- ELECTION SCHEDULES-NEW MEXICO
Supreme Court will hearing challenge on staggered electionsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has agreed to hear objections to a new law that would more evenly stagger election dates for local prosecutors, judges and county officials.
The court on Thursday announced an August deadline for written briefings and scheduled oral arguments for Sept. 12 in complaints brought by district attorneys, judges and county officials.
The election-date changes recently approved by the governor and legislators initially would cut short or lengthen some terms by two years.
District attorneys say their elections should remain on the presidential cycle unless a constitutional amendment is approved by the Legislature and a statewide vote.
- RED SUMMER-LATINOS
Mexican Americans saw own racial terror before 'Red Summer'ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Historians and Latino activists say it's time to acknowledge the terror experienced by Mexican Americans years before white mobs attacked and murdered African Americans in dozens of cities across the country in 1919.
As the U.S. prepares to remember the 100th anniversary of "Red Summer," historians say the U.S. also must come to terms with the violence experienced by Mexican Americans in the American Southwest.
Historians say from 1910 to 1920, an estimated 5,000 people of Mexican descent were killed or vanished without a trace in the U.S.
Brown University American Studies professor Monica Muñoz Martinez says the violence was so barbaric it attracted the attention of newspapers abroad and the fledgling NAACP.
- OPIOIDS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico nurse faces charges in opioid deaths, overdosesALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico nurse practitioner is accused of involuntary manslaughter and other charges for allegedly causing the deaths of three patients and two overdoses by overprescribing opioids.
The state attorney general's office announced the felony charges against Andrei Marchenko on Thursday. They include counts of Medicaid fraud.
It wasn't immediately clear if the 59-year-old Marchenko had an attorney.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration first contacted state prosecutors in 2017 after receiving information from several sources that indicated Marchenko allegedly was prescribing large doses of controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.
In one case, prosecutors say he continued to write prescriptions and file claims under the name of a patient who died.
Records show Marchenko voluntarily surrendered his prescription privileges in April 2017.
- VETERANS-HEALTH CARE-NEW MEXICO
Report lists VA mental health care issues in New MexicoALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal review shows several factors have resulted in limited access and delays in mental health care for veterans in New Mexico.
A report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General shows staffing shortages, hiring delays and training among the problems.
The report issued this week stems from an inspection done in March 2018 that was prompted by an anonymous complaint received the previous year.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says the VA must take immediate action to address the staffing shortages and recruitment issues that are leading to wait times that he described as unacceptable.
In 2014, the discovery of secret waiting lists at VA facilities around the U.S. resulted in a nationwide scandal and legislation aimed at giving veterans the option of seeking private-sector care.
- GOVERNOR-NEW MEXICO
Governor confers on outdoor recreation, vehicle emissionsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is sharing strategies for reducing vehicle air-pollution and promoting outdoor recreation at a gathering a state governors in Salt Lake City.
In a trip paid for by taxpayers, the first-year Democratic governor was in Utah for a meeting of the National Governors Association.
A spokeswoman says Lujan Grisham will join a forum about vehicle emissions and opposition led by California to a proposed rollback of standards enacted in 2012.
New Mexico has joined an alliance of 24 states that oppose the new federal standards.
The nonpartisan governors association is creating a learning network to help state governments promote outdoor recreation.
Taking clues from states such as Utah and Colorado, New Mexico hopes to get a larger foothold in the lucrative industry.
- FATAL WRECKS-NEW MEXICO CRACKDOWN
Fatal wrecks in southeastern New Mexico prompt crackdownHOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in southeastern New Mexico's oil country are responding to multiple deadly wrecks with a crackdown on reckless and inattentive drivers.
The New Mexico State Police said Thursday that reckless speed and driven inattention were the main factors in seven fatal wrecks in Lea County that so far this year claimed 13 lives.
The State Police said the crackdown includes joint patrols with the county Sheriff's Office, a focus on companies that operate unsafe commercial vehicles and "zero tolerance" for traffic law violators.
Three Texans were killed Wednesday when their pickup collided with a commercial truck near Hobbs.
Those killed were identified as 47-year-old Brady Steele of Dublin, 25-year-old Dakota Lujan of Fritch and 21-year-old Nygel Key of Fritch.
Five Texans were killed in a July 11 collision near Jal.
- EBONY ARCHIVE-BLACK HISTORY
Ebony and Jet photo archive sale sparks relief, anxietyThe sale of the photo archive of Ebony and Jet magazines chronicling African American history is generating relief among some who worried the historic images may be lost.
But it's also causing some to mourn since the images won't be in the hands of an African American-owned entity.
The Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation are buying the archive for $30 million as part of an auction to pay off secured creditors of Johnson Publishing Company.
The former magazine publisher filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in April.
Roy Douglas Malonson, publisher of the Houston-based African American News & Issues newspaper, says he understands Johnson had to sell the archives but that blacks won't control those images.
- ALBUQUERQUE PAY RAISES
Dozens of Albuquerque administrators received double raises(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Dozens of administrators for the city of Albuquerque received double raises this year that officials say was needed to attract and keep skilled leaders.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that nearly 50 employees including department chiefs and directors got raises in March and then were included in the 2% pay increase given to thousands of city workers earlier this month.
The March raises for the high-ranking employees averaged 6.2%, bumping the group's average annual salary to nearly $119,000.
Mayor Tim Keller's administration says the salaries of top administrators are still below other regional markets and comparable state government jobs.
City Councilor Trudy Jones says the raises are "disgraceful," citing the growing disparity between those in the top jobs and those at the lower end of the city pay scale.
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