- MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES-TRANSFER
PHOENIX (AP) — Two endangered Mexican gray wolves and three of their pups have moved from the Phoenix Zoo to the El Paso Zoo in a bid to bolster the number of predators. The Arizona Republic reports that three other pups stayed in Phoenix and are now adjusting to an emptier den and establishing a new hierarchy. Phoenix Zoo officials say that while it doesn't have a breeding pair anymore, it plans to change the enclosure to make it appealing to a breeding female wolf. The other wolves were transferred under a cooperative breeding program that aims to help the Mexican gray wolf survive.
- AP-US-CAPITOL-BREACH-COWBOYS-FOR-TRUMP
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is freeing from jail Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin as he awaits trial in connection with the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell on Friday reversed a magistrate judge's detention order and released Griffin to his home in New Mexico pending trial on charges of knowingly entering barricaded areas of the Capitol grounds with the intent to disrupt government as Congress considered Electoral College results. Howell says denying pre-trial release might leave Griffin in jail for longer than the one-year maximum sentence amid pandemic-related court delays.
- POLICING REFORMS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A bill that would strip police officers of immunity from civil rights lawsuits in state court is being rewritten to cap potential damage awards at $2 million, in a concession to critics who warned of dire financial consequences for local governments and taxpayers. Bill sponsor and state Rep. Georgene Louis of Albuquerque announced the revisions Friday to the bill that would also waive personal liability in lawsuits against police and other government officials for violations of an array of civil rights under the state constitution. The bill confronts a crucial hurdle at a hearing scheduled for Monday in the Democrat-led state House.
- HIGHWAY SHOOTING-NEW MEXICO
DEMING, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a New Mexico State Police officer making a traffic stop was fatally shot on a highway and that the attacker was chased and later died in a shootout with authorities. The officer who was killed Thursday has been identified as Darian Jarrott. He had been a state police officer since 2015. The attacker was identified by authorities as 39-year-old Omar Felix Cueva. The state police have said Jarrott was assisting U.S. Homeland Security Investigations on Thursday. State Police Chief Robert Thornton says Cueva was on his way to the city of Las Cruces to do a drug deal.
- WILD HORSES-DRIVING HAZARD
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Authorities and residents on the Navajo Nation have raised concerns about a herd of wild horses that have been grazing along a highway for several days before one was fatally hit by a driver last month. The Gallup Independent reported that Navajo Police joined residents to chase the remaining horses back to the mountains in the Red Rock Chapter area. Authorities say the horse was struck by a vehicle driving on New Mexico Highway 602 on Jan. 28. Shane Thom, a 30-year-old New Mexico resident who was visiting family nearby, expressed concerns over the horses and the drivers along the highway, calling the animals a "safety hazard."
- NAVAJO NATION-ALBERT HALE MEMORIAL
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is hosting a memorial event to honor the memory of former tribal president Albert Hale. Tribal officials say the 70-year-old Hale died Tuesday because of complications from COVID-19. Friday's event will be streamed live online and aired live on a Navajo language radio station. Hale served as the Navajo Nation's president from 1995 to 1998 and was in the Arizona Legislature, where he served in the Senate from 2004 to 2011 and in the House from 2011 to 2017. To honor Hale, tribal President Jonathan Nez has called for flags to be flown at half-staff through Saturday on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- LEGISLATURE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State senators are considering giving $30 million in tuition assistance for students at two-year colleges and funding a pilot program to help college dropouts finish their degrees. The Opportunity Scholarship supports community college students before federal tuition funding is considered, meaning they can use any extra money to cover living costs. College officials fear the pandemic is leading to a drop in enrollment. There would be $4 million of the funds going to a pilot program aimed at former Lottery Scholarship recipients who left before finishing their four-year undergraduate degrees. Both measures are supported by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham who has lobbied the Legislature to make two and four-year colleges tuition free.
- HEALTH CARE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Managers of New Mexico's health insurance exchange have scheduled a special open enrollment period from Feb. 15 through May 15 in response to a federal mandate from President Joe Biden. Nearly 43,000 residents of New Mexico rely on the marketplace for health insurance, with the promise of federal subsidies for consumers with low and moderate incomes who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. State health exchange CEO Jeffery Bustamante said Wednesday that the open enrollment provides a unique and streamlined opportunity for people to purchase health insurance amid the pandemic.