- New Mexico city pilots bike-to-school initiative
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A city in New Mexico is tapping into federal grant money and other funding to pilot an initiative aimed at getting more children to ride their bicycles and walk to school. Students at Nina Otero Community School and El Camino Real Academy in Santa Fe are among those receiving bike safety lessons this summer as part of the citywide effort. A $300,000 grant and matching money from the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization will pay for staffing and a consultant. The consultant will help build staff and volunteer groups to keep bike safety a top priority. Las Cruces also has a Safe Routes to School program.
- Gas station operator sues New Mexico over new liquor law
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A company that runs dozens of convenience stores and gas stations in New Mexico is suing the state over new liquor laws that took effect last week. Western Refining Retail claims a new provision singles out McKinley County by not letting gas stations there sell liquor. The new rule states any dispenser or retailer licensee who sells gasoline in a county with a population between 56,000 and 57,000 people cannot sell alcohol other than beer. McKinley is the only county that falls under that population threshold. Democratic Sen. George Munoz said alcoholism is a problem in the county and that's why he pushed for the language.
- Navajo Nation reports 7 new COVID-19 cases, but no deaths
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Monday reported seven new COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths. Tribal health officials say there were four cases and one death reported Sunday after having five new cases and two deaths reported Saturday. The total number of deaths on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah stands at 1,357 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Tribal officials on Monday didn't immediately provide an updated count of total cases among residents. But a statement released Friday by the tribe had said that the number of positive cases stood at 31,012 so the 16 new cases would have pushed that total to 31,040.
- Lawsuit: Man who sparked treasure hunt retrieved own loot
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A French treasure hunter has sued the estate of a New Mexico antiquities dealer who sparked a yearslong search by hiding a chest filled with gold, coins and other valuables. Bruno Raphoz is seeking $10 million in a U.S. complaint filed last week. He claims the late Forrest Fenn deprived him of the riches by moving the treasure chest after he solved a riddle that would lead him to the loot. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that it comes a year after another man found the treasure in Wyoming. Raphoz claims Fenn's announcement last year that the treasure was found was suspicious and suspects Fenn kept the loot.
- Political appointees included in payouts for unused vacation
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Top political appointees of the governor at agencies outside the field of health care were offered many of the largest payments to acknowledge skipped vacations during the pandemic in 2020. Public records obtained by The Associated Press show that individual payouts of more than $4,000 were offered to the state secretary of finance and administration, investment officials and directors of the Public School Insurance Authority and the Expo New Mexico venue that hosts the state fair. The initiative from the governor compensates workers for large balances of unused 2020 vacation time that might otherwise expire.
- New Mexico police shoot suspect during chase in Santa Fe
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the third shooting by law enforcement officers in Santa Fe in the past two weeks. In the latest case, New Mexico State Police officers shot and wounded a suspect Sunday during a foot chase on the city's south side. State police officers were dispatched to help with a call that involved a man who was sitting on the train tracks near Interstate 25. Authorities said the suspect pointed a gun at officers before running across the interstate and toward a residential area. The man fired at least one shot at officers during the chase. Officers fired back and wounded the unidentified man.
- Body of man who was swept away by Carlsbad floodwaters ID'd
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police have identified the body of a man who died after being swept away by floodwaters in Carlsbad. Police say it's unclear why 63-year-old John Paul Koch drove past barricades and into rapid moving floodwaters over the roadway Tuesday. Koch's vehicle overturned several times and was swept away in the Dark Canyon Draw Arroyo. Police say rescue efforts were unsuccessful because of the high volume and intensity of the flood. Crews delayed recovering the body to wait for floodwaters to recede to a safe level for personnel to enter the water. Divers recovered the body around 7 p.m. Wednesday. It was sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for an autopsy.
- Albuquerque man gets prison for threatening a police officer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to nearly 3 ½ years in prison for threatening to kill a New Mexico State Police officer who gave him traffic tickets. The Albuquerque Journal reports that 66-year-old Michael Nissen received a sentence of three years and five months. He will have to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. In August 2019, a federal court jury found Nissen guilty on two counts of using interstate communication to threaten to injure someone. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Nissen was pulled over in November 2018 by State Police on Interstate 40 in Torrance County and issued multiple citations. Nissen called State Police dispatch multiple times and made threats and weapons were later found at his home.