Albuquerque news

• The Latest: Protesters decry lack of charges in Bland case

  22-12-2015 23:57
  
  HEMPSTEAD, Texas — The latest on the investigation into the July arrest and death of a black woman, Sandra Bland, in a Texas jail cell (all times local): 4:50 p.m. About two dozen people have gathered outside of a Texas courthouse to protest a grand jury’s refusal to indict any sheriff’s officials or jailers in […]
  
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• UNM reviews director of operations’ purchasing history

  22-12-2015 23:47 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – The director of operations for the University of New Mexico’s Men’s Basketball Team is on a leave of absence while officials review his purchasing card activity.
  Cody Hopkins is responsible for travel, hotel, and food payments for the team. Hopkins has been the director of operations since the fall of 2014.
  UNM Athletics says that they are working with UNM Internal Auditing to look into “recent transactions for basketball operations statements that ha
  
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• New Mexico among states to save shopping for last minute

  22-12-2015 23:16 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Some 10-percent of holiday shoppers wait until December 23 to buy last minute gifts and New Mexicans make a large part of that equation. That’s according to the National Retail Federation.
  That juxtaposes well with what Starbucks expects in gift card sales. The chain says it’s prepping for record card purchases Christmas Eve.
  Last year, about 2.5 million Starbucks cards were bought December 24.
  People in Utah, California and New Mexico are most likely to vi
  
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• Updated: La Plata agrees to $2.4M federal mine spill cleanup deal

  22-12-2015 23:13
  
  DURANGO, Colo. — The federal government will pay La Plata County $2.4 million to help clean up after the Gold King Mine spill. County commissioners unanimously agreed to the 10-year deal Tuesday, The Durango Herald reported (http://bit.ly/1U3bywA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has assumed responsibility for an August breach at the abandoned mine portal that […]
  
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• La Plata agrees to $2.4M federal mine spill cleanup deal

  22-12-2015 23:13
  
  DURANGO, Colo. — The federal government will pay La Plata County $2.4 million to help clean up after the Gold King Mine spill. The Durango Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1U3bywA ) that county commissioners unanimously agreed to the deal Tuesday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has assumed responsibility for an August breach at the abandoned mine portal […]
  
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• Iraqi troops advance in battle for IS-held city of Ramadi

  22-12-2015 23:13
  
  BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces on Tuesday reported progress in the military operation to retake the city of Ramadi from the Islamic State group, saying they made the most significant incursion into the city since it fell to the militants in May. Losing Ramadi — the capital of sprawling western Anbar province and Iraq’s Sunni heartland […]
  
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• British troops deploy to Afghan province amid Taliban battle

  22-12-2015 23:13
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan — When Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani took office, it ushered in a period of hope for the country’s traumatized people that decades of violence would soon end. But just one year later, a mood of crisis prevails: British troops are being sent to help the army maintain control of a strategically important district […]
  
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• IOM: Over 1 million refugees, migrants enter Europe in 2015

  22-12-2015 23:12
  
  GENEVA — More than 1 million people driven out of their countries by war, poverty and persecution entered Europe in this record-breaking year, migration experts said Tuesday, a symbolic milestone capping a mass movement of people that has challenged the concept of European unity. With just days left in 2015, the Geneva-based International Organization for […]
  
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• Judge bars three protest organizers from mall, not others

  22-12-2015 23:10
  
  MINNEAPOLIS — The latest developments on plans by Black Lives Matter activists to protest at the Mall of America (all times local): 3:55 p.m. A judge has barred three people from attending an upcoming Black Lives Matter protest they organized at the Mall of America but says she doesn’t have the power to prevent others […]
  
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• Hobbs man to face trial after fatal neighbor dispute

  22-12-2015 23:10 via krqe.com
  
  HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) – A Hobbs man, accused of shooting and killing a neighbor during a fight, is set to face trial.
  The Hobbs News-Sun reports Enrique Carmona is scheduled to stand trial December 28 in connection with the death of Jose Meza.
  Authorities say Carmona shot Meza in the head during a neighbor dispute in May 2014. Carmona is facing an open count of murder.
  He has pleaded not guilty.
  
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• Board revokes former cop’s certification after DWI charges

  22-12-2015 23:02 via krqe.com
  
  SANTA FE (KRQE) – The former officer accused of driving drunk and crashing into a building will not be able to work as a police officer in New Mexico.
  In September, Santa Fe police tried to pull over former cop Jesus Bencomo Zubiate. Investigators say he fled, slamming into a building near the plaza.
  Police say he was drunk and was taken to jail.
  The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board has now revoked his certification.
  He worked for the Santa Fe Police Department for four years befor
  
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• UNM investigating purchases of Lobo hoops staffer

  22-12-2015 22:56
  
  Cody Hopkins, director of basketball operations for the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team, is on a leave of absence while the activity on his purchasing card is under investigation, the university said Tuesday. Hopkins is responsible for purchasing and payment for travel, hotels, food and incidentals for the team. The University’s Internal Auditing […]
  
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• Weird weather pattern turns weather upside-down across US

  22-12-2015 22:54
  
  SEATTLE — A weather pattern partly linked with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow across the West that even skiing slopes have been overwhelmed. In a reversal of […]
  
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• Updated: Weird weather pattern turns weather upside-down across US

  22-12-2015 22:54
  
  SEATTLE — A weather pattern partly linked with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow across the West that even skiing slopes have been overwhelmed. In a reversal of […]
  
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• Former President Bill Clinton coming to New Mexico

  22-12-2015 22:53 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Former President Bill Clinton is coming to New Mexico next month.
  He will be attending a reception to support his wife, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. On the morning of January, 2016, Mr. Clinton will be in Los Ranchos.
  Tickets cost $1,000 and $2, 700. The address of the event will be given to those who RSVP to the event.
  
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• School says Hello Kitty Christmas tree can stay after all

  22-12-2015 22:42
  
  BANGOR, Maine — A Maine high school has reversed its decision to prevent a math teacher from keeping a pink Hello Kitty Christmas tree in her classroom. Bangor High School officials had said Catherine Gordon had to remove the tree. The superintendent said the tree needed an educational component. But WABI-TV (http://bit.ly/1NK6DwM) reports principal Paul […]
  
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• Report: More young adults signing up for Obama health law

  22-12-2015 22:42
  
  WASHINGTON — Midway through sign-up season, more young adults are getting coverage through President Barack Obama’s health care law. The number of new customers is also trending higher, officials said Tuesday in an upbeat report. Outside analysts who reviewed the administration’s update said it reflects encouraging progress, but that may not dispel questions about the […]
  
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• More than 3,000 Washington prisoners mistakenly freed early

  22-12-2015 22:42
  
  OLYMPIA, Wash. — More than 3,000 prisoners in Washington have been mistakenly released early since 2002 because of an error by the state’s Department of Corrections. At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said he has ordered immediate steps to correct the long-standing problem. “Frankly, it is maddening,” Inslee said. Authorities say a July […]
  
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• Lobo men’s hoops team falls to Auburn in Hawaii

  22-12-2015 22:40
  
  Auburn scored 25 points off a season-high 22 UNM turnovers in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
  
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• Lobo men’s hoops team falls to Auburn

  22-12-2015 22:40
  
  The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team lost 83-78 to Auburn in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic tournament on Tuesday in Honolulu. The Lobos (7-4), who have lost two straight, return to action Wednesday in tournament play against the loser of Tuesday’s BYU-Harvard game. Check back here later and in Wednesday’s […]
  
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• Pygmy hippopotamus calf now on display at Omaha zoo

  22-12-2015 22:23
  
  OMAHA, Neb. — A Nebraska zoo is welcoming a new addition: a pygmy hippopotamus calf named Mabel. The Omaha World-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1V0sWmL ) that the nearly 3-month-old calf is now on display at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha. Pygmy hippos are native to swamps and rain forests in western Africa. The International […]
  
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• Moody Gardens in Galveston welcomes baby rockhopper penguin

  22-12-2015 22:23
  
  GALVESTON, Texas — Moody Gardens in Texas has a new arrival thanks to parents Ozzie and Gaga swapping turns atop the egg. The aquarium complex in Galveston on Monday unveiled a southern rockhopper penguin chick. It’s the first time that a southern rockhopper has hatched at Moody Gardens. Spokeswoman Courtney Carr said Tuesday that officials […]
  
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• Whale stranded in surf off Galveston dies, necropsy planned

  22-12-2015 22:22
  
  GALVESTON, Texas — Marine experts say a 40-foot whale that was stranded in the surf off Galveston has died. Officials with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network spent several hours Tuesday monitoring the whale, as it thrashed in the water, but it died. Network spokeswoman Heidi Whitehead says the whale apparently was very ill to […]
  
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• Kentucky gov removes names of clerks from marriage licenses

  22-12-2015 22:22
  
  FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has ordered the state to prepare new marriage licenses that do not include the names of county clerks in an attempt to protect the religious beliefs of Kim Davis and other local elected officials. In a news release Tuesday, Bevin said he has issued an executive order […]
  
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• ABQ rent increases among largest

  22-12-2015 22:09
  
  The past year has been a volatile one for apartment occupancy and rental rates, according to online apartment-listing website ABODO, based in Madison, Wisc. Factors that might play into rental rate increases might include the opening of higher-priced new properties and rising occupancy rates from the rising demand for rental homes. Albuquerque ranked among the […]
  
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• Roof angels to the rescue

  22-12-2015 21:58
  
  The Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission, which doesn't accept government funding to help the homeless and disadvantaged, was this year's beneficiary of Albuquerque-based RoofCare's Roof Angel Project.
  
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• Lifting of export ban unlikely to fuel growth anytime soon

  22-12-2015 21:38
  
  The federal government is preparing to lift its ban on crude oil exports for the first time in 40 years, but most producers and industry analysts expect little benefit, at least in the short to medium term. Congress agreed to suspend the ban in its new omnibus spending bill approved on Friday and since signed […]
  
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• Starbucks projects yet another gift card windfall

  22-12-2015 21:29
  
  SEATTLE — The money raked in by Starbucks gift cards is approaching the size of a small country’s economy. The company says that more than $25 billion has been loaded onto its gift cards since they were launched a decade and a half ago. That’s about the gross domestic product of Trinidad and Tobago — […]
  
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• Rudolph’s shiny red nose may be tied to eyes that glow blue

  22-12-2015 21:26
  
  CONCORD, N.H. — Everyone knows Rudolph has a red nose but what about his eyes? Prompted by questions from his 4-year-old daughter, Dartmouth College anthropology professor Nathaniel Dominy recently wrote a scholarly paper on how the unique properties of reindeer eyes might explain the advantage of having a very shiny nose, particularly if it produces […]
  
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• Unintended result: Gacy probe clears 11 unrelated cold cases

  22-12-2015 21:25
  
  CHICAGO — His task was to solve a cruel mystery decades after a serial killer’s death. Sgt. Jason Moran’s work began in a graveyard, his first stop in his quest to identify the eight unknown victims of John Wayne Gacy. More than 30 years had passed since Gacy had murdered 33 young men and boys; […]
  
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• Cities move to support new restrictions on greenhouse gases

  22-12-2015 21:12 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s largest cities are stepping up in defense of President Barack Obama’s plan to slow climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions — in many cases taking the opposite legal position from their state governments.
  The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities on Tuesday filed motions in support of the Clean Power Plan with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington.
  The groups are opposing lawsuits filed in October against t
  
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• NASA calls off next Mars mission because of instrument leak

  22-12-2015 21:09 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA has called off its next Mars mission because of a leak in a science instrument.
  The Insight spacecraft was supposed to take off in March and land on the red planet six months later. But NASA said Tuesday that managers have suspended the launch because of an air leak in one of two prime science instruments, a seismometer which belongs to the French Space Agency. It was supposed to ship to the Southern California launch site next month. NASA said attempts to fix the le
  
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• Obama administration upbeat about health law sign-ups

  22-12-2015 20:24 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says the 2016 sign-up season for the president’s health care law is going strong.
  Officials said on Tuesday that halfway through enrollment season more than 8.2 million people have signed up or renewed coverage through HealthCare.gov.
  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says more first-time customers are signing up and the number of young adults enrolling is also increasing.
  HealthCare.gov’s website and call center serve
  
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• Cash home purchases drop in ABQ area

  22-12-2015 19:39
  
  Cash purchases dropped 5.4 percentage points to 29.2 percent in September compared to a year earlier.
  
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• Breaking: Gov. Martinez told police bottles were thrown from hotel balcony

  22-12-2015 19:27
  
  
  SANTA FE — Gov. Susana Martinez can be heard telling Santa Fe police in a belt audio recording that someone was throwing bottles off a balcony from a room rented to one of her staff members at a Santa Fe hotel. Police were called to the Eldorado Hotel & Spa around 1:30 a.m. Dec. 13 […]
  
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• Breaking: Gov. Martinez “inebriated,” police sergeant says on belt recording during hotel incident

  22-12-2015 19:27
  
  
  SANTA FE — A police officer’s belt recording shows the officer and a hotel security guard discussing whether Gov. Susana Martinez is intoxicated after she talked with them about a report of loud noise and bottles being thrown from a fourth-floor room at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa the night of Dec. 13. Santa Fe […]
  
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• At lottery-fixing trial, prosecutor wants Bigfoot kept out

  22-12-2015 19:21
  
  IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three friends involved in buying tickets and claiming jackpots that were allegedly fixed by a lottery insider have something else unusual in common. They allegedly hunt for Bigfoot in their spare time. In a legal motion that is as strange as the elusive humanoid, Iowa prosecutor Rob Sand asked a judge […]
  
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• US economy grew at 2 pct. rate over summer; a pickup is seen

  22-12-2015 19:16
  
  WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace over the summer than the government had previously estimated. Most economists foresee a slight acceleration in the current quarter and stronger growth in the first half of 2016. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, expanded […]
  
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• Support for legal abortion at highest level in 2 years

  22-12-2015 19:14 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Support for legal abortion in the U.S. has edged up to its highest level in the past two years, with an Associated Press-GfK poll showing an apparent increase in support among Democrats and Republicans alike over the last year.
  Nearly six in 10 Americans — 58 percent — now think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 51 percent who said so at the beginning of the year, according to the AP-GfK survey. It was conducted after three people were kil
  
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• Prosecutor says no indictment in Sandra Bland jail death

  22-12-2015 19:12 via krqe.com
  
  HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A grand jury decided that neither sheriff’s officials nor jailers committed a crime in the treatment of a black woman who died in a Texas county jail last summer, but it has not yet determined whether the state trooper who arrested her should face charges, a prosecutor said.
  Prosecutor Darrell Jordan said Monday that the Waller County grand jury will return in January to consider “other issues” and warned there could be indictments. Unresolved issu
  
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• Denver man imprisoned 28 years to be freed after bond posted

  22-12-2015 19:06
  
  DENVER — A judge on Tuesday cleared the way for the release of a man who has spent 28 years behind bars for a rape he says he did not commit, setting bond that will allow the prisoner to walk free. Clarence Moses-EL was convicted in 1988 after the victim said his face appeared to […]
  
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• 1 killed in Tuesday officer-involved shooting

  22-12-2015 18:58
  
  Albuquerque police said they’re investigating an officer-involved shooting near Central Avenue and Utah Street.
  
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• Audio offers new glimpse into Gov.’s noise complaint

  22-12-2015 18:49
  
  New police belt tape audio offers more context after someone complained about the governor’s staff party at a Santa Fe hotel.
  
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• Head of Law Enforcement Academy to step down

  22-12-2015 18:43
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. — The head of statewide training for police officers in New Mexico will leave his post at the end of the month. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/1PizgUg ) that Jack Jones will leave his position as director of the Santa Fe-based Law Enforcement Academy. Clovis City Manager Larry Fry said […]
  
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• Breaking: Man dead after officer-involved shooting near Central and Utah, police say

  22-12-2015 18:42
  
  An Albuquerque police officer was involved in a shooting near Central and Utah Tuesday morning, according to a social media post by the Albuquerque Police Department. The post on Twitter read, “PRELIMINARY: Officer involved shooting -Central & Utah. Armed robbery suspect armed w/gun. No suspects outstanding. Ongoing investigation.” Celina Espinoza, a department spokeswoman, said, “Officers […]
  
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• Breaking: Man dead after officer-involved shooting near Central and Utah

  22-12-2015 18:42
  
  A man police described as an armed-robbery suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting near Central and Utah Tuesday morning, according to a police spokesman. Officer Simon Drobik said officers were called to Central and Pennsylvania NE around 10 a.m. for a possible armed robbery and saw a man who matched the description of the […]
  
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• Police: woman, 91, dies 100 yards from Edgewood assisted living center

  22-12-2015 18:37
  
  EDGEWOOD - Police believe that 91-year-old woman who died after she disappeared from an Bee Hiv ...
  
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• West Texas sheriff puts crosses on back of patrol vehicles

  22-12-2015 18:25
  
  ALPINE, Texas — A West Texas sheriff who put crosses on the back windows of patrol vehicles has asked for a state opinion on whether the stickers can stay. Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson says the decals are not a statement of religious preference. Dodson told KOSA-TV that his deputies have so much ground to […]
  
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• Troopers say 14-year-old driver led them on high-speed chase

  22-12-2015 18:25
  
  CEDAR CITY, Utah — Police say five teenagers are in custody after a 14-year-old driver started a high-speed chase through southern Utah. Highway Patrol Sgt. Ryan Bauer says troopers got a call Sunday evening about someone driving recklessly and speeding on I-15. He says the driver refused to stop when troopers caught up to the […]
  
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• The Latest: Judge OKs bond for man imprisoned 28 years

  22-12-2015 18:25
  
  DENVER — The latest on a man imprisoned for decades on rape charge he denies (all times local): 9:55 a.m. A judge is allowing a man who has served 28 years behind bars for a rape he says he didn’t commit to be released from custody after he posts bond. A Denver judge set Clarence […]
  
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