- ALBUQUERQUE STORM-BODY RECOVERED
3rd body found in wake of storms, flooding in AlbuquerqueALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters believe they have located a third person who went missing after being swept into an arroyo as a result of storms in Albuquerque. Albuquerque Fire Department spokesman Tom Ruiz said Thursday that crews recovered a body in the washout area of a diversion channel. Authorities recovered the bodies of two men were in the area Wednesday. Their names and ages were not immediately released by authorities. Crews initially responded Tuesday afternoon when three people were seen floating down the diversion channel in northeast Albuquerque after the area was hit with heavy rains. Swift water rescue units scrambled to the sides of the channel to attempt a rescue but didn't spot the trio over a two-hour period.
- PNM-UTILITY MORATORIUM ENDING
PNM customers with unpaid bills may face shutoffs in AugustALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest utility is urging thousands of customers to contact them before they lose power when a pandemic moratorium on electricity payments ends. PNM said Thursday more than 47,000 households have past-due bills that could lead to power shutoffs as soon as mid-August. Officials with the electricity provider say there are millions of dollars in financial assistance available but customers must contact them. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission recently voted to temporarily avoid disconnecting power over unpaid bills because of COVID-19. PNM estimates it is owed more than $21 million in past-due electricity bills. Customers are expected to eventually pay for the energy consumed.
- EDUCATION-RECOVERY FUNDING
New Mexico to get another $327M in federal recovery aidSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Federal education officials have approved New Mexico's spending plan for recovery aid, clearing the way for another $327 million to be distributed to the state. The money is intended to help the state Education Department sustain safe operation of schools and boost learning opportunities, particularly for students who have been most affected by the pandemic. Some of the money will go toward grants for districts and other organizations to run summer programs focused on science and math. The state already had received more than $650 million in emergency education funding. New Mexico is among 14 other states to have their plans approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
- ALBUQUERQUE ZOO-HIPPO BIRTH
ABQ BioPark welcomes new baby hippoALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The ABQ BioPark has a new family member. Zoo officials announced this week that Karen, a 19-year-old Nile hippopotamus, gave birth to a healthy baby on Monday. The zoo did not say the sex of the baby. But the hippopotamus exhibit will be open on a limited basis so that mother and baby can bond. According to the zoo, some guests actually got to see the birth as Karen delivered in the water in the exhibit. The calf is her third with 47-year-old Moe. Zoo managers say the pregnancy was a surprise because Karen was on birth control. Still, everyone is "delighted."
- MINE SPILL-RESTORATION
New Mexico seeks restoration ideas after 2015 mine spillSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico officials are looking for ideas for restoration projects to repair damage caused by a 2015 spill that fouled rivers in three western states with arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. The state Office of the Natural Resources Trustee said Wednesday that the projects would be funded through a proposed $1 million settlement with Sunnyside Gold Corp. and its parent companies. The spill released 3 million gallons of wastewater from the inactive Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado. A crew hired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency triggered the spill while trying to excavate the mine opening in preparation for a possible cleanup.
- ALBUQUERQUE STORM
2 bodies recovered, 1 person missing in Albuquerque floodingALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two bodies were recovered Wednesday and the search continued for one other person swept into an arroyo after storms hit Albuquerque, authorities said. Firefighters pulled a man's body from the end of a diversion channel on Wednesday morning and a second man's body in the afternoon. The names and ages of the two victims were not immediately released by authorities. Crews initially responded Tuesday afternoon when three people were seen floating down the diversion channel in northeast Albuquerque after the area was hit with heavy rains. Swift water rescue units scrambled to the sides of the channel to attempt a rescue but didn't spot the three people over a two-hour period.
- AP-US-BIDEN-PUBLIC-LANDS-NOMINEE
Democrats back Biden US lands pick assailed by RepublicansBILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A U.S. Senate panel deadlocked Thursday on President Joe Biden's pick to oversee vast government-owned lands in the West amid bitter opposition from Republicans. Democrats vowed to push on with the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised a vote on the Senate floor. Republicans have sought to undermine the credibility of the Bureau of Land Management nominee over her ties to a 32-year-old criminal investigation. Stone-Manning received immunity to testify against two friends who were convicted in the 1989 sabotage of a national forest timber sale in Idaho.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajo Nation: 21 new COVID cases, no deaths 4th day in rowWINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 21 new COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths for the fourth consecutive day. The latest numbers brought the total number of coronavirus-related cases on the vast reservation to 31,239 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The number of known deaths remained at 1,366. The Navajo Nation recently relaxed restrictions to allow visitors to travel on the reservation and visit popular attractions like Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley. The reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. While cases are down, Navajo leaders are urging residents to continue wearing masks and get vaccinated.