Extreme fire threats prompt US suspension of planned burns
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Forest Service is suspending planned burning operations to clear out brush and small trees at all national forests while his agency conducts a 90-day review of protocols and practices. Forest Chief Randy Moore made the announcement Friday. He cited the hot and dry weather and extreme winds that have led to explosive fire behavior across the Southwest. Nearly 6,000 firefighters are battling fires in New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and California. Crews at the biggest fire in northern New Mexico worked to reinforce fire lines as winds gusted to 40 mph. Forecasters say several days of cooler, moister conditions beginning Saturday should provide some relief.
2 New Mexico tribes closer to recreational cannabis sales
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two tribes in northern New Mexico are closer to having recreational cannabis sales after signing taxation agreements with the state last week. State officials are announcing the agreement this week saying they're formally recognizing the authority of the Pojoaque and Picuris pueblos to sell and tax cannabis. The state's 12% tax on the product won't be levied on products sold by the tribes. Tribes will still have to operate in a legal gray zone, as cannabis is illegal at the federal level. Federal law enforcement have raided cannabis grow sites in Picuris Pueblo, including those that followed state laws.
Gusty winds fan wildfires in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 5,000 firefighters are battling multiple wildland blazes in dry, windy weather across the Southwest. The fires include one that has destroyed dozens of structures in western Texas and another that is picking up steam again in New Mexico. Evacuation orders remained in place Thursday for residents near fires in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. Dangerous fire weather was forecast to continue through Friday, especially in New Mexico where the largest U.S. fire has burned for more than a month. The governor expects the number of structures that have burned to rise to more than 1,000. That fire has burned more than 473 square miles.
New Mexico court upholds $165M damage awards in FedEx crash
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday upheld jury awards of $165 million against FedEx in a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from a deadly crash involving a Texas family and a contract driver for the delivery company. The 2011 crash on Interstate 10 west of Las Cruces killed Marialy Venegas Morga of and her 4-year-old daughter and critically injured the El Paso woman's 19-month-old son when the family's small pickup was rear-ended by the big rig. Truck driver Elizabeth Quintana also died. FedEx' argued unsuccessfully that the damage awards were excessive and that a judge should have ordered a new trial.
New maps create challenge for women seeking reelection
CHICAGO (AP) — For some female incumbents running for reelection in Congress this year, holding their seats comes with a new challenge. Because of redistricting, some of those congressional districts will be tougher to win. It's too early to know how many female representatives were hurt by the once-a-decade process because maps haven't been finalized in several states. But in states with new district boundaries set, the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University found more than a dozen women who are running in significantly tougher territory. This comes as female representatives make up about 28% of the 435 House members.
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.
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.
New rules about guns on movie sets fail in California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — New rules about how and when actors can use guns on movie sets have failed to pass the California Legislature. Two bills did not advance out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The bills were filed after a gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding went off and killed cinematographer on a movie set in New Mexico last year. Senate Appropriations Committee chair Anthony Portantino said he decided to hold both bills in committee after entertainment industry groups failed to reach a consensus on the proposals. Portantino said he would be willing to reconsider the bills should the groups reach an agreement.