New Mexico news

• Bill on local labor laws amended

  08-02-2016 23:54
  
  Proposed legislation that would prevent local governments from regulating terms of private-sector employment will no longer tackle minimum wage. Rep. Jason C. Harper, R-Rio Rancho, said Monday the House Business & Employment Committee will hear an amended version of the bill today.  The bill would allow the state to preempt any local labor laws that […]
  
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• Santa Fe fills with love letters — to the local libraries

  08-02-2016 23:50
  
    For Valentine’s Day, many people think about sending cards or even writing heartfelt notes to their loved ones. But to their library? Yes, it can happen. People can love libraries. And Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library are proving it by requesting and collecting letters from patrons of what their library means to […]
  
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• What We Know: US looking for more help in fight against IS

  08-02-2016 23:31
  
  Defense Secretary Ash Carter heads to Brussels this week to try to persuade partners in the 66-nation coalition against the Islamic State group to take on a bigger share of the load. Some key takeaways about that effort: –The U.S. believes many members of the coalition aren’t doing their share to defeat IS, particularly European […]
  
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• Attorney General to visit 6 cities to highlight police work

  08-02-2016 23:13
  
  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Loretta Lynch plans to visit six cities in the coming months to highlight police departments she sees as role models for law enforcement. The locations were chosen because they embody a particular trait of successful policing, such as effective use of data, strong community relationships or a commitment to officer safety, […]
  
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• UNM business plan contest opens to CNM students

  08-02-2016 23:12
  
  The deans of UNM's and CNM's business schools have signed a memorandum of understanding to open the 11-year old competition to CNM students for the first time.
  
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• Living with people they bite, Zika mosquitoes hard to fight

  08-02-2016 23:10
  
  SAVANNAH, Ga. — The mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus are among the hardest species to fight because they live and breed in tub drains, dog bowls, buckets, flower pots and other spots where water collects inside the houses and yards of the people they bite, insect experts noted Monday. Because they stick close to […]
  
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• Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic to reopen next week

  08-02-2016 23:10
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Planned Parenthood clinic where three people were killed in November will reopen next week even though repairs aren’t finished yet. The Colorado Springs clinic will offer a full range of sexual and reproductive health services when it opens its doors Feb. 15 but only in part of the building so […]
  
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• UNM and Presbyterian win hospital awards

  08-02-2016 22:39
  
  The two were among 260 hospitals nationwide to receive a 2016 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence.
  
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• Super Bowl gets 111.9 million viewers, down from last year

  08-02-2016 21:44
  
  NEW YORK — Setting television viewership records with the Super Bowl has become almost routine, but this year’s average of 111.9 million viewers for Denver’s victory over Carolina is down from the past two years. That makes Sunday’s game the third most-watched event in U.S. television history, the Nielsen company said Monday. Last year’s down-to-the-wire […]
  
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• Chipotle urges workers to stay home if they’re sick

  08-02-2016 21:42
  
  NEW YORK — Chipotle repeatedly told employees they need to stay home if they feel sick and the restaurant chain kept all its U.S. locations shuttered early Monday as executives went over new food safety procedures. The presentation for workers, which comes after Chipotle has been slammed by a series of food scares, was broadcast […]
  
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• Police: 2 guns in Miss shooting that killed 2, wounded 4

  08-02-2016 21:32
  
  Two guns were used in a shooting that killed two men and injured four other people after a Mardi Gras parade in Mississippi, but investigators don’t know how many people fired them, the police chief said Monday. Shell casings with two calibers indicate the number of guns used Sunday afternoon, said Chief Tim Hendricks of […]
  
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• Updated: Next up: New Hampshire set to vote in nation’s first primary

  08-02-2016 21:27
  
  CONCORD, N.H. — It’s been 100 years since New Hampshire held its first presidential primary, and it seems like some of the current candidates have been hanging around for nearly that long. More than a few started popping up a full two years before Tuesday’s state election, and nearly all have spent recent months hosting […]
  
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• Remaining occupiers release defiant videos mocking FBI

  08-02-2016 21:27
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. — The last four occupiers of an Oregon wildlife refuge have posted a series of defiant videos in which one of them calls FBI agents losers, shows defensive barricades they have erected and takes a joyride in a government vehicle. The videos were posted Sunday on a YouTube channel called Defend Your Base, […]
  
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• Austin officer fatally shoots man found naked in street

  08-02-2016 21:27
  
  AUSTIN, Texas — Police say a man has died after being shot by an Austin officer responding to a call of a suspicious person acting aggressively in a neighborhood. Police Chief of Staff Brian Manley told reporters that the man died at a hospital after being shot Monday morning in northeast Austin. Manley says the […]
  
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• UNM regent appointees one step closer to legislative approval

  08-02-2016 20:57
  
  Two members appointed to the University of New Mexico Board of Regents are one step closer to officially joining the governing body of the state’s flagship university. The Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Sen. Linda M. Lopez, D-Albuquerque, voted to recommended Ryan Berryman and Marron Lee serve as UNM regents Monday morning. Gov. Susana Martinez appoints the regents who […]
  
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• New: Third-grade retention bill derailed — again — in Senate committee

  08-02-2016 20:33
  
  In a repeat of last year, a push for legislation aimed at ending the practice of “social promotion” in New Mexico public schools was derailed today in its first Senate panel. The House-approved bill was tabled on a 6-3 vote in the Senate Education Committee. Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, joined with the five Democrats who sit on […]
  
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• Updated: MMA: Jones cited, has court date

  08-02-2016 20:20
  
  Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones faces a Wednesday court appearance after being cited on Jan. 31 for driving without a license, registration and proof of insurance. Jones trains at Jackson-Wink Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque. He is on court probation, stemming from an April 2015 incident in which he ran a red light, […]
  
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• Man stabbed after complaining about TV noise

  08-02-2016 19:40
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Springs police say a man was stabbed after knocking on his neighbor’s door with a baseball bat to complain about TV noise. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports (http://tinyurl.com/h88jcxl) the man was stabbed in the back and side with a knife Sunday night. He was treated at a hospital and released. […]
  
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• Lock of Lennon’s hair expected to fetch $10K at auction

  08-02-2016 19:34
  
  DALLAS — A lock of hair snipped from the head of John Lennon as the Beatle prepared for a film role is expected to sell for $10,000 at a Dallas auction later this month. Heritage Auctions said in a news release Monday that the 4-inch lock was collected by a German hairdresser who trimmed Lennon’s […]
  
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• West Texas school district makes switch to 4-day school week

  08-02-2016 19:28
  
  DALLAS — The weekend will start a day early for children in a West Texas school district that’s adopted a four-day week, a move seen as the first of its kind in this state since lawmakers gave schools greater leeway in setting their calendars. The upcoming change to a Monday through Thursday school week in […]
  
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• Updated: West Texas school district makes switch to 4-day school week

  08-02-2016 19:28
  
  DALLAS — The weekend will start a day early for children in a West Texas school district that’s adopted a four-day week, a move seen as the first of its kind in this state since lawmakers gave schools greater leeway in setting their calendars. The upcoming change to a Monday through Thursday school week in […]
  
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• For the Clintons, New Hampshire is the state of 2nd chances

  08-02-2016 19:28
  
  MANCHESTER, N.H. — It’s their Everest. Their firewall. Their lifeboat in a frozen Atlantic. They are the Clintons. It is New Hampshire. And here we all are again. For nearly 25 years, New Hampshire has been the backdrop for some of the most memorable Clinton comebacks, pleas, denials, hustle, glory and drama. Now those ghosts […]
  
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• Updated: Police name two men arrested after triple stabbing at SE ABQ park

  08-02-2016 19:17
  
  Police have named two men arrested after a stabbing that left three people hospitalized at a southeast Albuquerque park Sunday. Officer Tanner Tixer, a police spokesman, said Christian Dewitt, 23, and Brad Lee, 25, were arrested in connection with the early evening stabbing at Wilson Park. Police were called to the park, which is located […]
  
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• Saudi offer to send troops to Syria comes with uncertainty

  08-02-2016 19:08
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s offer to send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria is as much about the kingdom’s growing determination to flex its military might as it is about answering U.S. calls for more help from its allies in the Middle East. A Saudi deployment runs the potentially explosive risk […]
  
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• Trump aiming for New Hampshire win, rivals aim to survive

  08-02-2016 19:07
  
  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Encouraged by Marco Rubio’s stumbles, the Republicans’ second-tier candidates are seeing fresh hope for survival as they sprint to the finish line in New Hampshire. The Democrats’ Clinton-Sanders duel is veering into gender politics. A day before the nation’s first primary, Donald Trump ramped up his schedule in the state where he’s […]
  
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• Man arrested in fatal stabbing of 84-year-old Texas woman

  08-02-2016 19:06
  
  TAFT, Texas — A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of an 84-year-old woman who was found dead in her home in rural Southeast Texas. San Patricio County Sheriff Leroy Moody says 45-year-old Lincoln Wade Kilsby of Taft was arrested Friday on a capital murder charge in the death of Emma Hinojosa Parker. […]
  
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• AZ jail commander reassigned during credit-card probe

  08-02-2016 19:06
  
  FLORENCE, Ariz. — The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says Superior Mayor Jayme Valenzuela has been reassigned from his job as county jail commander while alleged misuse of a town credit card is investigated. The Sheriff’s Office said Monday that Valenzuela was put on “paid administrative reassignment” after the town asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office […]
  
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• Police at scene of teen’s shooting falsified reports

  08-02-2016 19:05
  
  CHICAGO — For more than a year after an officer shot and killed a teen named Laquan McDonald, the Chicago Police Department had video footage that raised serious doubts about whether other officers at the scene tried in their reports to cover up what prosecutors now contend was murder. Not until 15 months later was […]
  
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• Police at scene of black teen’s shooting falsified reports

  08-02-2016 19:05
  
  CHICAGO — For more than a year after an officer shot and killed a black teen named Laquan McDonald, the Chicago Police Department had video footage that raised serious doubts about whether other officers at the scene tried in their reports to cover up what prosecutors now contend was murder. Not until 15 months later […]
  
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• Official details storm’s lasting effects on dairy industry

  08-02-2016 19:00
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The head of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture is warning lawmakers that it could take months to tally the true costs of a winter storm that killed an untold number of livestock and derailed the dairy industry. Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte testified Monday before the House agriculture committee. He said producers […]
  
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• Police question witnesses in Mississippi Mardi Gras shooting

  08-02-2016 18:59
  
  Police are questioning witnesses to a shooting that broke out after a Mardi Gras parade in Mississippi, leaving two men dead and injuring four others. Pass Christian (kris-TYANH) Deputy Police Chief M.Y. Carbine told The Associated Press on Monday that no suspects are in custody. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove identified the victims as 29-year-old […]
  
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• Damaged cruise ship to turn around, sail back to New Jersey

  08-02-2016 18:59
  
  MIAMI — A Royal Caribbean cruise ship ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, forcing frightened passengers into their cabins overnight as their belongings flew about, waves rose as high as 30 feet, and winds howled outside. The cruise line says that although no one was injured and the […]
  
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• WWII vet begins journey to reunite with wartime girlfriend

  08-02-2016 18:58
  
  NORFOLK, Va. — A 93-year-old World War II veteran is embarking on a 10,500-mile journey to Australia to visit his wartime girlfriend after more than 70 years apart. It will take Norwood Thomas, who boarded a plane Sunday from Norfolk with his son, two days to reach the country, where he will be reunited with […]
  
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• Gov’t creates new student aid enforcement office

  08-02-2016 18:58
  
  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is taking new steps to protect students amid increased scrutiny of for-profits colleges and other schools. The Education Department is creating a new student aid enforcement unit that it says will “respond more quickly and efficiently to allegations of illegal actions by higher education institutions.” Critics have complained that the […]
  
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• ABQ Navy Week set for Sept. 12-18

  08-02-2016 18:49
  
  Albuquerque has been announced as one of 15 U.S. cities selected this year to host a Navy Week, one...
  
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• Vierck to head Lea County development group

  08-02-2016 18:48
  
  Steve Vierck has been named president/CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County, according to a news release from the organization. Vierck has an extensive background in economic development, including four years as the president/CEO of the New Mexico Partnership, a statewide economic development group. “I’ve admired EDCLC since I first became acquainted with […]
  
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• Updated: Police name 3 killed, 2 injured in early Friday crash

  08-02-2016 18:22
  
  Albuquerque police have identified the three people killed and two people injured in a high-speed, single-vehicle crash in northeast Albuquerque early Friday morning. Officer Tanner Tixier, a police spokesman, said David Bowie, 27, Sondra Evans, 28 and Taeshieva Slowman, 36, were killed, and Ivy Sanderson, 27, and David Griffin, 35, were injured after their car […]
  
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• Survivors pulled out from building 2 days after Taiwan quake

  08-02-2016 17:43
  
  TAINAN, Taiwan — At least four people, including an 8-year-old girl, were rescued Monday from a high-rise Taiwanese apartment building toppled by a powerful quake two days earlier, as frustration grew among families waiting for searchers to reach their buried loved ones. More than 100 people are believed to still be under the debris in […]
  
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• Chinese visit temples, fairs to ring in Year of the Monkey

  08-02-2016 17:43
  
  BEIJING — Chinese and others around Asia flocked to temples and fairs to pray for good health and fortune on Monday, the first day of the Lunar New Year. In Beijing, hundreds of thousands of people visited traditional fairs held in parks, as well as Buddhist and Taoist temples offering singing and dance performances and […]
  
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• Timing is everything: Obama’s budget same day as NH primary

  08-02-2016 17:42
  
  WASHINGTON — The main thing to know about President Barack Obama’s final, $4 trillion budget is that it comes on the same day as the New Hampshire primary, ensuring it gets minimal attention with all the focus on the White House contenders. The timing cements the impression that Obama realizes a Republican-led Congress is unlikely […]
  
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• Why many economists support Obama’s idea of a tax on oil

  08-02-2016 17:17
  
  (c) 2016, The Washington Post. WASHINGTON – When the White House announced last week that President Obama would pursue a $10-a-barrel tax on oil to fund major transportation system reforms, there were instant denunciations from many politicians, and especially congressional Republicans. “A $10-a-barrel tax on oil will be dead on arrival in the House,” Rep. […]
  
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• Breaking: AG clears 10 more behavioral health providers of fraud

  08-02-2016 17:15
  
  Attorney General Hector Balderas has cleared 10 more behavioral health providers of fraud following an investigation. They were among 15 referred to the AG in 2013 by the Human Services Department, which said there was overbilling, mismanagment and possible fraud. The nonprofits provided services to the mentally ill and addicted. Three of the 15 had been […]
  
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• Report: Expand mental health capacity in southern New Mexico

  08-02-2016 17:05
  
  LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A new report recommends adding 30 new hospital beds in southern New Mexico for adults with severe mental illness. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/1Lb0JUv ) the study recommends partnering with a provider to take such patients while a new $15.5 million public facility is built Dona Ana County. Currently, when […]
  
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• Gallup senator’s detox center proposal goes before committee

  08-02-2016 17:04
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. — A proposal to fund detox and substance abuse treatment centers for the homeless with money from the state’s liquor excise tax is scheduled to go before the state Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee on Monday. The proposal from Sen. George Munoz, a Gallup Democrat, could appropriate about $40,000 every month to […]
  
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• Troubled New Mexico border city gets temp city manager

  08-02-2016 17:03
  
  SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — A former New Mexico Oil and Gas Association president has been named interim city manager of a troubled New Mexico border city that is working to put past scandals behind it while two councilors face legal problems. The Sunland Park City Council voted 4-3 during a heated meeting to hire former […]
  
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• Man upset over verdict lifts Carlsbad court pew

  08-02-2016 17:03
  
  CARLSBAD, N.M. — An outburst that came as jurors delivered their verdict at the end of a murder trial has rattled the Eddy County Courthouse in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports Judge Jane Shuler Gray ordered the courtroom to be cleared on Friday after a juror says a man lifted a pew in the gallery […]
  
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• Yellen will testify amid predictions of slower rate hikes

  08-02-2016 17:02
  
  WASHINGTON — Things looked so clear back in mid-December. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate from record lows, and it signaled the likelihood of four more hikes in 2016. That was then. Panicky financial markets, global weakness and slumps in key U.S. economic sectors have since clouded the outlook for more rate increases. […]
  
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• Bill proposes adding qualifications for sheriff candidatses

  08-02-2016 17:02
  
  SANTA FE, N.M. — A proposal has been approved by the state Senate’s Public Affairs Committee that would increase the necessary qualifications needed to for sheriff in any New Mexico county. Senate Democrats say there are currently no minimum qualifications outlined in state law for holding a sheriff’s office. The bill sponsored by Sen. Michael […]
  
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• Group wants tiny houses for Tucson homeless

  08-02-2016 17:00
  
  TUCSON, Ariz. — Homeless advocates are pushing for Tucson to follow the lead of a pilot program in Oregon and designate campsites and build micro-homes for the city’s growing homeless population. The Arizona Daily Star reports (http://bit.ly/1nSLpGu ) that city leaders have recently formed a work group to explore alternative housing programs as a way […]
  
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• Fewer banks offering free checking accounts

  08-02-2016 17:00
  
  Free checking accounts are slipping away, with only 46 percent of banks still offering them to their customers. That’s a major change from 2009, when more than 78 percent of banks offered the freebie, according to a national survey done by bank research firm Moebs Services. Yet most credit unions are still offering free checking, […]
  
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