New Mexico news

• Crews work to extinguish fire in the Sandias

  08-06-2023 23:19
  
  Albuquerque residents may see some smoke on the westside of the Sandias as crews work to extinguish a fire in the Upper Bear Canyon in the Sandia Wilderness.The Bear Canyon Fire, which was possibly sparked by a lightening strike, was started around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Cibola National Forest, according to Forest Service news release. An image provided by the U.S. Forest Service points to where the Bear Canyon Fire is burning in the Sandia Wilderness of the Cibola National Forest. (Source:
  
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• New Mexico rolls out education campaign for recreational marijuana use

  08-06-2023 22:42
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- After more than a year of recreational marijuana sales, New Mexico is rolling out its first campaign to educate people about responsible use.
  The first batch of billboards is now going up around the state while TV, radio, print and digital advertisements will be running through the month of June. The media buy is worth $400,000.The state Cannabis Control Division confirmed Wednesday that it started working on the campaign last year, but the contract for the work was fi
  
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• Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, CBRE highlight metro area’s diverse labor force in new talent and industry report

  08-06-2023 21:43
  
  The Albuquerque metro area has quality-of-life amenities such as direct access to outdoor recreation and a relatively low cost of living. But the area also has a diverse workforce, tuition-free college that is upskilling New Mexicans and multiple growing industries.That's according to the latest talent and industry report released by the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance and CBRE on Tuesday, which lays out in 40-plus pages the benefits of the metro area.Danielle Casey, president and CEO of
  
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• Social Distortion postpones summer tour including Albuquerque date

  08-06-2023 21:09
  
  Social Distortion postponed its upcoming summer tour, which had an Albuquerque date. (Courtesy of Epitaph Records)Legendary band Social Distortion is postponing its planned summer tour.This includes a date at Revel ABQ on Aug. 8.On Wednesday, the band announced the postponed due to the stage 1 tonsil cancer diagnosis of vocalist Mike Ness.As he recovers from a recent surgery, the band is also temporarily halting the recording process of their eighth studio album.The previously announced tour, s
  
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• Fort Selden to mark 50 years as New Mexico historic site

  08-06-2023 20:34
  
  Fort Selden Historic Site in June 2014. The historic site will celebrate 50 years of being part of the state's historic site system. (Courtesy of Nika Sundaram)Fort Selden is chock-full of history.As early as 400 A.D. Native American farmers, the Mogollon, lived on the land in southern New Mexico.In 1598, the area was known as Paraje Robledo a welcome paraje (campsite) on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or the Royal Road to the Interior Lands.Fort Selden was established in April 1865 to bring
  
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• Officials: Devastating 2021 Colorado blaze caused by smoldering fire outside home and power lines

  08-06-2023 19:01
  
  DENVER (AP) -- Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities said Thursday.
  The Dec. 30, 2021, blaze in heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder caused $2 billion in damage, making it the most destructive in Colorado history. Two people were also found dead after what was known as the Marshall Fire.
  The inferno erupt
  
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• Colorado’s most destructive wildfire caused by embers from old fire, sparks from power line

  08-06-2023 19:01
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days earlier outside a home used by a Christian religious communal group along with a sparking power line caused a 2021 Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities said Thursday.
  Authorities spent 18 months investigating and determined criminal charges were not warranted for either The Twelve Tribes that occupied the home or the utility in charge of the power li
  
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• Corrugated sheets, digital printing manufacturer to expand presence in Santa Teresa

  08-06-2023 18:31
  
  Franklin Mountain Packaging announced this week it will expand its presence in Santa Teresa. (Courtesy of Franklin Mountain Packaging)A manufacturer that specializes in corrugated sheets and digital printing services for the box-making industry is expanding its presence in Southern New Mexico with the help of state and local incentives.Franklin Mountain Packaging, which already has operations in Santa Teresa, says it has signed a lease to construct a 150,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its
  
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• US agency says rare flowering plant found only in New Mexico should be listed as endangered

  08-06-2023 18:28
  
  The swale paintbrush, a rare flowering plant that’s found only in one spot in southern New Mexico. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife)A rare flowering plant found only in one spot in southern New Mexico should be granted federal protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday.The agency is proposing to list the swale paintbrush as endangered. Also known as the glowing Indian paintbrush, the plant's bright yellowish flowers produce nectar and support pollinators.Historically
  
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• Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama redistricting case

  08-06-2023 16:39
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, ordering the creation of a second district with a large Black population.
  Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court's liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven congressional districts in a s
  
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• Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act

  08-06-2023 16:39
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two conservative justices joining liberals in rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.
  Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court's liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one
  
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• Pat Robertson, broadcaster who helped make religion central to GOP politics, dies at 93

  08-06-2023 15:44
  
  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93.Robertson's death Thursday was confirmed in an email by his broadcasting network. No cause was given.Robertson's enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virg
  
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• Stock market today: Wall Street listless early ahead of new labor market data

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  Wall Street stabilized before Thursday's opening bell after a heavy sell-off a day earlier in the tech sector dragged some benchmarks lower.
  Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1% in premarket. Global shares were mixed and oil prices rebounded after losing ground early.
  Government data on jobless claims comes later Thursday and could play into the Federal Reserve's decision next week on whether to raise its main lending rate for the 11th straight ti
  
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• Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as waiting game drags; GameStop tumbles

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are drifting Thursday, continuing this week's lull as Wall Street waits for several big events next week.
  The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in early trading, and it hasn't moved by more than 0.4% in any day this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was basically flat at 33,665, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher.
  GameStop was one of the bigger movers, falling 16.9% after ousting its CEO who was brought in to turn around the s
  
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• Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as investors await inflation data, Fed; GameStop tumbles

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are drifting in mixed trading Thursday, continuing this week's lull as Wall Street waits for several big events next week.
  The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher, and it hasn't moved by more than 0.4% in any day this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 89 points, or 0.3%, at 33,754, as of 11:25 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 and across Wall Street were falling, though, after a report showed the h
  
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• Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as a trading lull continues

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are drifting in early trading on Wall Street, continuing this week's lull as markets wait for several big events next week. The S&P 500 was up less than 0.1% early Thursday, and it hasn't moved by more than 0.4% any day this week. The Dow was up 34 points, or 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite was up 0.2%. GameStop sank 20% after ousting the CEO who was brought in to try and turn around the struggling video game retailer. The market has been mostly calm after charging
  
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• Stock market today: Bulls run again on Wall Street as S&P 500 climbs 20% above October low

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks rose just enough for Wall Street to barrel into a new bull market Thursday as the S&P 500 keeps rallying off its low from last autumn.
  The index rose 0.6% to carry it 20% above a bottom hit in October. That means Wall Street's main measure of health has climbed out of a painful bear market, which saw it drop 25.4% over roughly nine months.
  The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 168 points, or 0.5%, Thursday. The Nasdaq composite, meanwhile, led the way with a 1% rise
  
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• Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise, lifted by bull market on Wall Street

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  TOKYO (AP) -- Asian shares mostly rose Friday, led by a jump on the Tokyo Stock Exchange where share prices got a boost of optimism from a new bull market on Wall Street.Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 1.8% in morning trading to 32,217.76. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 7,126.50. South Korea's Kospi added 0.9% to 2,634.96. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.3% to 19,352.59. The Shanghai Composite inched up less than 0.1% to 3,215.62.On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% to car
  
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• Pope in ‘good general condition’ after surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue, repair hernia

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis' was in "good general condition" Thursday, alert and breathing on his own, following a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.
  The 86-year-old Francis rested "extensively" during a peaceful night at Rome's Gemelli hospital and was spending his first full day after the surgery observing the "necessary post-operative rest," the Vatican said in a statement.
  "The pope is informed of the messages of
  
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• Pope drinks liquids, makes brief call after surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue, repair hernia

  08-06-2023 15:20
  
  ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis drank liquids, received the Eucharist and even made a brief phone call Thursday on his first full day recovering from a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.
  The 86-year-old Francis rested "extensively" overnight and continued resting Thursday at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where his condition was stable and his post-operative recovery deemed to be regular, the Vatican said in a statement. He was
  
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• ‘Aladdin’ cast takes on iconic roles with ease at Popejoy

  08-06-2023 12:30
  
  Marcus M. Martin as Genie in the National Tour of Disney's “Aladdin.” (Deen van Meer/Disney)Sometimes, you only need one wish.As the national tour of Disney's "Aladdin," took the stage at Popejoy Hall on Wednesday for its seven-performance run, it was abundantly clear — it was a night to of pure enjoyment.The Tony Award-winning musical started with "Arabian Nights" and the song was easing the audience into the explosion of lights and sounds.Then Marcus M. Martin stepped on sta
  
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• Zelenskyy visits area flooded by destroyed dam as five reported dead in Russian-occupied town

  08-06-2023 10:41
  
  KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the flood-hit region of Kherson on Thursday to evaluate response to damage caused by a dam breach.
  The Ukrainian leader wrote on his Telegram account that he was helping assess efforts to evacuate civilians, provide them with drinking water and other support, and try to stanch vast environmental damage.
  Zelenskyy also raised the prospect of funding allocations to help compensate residents and businesses driven from thei
  
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• Zelenskyy visits area flooded by destroyed dam as five reported dead in Russian-occupied city

  08-06-2023 10:41
  
  KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Five residents of a Russian-occupied city next to a breached dam have died in massive flooding triggered by the catastrophe, its Kremlin-appointed mayor said Thursday, the first official report of deaths from one of the largest environmental crises since Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than 15 months ago.Vladimir Leontyev, the Russian-appointed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, told Russian state TV that two other people who had gone missing following Tuesday's dam breach had b
  
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• Russia shells Ukrainian city inundated by dam collapse after Zelenskyy visits area

  08-06-2023 10:41
  
  KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces on Thursday shelled a southern Ukrainian city that was inundated in a catastrophic dam collapse, Ukrainian officials said, forcing a suspension of some rescue work hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the area to assess the damage.At least five people have died, many are homeless, and tens of thousands are without drinking water after the Kakhovka dam's destruction. Ukraine accused Russia of blowing of the facility, which Moscow's forces
  
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• Russia shells Ukrainian city inundated by dam collapse after Zelenskyy visit

  08-06-2023 10:41
  
  KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces Thursday shelled a southern Ukrainian city inundated by flooding in a catastrophic dam collapse, Ukrainian officials said, forcing a suspension of some rescue efforts hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to the area to assess the damage.
  The fresh fighting returned security issues to the region, two days after the collapse of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River set off a scramble to evacuate residents in dozens of flooded areas and get aid to
  
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• Local actress lands part in New Mexico-filmed Cheetos movie

  08-06-2023 08:02
  
  Albuquerque-based actor Lora Martinez-Cunningham snagged a role in the film, “Flamin’ Hot.” (Courtesy of Lora Martinez-Cunningham)Lora Martinez-Cunningham dreamt of having a career in the film industry.For the better part of two decades, Martinez-Cunningham remains a staple within the industry.The icing on the cake for the New Mexico native, who grew up in the South Valley, is that she is able to be part of the industry while living in her home state."My family and my roots ar
  
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• Filmed in ABQ, ‘Flamin’ Hot’ tells the story of a pop culture phenomenon

  08-06-2023 08:02
  
  Jesse Garcia, left, and Eva Longoria on the set of “Flamin’ Hot.” (Emily Aragones/Searchlight Pictures)Eva Longoria is often asked, "Where did you find a potato chip factory" to use in her film, "Flamin' Hot?"She answers, "No, No, it's the Albuquerque Journal," Longoria says during a recent interview.Longoria's directorial debut premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival in March, where it picked up an audience award.Beginning Friday, June 9, the film will be available to s
  
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• Country duo LOCASH making stop at Isleta with Kane Brown, Gabby Barrett

  08-06-2023 08:02
  
  Country duo LOCASH’s latest single is “Three Favorite Colors.” The duo is opening for Kane Brown’s “Drunk or Dreaming Tour.” (Courtesy of Sweettalk PR)Preston Brust can't wait for his trip back to Albuquerque as part of Kane Brown's "Drunk or Dreaming Tour.""I'm in need of some of the green chile," he says confidently. "Our first show in Albuquerque, somebody went over to their freezer and pulled out some frozen green chile. We threw it on the food and I've b
  
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• Blake’s still serving up the food that makes it a local legend

  08-06-2023 08:02
  
  Blake’s LOTA Burger “New Mexico Style”, two patties with green chile and cheese, and a cup of fries. (Richard S. Dargan/For the Journal)It's been quite an opening month in Albuquerque for Raising Cane's, the Louisiana-based chicken fingers chain. Local media reports tell of long lines of cars stretching out onto San Mateo Boulevard and 45-minute waits for food.The launch of a second Albuquerque location on Wyoming Boulevard is imminent.It's a promising start, but Raising Cane'
  
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• Pitino is high on UNM newcomers as Lobos start summer workouts

  08-06-2023 06:03
  
  Tru Washington arrived in Albuquerque over the weekend and spent his first night in the apartment he'll share with Lobo teammates alone, still awaiting his roommates' arrival in Albuquerque.His biggest concern?His controller wasn't charged for his X-Box."I was bored," he told his coach, Richard Pitino earlier this week when the two were talking at the youth camp the team is running at the Pit.Wednesday, many of those new Lobo teammates were with him on Bob King Court for a brief 45-minute workou
  
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• Sugar Land evens series with Isotopes; Game 3 is Thursday

  08-06-2023 06:02
  
  'TOPES TODAY: Vs. Sugar LandIsotopes Park, 6:35 p.m.,610 AM/95.9 FMPROMOTION: Magazine giveawayPROBABLES: Space Cowboys RHP Jairo Solis (0-1, 7.52) vs. Isotopes RHP Jeff Criswell (2-5, 9.00)WEDNESDAY: Sugar Land's Quincy Hamilton belted two homers and drove in three runs to go along with Pedro Leon's two-run homer, and the Space Cowboys bullpen held off two rallies by the host Isotopes to even the series at a game a piece with a 5-4 victory. With the loss, the Isotopes fall to 4-9 in one run bal
  
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• Local golf: Lobo Herron has memorable run — and memorable run-in — at U.S. Open qualifier

  08-06-2023 06:02
  
  UNM’s Carson Herron is shown at UNM Championship Course, playing in the Tucker Intercollegiate last September. (Mike Sandoval/For the Journal)For Carson Herron, golf's longest day started when the alarms went off around 5:45 a.m. Breakfast not long after that with Cole Nasby, a good friend and his caddy for the day. A quick drive over to The Lakes Golf and Country Club in Westerville, Ohio. Clubs unloaded by 6:45 a.m.In other words, a perfectly normal start to a day known for wonderfully
  
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• Lobo football adds transfer receiver from Mississippi State

  08-06-2023 05:25
  
  Mississippi State transfer wide receiver Kaydin Pope, listed at 6-feet, 175 pounds, announced his intention to transfer to New Mexico on Wednesday via social media."Only change was the location," Pope tweeted, "same mission."A Savannah, Tennessee, native, Pope was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports during his prep career at Hardin County High School.Pope attended Mississippi State for a year, making three catches for 23 yards in his lone game appearance against East Tennessee State Univ
  
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• APS Superintendent Scott Elder to step down at the end of next school year

  08-06-2023 05:24
  
  Albuquerque Public Schools superintendent Scott Elder will step down in 2024. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)The Albuquerque Public Schools board is parting ways with Superintendent Scott Elder. After almost an hour and a half behind closed doors, school board President Yolanda Montoya-Cordova said in a prepared statement that Elder will step down from his post effective June 30, 2024, the day his contract is set to end."I am proud of my service to APS and this community, and I am particularly
  
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• Details emerge in Albuquerque triple homicide: Police say shooters killed each other

  08-06-2023 05:22
  
  The home where three men were shot and killed last weekend. A memorial was set up on Tuesday. (Ryan Boetel/Albuquerque Journal)Albuquerque police investigating a triple homicide say a shootout at a weekend house party ended with three young men dead and a teen girl shot and wounded.Late Wednesday, police detailed what they believe happened at the Northeast Albuquerque home just before midnight Saturday that led to the deaths of Marcos Perez, 18; Nick Ortega, 19; and Jordan Johnson, 18.Investiga
  
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• Editorial: Archbishop helped right embattled Catholic Church

  08-06-2023 04:00
  
  The right man at the right time. Santa Fe Archdiocese Archbishop Emeritus Michael J. Sheehan was certainly that.The retired archbishop's death Saturday reminds us of one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Catholic Church, and how one man's integrity and forthrightness helped restore faith in his archdiocese.Sheehan presided over the Santa Fe Archdiocese for 22 years, from 1993 to 2015. It wasn't easy from the start as a sexual abuse scandal of epic proportions was beginning to rock th
  
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• Energy department seeks new division director

  08-06-2023 03:40
  
  With the current director of the Energy Conservation and Management Division retiring, the ECMD is now looking to fill the position. The ECMD handles statewide policy concerning renewable energy, alternative fuels, climate change and transportation of radioactive waste.
  Louise Martinez, who served as director for 11 years, will retire at the end of the month.
  "We have made incredible progress in establishing programs that will guide New Mexico's journey to a clean-energy future and addressi
  
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• ‘Money talks’: BCSO employees are now the highest paid law enforcement in the state

  08-06-2023 03:37
  
  Deputy Noah Chavez works on his computer outside of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office South Valley Substation on Wednesday. (Jon Austria/Albuquerque Journal)Following a Tuesday approval from county commissioners of a new contract, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputies will be the highest paid law enforcement officers in the state after completing the academy and a year-long probationary period.On July 1, BCSO first class deputies will start earning $35.72 hourly, netting a 17%
  
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• Homicide suspect killed himself, police say

  08-06-2023 03:33
  
  Police say a man who allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend shot himself on Tuesday in Northwest Albuquerque.Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said 20-year-old Julius Falero was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound along Edith, north of Osuna.He said Bernalillo County deputies were called to the scene and determined Falero had shot himself. Gallegos said at the scene deputies found the phone Falero took from his ex-girlfriend Jazmin Lerma after he killed her.Police had been sea
  
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• Sports Speak Up! Readers weigh in on LIV-PGA merger, United’s coaching search

  08-06-2023 02:55
  
  GOLF'S UNHOLY MERGER: So the PGA has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed, oil-rich (and blood-soaked) LIV Golf. To resolve the compromise, will tournaments now consist of three and one-half rounds? LXIII golf, anyone?— Jack Bowers, AlbuquerqueQUITE A SHOCKER with the PGA Tour merging with the LIV Tour. There wasn't much interest in the LIV Tour as the PGA Tour had them on the ropes, since LIV was only able to showcase their talents on the CW TV network. I'm reminded of what is arguably consi
  
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• What’s next for United under Hemmi? Interim coach, players discuss

  08-06-2023 02:39
  
  How long Masaki Hemmi's tenure as New Mexico United's head coach will last remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Hemmi and his players plan to enjoy it.Hemmi, better known by everyone at United's training facility as "Mac," handled his first media conference Wednesday as the club's interim leader. He'll run the show Saturday when NMU travels to Florida to take on Tampa Bay Rowdies. New Mexico United first assistant coach Masaki Hemmi (Courtesy of NMU)It's a transition period for United,
  
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• Albuquerque Public Schools poised to deny enrollment based on past expulsions, behaviors

  08-06-2023 02:36
  
  Albuquerque students who've been expelled from school may soon run out of second chances.The Albuquerque Public Schools board on Monday discussed revisions to a procedural directive that would prohibit the district from enrolling students based on their disciplinary and behavioral pasts at other schools.The proposal would add language to the district's existing suspension and expulsion procedures that would prevent APS from enrolling any student who'd been expelled from any public or private sch
  
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• Man dies in hospital after being shot by Santa Fe police

  08-06-2023 02:28
  
  A 77-year-old man died in a hospital almost a month after he was shot by Santa Fe police.Benjamin Valdez, deputy chief of Santa Fe police, said John Eames died at the hospital Tuesday.Officers shot Eames on May 12 after he allegedly reached for a gun in front of them, according to court records.Eames was initially charged with five counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer.Santa Fe police responded around 2:25 p.m. to the 150 block of Calle Ojo Feliz for a man threatening to kill himself
  
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• School’s out — but New Mexico families can still get food for kids through this federally funded program

  08-06-2023 02:14
  
  Emma Martinez, 3, takes a big bite out of a sandwich held by her father, Michael, at Tower Pond Park on Wednesday. The sandwich was provided to Emma through the state’s summer food program, and Tower Pond Park is the busiest park site in Albuquerque, according to a city official. (Chancey Bush/Journal)During the regular academic year, breakfasts and lunches provided at school are a big help to Lisa Vega, her 3-year-old granddaughter and her 5-year-old great-niece. But when school's out, t
  
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• School’s out — but New Mexico families can still get food for kids through this federal program

  08-06-2023 02:14
  
  Emma Martinez, 3, takes a big bite out of a sandwich held by her father, Michael, at Tower Pond Park on Wednesday. The sandwich was provided to Emma through the state’s summer food program, and Tower Pond Park is the busiest park site in Albuquerque, according to a city official. (Chancey Bush/Journal)During the regular academic year, breakfasts and lunches provided at school are a big help to Lisa Vega, her 3-year-old granddaughter and her 5-year-old great-niece. But when school's out, t
  
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• Fallout from Red River shootout continues as bike rallies are canceled

  08-06-2023 02:11
  
  New Mexico State Police patrol Main Street in Red River N.M., on Sunday, May 28, 2023. Three people were killed in a shootout Saturday during the Memorial Day motorcycle rally. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal)Fallout from the deadly Red River shootout between two motorcycle gangs continues to stretch across the state, with event cancellations and warnings of future violence in retaliation.Officials with the city of Belen recently announced on the city website that they were denying a permit f
  
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• These six laws in New Mexico are being targeted for repeal — but there’s a legal fight brewing

  08-06-2023 02:04
  
  Jodi Hendricks of the New Mexico Family Action Network speaks against a bill prohibiting cities and government agencies from blocking access to abortion and gender-affirming care during a House committee hearing in February. Hendricks is leading an effort to repeal the law — and five others — under the state’s rarely-used referendum process. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)SANTA FE - A push to repeal laws passed this year by the Democratic-controlled Legislature on abortion,
  
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• Jury convicts man in shootings of two teenage girls

  08-06-2023 01:38
  
  A jury convicted Nathan Peco last week of five felony counts in a 2020 shooting at a Downtown residence but acquitted him of the most serious charge of murder.Prosecutors alleged that Peco, 20, was among a group of armed teenagers who barged into a house in the 600 block of Arno SE on March 14, 2020, and fired dozens of gunshots, killing Jeff Baca, 38, and seriously wounding a woman and two teenage girls.A 2nd Judicial District Court jury convicted Peco of two counts of aggravated battery in the
  
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• Thousands of New Mexicans will have driver’s licenses reinstated under new law

  08-06-2023 01:31
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Thousands of New Mexicans will have their driver's licenses reinstated under a new law that prevents the state Motor Vehicle Division from suspending the licenses of people who fail to appear in court, or don't pay speeding tickets or other fines.State officials confirmed Wednesday about 308,000 licenses that are currently suspended will be affected, and MVD staff are being trained on the new requirements."There is a fair amount of system reconfiguration that needs to b
  
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• Albuquerque police, DEA seize guns, drugs in operation

  08-06-2023 00:58
  
  Gary Merino-Ramirez (MDC) Reynaldo Vargas (MDC) Ashley Lucas (MDC)Authorities seized large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and guns on Tuesday after busting an Albuquerque-based drug ring with alleged ties to a Mexican cartel.Gary Merino-Ramirez, 35, Reynaldo Vargas, 45, Ashley Lucas, 30, and Oscar Barrera-Maytorena, who is 26 or 27, have all been charged federally with drug and/or gun charges.It is unclear if the three men have an attorney and an attorney for Lucas declined to comment.
  
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