- NEW MEXICO-ACCIDENT BILLS
New Mexico mayor's plan would charge for emergency costs(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) — A New Mexico mayor has proposed billing drivers involved in car accidents resulting in hazardous material cleanup or victim extractions.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Saturday that Mayor Tim Keller's budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 includes a new "cost recovery" channel for Albuquerque Fire Rescue.
The proposed update of the city's fire code ordinance says fees would range from $400 for hazard mitigation and cleanup to $1,305 for use of "heavy rescue tools and other equipment" to remove victims from vehicles.
Officials say the department could also bill $400 per hour for additional time at accident scenes.
Officials say the proposal passes the cost of more complicated accident situations directly to those who require them.
Critics say the proposal charges more for municipal services already funded by taxes.
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- LITTLE LEAGUE-HYPODERMIC NEEDLES
New Mexico little league park plagued by hypodermic needles(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico little league park is fighting a battle against discarded syringes with attached hypodermic needles amid the region's outgoing opioid epidemic.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Atrisco Park, home of the Atrisco Valley Little League, in Albuquerque is racing to clean up syringes littering fields and the ground.
Atrisco Valley Little League president Hector Aguilar says earlier this month an 11-year-old girl was practicing base sliding when a hypodermic needle pierced her foot. He says the girl was taken to a hospital and tested.
Aguilar says he and other coaches and volunteers walk the six baseball fields before practices or games often find 20 to 30 syringes a day.
New Mexico's drug overdose rate of 24.8 per 100,000 still remains above the national average.
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- FARMINGTON-SUSPECT SHOT
Authorities investigate shooting involving Farmington policeFARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The San Juan County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Farmington that has sent a suspect to the hospital.
Farmington police tell Albuquerque TV station KQRE that the incident occurred Saturday near Kirtland when a suspect fled from sheriff's deputies after driving erratically.
After continuing toward Farmington, police say the suspect hit several vehicles near Highway 64 before coming to a stop.
Authorities say the suspect pulled out a knife before advancing toward a police officer, who opened fire.
The suspect was taken to an Albuquerque hospital.
That person's name and condition haven't been released yet.
- FIGHTING ROSEMONT MINE
Tribes, environmentalists battle copper mine in ArizonaSONOITA, Ariz. (AP) — Native American tribes and environmental groups are fighting to stop a Canadian firm from opening a copper mine in southeastern Arizona, arguing it could desecrate sacred, ancestral lands and pollute the air and water.
Opponents of the Rosemont Mine say they worry the project will dry up wells and waterways while ravaging habitat for endangered jaguar and other species. They have asked a federal judge in Tucson for an emergency order to prevent the project from proceeding while the merits of their lawsuits against the mining company are decided.
Preliminary work is set to start this summer.
Supporters say the project will immediately create 500 jobs and pour $16 billion into the local economy over 20 years.
The fight comes amid a larger battle across the West over using public lands for mining.
- NAVAJO NATION-ELECTRICITY
No longer in the dark: Navajo Nation homes get electricityKAIBETO, Ariz. (AP) — A project to connect homes on the country's largest American Indian reservation to the electric grid is wrapping up.
Utility crews from across the U.S. have volunteered their time from March through May to hook up about 300 Navajo Nation homes.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority typically connects from 400 to 450 homes per year. At that rate, it would take the utility about 35 more years to get electricity to the 60,000 of the reservation's 180,000 residents who don't have it.
The vast reservation lies on land in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Walter Haas of the tribal utility says hooking up a single home can cost up to $40,000.
The latest project called LightUpNavajo relied on donations and volunteer utility crews to lower the cost.
- OIL BOOM-NEW MEXICO
Report: 2 New Mexico counties among top oil producers(Information from: Hobbs News-Sun, http://www.hobbsnews.com)
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Federal numbers say two New Mexico counties remain among the top oil-producing counties in the U.S.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that Lea County was the No. 2 oil-producing county in January behind North Dakota's McKenzie County.
According to the numbers, Lea County produced 14.6 million barrels of oil in January while McKenzie County which produced 17.3 million barrels.
Meanwhile, New Mexico's Eddy County was listed as the No. 6 top oil-producing county. It produced 10 million barrels during the same month.
The 18 major oil companies that comprise the Permian Strategic Partnership said the Permian Basin is an oil-producing superpower, becoming one of the most strategically important oil-producing regions in the world.
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- POLICE SHOOTING-FARMINGTON
Farmington officer shoots knife-wielding man after crashesFARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a Farmington police officer shot and wounded a knife-wielding man Saturday during an encounter following multiple crashes that occurred as the man fled from sheriff's deputies.
San Juan County sheriff's spokeswoman Jayme Harcrow says the wounded suspect was initially treated at a hospital in Farmington before being flown to one in Albuquerque.
The man's identity was not released and Harcrow said no updated information was available his condition.
The Farmington Police Department said in a statement said that the incident began near Kirtland when sheriff's deputies encountered the man driving erratically and that he then drove into Farmington and struck traffic barricades and vehicles before stopping.
The statement said the shooting occurred when the suspect attempted to run away and then approached the officer while holding knife.
- WILDFIRE-STATE PARK EVACUATED
New Mexico wildfire forces evacuation of state parkROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Dozens of firefighters from multiple agencies are battling a grass and brush fire that forced the evacuation of a state park, one home and other structures in southeastern New Mexico.
The State Forestry Division says the fire burning Saturday along the Pecos River about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southeast of Roswell in Chaves County apparently was started by lightning Thursday evening and by Saturday had burned 1.2 square milea (3 sq. kilometers) on private land but no structures.
Dozens of campers were ordered to evacuate Bottomless State Park Friday.
More than 70 personnel from multiple local fire departments and state and federal agencies were working to contain the fire and were aided by a plane dropping retardant.
Dexter Fire Chief Justin Powell said firefighters were hampered by shifting winds.