Albuquerque news

• Updated: School led locker room assault investigation

  01-03-2017 23:59
  
  BOISE, Idaho — The investigation into the sexual assault of a disabled black football player by his white teammates at a small-town Idaho high school showed that crucial evidence was collected by school employees, not law enforcement officials, and that the culture that led to the attack stretched far beyond the locker room. John R.K. […]
  
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• Trump’s words on Obamacare stir up intraparty feud

  01-03-2017 23:59
  
  WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump ascended the bulliest of pulpits Tuesday to address a joint session of Congress. It turns out it was his fellow Republicans who needed some bullying – specifically, on their plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The leader of the Republican Party took some tentative steps in his […]
  
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• Suspect in Albuquerque stabbing death appears in court

  01-03-2017 23:55 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The man accused of stabbing an Albuquerque cab driver to death saw a judge for the first time Wednesday.
  The Albuquerque Police Department says a Yellow Cab driver picked up 26-year-old Luke Waruszewski at Coors and Central. That’s when police say Waruszewski stabbed the driver and took off in his cab. Waruszewski was arrested later that night.
  Wednesday, the state asked the Metro Court judge to deny bail given the seriousness of the crime. That reques
  
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• Denver Zoo welcomes a baby giraffe no one is talking about

  01-03-2017 23:14 via krqe.com
  
  DENVER (WDTN) — It’s a baby giraffe – just not the one everyone has been waiting on.
  The Denver Zoo welcomed the birth of Dobby, a 5-foot, 73-pound male reticulated giraffe Wednesday morning.
  Both small figures for a newborn giraffe, according to the zoo.
  In an announcement they tweeted, “Surprise! We recently welcomed Dobby, our newest reticulated giraffe. No #giraffecam here but we’ve got some pretty great pics! #babyanimals”Surprise! We recently welcomed Do
  
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• New Mexico House approves stiffer gun possession penalty

  01-03-2017 22:46 via krqe.com
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico penalties would increase for illegal firearms possession among people previously convicted of a violent felony under a bill approved by the state House of Representatives.
  The House voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Nate Gentry of Albuquerque. It would increase the penalty to three years in jail from 18 months. The measure now moves to the Senate.
  The Law Office of the Public Defender warns the proposed law eventu
  
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• Senate approves minimum wage increase bill via 24-6 vote

  01-03-2017 22:28
  
  SANTA FE — A bill that would increase New Mexico’s minimum wage for the first time since 2009 is headed to the House after cruising through the Senate today with bipartisan support. The Senate voted 24-6 to pass the measure, which would increase the state’s minimum wage to $9 per hour. It’s currently set at $7.50 per […]
  
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• Governor’s Office accuses Senate of stalling on high-profile confirmations

  01-03-2017 22:06
  
  SANTA FE — In a rare move, Gov. Susana Martinez has withdrawn — at least for now — the nominations for 53 appointees to various state boards and commissions in a bid to make the Senate act more quickly on higher-profile appointees. But top-ranking senators have questioned whether the governor is attempting to circumvent the confirmation […]
  
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• Updated: IRS: Deadline near to get $1 billion unclaimed 2013 refunds

  01-03-2017 21:51
  
  WASHINGTON — If you didn’t file a tax return for 2013, the IRS might have a refund waiting for you. But the deadline to claim it is only a few weeks away. The IRS says it has $1 billion in unclaimed refunds from the 2013 tax year. They are owed to about 1 million taxpayers. […]
  
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• Updated: Widow: Mural of Rodney Dangerfield is 'less-than-flattering'

  01-03-2017 21:50
  
  Rodney Dangerfield made a career out of getting "no respect." His widow contends he's not getting much in death, either.…
  
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• Feds: New Mexico’s signature crop fares well in 2016

  01-03-2017 21:43 via krqe.com
  
  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – The numbers have been crunched, and there’s some good news for New Mexico’s chile farmers.
  The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday that both the number of acres planted and the tons produced in New Mexico increased in 2016.
  The data shows 9,200 acres were planted, or about 11 percent more than the previous year. Some 69,000 tons of the signature crop were produced, with most of that being sold for processing.
  The value of New Mexico chile p
  
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• New Mexico Senate debates minimum wage hike

  01-03-2017 21:42 via krqe.com
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A proposal to raise New Mexico’s statewide minimum wage has reached the floor of the state Senate.
  Legislators took up debate Wednesday of a bill that would raise the pay floor from $7.50 an hour to $9. The bill includes an $8 hourly training wage for the first two months of employment.
  The first wage hike for the state’s lowest paid workers since 2009 would be felt acutely in rural, low-income areas. The state’s three largest urban areas – at
  
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• New Mexico minimum wage hike clears the Senate

  01-03-2017 21:42 via krqe.com
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP/KRQE) – A proposal to raise New Mexico’s statewide minimum wage has cleared the State Senate. Now the bill headed to the State House of Representatives.
  Legislators debated a bill Wednesday afternoon sponsored by Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Grants, that would raise the pay floor from $7.50 an hour to $9. The bill includes an $8 hourly “trainee employee” wage for the first two months of employment.
  It would also bump up the minimum wage for tip employe
  
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• IRS: Deadline near to get $1 billion unclaimed 2013 refunds

  01-03-2017 21:37 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — If you didn’t file a tax return for 2013, the IRS might have a refund waiting for you. But the deadline to claim it is only a few weeks away.
  The IRS says it has $1 billion in unclaimed refunds from the 2013 tax year. They are owed to about 1 million taxpayers.
  Under federal law, there is no fine for failing to file a tax return — as long as you are owed a refund. But taxpayers have only three years to claim them. After that, they are forfeited to the U.S. Tre
  
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• Updated: EU unveils new ideas to ensure unity as UK prepares to leave

  01-03-2017 21:09
  
  BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm unveiled new ideas Wednesday to keep the bloc unified as Britain prepares to leave and far-right extremism casts a shadow over the EU project. The European Commission foresees five possible scenarios for Europe by 2025: to carry on as usual; function as a single market only; do less […]
  
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• Santa Fe judge dismisses indictment in motorcyclist’s death

  01-03-2017 20:30
  
  SANTA FE — A Santa Fe District Court judge has dismissed an indictment against a woman who was charged with hitting and killing a motorcyclist during a power outage last year after the judge found that there was a structural violation in how evidence was presented to a grand jury. Megan Carrillo, 24, was indicted […]
  
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• PNM Resources’ earnings up slightly in 2016

  01-03-2017 20:00
  
  PNM Resources reported nearly $117 million in net earnings in 2016, despite regulatory challenges and ongoing declines in retail sales at the company’s local utility, Public Service Co. of New Mexico. Net earnings actually climbed dramatically last year, from $15.6 million in 2015 to $116.8 million. But that reflects a $102.6 million after-tax write off […]
  
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• US stocks surge; Dow marks first time above 21,000 points

  01-03-2017 19:57 via krqe.com
  
  Banks and other financial companies led U.S. stocks sharply higher in afternoon trading Wednesday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average above 21,000 points for the first time. Energy and materials companies were also among the big gainers, while utilities stocks lagged. The rally came a day after President Donald Trump addressed Congress, reaffirming plans to cut taxes and push for other business-friendly policies.
  KEEPING SCORE: The Dow jumped 346 points, or 1.7 percent, to 21,158 as of 2:2
  
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• US general: Russia inadvertently struck US-backed Syrians

  01-03-2017 19:57 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian airstrike in northern Syria hit U.S.-backed Syrian Arab forces who are part of the fight against the Islamic State group, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday.
  Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, said an unspecified number of American military advisers were a few miles away, out of immediate danger but close enough to see their Syrian partners get hit. He declined to say how many of the U.S.-backed Syrian
  
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• Record highs for US stocks; Dow crosses 21,000-point mark

  01-03-2017 19:57 via krqe.com
  
  Investors bet big on U.S. stocks Wednesday, giving the market its biggest single-day gain in nearly four months and pushing the major indexes to record highs.
  The Dow Jones industrial average rose above 21,000 points for the first time in what was the biggest gain for the blue-chip index so far this year.
  Banks were the biggest gainers amid heightened expectations that an improving economy will lead to higher interest rates. Energy stocks also notched big gains. Utilities and real estate stocks
  
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• GOP: Trump budget plan cuts both too deeply and not enough

  01-03-2017 19:57 via krqe.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Several congressional Republicans are panning the emerging outlines of President Donald Trump’s first budget, complaining that he’s cutting too much from already lean department accounts while leaving untouched the massive benefit programs blamed for the nation’s deficits.
  “The president has a saying, ‘All talk, no action.’ His budget is all talk and no action when it comes to long-term indebtedness,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,
  
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• Asian shares climb on back of Wall Street highs

  01-03-2017 19:57 via krqe.com
  
  TOKYO (AP) — Shares rose in Asia on Thursday after investors bet big on U.S. stocks Wednesday, pushing the major indexes to record highs. Tokyo shares were buoyed by the dollar’s gain against the Japanese yen.
  KEEPING SCORE: Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock index advanced 1.3 percent to 19,643.62 and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong added 0.4 percent to 23,873.53. The Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.4 percent to 2,100.01 and Australia’s S&P ASX/200 jumped 1.2 percent to 5,770.
  
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• Classified US satellite launched from California

  01-03-2017 19:55 via krqe.com
  
  VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A rocket carrying a classified U.S. satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office has been launched from California.
  The Atlas 5 rocket lifted off at 9:49 a.m. Wednesday and roared away into a clear sky over Vandenberg Air Force Base.
  All systems were going well when the launch webcast concluded about five minutes into the flight, as is customary during such missions.
  The satellite dubbed NROL-79 is described only as a national security payload f
  
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• Man who stabbed woman 23 times sentenced

  01-03-2017 19:53 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico man will spend more than a decade a behind bars after stabbing a woman and then kidnapping her.
  Last April, 28-year-old Robert Sena broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home in Clovis and threatened her family with a gun and a knife.He stabbed her and her brother, then forced the woman into the car and took off.
  His victims survived.
  Sena was sentenced to 11 years for kidnapping, aggravated battery and fleeing Tuesday.
  Filed under: Crime, Home, New M
  
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• Las Vegas man pleads guilty to raping 3 mentally ill women

  01-03-2017 19:30
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. — A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to raping three women shortly after they were released from the state psychiatric hospital in northeast New Mexico. The Santa Fe News Mexican reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/2lcK4hj ) that 75-year-old Benjamin Baca faces between two and seven years in prison as part of a plea […]
  
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• Updated: Sen. Gardner holds call-in town hall

  01-03-2017 19:28
  
  DENVER — Sen. Cory Gardner is holding a call-in town hall rather than one in person. Protesters dogged the Republican senator all last week during congressional recess. They demanded he hold a public town hall with his Colorado constituents. Activists and critics of President Trump have used town halls to pressure and embarrass GOP members […]
  
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• Updated: Mexican mineral water called Topo Chico popular in Texas

  01-03-2017 19:27
  
  DALLAS — The year was 1981, the place Pennsylvania. The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/2luKqw9 ) reports as a young Mexican exchange student, Gerardo Galván wanted to treat his American host family to an exotic delicacy from his homeland. So he made them guacamole. “Now avocados are everywhere, and I’m not trying to compare us with […]
  
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• DA says ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez killed 2 over spilled drink

  01-03-2017 18:36 via krqe.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — A prosecutor in the double-murder trial of Aaron Hernandez has told a jury that the ex-NFL star killed two men in a hail of gunfire after he became enraged by “a simple bump, a spilled drink and an exchange of looks” in a Boston nightclub.
  Prosecutor Patrick Haggan told the jury during opening statements Wednesday that Hernandez had a brief encounter with Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in the early morning hours of July 16, 2012. He said that two hours after d
  
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• Updated: US demand for trucks, SUVs helps February sales

  01-03-2017 18:24
  
  DETROIT — Lured by Presidents Day deals, U.S. buyers snapped up pickups and SUVs in February, brightening what is usually a lackluster month for the auto industry. Overall sales of new vehicles had been expected to fall slightly from last February as automakers cut back on deliveries to rental-car companies and other fleets. But some […]
  
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• Updated: Twitter adds more safety tools, will curb abusive accounts

  01-03-2017 18:24
  
  NEW YORK — Twitter is adding more tools to curb abuse on its service as part of its ongoing effort to protect users from hate and harassment. Among other things, the service will attempt to identify offenders on its own, even if no one has reported them first. It is the second time in three […]
  
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• PHOTOS: Storm spawns tornadoes across central US

  01-03-2017 17:58 via krqe.com
  
  Storm spawns tornadoes across central US In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, photo, family and neighbors survey the damage to the home of Patricia Huber in Perryville, Mo. The National Weather Service is sending crews to evaluate the damage from a powerful storm system that spawned deadly tornadoes in the nation’s midsection. (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, photo, Alan Huber surveys the damage to his farm in Perryville, Mo. In the foreground is the b
  
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• Airports, legal volunteers prepare for new Trump travel ban

  01-03-2017 17:51 via krqe.com
  SEATTLE (AP) — Airport officials and civil rights lawyers around the country are getting ready for President Donald Trump’s new travel ban — mindful of the chaos that accompanied his initial executive order but hopeful the forthcoming version will be rolled out in a more orderly way.
  The new order is expected to be issued in the coming days. A draft suggested it would target people from six of the original seven predominantly Muslim countries but would exempt travelers who alre
  
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• School district looks to boost attendance with car giveaway

  01-03-2017 17:50 via krqe.com
  
  FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – A school district in northwestern New Mexico is hoping to cut down on truancy by giving students the opportunity to win a free car.
  The Farmington Daily Times reported Tuesday that the Bloomfield School District will include students from its two high schools who have a perfect attendance record for the year in a drawing to win one of two vehicles – a 2007 Ford Mustang or a 2007 Ford Focus.
  The district saw its graduation rates from both schools go up last sch
  
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• Man pleads guilty to killing wife with crowbar blows to head

  01-03-2017 17:47 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A 44-year-old northwestern New Mexico man has admitted killing his wife by striking her twice in the head with a crowbar, saying he was angry that she had been texting with another man.
  Dennison Hale of Tohatchi pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in federal court in Albuquerque in the Feb. 23, 2016 killing of his wife.
  Court documents don’t provide the victim’s name but identify both she and Hale as members of the Navajo Nation and say the k
  
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• Updated: Austria: Man tries to enter courthouse with bag of roaches

  01-03-2017 17:46
  
  Security guards at an Austrian court might need to put up a sign at the screening gate to let the…
  
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• Updated: So presidential: Baldwin working on Trump satire

  01-03-2017 17:34
  
  NEW YORK — Alec Baldwin has found a new way to mock Donald Trump. Baldwin is teaming with author Kurt Andersen on the satirical book “You Can’t Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year as President Donald J. Trump,” Penguin Press announced Wednesday. The book is scheduled to […]
  
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• Colts owner, ex-punter boost Indiana teen deaths reward fund

  01-03-2017 17:34
  
  DELPHI, Ind. — Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee says he and team owner Jim Irsay are nearly doubling the reward for information leading to an arrest in the killing of two northern Indiana girls. McAfee and Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter appear in a video posted on McAfee’s Twitter account Wednesday in which […]
  
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• 50 nations seek to counter US ban on family planning funds

  01-03-2017 17:03 via krqe.com
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — Some 50 countries have signed up to attend a family planning conference in Brussels aimed at making up the gap left by President Donald Trump’s ban on U.S. funding to groups linked to abortion, organizers said Wednesday.
  The participants agreed to attend the conference scheduled for Thursday on short notice and will discuss using pledges from other nations and the private sector to “make sure that the impact on the field is completely taken away,” Belgian
  
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• Scandal-hit Fillon stays in French presidential race but rivals sense openings

  01-03-2017 16:23
  
  PARIS – Former French Prime Minister François Fillon defiantly refused to suspend his scandal-battered presidential bid Wednesday, but showcased political weaknesses that could open more room for the country’s far-right leader pressing an anti-immigrant message. “I will not yield. I will not surrender. I will not withdraw,” Fillon said in a news conference after abruptly […]
  
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• Updated: The night the Trump family decided to dress the part

  01-03-2017 16:22
  
  For his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump wore a white shirt with French cuffs, a small American flag pin on his dark jacket lapel and a blue striped tie. The tie. It was not his signature searing red four-in-hand – the one that hangs well below his belt line, […]
  
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• The Metropolitan Museum of Art struggles with success and loses its director

  01-03-2017 16:22
  
  After years of rumbling and rumors, the announcement came Tuesday: Thomas P. Campbell, head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is stepping down. The pervasive assumption within the art world is that the decision was not his. Campbell, head of the largest art museum in the United States, will leave his […]
  
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• Thai court rejects migrants’ appeals in killings of 2 Brits

  01-03-2017 16:22
  
  BANGKOK — A Thai court rejected the appeal of two Myanmar migrants sentenced to death for the murders of a pair of British backpackers, the defense team said Wednesday after learning of the verdict a week after it was rendered. The bodies of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were found in 2014 on the shore […]
  
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• Republicans vote down attempt to advance debate on Trump-Russia allegations

  01-03-2017 16:22
  
  WASHINGTON – Republicans on Tuesday stifled a Democratic attempt to force the Justice Department to produce records related to its investigation of whether Donald Trump and his campaign had secret ties to Russia. A powerful GOP committee chairman said, however, that he would urge federal authorities to continue their probe. The party-line House Judiciary Committee […]
  
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• Storm system that killed 3 in Midwest rumbles eastward

  01-03-2017 15:34 via krqe.com
  
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A spring-like storm system that killed at least three people as it spawned tornadoes and damaged dozens of homes in the central U.S. rumbled eastward Wednesday, putting about 95 million people in its path, forecasters said.
  The compact but strong storms, known as supercells, raked parts of Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, wind-whipped wildfires destroyed homes in Texas.
  Forecasters with the Storm P
  
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• Deadly storm in Midwest sounded like ‘explosion of glass’

  01-03-2017 15:34 via krqe.com
  
  ST. LOUIS (AP) — A deadly spring-like storm that one Illinois resident described as sounding like “an explosion of glass” damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in that state and others, blew cars off a major Missouri highway and forced people in an Arkansas town to huddle for safety in a high school.
  Tornadoes were blamed in three deaths amid a large swath of destruction through the central U.S. before rumbling eastward. Forecasters said up to 95 million people are potentially
  
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• Taliban suicide attacks, shootout kill 16 in Afghan capital

  01-03-2017 15:33 via krqe.com
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Near-simultaneous Taliban suicide bombings and an hours-long shootout with Afghan security forces left at least 16 people dead and over 100 wounded in Kabul on Wednesday — a stark reminder of the militants’ ability to stage large-scale and complex attacks in the country’s capital.
  The brazen noon-time attacks also underscored the challenges the government continues to face as it grapples with the 15-year-long insurgency and struggles to improve s
  
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• Afghan spokesman raises death toll in Kabul attacks to 16

  01-03-2017 15:33 via krqe.com
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan health official says that at least 16 people have been killed in twin Taliban suicide bombings and a shootout that followed one of the attacks in the country’s capital, Kabul.
  The near-simultaneous attacks struck the Afghan capital around noon on Wednesday. First, a suicide car bomber targeted a police station in western Kabul. The explosion was followed by a gunbattle between police and several attackers.
  In the second attack, a bomber on foot det
  
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• Top Docs issue hits the stands

  01-03-2017 15:11 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The 13th annual “Top Docs” issue has hit the stands and it gives readers 14 new ways to get healthy in 2017.
  Albuquerque The Mag’s March issue will give readers an insight to 40 different categories that were voted on by Albuquerque’s top doctors while also featuring the city’s fittest people and how to steal their workouts.
  While this issue informs readers about creating healthy habits it also focuses on some building
  
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• Products to help mom to be

  01-03-2017 15:06 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Nine months isn’t as long as one may think, especially when there’s a bundle of joy on its way, the mom to be’s to-do list seems never ending, but there are ways to help her prepare for the big day.
  Anything that gives the expecting mother, less to worry about, is a huge relief and there are products out there that can do exactly that.
  First, surprise the mom with the Diono Radian rXT. A car seat is designed with your child&r
  
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• Wednesday’s Morning Rush Video, 5 Facts: Mississippi murder suspect accused of Albuquerque kidnapping spotted in Kansas

  01-03-2017 15:03 via krqe.com
  
  The 5 Facts You Need to Know
  1. New Mexico is now the focus of a nationwide manhunt for a man deemed armed and extremely dangerous. Authorities are searching for Alex Deaton who is wanted in connection to two deaths in Mississippi, one being his girlfriend. Now, Sandoval County deputies believe Deaton is the man behind the abduction and then carjacking of a couple near La Luz Trailhead in New Mexico Tuesday. Deputies say Deaton shot the man and forced the woman to a nearby home at gunpoint
  
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• Duke City events to kick off March

  01-03-2017 15:01 via krqe.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Whether you’re a visitor, lived here your entire life, or are somewhere in the middle, you are bound to be looking for something to do.
  With Albuquerque’s feel of a small town in a big city, repetitiveness seems to become the norm. So those who are looking to get out of the same-old, same-old, don’t worry, there are always fun events happening around town to help you venture from your comfort zone.
  This week, there is plenty to ke
  
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