- MISSING GIRL-NEW MEXICO
ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — The search for a 5-year-old New Mexico girl has stretched into a third day in an area north of Santa Fe.Authorities say Renezmae Calzada was last seen outside her home Sunday morning in Espanola. She is 4 feet tall, has brown eyes and long, dark hair.
The FBI is assisting the Rio Arriba County sheriff on the case. Authorities planned a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities say the girl's mother reported her missing to authorities Sunday evening. Authorities have not explained why there was a delay.
Renezmae remained missing Wednesday following searches along a rural road and other areas surrounding Espanola.
A man who authorities said they believed might be connected to Renazmae's case and was arrested on unrelated warrants has not been identified as a suspect.
- IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has put on hold a ruling that blocked a Trump administration policy that would prevent migrants from seeking asylum along the entire southwest border.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Tuesday that put the ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar on hold for now.
That means the administration's asylum policy is blocked in the border states of California and Arizona but not in New Mexico and Texas.
That's because the appeals court previously limited Tigar's July injunction to states within the 9th Circuit.
The Trump administration in July issued rules preventing most migrants who pass through another country before reaching the United States from seeking asylum.
- OZONE-NEW MEXICO
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico environmental officials are working on plans to address ozone pollution as a number of counties are pushing the limit set by federal regulators.The Daily Times in Farmington reports that a monitor near Navajo Lake in northwestern New Mexico has met the ozone limit of 70 parts per billion set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
San Juan County is one of seven New Mexico counties that exceed 95 percent of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone. The others are Eddy, Lea, Dona Ana, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Valencia.
The state Environment Department is holding meetings and drafting ozone attainment plans.
Right now, any measures taken to lower ozone levels will be voluntary. But if a county goes into non-attainment status, the measures become mandatory.
- NUKE REPOSITORY-INFRASTRUCTURE
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Officials say several infrastructure projects are being launched at the federal government's underground nuclear waste repository in southeastern New Mexico.The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is licensed to take Cold War-era waste generated by decades of bomb-making and defense-related nuclear research. The waste includes gloves, clothing, tools and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.
The waste is entombed in disposal rooms carved out of an ancient salt formation about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) down.
The repository has been receiving waste since 1999.
The work being done includes repairing a hoist used to remove salt mined from the underground facility.
It also involves additions to a new fire protection system, replacement of underground electrical substations and upgrades to a central monitoring room that tracks all of the repository's key systems.
- OPIOID CRISIS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is suing members of the family behind Purdue Pharma, alleging that deceptive practices helped flood the state with opioids.His office filed the lawsuit Tuesday in state district court. At least 17 states already have sued one or more members of the Sackler family.
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and other drug companies are named in numerous lawsuits that have been filed by state, local and tribal governments over the opioid crisis.
Purdue Pharma said Sunday it was still negotiating a settlement after some attorneys general told colleagues that talks had reached an impasse.
If the company files for bankruptcy, the Sacklers could still be exposed to more lawsuits.
New Mexico filed its initial complaint against Purdue, other manufacturers and distributors in 2017.
- RAUL JULIA DOCUMENTARY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The influential Puerto Rican actor Raúl Juliá who opened doors for a generation of Latino artists in film and television is the subject of a new documentary."Raúl Juliá: The World's a Stage" on PBS looks into the formation of Juliá from his middle-class upbringing in Puerto Rico to the streets of New York as he attempted to break into theater. The film uses rare footage of Juliá and interviews of actors like Edward James Olmos and Andy Garcia to explore Juliá's fight to battle stereotypes and garner respect as a performer.
The documentary shows footage of him performing Shakespeare with a young Meryl Streep and his work to tackle world hunger.
The film is a co-presentation of American Masters and VOCES and slated to premiere Friday on most PBS stations.
- STATE SENATOR-CAR CRASH-DWI
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislative leaders apparently will take a wait-and-see approach on whether embattled Democratic Sen. Richard Martinez gets to keep his post on a key Senate committee.Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen tells the Albuquerque Journal that Senate leaders are waiting for a resolution in Martinez's court case.
Martinez has pleaded not guilty to aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving charges following a June arrest. Police say he slammed into the back of another vehicle that was stopped at a red light in Espanola.
Police lapel video showed Martinez responding to officers with slurred speech following the crash. He refused a breath test to determine his blood-alcohol level.
Martinez says he has no plans to resign, even if convicted. He's currently chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- CHILD DEATH-OPIOIDS
PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — Family members of a 6-year-old girl who likely overdosed on opioids have been charged with abuse and first-degree murder.The girl had been staying with her grandparents, 51-year-old James Lane and 47-year-old Victoria Bizardie, in Page.
The alleged role of the mother — 30-year-old Kamaya Lane — is unclear. Police arrested her in Farmington, New Mexico, in late August. She's awaiting extradition to Coconino County.
Authorities say the girl was unresponsive when a babysitter took her to the hospital May 3.
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that an autopsy found she had at least three times the therapeutic amount of fentanyl in her body.
Police found illegal drugs, dozens of laptops and cellphones, and $3,000 cash in the grandparents' home and vehicle. They've pleaded not guilty in the case.