- AP-US-CAPITOL-RIOT-ELECTED-OFFICIAL
- WASHINGTON (AP) — An elected official from New Mexico is the second person tried on charges stemming from the U.S. Capitol riot. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is hearing testimony without a jury for Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin's trial Monday. Griffin is charged with illegally entering Capitol grounds the day a pro-Trump mob disrupted certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Griffin is not accused of entering the Capitol or engaging in violence or destruction on Jan. 6, 2021. Griffin's lawyers say he peacefully led a prayer on the Capitol steps. Prosecutors didn't give opening statements. A jury this month convicted a Texas man of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.
TRAIN ATTACK-ALBUQUERQUE-SUSPECT
- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a man accused of stabbing two people and injuring a third on a commuter rail train in Albuquerque also had a gun at the time. A criminal complaint states New Mexico State Police found a gun in 33-year-old Luis Sanchez's backpack when he was arrested Saturday. He facing charges of aggravated battery, resisting arrest and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rail Runner officials said Sanchez got into an argument with another male passenger. He allegedly stabbed that passenger and a female security guard before slashing an elderly woman in the shoulder. He was due in court for a first appearance Monday.
BC-NM-FATAL ROLLOVER-ALBUQUERQUE
- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say two people have died and seven others injured in a car crash in Albuquerque on Interstate 40. They say it appears alcohol, speed and the amount of people inside of the vehicle were all factors in the rollover. City fire and rescue crews were dispatched around 3 a.m. to reports of a rollover on freeway underpass. They say a male and a female were pronounced dead at the scene. Of the seven injured who were rushed to hospitals, authorities say five were in critical condition and two others had minor injuries. They say it appears the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control. The vehicle rolled and hit a concrete pillar.
COWBOYS FOR TRUMP-CHARGE
- SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico elected official is facing a misdemeanor charge for refusing to register the political group Cowboys for Trump. Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the charge Friday evening. Couy Griffin sued the New Mexico secretary of state in 2020 in response to mounting pressure on Cowboys for Trump to register as a political committee. A federal appeals court last month rejected his arguments. Balderas says that leaves Griffin out of compliance with court orders to register the political group. Griffin says he's working on a new challenge to the reporting requirement and expects to win.
NEW MEXICO-SPECIAL SESSION
- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling for a special legislative session the first week of April. The Democrat announced Friday that she wants lawmakers to consider providing economic relief to New Mexicans as inflation persists and gas prices remain high. The announcement will avoid an election year conflict after fellow Democrats denounced her recent veto of a $50 million wish-list for community projects. The bill contained funding for law enforcement, senior centers, courts and other needs. Democrats and Republicans had threatened to unite and call an extraordinary session to override her veto. Republican leaders said Friday that tax rebates approved during the last session won't be enough to counter rising prices.
BC-NM-ALBUQUERQUE POLICE-FATAL SHOOTING
- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque say officers have fatally shot a man after an altercation. They say officers responded to the scene around 5 p.m. Saturday after 911 calls about a man walking around with a gun and allegedly pointing the weapon at people and cars. Police Chief Harold Medina says officers tried to talk to the man but there was an altercation that escalated. The name and age of the man who died wasn't immediately released by police.
TEXAS CRASH-GOLF TEAMS
- HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities investigating a fiery head-on crash in Texas don't know why a 13-year-old boy was driving while his father sat in the passenger seat. Their pickup truck crossed into the oncoming lane Tuesday and collided with a passenger van, killing nine people. The teen who has not been identified died in the crash along with his father, Henrich Siemens, and six members of a New Mexico college golf team and their coach. Investigators say the truck's left front tire, which was a spare, blew out before impact. It's the latest tragedy for the family of the father and son, of Seminole, Texas. Community members first rallied around them in October, when a fire destroyed their home.
MOUNTAIN RESCUE-ALBUQUERQUE
- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say emergency personnel rescued an unprepared hiker who got trapped on any icy ledge after getting lost during a snowstorm in the Sandia Mountains. Police said the hiker wasn't dressed for cold and windy weather and called 911 Thursday when he feared falling off the ledge. Several agencies responded and a team hiked to a spot near the man, enabling an officer to rappel down and provided the man with clothing and crampons. The team then got the man off the ledge and hiked with him to a location where he was treated and released by medical personnel. The man's identity was not released.