Albuquerque salon owner behind 'vampire facials' takes plea
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former Albuquerque spa owner has pleaded guilty to conducting unlicensed "vampire facials" that led to two clients contracting HIV. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the plea from Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz in a news release Friday. Ramos de Ruiz will enter a guilty plea to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. The scam was discovered when a client who was diagnosed with HIV reported visiting her spa. State licensing regulators investigated her business and found multiple health-code violations. A second client with HIV then came forward. Ramos de Ruiz faces more than seven years in prison.
Last Nevada county approves primary results after hand count
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Elected officials in a rural Nevada county became the last in the state to certify outstanding results of the June 14 primary election after a hand count of all ballots in an old mining town courthouse. Two county commissioners in Esmeralda County, Nevada's least populated, spent more than seven hours Friday counting all 317 ballots before formally voting to accept the results. Nevada's other 16 counties already had certified the primary results. The largest counties in the western battleground state in Las Vegas and Reno were among those that acted earlier Friday over the objections of some who questioned the results.
Santa Fe complex residents must move after power outage
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.
Live updates | Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police fired tear gas from the windows of the Arizona Capitol building to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating outside Friday night, as lawmakers briefly huddled in a basement. The lawmakers were working to complete their 2022 session as thousands of protesters gathered on the Capitol grounds in Phoenix. They were divided into groups condemning and supporting the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building. It wasn't immediately known if there were injuries or arrests.
Recent rain allows forests in US Southwest to reopen
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.
Man gets life in prison for killing of Santa Fe prep star
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.
Native American leaders push for boarding school commission
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.
Albuquerque woman gets long prison term for fatal DWI crash
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say an Albuquerque woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection with a fatal car crash in June 2020. A New Mexico district judge on Tuesday sentenced 42-year-old Bernadette Etsitty, who pleaded guilty in April on a charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol. Prosecutors say Etsitty had consumed a 12-pack of beer and was driving 66 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the head-on crash that killed 18-year-old Roxana Saenz. According to the Albuquerque Journal, court records show Etsitty has been charged three times for driving while intoxicated including two offenses in 2006. The newspaper also reported that a third-offense DWI in 2018 for Etsitty was dismissed by a McKinley County magistrate judge in 2019.