- ECONOMIC OIL BOOM
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An economic boom in southeast New Mexico has been attributed to skyrocketing oil production.The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that New Mexico's revenue exceeded projected levels allowing lawmakers to authorize a $663-million spending increase for the budget year that started in July.
Officials say the 11% increase is expected to be used toward teacher salary increases, education spending, highway repairs and construction.
Officials say improvements to drilling techniques made New Mexico the nation's third-highest oil producing state and contributed to mass production in the Permian Basin about 290 miles (467 kilometers) from Albuquerque.
Officials say revenue levels came two years after a steep decline forced lawmakers to cut spending.
Economists are expected to release official revenue estimates later this month.
- POLICE SHOOTING-NAVAJO NATION
ALAMO, N.M. (AP) — Navajo Nation police say an officer responding to a domestic call shot and wounded a bat-wielding person who allegedly charged the officer.The Police Department said in a statement that the officer was not injured in the incident that occurred Friday evening in Alamo.
Alamo is 67 miles (108 kilometers) southwest of Albuquerque in a tribal area separate from the main reservation that includes much of northwestern New Mexico.
The wounded person was transported to a hospital for treatment but the statement said his condition wasn't available.
He was described as male but his age and name weren't released.
The statement said the Navajo Division of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were investigating the incident and that no additional information was available.
- LOS ALAMOS LAB-BUILDING BOOM
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory say they have plans for $13 billion worth of construction projects over the next decade at the northern New Mexico complex.They outlined their plans at a recent meeting attended by hundreds of representatives of construction firms from around the country.
Most of the projects are related to the lab's assignment to ramp up production of key nuclear weapon components known as plutonium cores.
Other work would be aimed at serving a growing workforce, such as housing projects, parking garages and a potential new highway that would reduce commute times from Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Lab Director Thomas Mason tells the Albuquerque Journal the lab currently has 1,400 openings and plans to add another 1,200 jobs to its workforce of 12,000 by 2026.
- ACTIVE SHOOTER VIDEO-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A school district in New Mexico is giving parents a preview of an instruction video on lockdown situations associated with active shooters that will be shown to students.Santa Fe Public Schools advised parents Friday evening in a robocall about the upcoming video presentation for children titled, "Run, Hide, Fight."
The 13-minute video was posted on the district website and YouTube. It provides demonstrations and instructions about responding to strangers without ID stickers and then how to barricade doors, hide from "bad guys," flee school and possibly fight using improvised weapons such as a stapler, scissors or computer. It notes that classrooms are equipped with bucket toilets to avoid life-threatening trips to the bathroom.
Safety lessons are delivered by an elementary school teacher, basketball coach and district Superintendent Veronica Garcia.
- NEW MEXICO UNEMPLOYMENT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's unemployment rate in July remained at 4.9 percent.Seasonally adjusted figures released Friday show the jobless rate was unchanged from a month earlier but up from 4.8 percent a year earlier.
Excluding agriculture, employment grew by 21,700 jobs from July 2018, with gains coming from the public and private sectors.
The leisure and hospitality sector saw the largest year-over-year job gains, followed by mining and construction.
The trade, transportation and utilities sector saw a loss of 2,100 jobs, driven by lower employment in retail.
- MASS SHOOTING-TEXAS-FUNERAL-THE LATEST
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A crowd of strangers has said goodbye to an El Paso, Texas, shooting victim after her longtime companion said he felt alone and invited the public to her funeral.Hundreds of well-wishers gathered at an El Paso cemetery on Saturday to support Antonio Basco as he buried 63-year-old Margie Reckard, his companion of 22 years.
Basco made international news after he told reporters he had almost no family members left and felt he was going to say goodbye to Reckard alone. Reckard was killed by a gunman who opened fire during a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart this month.
A funeral home said more than 3,000 people showed up at memorial Friday night to pay their respects to a woman they had never met. Some traveled from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
- ELECTION 2020-SENATE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Financial disclosures by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gavin Clarkson show that he works as professional court witness and lives in an experimental tiny home that is 15 feet (4.5 meters) long and wide.Clarkson campaign spokesman Stephen Sebastian said Thursday that the tiny home in southern New Mexico owned by Clarkson is a prototype of an affordable housing unit geared toward Native American communities.
Clarkson has recently used his expertise in tribal finance and economic development to work as a college professor, private consultant and former official for the Trump administration.
He filed required financial disclosures with the Senate this week as he seeks the Republican nomination to succeed Democratic Sen. Tom Udall, who retires next year.
Clarkson lost his campaign last year for New Mexico secretary of state.
- VP MIKE PENCE VISIT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has been scheduled to visit New Mexico as a special guest for a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade event.Local news stations reported Thursday that Pence is expected to attend the Aug. 21 event hosted by America First Policies, an organization supporting policy initiatives.
Federal officials say Pence will speak about how the USMCA agreement will benefit the economy and its workers.
Officials say the agreement was drafted last year and is a renegotiated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Officials say the USMCA passed Mexico's Senate, passed Canada's House of Commons and still needs approval from the United States Congress.
The event will be held at 12:30 p.m. at Elite Well Services in Artesia about 250 miles (402 kilometers) southeast of Albuquerque.