- Authorities to present findings in 'Rust' movie-set shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Investigators plan to discuss their initial findings in the fatal movie-set shooting in which Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, killing a cinematographer and wounding the director. The news conference scheduled for Wednesday by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies promises the first detailed public comments by investigators about the killing of 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal at a New Mexico ranch. The shooting has baffled Hollywood professionals and prompted calls to better regulate firearms of sets or even ban them in the age of seamless computer-generated imagery. Court records say that an assistant director grabbed the gun from a cart and indicated the weapon was safe by yelling "cold gun."
- Female inmate escapes from a federal prison in Phoenix
PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say they are searching for an inmate who escaped from a federal prison in Phoenix. Officials with the Federal Bureau of Prisons say 36-year-old Rosann Tercero was discovered missing early Tuesday morning from the minimum-security satellite camp next to the Federal Correctional Institution Phoenix. The prison is located near Interstate 17 south of Anthem. The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been notified and are trying to find Tercero. Federal authorities believe Tercero may try to leave Arizona and possibly is headed to New Mexico. Tercero was serving a 117-month sentence for various drug offenses.
- Navajo Nation reports 32 more COVID-19 cases, 1 more death
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 32 more COVID-19 cases and one additional death. It marked only the ninth time in the past 27 days that the tribe has reported a coronavirus-related death. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 36,255 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll now is at 1,475. Based on cases from Oct. 8-21, the Navajo Department of Health issued an advisory notice for 48 communities due to uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Tribal officials still are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel.
- Potential legal woes mount after 'Rust' shooting tragedy
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Experts predict a tremendous legal fallout after Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on a prop gun while filming "Rust" in New Mexico and unwittingly killed a cinematographer and injured a director. In addition to Baldwin, a call sheet for the day of the shooting obtained by The Associated Press lists five producers, four executive producers, a line producer and a co-producer. They, assistant director Dave Halls and an armorer could all face some sort of liability even if they weren't on the set. The payouts might be in the "millions and millions" of dollars.
- More workers sue US nuclear lab over vaccine mandate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Another group of workers is suing Los Alamos National Laboratory over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The complaint argues the mandate discriminates against employees who seek religious or medical exemptions. The lawsuit was filed in federal court by a Chicago-based law firm on behalf of eight workers. The lab's policy says those with exemptions have to use vacation time or go without pay until lab management determines it's safe for them to return. The law firm says the policy amounts to accommodation by termination and that the one-size-fits-all approach is illegal. The lab has declined to comment on pending litigation over the mandate. A judge rejected a previous effort by over 100 workers who sought to put the vaccine requirement on hold.
- US gun violence memorial to include Albuquerque families
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Organizers of a national memorial dedicated to victims of gun violence will be stopping in New Mexico's largest city to collect items from families who have lost loved ones. The collection event scheduled for early November comes as Albuquerque marks another year of record homicides and persistent crime. The mayor signed an executive order last week creating a task force to focus on gun violence. Angel Alire is among the moms who want their children to be remembered as part of the national memorial. On display in Washington, D.C., the memorial is made up of numerous glass boxes, each representing one person. Other collection events are planned in Massachusetts and New York.
- New Mexico energizes first leg of major transmission line
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It's been years in the making and now officials say the first leg of a major renewable energy transmission line in New Mexico has been energized. The New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority made the announcement Tuesday. The Western Spirit project is expected to be in operation by the end of the year. The transmission line will carry wind-generated power to the grid in New Mexico and other western markets. The project involved a novel public-private partnership between the state transmission authority and Pattern Energy. The Public Service Co. of New Mexico will acquire and operate the transmission line when it's complete.
- Bernalillo County inmate accused of fatally beating cellmate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a 25-year-old inmate in the main jail for metro Albuquerque is accused of killing another inmate who was his cellmate. The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said Telea Lui was rebooked at the Metropolitan Detention Center on an open count of murder in the beating death Monday of41-year-old Leon Casiquito. The Sheriff's Office said Lui was originally jailed on charges of aggravated battery of a household member with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment.An attorney for the state public defender's office represents Lui in his original case, and an office spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the homicide case.