responds to calls for more accountability in the criminal justice system. Tafoya Lucero says the proposal is impractical.
- Groups challenge utility plan to dump New Mexico power plant
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmentalists are challenging an effort by New Mexico's largest electric provider to abandon its interest in the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant ahead of schedule. In a filing with state regulators, they say the plan would violate provisions of the state's landmark energy law. The groups argue that the statute prohibits fossil fuel-fired plants from being reassigned or sold as a means of complying with renewable energy standards. Public Service Co. of New Mexico earlier this month filed an application with regulators, seeking to offload its 13% ownership share. The plant provides power to customers in New Mexico and Arizona.
- NMSP probes officer-involved shooting of man in Las Lunas
LAS LUNAS, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police are investigating the non-fatal shooting of an armed man by Los Lunas police earlier this week. The officers say they returned gunfire after the suspect shot at them while attempting to flee on foot Monday across Interstate 25 in Los Lunas. The officers were not hurt. State police said Friday the suspect will face unspecified criminal charges upon his release from an Albuquerque hospital for what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. He has not been identified. The officers say they say shot him at least once after he fired at them while running across the interstate into a field.