- ALCOHOL DEATHS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State health officials say alcohol-related deaths are up in New Mexico.The Department of Health said 1,544 New Mexicans died from alcohol-related causes in 2018, up 6% from 1,461 in 2017.
The department says New Mexico has had the highest alcohol-related death rate of any U.S. state in recent decades.
Alcohol-related causes include alcohol poisoning as well as chronic liver diseases and some deaths from causes such as fall injuries and suicide.
Health Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel says the number of alcohol-related deaths and the increase in those deaths represent a tragedy.
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- WATER SUPPLY RULE
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Trump administration has delayed an Obama-era proposal that could allow the federal government to charge for water drawn from reservoirs it manages.Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works R.D. James says in a memo Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will delay the Water Supply Rule "for a minimum of six months to better integrate input from stakeholders."
Attorneys general from a dozen western states sent a letter last month to the Trump administration asking that the proposal be withdrawn.
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem headed the effort backed by attorneys general from Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Stenehjem says the rule usurps states' authority over their own water.
- POLICE SHOOTING-DONA ANA COUNTY
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Dona Ana County authorities say a shooting involving a sheriff's deputy is under investigation.The Sheriff's Office said a man was transported to a hospital with unknown injuries following the Tuesday night incident that occurred as deputies responded to a report of shots fired in a residential area on the outskirts of Las Cruces.
It's not clear whether the injured man was shot and what his condition is.
The Sheriff's Office's statement said a deputy reported seeing a man with a gun approaching deputies and that one deputy fired at the man.
The statement said officials were investigating why the deputy fired and said the deputy was placed on administrative leave during an investigation is conducted.
- SANTA FE-TOURISM CAMPAIGN
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's capital is launching a new tourism campaign aimed at convincing potential visitors that the city will give them an "emotional experience."The Santa Fe New Mexican reports "Uncover Your Different" is the tagline for the new Tourism Santa Fe advertising campaign undertaken by an advertising agency in out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Vladimir Jones CEO Meredith Vaughan says the campaign seeks to tap into people's emotions by explaining what one can experience while in one of the oldest cities in North America.
The $1.5 million advertising campaign was launched Sept. 16 and will continue into 2020.
The campaign will touch on digital, social and print advertisements. The ad campaign will appear on social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook and on online TV services such as Hulu.
- JAGUAR RECOVERY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It will be up to a federal appeals court to decide whether tens of thousands of acres in New Mexico should be reserved as critical habitat for the endangered jaguar.The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver is scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday from environmentalists and from lawyers representing a group of ranchers and farmers.
The challenged areas were part of nearly 1,200 square miles (3,108 sq. kilometers) designated in 2014 as essential for the conservation of the jaguar. The critical habitat spans parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
Jaguars are found in 19 countries, but only seven male jaguars have been seen in the American Southwest since 1996. The animals have been protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 1997.
- LAWYER DISBARRED-CLIENT MONEY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has revoked an Albuquerque attorney's law license, saying she mishandled client money and had a "dishonest and selfish motive."The court's ruling Monday said Jennie Deden Behles violated attorney professional conduct rules by spending client money she'd been ordered to hold in trust and by failing to maintain complete records of her client trust account.
The court said Behles also failed to keep client money separate from her own and unreasonably charged a contingent fee on the return of her client's court bond.
The ruling says disbarment was appropriate because Behles had a prior discipline record, a pattern of misconduct involving multiple offenses and failed to acknowledge her conduct was wrongful.
Behles has been licensed to practice law in New Mexico for nearly 50 years.
- OIL-COMMUNITY PROJECTS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An oil industry group has established a fund to boost economic opportunities, address child hunger and support science education.The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association announced the Brighter Future Fund during a news conference Tuesday in Albuquerque, saying nonprofit and educational organizations will be eligible for grants through the fund.
The program will be administered by the Albuquerque Community Foundation.
The trade association and the American Petroleum Institution committed $1 million to the fund through 2024. The goal is to distribute $200,000 annually.
The association worked with the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber to host conversations with stakeholders to identify opportunities for supporting communities. The launch of the fund is a result of those efforts.
The partnership will focus on the Albuquerque area but also will consider regional and statewide proposals.
- AVANZA-LATINO CONFERENCE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New York Times correspondent Simon Romero and Albuquerque Poet Laureate Michelle Otero are among those headlining a national conference in Albuquerque aimed at encouraging Latino students to attend college.Romero and Otero are slated to speak this week at the Avanza Network conference that begins Thursday. The conference seeks to pair Latino students with doctors, lawyers, journalists and entrepreneurs to foster students' path toward higher education.
Rene Gonzalez, an Avanza co-founder and current board member, says around 1,500 students from New Mexico are expected to attend. He said alumni for MIT, Purdue University and Stanford also planning to come to Albuquerque to speak to Hispanic youth.
Avanza was formed eight years ago by a group of Latino professionals. The group holds similar conferences around the county.