- Richard Branson's flight sparks new optimism in New Mexico
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Virgin Galactic has made its highest profile test flight to date with boss Richard Branson aboard. Now, it's only a matter of time before paying customers get their chance and New Mexico realizes a dream that has been decades in the making. Former Gov. Bill Richardson is among those who have been watching the progress of the space tourism company. He says the naysayers who thought it was a waste of state money were "dead wrong." Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes say the next step will be a push to get Virgin Galactic to relocate its manufacturing operations to New Mexico.
- US drilling approvals increase despite Biden climate pledge
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Approvals for companies to drill for oil and gas on U.S. public lands are on pace this year to reach their highest level since George W. Bush was president. That finding from an Associated Press analysis of government drilling data underscores President Joe Biden's reluctance in the face of industry and Republican resistance to more forcefully curb climate-changing emissions from fossil fuels. The Interior Department approved about 2,500 permits to drill on public and tribal lands in the first six months of the year. That includes more than 2,100 approvals since Biden took office January 20. New Mexico and Wyoming had the largest number of approvals.
- Las Cruces area in clean-up mode day after powerful storms
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Residents in Las Cruces were picking up the pieces Monday, a day after a powerful storm left a trail of toppled trees, washed out roads and downed power lines. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports crews around the city are hauling away massive trees and other debris. The Sunday storm originated in the Roswell and Clovis areas but then picked up steam over the Sacramento Mountains, according to the National Weather Service. The result was a massive storm system that brought powerful winds and rain. The weather has also led the New Mexico Department of Transportation to shut down US 70 at San Augustin Pass.
- Billionaire Richard Branson reaches space in his own ship
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson has reached space aboard his own winged rocket ship, bringing astro-tourism a step closer to reality. The feat vaults the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now. Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space tourism company reached an altitude of 53.5 miles (86 kilometers) over the New Mexico desert — enough to experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth — and then glided back home to a runway landing.
- Police investigate homicide at Albuquerque apartment complex
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque say they are investigating a homicide on the city's southeast side. They say officers responded around 5 p.m. Saturday to a shooting at an apartment complex. Police found a man who had been shot. He was transported to the hospital where he died from his injury. The names and age of the victim haven't been released yet. Police say it's still unclear what led up to the shooting. There was no immediate word of any suspects in the case.
- 2 shot, 1 fatally in Albuquerque; officer slightly injured
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Shots fired across a downtown Albuquerque street killed one person and wounded another early Saturday and a police officer driving through the area was slightly injured, apparently by glass fragments when a bullet hit his vehicle's windshield. No identities or information on a possible motive were released and no immediate arrest was made. The wounded person was reported to be in stable condition. Police appealed to the public for information on the suspect or suspects. They also asked business owners to provide surveillance video of the 2:30 a.m. shooting. Police Chief Harold Medina said the officer was "in good spirits but obviously shaken up."
- Deputy shoots, kills man after fatal stabbing of mother
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a man was shot and killed by a Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy during an encounter after the fatally stabbing of the man's mother. The New Mexico State Police identified the man killed Wednesday as 45-year-old Edward Daniel Santana and his mother as 67-year-old Delia Cervantes. According to the State Police, when deputies responded to a reported domestic dispute at a home north of Santa Fe, they found Cervantes lying on a patio bench and they then had an encounter with Santana that led to the shooting. The State Police said Cervantes died at a hospital.
- New Mexico GOP seeks legal intervention on $1.75B budget row
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in New Mexico are asking the state attorney general to weigh in on a $1.75 billion spending dispute. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed the Legislature's allocations of the federal pandemic relief money earlier this year, saying it should be distributed by her administration. Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas was asked to intervene after Republican lawmakers fell short in an attempt to override the governor's veto. Albuquerque Senate Democrat Jacob Candelaria also supported the veto override. He says his colleagues in the Democratic majorities of the House and Senate have a "fair weather commitment to the law."