- CONGRESS-BORDER CRISIS
AP Interview: Border official says aid needed to save livesWASHINGTON (AP) — The acting head of Customs and Border Protection says passing emergency funding is necessary for the health and well-being of migrants crossing the border.
John Sanders tells The Associated Press that Congress must act swiftly. The funding request passed a Senate committee Wednesday with bipartisan support and will be up for a floor vote next week.
Sanders says Border Patrol stations are not meant for long-term care. He says the death of a teenager in custody last month affected him profoundly.
There have been four other deaths in custody since late last year.
Border officials are overwhelmed by a surge in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. They have opened a tent in Donna, Texas, and are building another in Yuma, Arizona, to help house people.
- DEATH AND DISAPPEARANCE-CONGRESS-THE LATEST
The Latest: Senators press feds on response to Native safetyALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration to respond with urgency in addressing violence against Native American women and children after two officials arrived at a key U.S. Senate hearing unprepared to take concrete positions on legislation.
Sen. John Hoeven, a Republican from North Dakota, says the federal officials failed to meet a deadline for written testimony ahead of the hearing.
Tracy Toulou, director of the Justice Department Office of Tribal Justice, apologized for the delay, saying the bills are complex and require wide review within the department.
Charles Addington, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services, also apologized and said it got held up during a clearance process.
Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, expressed "utter frustration" over the situation.
- OIL BOOM-AIRPORT EXPANSION
Booming New Mexico oil region to get $5M in airport upgrades(Information from: Hobbs News-Sun, http://www.hobbsnews.com)
LOVINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A southeastern New Mexico county has approved more than $5 million in upgrades to an airport in the heart of New Mexico's booming oil region.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports the Lea County Commission gave the green light last week to improvements to the Lea County Regional Airport — most funded by federal and state grants.
The improvements call for doubling the expansion of the holding area for flight patrons and renovating the apron area on the airside of the terminal. They also including upgrading a runway safety area and extending the primary runway.
Officials say increased ridership is spurring the recommended improvements.
The Lea County Regional Airport is located in Hobbs — a key city in the booming Permian Basin.
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- NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE
New Mexico land boss concerned with nuke waste proposalALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says southeastern New Mexico isn't the right place to build a temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel.
She sent a letter Wednesday to the New Jersey-based company that wants to build the facility, saying the proposed site would be in the middle of the Permian Basin — one of the world's most productive oil and gas regions.
Nearly 2,500 wells and other mine sites are operated by dozens of businesses within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of the site. Garcia Richard contends that storing the high-level waste above active oil, gas and mining operations raises serious safety concerns.
Fellow Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also has voiced opposition to the plan by Holtec International.
The company is seeking a federal license for the proposed facility.
- SENIOR GAMES-103 YEAR OLD
At 103, 'Hurricane' Hawkins takes titles at US Senior GamesALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — At 103, Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins has cemented her title as the oldest woman to compete on an American track after finishing the 50- and 100-meter dashes at the National Senior Games in New Mexico.
Event organizers say the Louisiana resident holds the world record for her age group of 100 and over in the 100-meter dash.
She didn't beat her previous time Tuesday but crossed the line in just over 46 seconds in Albuquerque.
On Monday, she was clocked at 21.06 in the 50-meter event, which appears to be a new Senior Games record for the women's 100-plus age division. There's no record of a past female competitor in that contest.
The retired teacher says staying active keeps her sharp and she hopes she can serve as an inspiration to others.
- CORRECTIONS SECRETARY-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico picks corrections secretary after false startSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Career state corrections officer Alisha Tafoya Lucero has been named Cabinet secretary to oversee New Mexico's combination public-private prison system.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the appointment Wednesday and praised Tafoya Lucero for her toughness and dedication to the state prison system.
The governor initially appointed former Florida prisons chief Julie Jones to lead the New Mexico Corrections Department but saw Jones withdraw in February.
Tafoya Lucero began serving as a corrections officer in 2001 and later became deputy warden at the state penitentiary outside Santa Fe. She was promoted to interim corrections secretary in May.
The governor and Tafoya Lucero emphasized efforts to improve accountability at privately run prisons and expand inmate programs that can reduce recidivism. The state is limiting but not eliminating solitary confinement.
- LORDSBURG-NURSING HOME
Only nursing home serving southern NM community set to closeLORDSBURG, N.M. (AP) — The only nursing home serving the southern New Mexico community of Lordsburg is set to close.
The company that manages Sunshine Haven says it's working to find housing and care for 28 residents before it closes Aug. 3.
The Las Cruces Sun News reports that the closure comes as the Texas-based company that owns the nursing home defends itself against complaints over staffing levels. Preferred Care Inc. and its subsidiaries also have filed for bankruptcy protection.
Neglect, understaffing and fears of retaliation were noted in recent federal inspection reports. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fined Sunshine Haven about $45,000 in 2016 and $26,000 last year.
The nursing home's management company declined this week to specify staffing levels but said they're above limits set by the state.
- SENATE-PINTO REPLACEMENT
Commissioners name nominees for New Mexico Senate seat(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Two former New Mexico county commissioners have been nominated to fill the seat of state Sen. John Pinto, who died last month at the age of 94.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Monday that the San Juan County Commission nominated its former commissioner Wallace Charley.
McKinley County commissioners nominated their former commissioner Carol Bowman-Muskett.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will choose one of the nominees or appoint someone else from the northwestern New Mexico district.
Pinto's term was set to expire next year, so the person appointed would have to run in 2020 election.
Pinto, a Democrat and a Navajo Code Talker in World War II, was the longest-serving state senator in New Mexico history.
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