- SPRING WILDFIRES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two fires that merged to create the largest wildfire in New Mexico history have both been traced to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers. U.S. Forest Service investigators announced Friday they have tracked the source of one of the fires to the remnants of a planned winter fire that lay dormant through snowstorms only to flare up again in April. The other fire was previously traced to a planned burn that escaped control on April 6. The findings shift responsibility more squarely toward the U.S. Forest Service for initiating a natural disaster that has destroyed at least 330 homes.
- AP-US-TRIBAL-WATER-SETTLEMENTS
MONUMENT VALLEY, Utah (AP) — The portion of the Navajo Nation that lies in Utah is getting $210 million to go toward clean drinking water infrastructure. Navajo leaders signed an agreement Friday with Utah and federal officials that provides the funding and also settles the tribe's claim to Colorado River water rights. The signing formalizes the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement, which became law last year as part of President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill. It's one of 16 tribal water rights settlements the administration is devoting $1.7 billion to fund. The settlement also resolves long-standing concerns about legal battles over the Colorado River and the tribe's claims to senior water rights.
- GUN LAWS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Responses from public officials to the killing of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, are falling along partisan lines in New Mexico when it comes to proposals to improve public safety and regulating access to guns. Democratic candidates for the state's top law enforcement job say New Mexico needs new gun control legislation, more enforcement resources for gun safety or both. A top Republican Party official said Thursday that gun control is not the appropriate answer. Since 2019, New Mexico has enacted a raft of Democratic-backed legislation that restricts access to guns, including an extension of background-check requirements.
- BOEING-CREW CAPSULE
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing's astronaut taxi has returned to Earth from the International Space Station, completing a repeat test flight with a mannequin on board. The Starliner capsule parachuted into the New Mexico desert just four hours after leaving the orbiting lab Wednesday. Aside from a few snags, Starliner appears to have clinched its high-stakes shakedown cruise 2 1/2 years after its botched first attempt. That means NASA test pilots will fly next, perhaps by year's end. NASA wants two competing U.S. companies ferrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is already the established leader.