- O'KEEFFE MUSEUM-CONSERVATION
O'Keeffe Museum wins grant for 'Spring' conservationSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum has won a grant from Bank of America that will support conservation of the artist's pivotal painting entitled "Spring."
In addition to supporting research and conservation, the funding will enable the museum to share its work online.
Officials say "Spring" marks a turning point in O'Keeffe's life.
Her husband, famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz, died in 1946 and for three years, she suspended her trips to New Mexico to stay in New York and settle his estate. "Spring" is one of her few creations from that period.
The conservation work will address cracks, flaking paints and darkening surface stains.
The painting also has a history of water damage caused by a leak in O'Keeffe's Abiquiú home. The conservation and research into the painting's past treatments are expected to take about a year.
- THE CASAGRANDES
'The Casagrandes' extols Mexican American life via animationALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Nickelodeon's "The Casagrandes" premiered this week and became one of the first cartoons in U.S. history to feature a multigenerational Mexican American family.
The long awaited spin-off from the network's popular animation series, "The Loud House," comes as more networks take chances on Latino-themed shows.
The series centers around an 11-year-old Mexican American, skateboarding girl trying to survive in the fictional town of Great Lake City. Her apartment is above The Casagrandes bodega, owned by grandpa and in front of a subway track.
Unlike some previous cartoons with Latinos, "The Casagrandes" seeks to tackle family-oriented themes like love, friendship, and jealousy.
Supervising director Miguel Puga says creators wanted to show how normal and relatable Latino families are.
- NURSING PARTNERSHIP
Nursing residency program to tackle rural health care needsALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of the state's largest health care providers is partnering with the University of New Mexico's nursing college to expand access to health care in rural communities by creating a new residency program.
The program will be paid for by a $3.2 million grant awarded to Presbyterian Healthcare Services by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.
The program will focus on providing care in medically underserved areas.
The clinics that will be part of the residency are in Capitan, Carrizozo, Corona, Ruidoso, southwest Albuquerque, Socorro, Belen, Los Lunas and Tucumcari.
Officials say all but one of the communities served through the grant also have higher than average poverty rates.
The priorities for the residents who will participate in the program include combating the opioid crisis and addressing mental health issues.
- TEENAGERS KILLED-SUSPECTS INDICTED
3 men, 1 boy indicted in slayings of 2 Albuquerque teenagersALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say three men and a 15-year-old boy have been indicted in the slayings of two Albuquerque teenagers near Rio Rancho last year.
Bernalillo County prosecutors announced Thursday that 43-year-old Stephen Goldman Sr., his 20-year-old son Stephen Goldman Jr., 23-year-old Jimmie Akins and the teen remain jailed.
They say Atkins, the teenager and the younger Goldman each are facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors say the older Goldman is accused of tampering with evidence.
Authorities say 14-year-old Ahmed Lateef and 15-year-old Collin Romero were reported missing last Dec. 16 after allegedly being kidnapped from a home in the Northeast Heights.
Their bodies were a few weeks later buried in shallow graves.
Authorities say the two teens had been shot, beaten and stabbed.
- ENDANGERED WOLVES
Groups: Saving Mexican gray wolves requires new approachALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Dozens of environmental groups and scientists are asking U.S. wildlife managers to rethink how they plan to ensure the survival of Mexican gray wolves in the American Southwest.
Following a loss in federal court, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on crafting a new rule to guide management of the endangered predators in New Mexico and Arizona.
The coalition says that rule should be based on "an entirely new approach" that incorporates the best science while acknowledging the recovery effort's past shortcomings.
The groups on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and federal wildlife managers.
They're asking that the process to revise the management rule be public and that a wide range of alternatives be considered since the program has faltered over the years.
- BORDER PATROL-HOSPITALS
Border Patrol's growing presence at hospitals raises fearsMIAMI (AP) — Medical professionals and human rights advocates warn Border Patrol agents are growing their presence at hospitals and creating a chilling effect on immigrant populations around the country.
A Border Patrol agent was seen earlier this week freely roaming the hallways of a Miami-area hospital as he waited for a woman who fell ill during her detention. The agent in olive green uniform stepped in and out of the room as the woman received treatment.
Hospitals around the country are struggling with where to draw the line to protect patients' rights while meeting rising immigration enforcement demands in the Trump administration.
The agency that oversees Border Patrol said earlier this year that its agents averaged 69 trips to the hospital a day.
- COUNTRY SINGER-HOTEL EJECTION
Singer Gretchen Wilson forced to leave New Mexico hotel(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Country singer Gretchen Wilson was removed from a New Mexico hotel after she performed at a weekend music festival.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reported Wednesday that police were called to Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces around 3 a.m. Sunday after numerous noise complaints about Wilson's room.
Police spokesman Dan Trujillo says she and her team left voluntarily.
Wilson took to her Twitter account on Tuesday to criticize the hotel.
According to the "Redneck Woman" singer, she got to her room at 12:30 a.m. and was reprimanded for talking.
She says she was later kicked out "for no reason."
In a 911 call, a hotel employee said Wilson's volume level for talking was the equivalent of yelling.
A representative for Wilson did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
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- NCAI MEMBER-OBIT
Longtime NCAI member, volunteer Juanita Daugomah Ahtone dies(Information from: Indian Country Today, https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Juanita Daugomah Ahtone, a longtime National Congress of American Indians member and volunteer, has died.
She was 91.
Indian Country Today reports that Ahtone, who was Kiowa, died at home Wednesday in Carnegie, Oklahoma.
Ahtone's father was a founding member of the National Congress of American Indians, the country's largest tribal advocacy organization. She was involved with the group for 46 years and held a range of positions, including chair of its elections and resolution committees.
Ahtone also worked for the Kiowa Tribe for many years and was a past secretary of its tribal council. The tribe said on Facebook that Ahtone was a "treasure" who was idealized for her support of students learning to speak the Kiowa language.
Ahtone was recognized for her service last year at the 23rd National Indian Women's Honoring Luncheon in Washington, D.C.
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