- LOS ALAMOS AIRPORT
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — Los Alamos County has big plans for its airport.The northern New Mexico community is seeking to revitalize the airport through an estimated $9.7 million expansion plan.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports the Federal Aviation Administration would fund most of it, with the county and state pitching in.
Airport Manager Cameron Humphries presented a proposal to local transportation officials Thursday. He says when considering the airport’s annual economic impact, the return on investment will be quick.
Los Alamos is home to one of the nation’s premier government laboratories.
A driving factor for the expansion is a series of safety improvements needed to satisfy FAA concerns. Those include a realignment of the lone taxiway, the proximity of commercial hangers to the airport entrance and multiple, direct access pathways to the runway.
- UNIVERSITY-CULTURAL RESOURCES
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Highlands University says it’s developing a special anthropology master’s degree program focused on cultural resource management.If approved by higher education officials, the program would be delivered through distance learning.
Highlands professor Orit Tamir developed the proposal with the goal of preparing people to work in the private sector or with tribal, state and federal agencies.
In New Mexico, Tamir says a master’s degree in anthropology is needed to be a principal or lead investigator on a cultural resources project or other forms of professional anthropology analysis.
University Provost Roxanne Gonzales says offering the program through distance learning will allow working professionals to bolster their skills and make themselves more marketable.
The program could begin as soon as fall 2020 once it gets final approval.
- VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ARRESTED
AZTEC, N.M. (AP) — Two volunteer San Juan County firefighters have been arrested for allegedly misusing a fuel card intended for fire department vehicles.The county said Friday that one firefighter is a current volunteer who has been suspended indefinitely and the other is a former volunteer.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office investigated after fire department staff auditing fuel spending reported possible abuse.
County officials did not say how much money was stolen. The firefighters were not identified.
- NATIVE AMERICAN BUSINESS
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A new center focused on helping Native American entrepreneurs has been established at New Mexico State University.The school’s Arrowhead Center is using a $260,000 grant from the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency to create the American Indian Business Enterprise Center.
The center expands Studio G, a business accelerator for students and recent alumni, to American Indian student entrepreneurs across New Mexico.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday.
The new center expands access to an advisory network of business experts and offers training via online and in-person classes.
The center also will give American Indian entrepreneurs workspaces for their startups.
University Chancellor Dan Arvizu says the new effort is part of the university’s strategic plan to amplify its extension and outreach efforts, especially in terms of economic development and entrepreneurship.
- BOY CATCHES MASSIVE CATFISH
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (AP) — He caught a fish “this” big. No, really.A 9-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 42-pound (19-kilogram) blue catfish Sunday evening while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir.
Kris Flores said his son, Alex, made the big catch by himself and shattered dad’s record of reeling in a 36-pound (16-kilogram) fish.
Flores says the fourth grader named the fish Wailord after the Pokemon character. The father says his son released the fish back into the reservoir after taking some photos and videos.
The biggest fish ever reportedly caught in Elephant Butte history was 78 pounds (35 kilograms).
This story corrects a previous version to say the boy named the fish Wailord after the Pokemon character, not Whale Lord. It also corrects the spelling of Pokemon.
- UNITED SOCCER STADIUM
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State lawmakers have met with New Mexico United officials to talk about the possibility of building a new soccer stadium after concluding their first season.Team owner Peter Trevisani and Albuquerque’s Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Rael spoke with Economic and Rural Development Committee officials Thursday about a potential arena.
Trevisani says United needs room to grow after it led the league in merchandise sales and attendance with more than 12,600 people each game.
United officials say the team spent their first season playing in city-owned Isotopes Park, which was publicly financed over a decade ago.
Officials say the proposed stadium could cost about $100 million with participation of other government agencies.
United competes in the United Soccer League, the second-highest level behind Major League Soccer in the United States.
- SUSPECTED BOTULISM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials are investigating the third suspected case of botulism this year.The department said Friday that a patient hospitalized in Albuquerque is believed to have wound botulism, a rare illness that can lead to muscle paralysis and death of left untreated.
Botulism was confirmed in people hospitalized in May and October. The health department says all three cases are linked to the use of injection drugs.
Botulism is caused by a nerve toxin produced by a bacterium. It can grow from infected wounds associated with drug use.
The health department is advising doctors to be on the lookout of botulism symptoms in patients who have reported injecting drugs. Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, dropping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness and difficulty swallowing.
- STATE PATROL-SHOOTING
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico State Police have identified the officer who fatally shot a 22-year-old man during a traffic stop west of Alamogordo earlier this month.The state police identified the officer as Jantzen Duran. He has two years of experience with the state police and is stationed in Alamogordo.
Authorities say Duran stopped Benjamin Diaz on Nov. 1 for driving 106 mph in a 60 mph zone on US Highway 70. Authorities say he attacked the officer with a folding box cutter and tried to disarm him, prompting Duran to fire once at Diaz.
The officer was treated for stab wounds and released. Diaz died at El Paso University Medical Center.
Authorities say the car Diaz was driving was in the process of being reported stolen from Los Cruces.