- STATE INVESTMENTS-WINDFALL
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico schools and other beneficiaries will share more than $1 billion in funding from the state's permanent endowment funds. The State Investment Council said Thursday the amount that will be distributed over the next fiscal year will be more than ever before. It also marks an increase of more than $60 million over the last year due to growth of the state's Land Grant and Severance Tax permanent funds. State investment officials say record revenues from oil and gas production and strong investment returns over the past decade have turned the permanent funds into a billion-dollar revenue generator.
- SECRET SETTLEMENTS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal would force New Mexico state government to immediately disclose financial settlements that resolve accusations of wrongdoing by state officials. It also would do away with a system that keeps those records sealed for at least six months. it comes amid concerns that the current system led to secretive, unjustified payouts during the prior administration of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. The proposal was written by Republican Sen. Sanders Rue of Albuquerque with support from Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. General Service Secretary Ken Ortiz says the current secrecy provision date back to the 1980s.
- WATER ROLLBACK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is lifting protections for some of the nation's millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, as it nears completion on one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes announced Thursday were promised by President Donald Trump during his first weeks in office and will scale back which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. The administration says it is providing "regulatory certainty and predictability for American farmers, landowners and businesses." But environmental advocates and public health officials say the changes will make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public.
- CHILD IN MOVING CAR-ARREST
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — An Aztec woman faces child abuse, aggravated flight and other charges accusing her of leaving a small child in a moving car while being pursued by Farmington police after an officer noticed her driving erratically. Police say the pursuing officer ran after 29-year-old Lashelle Denney and arrested her Monday night while another officer arriving at the scene found the child after jumping into the slowly moving vehicle to stop it. Police said Denney was sought on a warrant stemming from a battery case. The 11th Judicial District's public defender's office represents Denny and did not immediately respond to a request Thursday for comment on her behalf.
- AP-US-IMMIGRATION-FAMILY-SEPARATION
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nine parents who were deported as the Trump administration separated thousands of migrant families landed back into the U.S. to reunite with children they haven't seen in a year and a half. The group arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Guatemala City on Wednesday night. The trip was arranged under the order of a federal judge who found the U.S. government had unlawfully prevented them from seeking asylum. Some of the children were at the airport to greet them, a powerful reminder of the lasting effects of Trump's separation policy.
- WAGE THEFT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is struggling to clear a backlog of about 1,900 complaints of wage theft linked to enforcement of the state's minimum wage law. Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley on Wednesday urged legislators to fund two new staff positions to investigate complaints of employers failing to adequately pay low-wage laborers. Complaints come in large part from workers in restaurants, nursing homes and agriculture.
- UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO-SEAL
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico is asking students to help with picking a new school seal. The University of New Mexico is allowing students to vote on five options. One has a howling Lobo and the Sandia Mountains in the background. Others have the names of the school around various designs. The University of New Mexico began looking for a new design following protests from Native Americans over concerns about the previous seal, which featured a Spanish conquistador and a frontiersman. The university has been using an interim seal since 2017. That seal is among the options up for consideration.
- MINIMUM WAGE-MEDICAID
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of New Mexicans who are enrolled in the Medicaid program could end up losing their eligibility because of the recent increase in the state's minimum wage. Starting Jan. 1, base pay rose to $9 an hour, marking the first in a series of increases in New Mexico's minimum wage that will top out at $12 per hour in 2023. The state Human Services Department says the first bump up in the minimum wage in more than a decade could affect the eligibility of an estimated 6,000 people. There are more than 827,000 individuals on New Mexico's Medicaid rolls.