- DRY NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — If hot and dry conditions persist, federal water managers warn that it's possible Albuquerque could see its stretch of the Rio Grande go dry this fall. The Bureau of Reclamation has teamed up with the Interstate Stream Commission and irrigators to lease the last block of water available to keep the river as stable as possible before winter. The entities will pay Albuquerque's water utility $700,000 for the extra water. Other emergency releases happened earlier this year as spring runoff was poor and the monsoon season was spotty. Officials say New Mexico will wrap up the irrigation season with very little water left in storage.
- LEGISLATOR RESIGNS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico legislator not running for re-election this year has resigned and is leaving office before the end of his term. Democratic Rep. Jim Trujillo of Santa Fe announced his resignation Monday. He previously cited health concerns and a desire to spend more time with family members when he announced last October he wouldn't run for re-election. Trujillo represented House District 45 and served as co-chairman of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee. The Santa Fe County Commission will select a replacement to serve the remainder of Trujillo's term. Voters in November will elect a successor who will take office in January.
- FATAL SHOOTING-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police are trying to determine the circumstances of a shooting that left one person dead, a second wounded and a third person in custody. Police said Tuesday that it wasn't immediately clear exactly what involvement the person in custody had in the shooting. No identities or other information on circumstances of the incident were released.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has increased annual child support collections by $18 million as it intercepts federal economic impact payments to parents whose children do not live with them. The budget and accountability office of the Legislature says that child support collections by the state's enforcement office increased to $156 million in the 12 month period ending on June 30, up from $138 million the prior year. Agency performance evaluations for the April-June period turned up stark variations in efficiency.
- THREATENED THISTLE
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list a rare plant that was once found in the the American Southwest and Mexico as a threatened species. The agency outlined its intensions in Tuesday's Federal Register. Aside from adding the Wright's marsh thistle to the list of imperiled species, 159 acres spanning five southern New Mexico counties would be set aside as critical habitat. The thistle used to be found in southern Arizona and parts of Mexico. It's now in just eight separate locations in New Mexico. The proposal comes after environmentalists threatened to sue in 2019 over delayed action.
- ELECTION 2020-FACEBOOK-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Researchers say President Donald Trump has spent more money on Facebook advertising targeting New Mexico users since July than any other candidate. A New York University Tandon School of Engineering project that monitors Facebook spending reports that the Trump campaign and his various affiliates have spent $380,700 on Facebook ads in the state since July 1. That's more than two times the amount spent during the same period by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Damon McCoy, professor of computer science and engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and doctoral student Laura Edelson built the NYU Tandon Online Transparency Project.
- CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Archaeologists and Native American leaders are pointing to a recent survey of an area around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico that's considered sacred to some tribes in the Southwest. They say work done this summer shows there are around 4,200 sites outside the park's boundaries that deserve protection. They released some details from the pilot project Monday. A public comment period wrapped up Friday as federal land managers consider revisions to a plan that would govern oil and gas development in northwestern New Mexico. Officials say they have received more than 14,000 comments. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is among those who sent letters.
- AP-US-MOBILE-APPS-PRIVACY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A U.S. district judge has dismissed New Mexico's privacy claims against Google. The judge concluded in a ruling Friday that federal laws and regulations do not require direct consent from parents when schools participate in Google's education platforms. The company had asked that the case be dismissed, saying in court filings that it hasn't violated any laws. New Mexico can amend its complaint, and Attorney General Hector Balderas said Monday he will continue to litigate to protect child privacy rights. The lawsuit was filed in February 2020, alleging that Google violated state and federal laws by collecting personal information.