Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 11:20 a.m. MDT
AP-US-SAVING-OLD-TREES
Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as "old"
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden's order to protect the nation's oldest woodlands is raising a simple but vexing question: When does a forest grow old? The answer could affect millions of acres of federally-managed forests where environmentalists want logging restricted as climate change, wildfires and other problems devastate vast forests. Scientists say there's no simple formula for what's old — in part because growth rates among species can vary greatly. That's likely to complicate Biden's efforts to protect older forests as part of his faltering climate change fight, with key pieces stalled in Congress. Underlining the issue's urgency are wildfires that have killed thousands of California's giant sequoias in recent years.
INFLATION PAYMENTS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico delivers inflation relief payments to residents
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is delivering the first in a series of direct payments to the state's adult residents to offset higher consumer costs brought on by inflation. Individual taxpayers who receive direct deposit rebates are scheduled to receive $250 as early as Thursday and couples are set to get $500. Checks for another 200,000 taxpayers will arrive in the mail in coming weeks. The payments are among $1.1 billion in tax relief and payouts authorized by state lawmakers. High fuel prices are hurting household finances as New Mexico's state government benefits financially from record-setting oil production in the Permian Basin.
AP-US-RIGHT-TO-RECORD-POLICE
Right to film cops weighed by US court overseeing 6 states
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. government is asking the appeals court overseeing four western and two midwestern states to recognize that the First Amendment guarantee of free speech gives people the right to film police as they do their work in public. If the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals agrees, officers could be sued for interfering with people trying to record them. Six of the 12 U.S. appeals courts have recognized that right, but the 10th Circuit hasn't. The court heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a YouTube journalist and blogger who says he was blocked by a suburban Denver officer from recording a 2019 traffic stop.
AP-US-SPRING-WILDFIRES
Crews slow New Mexico fires, brace for dangerous conditions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 2,000 firefighters battling the largest U.S. wildfire are digging back-up fire lines and rearranging fire engines around homes in northeast New Mexico. Fire officials say they expedited efforts Wednesday to get ahead of the flames in anticipation of a return to windy, dangerous conditions in the days ahead. High fire danger alerts go back in effect Thursday from southern Nevada through parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. Crews dug contingency lines east of Taos south of the Colorado line. No new evacuations were ordered Wednesday, and some were relaxed. But a fire behavior analyst said: "The next three days are going to be the giddy-up days."
ELECTION REVIEW-NEW MEXICO
Court weighs clash on online publication of voting records
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A conservative-backed foundation that posts voting registration records online is urging a federal judge to override objections by New Mexico election regulators who say the initiative violates state law and would discourage voter participation. At a hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Browning peppered attorneys with questions but took no immediate action. The VoteRef.com website does not list details of how people voted regarding candidates or initiatives. The Voter Reference Foundation has posted voter rolls from at least 20 states that can be searched by names or addresses to verify where people live and view whether they voted in various past elections.
CLERGY SEX ABUSE-NEW MEXICO
$121.5M settlement in New Mexico clergy sex abuse scandal
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — One of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the United States has announced a settlement agreement to resolve a bankruptcy case in New Mexico that resulted from a clergy sex abuse scandal. The tentative deal announced Tuesday totals $121.5 million and would involve about 375 claimants. The chairman of a creditors committee that negotiated the agreement said it would result in one of the largest diocese contributions to a bankruptcy settlement in U.S. history. It also includes an agreement to create a public archive of documents regarding the history of the sexual abuse claims. The archbishop of Santa Fe said he hopes it's the next step in the healing of those who have been harmed.
BC-NM-ATHLETE FATALLY SHOT-CONVICTION
Man convicted in fatal shooting of a Santa Fe star athlete
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting of a Santa Fe High School basketball star nearly two years ago. A jury on Tuesday returned the verdict against Estevan Montoya in the August 2020 shooting of Fedonta "JB" White. Prosecutors say Montoya was 16 at the time of the incident and the 18-year-old White was shot at a house party in Chupadero in front of numerous witnesses. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Montoya took the stand in his own defense Monday and said he shot White in self-defense after a two argued. Prosecutors say Montoya went to the party armed and lured White into a fistfight before shooting him point blank and running away.
ASIAN-OWNED BUSINESSES-SECURITY
Albuquerque Asian-owned businesses getting boost in security
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque's Asian American community is testing a new way to bolster security for Asian-owned businesses in the wake of two deadly shootings. KOAT-TV reported Sunday that an Albuquerque start-up is trying out an online service that connects armed security guards with Asian-owned businesses. Businesses would report suspicious activity to "toServo." The service puts them in touch with a private security team. There are hopes to expand its use by the end of the year. The city's Asian community has been on edge since shootings at two Asian-owned spas. The female owner of one was shot and killed in January. A second woman died the same way a month later.