- SANTA FE OUTAGE-APARTMENT EVICTIONS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More than 50 tenants at a Santa Fe apartment complex are being forced to move out because of electrical issues. Residents of the Railyard Flats told Albuquerque's KOB-TV that they lost power Friday and were told by management to leave by July 6. In a statement, Railyard Flats said repairing the electrical issues could take months because of back order and supply chain problems. But residents will be placed in hotels through July 8. They will also be allowed to break their leases with no penalty. Residents are worried about finding a new home in a short amount of time.
- AP-US-ELECTION-2022-NEVADA
RENO, Nev. (AP) — County commissioners across Nevada are holding public meetings ahead of a midnight deadline to sign off on results from the June 14 primary. In Reno's Washoe County, dozens of residents urged commissioners not to certify, repeating false claims and conspiracy theories that nearly derailed the certification process in New Mexico last week. After nearly two hours of public comment, commissioners voted 4-1 to certify results. By midday, 13 other Nevada counties had also voted to certify. Later Friday, commissioners in tiny Esmeralda County planned to hand-count all 317 ballots that were cast, after residents raised concerns at their certification meeting on Thursday.
- BC-US-SUPREME-COURT-ABORTION-THE-LATEST
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mayor of Washington, D.C. says abortion remains available to women in her district. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared Friday that abortion remains legal in the nation's capital despite the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Bowser said at a news conference held at the local branch of Planned Parenthood that Washington is a "pro-choice city." But she cautioned that the district is vulnerable because it is not a state and Congress retains oversight over it. On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the right established nearly 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade to terminate a pregnancy. The issue reverts to the states, many of which have taken steps to curtail or ban abortions.
- SOUTHWEST-FIRE RESTRICTIONS
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Some national forests in Arizona and New Mexico are relaxing fire restrictions and reopening. That's thanks to a strong start to the annual rainy season in the southwestern U.S. The monsoon has delivered much-needed moisture to the parched region and relief from scorching temperatures. Two national forests that border New Mexico's most populous areas and a third in the southern part of the state largely will reopen Friday. Some pockets will remain closed because of active wildfires. The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona will rescind all fire restrictions. The rules vary across all public land on whether campfires are allowed.
- BC-NM-PREP BASKETBALL STAR KILLED-SENTENCING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a Santa Fe High School star basketball player after a fight at a house party nearly two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison. A New Mexico district court judge gave 18-year-old Estevan Montoya the maximum sentence Wednesday for the August 2020 killing of Fedonta "JB" White. The judge says Montoya will be eligible for parole in 30 years. Montoya was 16 at the time of the fatal shooting. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a handgun by an underage person and negligent use of a deadly weapon. White was set to play for New Mexico in the 2020-21 season.
- AP-US-NATIVE-AMERICANS-BOARDING-SCHOOLS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says the federal government has a responsibility to Native American tribes, Alaska Native villages and Native Hawaiian communities to fully support education, language and cultural practices that prior boarding school policies sought to destroy. She testified Wednesday before a U.S. Senate committee on legislation to establish a national commission on truth and healing to address ongoing trauma stemming from the legacy of Native American boarding schools in the United States. Tribal leaders and advocates from Maine to Alaska and Hawaii joined Haaland in voicing their support. They say a commission would offer a path for many to have their personal stories validated.