- IMMIGRATION-TEEN MOMS
In border crisis, pregnant teens are especially vulnerablePHOENIX (AP) — As the crisis at the border has deepened over the last year, one group of migrants is particularly vulnerable: teen moms and pregnant girls without parents of their own.
Unaccompanied minors are held by the government until a vetted sponsor, usually a relative, can take them in while their immigration cases play out in court.
Attorneys who interviewed the teens at several government facilities recently found they lacked medical care, were afraid to speak out when their babies got sick and went weeks without being able to shower or brush their teeth.
Customs and Border Protection apprehended over 56,200 unaccompanied youths in the Southwest border from October to May. Health and Human Services officials say the agency has had about 500 teens with babies in its custody since October.
- SAVING RURAL CHURCHES
Shrinking rural New Mexico villages putting churches at risk(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Shrinking populations in rural New Mexico villages are putting aging churches at risk since the buildings aren't receiving the same upkeep as previous generations.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the Santa Teresita Church in Mora County is one of several participating in a fundraising project to benefit some of the state's "endangered" historic churches in an effort to save the structures.
Through cultural events starting this month, organizers of the Nuevo Mexico Profundo project hope to raise money to preserve the churches that sit in villages across the state.
Nuevo Mexico Profundo is the brainchild of Frank Graziano, an author and former professor of Hispanic Studies who lives in Chamisal.
His inspiration came from research and trips he made for his recently published book, "Historic Churches of New Mexico."
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- PANCAKES-FOURTH OF JULY-INJURY
Police: 1 injured at early July 4th event in Santa Fe(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police say a New Mexico woman has suffered minor injuries at an early morning Fourth of July celebration in Santa Fe after cooking spray ignited.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports authorities say the woman volunteer was injured Thursday morning ahead of the annual Pancakes on the Plaza event.
Santa Fe Police Chief Andrew Padilla says emergency workers attended to the injured woman before she was sent home. He says the injured person's identity was not immediately available, and the injury appears to be minor
Santa Fe New Mexican circulation director Mike Richard says he heard a loud bang could be heard on the Plaza around 7 a.m.
Lt. Michele Williams says the explosive sound was likely caused by water on the stove mixing with cooking spray.
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- BYU-MARS PROJECT
BYU helping NASA prep for human mission to MarsPROVO, Utah (AP) — Researchers at Brigham Young University are helping with a NASA-sponsored project measuring the electrical charge and size of dust particles on Mars.
The Deseret News reports the BYU group is nearing completion of the three-year project that hopes to understand the climate of the Red Planet and the impact the dust has on materials sent to its surface.
BYU professor Shiuh-hua Wood Chiang says the project began two years ago after NASA asked universities across the country for a Mars dust analyzer proposal.
Chiang says dust tends to stick on the solar panels of Mars rovers and reduce the power generation capabilities.
He says researchers need to understand how the dust particles may affect future instruments and life support systems on Mars.
- TROUBLED NEW MEXICO CITY
Critics want embattled New Mexico mayor removed from office(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — A northern New Mexico mayor whose home and office were raided last week by state investigators is facing calls to be removed from her seat.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Las Vegas, New Mexico, city councilor Barbara Perea-Casey said this week she wants the full council to vote to remove Mayor Tonita Gurulé-Girón.
State attorney general's office agents raided Gurulé-Girón's offices last week to look for evidence of alleged bid-rigging.
Since coming into office she has been at the center of a series of controversies, including firings of key staff and lawsuits against her.
She also was the target of a special audit of the city's procurement process.
The city's charter gives the mayor and city manager the power to decide what is placed on the council's agenda.
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- OFFICERS-PAID LEAVE
3 Gallup officers placed on leave after detox center scuffle(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Three Gallup police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with a detainee who was injured in a scuffle with police.
The Gallup Independent report s Gallup Police announced this week that the three officers were placed on leave following a disturbance Friday at a detox center.
According to police, officers were dispatched to a J.C. Penney store after receiving a call about a man who was reportedly staggering.
The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to the detox center.
Authorities say the man became disorderly at the center and was injured during a struggling with officers. He was later transported to a hospital for treatment.
The man's condition is not known. The names of the officers placed on leave have not been released.
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- BORDER WALL-LAWSUIT
Appeals court: Trump can't use Pentagon cash for border wallSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An appeals court has upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with a lower court ruling that prevented the government from tapping Defense Department counterdrug money to build high-priority sections of wall in Arizona and New Mexico.
Wednesday's decision is a setback for Trump's ambitious plans. He ended a 35-day government shutdown in February after Congress gave him far less than he wanted. He then declared a national emergency that the White House said would free billions of dollars from the Pentagon.
The case may still be considered, but the administration cannot build during the legal challenge.
- POLICE SHOOTING-ALBUQUERQUE
Albuquerque police: Man killed in shootout with detectiveALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say a man is dead following a shootout with a police detective who suffered minor injuries.
A Police Department spokesman says the gunfire occurred late Tuesday night when after an armed man approached the vehicle of the detective who was conducting a surveillance operation.
The spokesman, Officer Simon Drobik, says the detective wasn't transported to a hospital and that the shooting occurred after a surveillance operation began in one part of the city and shifted to another area.
No identities were released and no additional information on circumstances of the incident were immediately available.