- RACIAL HARASSMENT-ELEMENTARY
Lawsuit: Black student faced racial taunts, called 'snitch'ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Court documents say a black elementary student endured months of racial taunts in New Mexico and was called a "snitch" when he reported the verbal abuse.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque this week said the boy faced "escalating race-based and physical harassment" early this year at Parkview Elementary School in Socorro, New Mexico, and teachers often did little or nothing to stop it.
According to the lawsuit, other students used a racial epithet toward the boy and made racist "your mama" jokes about the boy's mom, who is also black. Court documents say one student repeatedly called the boy a "snitch" after he reported an episode to a teacher.
Socorro Consolidated Schools Superintendent Ron Hendrix says the district couldn't comment on pending litigation.
- CRIMINAL RECORDS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico bans criminal histories from job applicationsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has made it illegal for private employers to ask about a person's criminal history on an initial job application.
Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley said the new law goes into effect Friday under oversight of the state Human Rights Bureau.
Private employers are allowed to discuss prior arrests or convictions later in the hiring process. State agencies already leave out criminal history questions on initial employment applications.
Democratic state Sen. Bill O'Neill and Republican Rep. Alonzo Baldonado sponsored the legislation in an effort to give formerly incarcerated residents access to face-to-face interviews and the opportunity to provide for themselves and family.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says people deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives after a criminal incident.
- ENERGY POLICY-NEW MEXICO
Oil, nuclear technology firms visit New Mexico governorSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A major shale oil producer and developers of advanced nuclear reactor technology have held discussions with New Mexico's governor as the state overhauls pollution regulations and electricity production.
The office of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday confirmed recent meetings with executives from Denver-based natural gas and petroleum producer Cimarex Energy and California-based Kairos Power. Kairos is developing a molten-salt cooled reactor.
Lujan Grisham's administration is drafting regulations to reduce emissions of heat-trapping methane gasses by the energy industry, and a state law enacted this year requires that utilities shift to carbon-free electricity production by 2045 that could include nuclear reactors.
Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett says discussions this month with Cimarex CEO Tom Jordan touched on methane mitigation. Kairos executives discussed their technology and prospects for business.
- TRASH-COLLECTION-FRAUD CLAIMS
Grand jury probe urged on New Mexico trash-collection group(Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Rio Arriba County man has filed a petition in the state's First Judicial District alleging fraudulent practices by a regional trash-collection organization.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Antonio De Vargas filed papers this week requesting a grand jury investigation into the North Central Solid Waste Authority. He says a grand jury probe was necessary because he sees a conflict of interest for District Attorney Marco Serna, who is running for the state's 3rd Congressional District in northern New Mexico.
The 72-year-old De Vargas is accusing the authority of misappropriating public money, billing customers for services not rendered and fraud.
Solid Waste Authority officials did not immediately respond to emails.
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- MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED
Suspect in Massachusetts homicide is arrested in New MexicoLORDSBURG, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a man suspected in a Massachusetts homicide has been taken into custody in New Mexico.
New Mexico State Police say they received information early Thursday that 27-year-old Gilfrey Gregory may be travelling through the state in a vehicle with a Florida license plate.
A State Police officer located a vehicle on Interstate 10 west of Lordsburg.
After a high-risk felony traffic stop on the vehicle, authorities say Gregory was taken into custody without incident.
Police say five juvenile passengers in the vehicle with Gregory were placed into the custody of New Mexico Children Youth and Family Department.
Gregory, of Springfield, was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on an arrest warrant out of Massachusetts.
Police didn't disclose details of the murder case.
- IMMIGRATION-TRANSGENDER MIGRANTS
US considers more options for detaining transgender migrantsMILAN, N.M. (AP) — About 300 migrants who identify as transgender have been booked into the custody of U.S. immigration authorities since Oct. 1, marking the highest number since officials began keeping track in 2015.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering opening a second permanent facility where transgender migrants can be detained amid the influx of Central Americans crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The agency's Enforcement and Removal Operations field office director Corey Price says all options are being reviewed.
Price on Wednesday led the first media tour of the agency's only permanent transgender detention unit. The rural New Mexico unit opened in 2017.
He acknowledged a second unit would be a significant investment given the higher costs associated with transgender detainees.
The agency has been criticized for the deaths of two transgender women.
- SOUTHWEST
Parched US Southwest gets reprieve as snowmelt fills riversDENVER (AP) — A welcome surge of melting snow is pouring out of the Rocky Mountains and into the drought-stricken rivers of the southwestern U.S.
Enough snow fell last winter to delay a water shortage in the region, but the runoff is threatening to push some streams over their banks.
Much of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming had above-average snowfall. As it melts, an abundance of water is rushing into the Colorado River, the Rio Grande and other waterways.
It's a big change after a desperately dry 2018.
Federal officials said last winter there was a better than 50% chance of a shortage in the Colorado River in 2020. That could have meant less water for Arizona, which has low-priority rights.
Officials now say the shortage might be put off until after 2021.
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Associated Press writer Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
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Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP.
- PUBLIC PENSIONS-NEW MEXICO
Analysts say schools falling behind on pension obligationsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A major credit ratings agency says that pension obligations are outpacing contributions at an unusually fast rate for school districts and local governments across New Mexico when compared with nationwide averages.
Analysts with Moody's Investors Service told a panel of state lawmakers on Thursday that most local governments and their workers in the U.S. are not contributing enough to "tread water" and avoid increases in unfunded pension burdens. They say the difficulties are much worse than average in New Mexico.
New Mexico lawmakers this year increased taxpayer contributions to two major pension plans by 0.25% of annual salaries and delayed the accrual of pension benefits for new school workers.
Moody's analyst Heather Correia says truly tackling pension problems requires significant increases in contributions, reduced benefits or both.