- LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO TRAPPING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico measure that would prohibit traps, snares and wildlife poisons from being used on public land has passed the Senate. The legislation cleared the chamber late Tuesday despite four Democrats from rural areas breaking with their party and voting against it. It must still get through the House before lawmakers adjourn in less than two weeks. Environmentalists and animal advocacy groups say New Mexico needs to join neighboring states to ban what they described as cruel and outdated practices. Rural residents and wildlife conservation officers say trapping is still an important tool for managing wildlife and protecting livestock.
- AIRPORT BODIES-MANHUNT
A man sought in the killings of four people in New Mexico and one in New Jersey has been arrested. The U.S. Marshals Service says Sean Lannon was apprehended Wednesday morning in St. Louis. Investigators were seeking the 47-year-old in connection with a slaying Monday in East Greenwich, New Jersey. Lannon also is a person of interest in the deaths of his ex-wife and three men whose bodies were found last week in a vehicle at the Albuquerque International Sunport airport garage. Three of the people were reported missing since January.
- AP-US-COLORADO-RIVER-NEGOTIATIONS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Legislation in Utah is raising concerns as seven Western states prepare to negotiate how to sustain a river that supplies 40 million people and a massive agricultural industry. The states share in the realization that they likely won't get what they were promised from the Colorado River a century ago. But legislation awaiting approval from Utah's governor creates an entity that could push for more of the state's share. Critics say it could strengthen the effort to complete an expensive pipeline from a dwindling reservoir that's a key indicator of the river's health. Meanwhile, states have conservation in mind as they pass laws focused on safeguarding other water supplies.
- ALCOHOL REFORM-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Legislature is sending a bill to the governor that would overhaul state liquor regulations in an effort to invigorate the hospitality industry. The Senate voted 29-11 Tuesday to approve the bill, and the House quickly agreed to recent amendments. The measure would legalize liquor deliveries when accompanied by food and expand restaurant alcohol licenses that meet local ordinances to include not only beer and wine but also spirits with a 10 p.m. cutoff. Tastings would be allowed at craft distilleries. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham set the legislation as a priority at the start of the legislative session.
- LEGISLATURE BILLS ROUNDUP
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico state Senate is voting on a half-dozen bill each day as the Legislature's annual session comes to a close this month. On Tuesday, the body voted unanimously for a redistricting plan that will draw the map for voters in future elections. Senators were also united in passing a bill to require studies of industry tax breaks meant to generate jobs. The largest break goes to the film industry, averaging $70 million per year. Along party lines, Democratic senators passed a bill allowing more judges to qualify for publically funded election campaigns. The bills now go to the House.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 12 additional COVID-19 cases and one more death from the virus as a downward trend in infections and hospitalizations continues. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 29,887 confirmed cases and 1,204 known deaths since the pandemic began a year ago. Also on Tuesday, the Navajo Department of Health identified eight communities with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 compared with 75 communities having an uncontrolled spread in January. Health facilities on the reservation and in border towns are conducting drive-thru vaccine events or administering doses by appointment. A daily curfew from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. and a mask mandate remain in effect for residents of the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two competing proposals for legalizing marijuana in New Mexico have emerged from a bargaining session among legislators amid efforts to balance demands of incumbent medical marijuana producers with calls for new economic opportunity. A state Senate panel advanced a Republican-sponsored bill that emphasizes free markets and a Democrat-sponsored bill that emphasizes social justice concerns about prior drug convictions. Legalization advocates are expressing stubbornly divergent views on how to stamp out illicit marijuana and provide economic opportunity for a fledgling industry. Leaders of the Democrat-led Legislature have until March 20 to send a bill to the Democratic governor.
- LIQUOR LICENSE FEES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation that will allow the state to waive annual liquor license fees as businesses struggle to rebound amid the pandemic. The governor signed the measure Tuesday, saying the food and beverage industry is a key piece of the state's economy. Under the legislation, the next annual fee for renewed liquor licenses and for all new licenses issued in this year will be waived. License fees can stretch as high as several thousand dollars annually. State officials estimate the waivers will save businesses in New Mexico roughly $3.5 million.