- INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY
Some US states marking their first Indigenous Peoples' DayALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A handful of states are celebrating their first Indigenous Peoples' Day as part of a trend to move away from a day honoring Christopher Columbus .
New Mexico is scheduled Monday to mark its statewide Indigenous Peoples' Day with an invocation by several tribal leaders in unison in their Native languages. There also will be a parade and traditional dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
State offices in Maine also are scheduled to close in honor of the holiday. Maine, home to four federally recognized tribes, ditched Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous People's Day with an April bill signing by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
Several states —from Minnesota to Vermont — have done away with Columbus Day celebrations in deference to Native Americans, though the federal Columbus holiday remains in place.
- ARSON-INSURANCE FRAUD CASE
2 San Juan County men accused in arson, insurance fraud case(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Two men from San Juan County are accused of committing arson and insurance fraud while allegedly setting up another man to take the fall.
County sheriff's officials say 54-year-old Patrick Roller and 46-year-old Louis Lawrence allegedly worked together to set a pickup truck on fire and collect insurance money.
Roller is accused of felony counts of false insurance application and solicitation to commit arson and a misdemeanor count of making a false police report.
A criminal complaint shows Lawrence is accused of a felony counts arson, conspiracy to commit arson and tampering with evidence plus a misdemeanor count of illegal dumping.
It's unclear if either man has a lawyer yet.
The Farmington Daily Times reports Roller waived his right to a preliminary hearing while Lawrence's preliminary hearing is scheduled Thursday.
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INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA
Balloons soar across Albuquerque on final morning of Fiesta
(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hundreds of balloons have filled the sky on the final morning of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Winds remained calm at the park Sunday morning for the Mass Ascension event and it was warmer than the almost freezing temperatures Saturday morning.
Organizers say almost 1 million guests attended this year's Balloon Fiesta.
The nine-day event draws pilots from around the world and from 41 U.S. states.
The spectacle has grown over nearly five decades and infuses millions of dollars into the economy each year.
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- PONY EXPRESS TRAIL-BICYCLIST
Bicyclist completes solo ride of entire Pony Express Trail(Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com)
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Jan Bennett learned a lot of lessons on her solo bicycle ride across the entire 2,220-mile (3,572-kilometer) Pony Express Trail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California.
She already had endured food poisoning, hail and near misses with tornado weather by the time she made it to a remote stretch of northern Nevada as part of her effort to map out a bike-packing route the historic trail.
But she told the Reno Gazette Journal recently it was a "little bit of a gut check" when she had to walk her bike up a canyon road where the water was scarce.
She remembered a piece of advice she had received about endurance riding: "If you have to cry, cry while you are moving."
Eleven days later, she pedaled into Sacramento.
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- BABY SHOT IN FACE
New Mexico man in baby shooting case to get new attorney(Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man who reportedly admitted to accidentally shooting an infant girl and tried to arrange the killing of the baby's mother and a key witness is getting a new attorney.
The Gallup Independent reports two attorneys formerly involved in the Tyrell Bitsilly's baby shooting case have switched jobs, creating a conflict of interest. The case is expected to be reassigned.
The 21-year-old Bitsilly and the baby's mother, Shayanne Nelson, had told police the infant girl's 3-year-old brother found a gun left in a Gallup, New Mexico, motel room and accidentally fired the gun.
Gallup police announced last week Bitsilly is facing new charges after authorities say he tried to arrange the killings of Nelson and a retired military medic who helped saved the infant girl's life.
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- JURY AWARD-NEW MEXICO
Jury finds truck company negligent in New Mexico collisionSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A jury has found a trucking company to be negligent in a deadly 2017 highway collision and awarded $40.5 million in damages to the family of a Deming woman who died in the wreck.
Court documents confirm the jury's decision Friday against Nebraska-based trucking company Werner Enterprises in a New Mexico state district court. An attorney for the company was unavailable for comment.
Kathryn Armijo died when her vehicle collided with a truck on an interstate highway outside Las Cruces in February 2017. Her family accused Werner in a civil lawsuit of failing to provide proper training to its student drivers.
Plaintiffs' attorney Craig Sico said in a news release that the verdict provides a greater understanding of insufficient training and recklessness by the trucking industry.
- ALBUQUERQUE-TEACHER SHORTAGE
New Mexico's largest district still has teacher shortage(Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest school district continues to struggle with a shortage of teachers and substitute teachers
KOB-TV reports Albuquerque Public Schools is looking to hire 200 full-time teachers and 900 substitute teachers.
According to the district, they need 685 substitutes a day but currently have less than 500.
Officials say the district is working with a temp agency to recruit more substitutes and educational assistants.
The shortage comes as school districts in the state struggle to find qualified teachers amid retirements and low pay.
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- OIL BOOM-CONSTRUCTION JOBS
Report: New Mexico construction job boom driven by oil, gas(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A surge in construction jobs continues in New Mexico thanks in large part to the oil and gas boom in the southeastern corner of the state.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Associated General Contractors of America says New Mexico added 4,300 construction jobs in a one-year period beginning in August 2018 to reach 51,100 construction jobs.
The group's analysis of U.S. Department of Labor statistics found that top construction job-growth states all have strong mining/petroleum sectors.
Nearly all the job growth is in support of the oil and gas boom in Lea and Eddy counties and their hub cities, Hobbs and Carlsbad.
North Dakota had the top year-over-year percentage job growth in August followed by Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Alaska.
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