- NEW MEXICO ENERGY FUTURE
New Mexico utility seeks feedback on closure of coal plantALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — In what's expected to be a long, contentious process, a few dozen people gathered recently in Albuquerque for the first public meeting hosted by Public Service Co. of New Mexico on the planned shutdown of its coal-fired power plant.
The utility says it wants feedback on four proposed options for replacing the power that will be lost when the San Juan Generating Station closes in 2022.
The proposals are outlined in a filing made earlier this month with the Public Regulation Commission.
Regulators will review the options in public hearings over the next nine to 15 months.
The Albuquerque Journal reports PNM also will hold meetings in August with organizations that want to test potential changes in the different scenarios using modeling tools to determine costs and feasibility.
NEW MEXICO UNEMPLOYMENT
New Mexico reports 4.9% unemployment rate in June
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico reports a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.9% in June.
The rate is down from 5% in May and up from 4.8% in June 2018.
The department said Friday that total nonagricultural payroll employment grew by 15,200 jobs or 1.8%, between June 2018 and June 2019.
The private sector accounted for the vast majority of the 1.8% increase.
- ALBUQUERQUE-PANHANDLING
Judge strikes down Albuquerque's panhandling ordinanceALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A judge says Albuquerque's panhandling ordinance restricts free speech and is unconstitutional.
The Albuquerque ordinance's language had prohibited panhandlers from standing on sidewalks and medians in the city's streets to solicit motorists, with the sponsor saying it was intended to make streets safer.
The measure was passed in 2017, but hadn't been enforced since early 2018 when the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of four people.
The plaintiffs included a woman who was homeless and regularly sought donations on the street, a couple who handed out donations from their vehicles and a woman who distributed fliers to drivers at red lights.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that U.S. District Judge Robert Brack's ruling came Thursday.
- APPOINTMENTS-INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION
Governor makes New Mexico stream commission appointmentsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed seven members to a New Mexico commission tasked with overseeing water dispute negotiations with other states and overseeing conservation projects for the state's stream systems.
The governor said Friday that she also had re-appointed an eighth member, Mark Sanchez, to be the Interstate Stream Commission's chair.
Commission members must come from different parts of the state, and at least one must be a tribe or pueblo member. They serve six-year terms.
The new members are Aron Balok , Bidtah Becker , Greg Carrasco , Paula Garcia , Mike Hamman , Stacy Timmons and Tanya Trujillo.
They join the panel after commissioners last month delayed action on a plan that details environmental reviews and other work on the controversial Gila River diversion plan.
- HORSE RACING-NEW MEXICO
APNewsBreak: Horse racing regulator ousted over commentsALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of the five commissioners responsible for overseeing New Mexico's horse racing industry has been ousted over comments she made regarding changes in the way horses are tested for certain medications.
The governor's office confirmed Friday that Freda McSwane was removed from Racing Commission earlier this week.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press indicate state attorneys were concerned that comments McSwane made in May during a public meeting implied bias that could potentially prompt more legal complications in the ongoing testing fight.
McSwane did not return messages seeking comment.
The commission is wading through numerous appeals after some owners and trainers complained they should have been given a grace period when the state began using a new testing lab.
With the change, more samples turned up positive for corticosteroids, which are used to treat swelling and joint pain.
- IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM WAITLIST
In border city, asylum seekers forced to wait band togetherSAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Mexico (AP) — Thousands of asylum seekers are waiting for months in Mexico before they can start seeking protections in the United States.
In San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, south of San Luis, Arizona, over 950 people are on a waitlist to claim asylum. They've banded together to ensure everyone has a fair shot.
They take shifts monitoring a table along the border. They collect money to pay for water and snacks for those on watch and pass the day chatting.
A Trump administration policy forcing people to wait in Mexico means they don't get an interview with an asylum officer for months.
Their fate is uncertain after the administration this week said it was banning migrants from seeking asylum if they pass through another country first.
- CONGRESS-MINIMUM WAGE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico congresswoman breaks ranks in wage hike vote(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of New Mexico's congresswomen broke ranks with fellow Democrats as the U.S. House approved legislation to raise the federal minimum wage.
U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small says she's for raising the minimum wage but that $15 was too high.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Torres Small had heard from constituents in the 2nd Congressional District that such a boost would have a devastating effect on small businesses, especially those in rural areas.
U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Deb Haaland voted for the bill.
The last increase in the federal minimum wage occurred 10 years ago, the longest stretch without an adjustment since the wage floor was first enacted during the 1930s.
Under the bill, tipped workers would be required to be paid the same as others earning the minimum.
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- BURNING CAR-BODY IN TRUNK
FBI seeks information after man found dead in burning carCHURCH ROCK, N.M. (AP) — The FBI has identified a man from Zuni as the person whose body was found in the truck of a burning car in New Mexico.
Authorities say they found 51-year-old Nastacio Keith Travis on Monday in a remote area north of Church Rock, a town along Interstate 40 on the Navajo Nation.
He was identified by the FBI in an email on Friday. An autopsy is pending to determine how he died.
Authorities are asking for information from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area on Monday between 6 and 7 a.m.