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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 3:20 a.m. MST

  • Marijuana farms may be straining New Mexico water supplies

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More medical marijuana plants are being grown in New Mexico than ever and the crop could be straining local water supplies. The Albuquerque Journal reports two rural water systems in Sandoval County say the crop may be depleting local water supplies. And they say they have been left powerless to stop it. The Peña Blanca Water and Sanitation District and Sile Mutual Domestic Water and Sewer Association sent a letter last month to state agencies and legislators describing their concerns over their disappearing water resources. The water system representatives say New Mexico's patchwork of medical marijuana regulations has not kept up with the increased strain on rural water supplies.

  • Navajo Nation eyes proposed Department of Medical Examiners

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation says it is working with Congress to fund the tribe's proposed Department of Medical Examiners. The Gallup Independent reports Navajo Law and Order Committee Chairwoman Eugenia Charles-Newton says the panel is seeking full funding amid overworked criminal investigators. Navajo criminal investigators have been handling deaths on the sprawling Navajo Nation that is located in three states. Navajo criminal investigators have been devoting about 40% of their time to serve as coroners. This has also created a problem when it comes to recruiting criminal investigators because they turn down the job discouraged by the extra duty of coroner.

  • Santa Fe police waiting on audit of troubled evidence room

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe police's poor handling of its evidence room may have affected several cases. But just how many remains a mystery. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports The department is awaiting the results of an evidence room audit conducted by a consultant. Santa Fe Deputy Chief Ben Valdez says the department will not attempt to determine if more evidence is missing until that audit. The audit comes more than six months after the Santa Fe Police Department told the District Attorney's Office it had lost evidence in a first-degree murder case. 

  • State wants judge to reconsider charges against ex-sheriff

ESTANCIA, N.M. (AP) — State prosecutors want a judge to reconsider his decision to drop embezzlement charges filed against a former New Mexico sheriff-turned-judge accused of using taxpayer dollars to buy personal items. KRQE-TV reports the New Mexico Attorney General's Office filed an appeal last week of Judge Charles Brown's decision to toss charges against former Torrance County Sheriff Heath White. Brown said in October there were omissions in the search warrant as well as some misleading information and evidence from the search allegedly was suppressed. The Attorney General's Office says investigators with New Mexico State Police found several sheriff's office-owned items on White's property during a raid in April, including guns, surveillance equipment, and tools.

  • Councilor's removal sought over text messages, 'being rude'

EUNICE, N.M. (AP) — A city manager of a southeastern New Mexico town is seeking to remove a councilor over attendance and for "being rude." The Hobbs News-Sun reports City Manager Jordan Yutzy of Eunice, New Mexico recently sent a letter to the state Attorney General's office seeking guidance on how to remove Councilor Terry Bettis from his seat.Yutzy wrote that the 15-year veteran councilor keeps sending critical text messages and social media posts. Bettis dismissed the concerns over his attendance rate and his text messages. He says he's just trying to protect residents and taxpayers.

  • New Mexico settles 2017 medical cannabis lawsuit for $69K

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials at a New Mexico event venue have agreed to settle a lawsuit with a medical cannabis producer over what type of products could be displayed at the state fair. The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that Expo New Mexico officials agreed to drop a pending appeal and pay $69,600 to Ultra Health LLC to avoid further legal expenses. Officials say the legal dispute began after Expo New Mexico told Ultra Health it could not display any paraphernalia related to cannabis use or cultivation in its 2017 State Fair booth. Court officials say Expo New Mexico violated the medical cannabis producer's First Amendment rights.

  • Company to shut down inactive New Mexico uranium mine

GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — A Texas-based company says it plans to begin close an inactive uranium mine in New Mexico and begin activity to reclaim the site. The Gallup Independent reports that state officials Friday confirmed Hobson, Texas-based Rio Grande Resource Corp. provided formal notice in December of its plan to close the Mount Taylor Mine near Grants. A state official say the company previously said the price of uranium meant Rio Grande couldn't justify anticipated capital spending to resume mining. Grants Mayor Martin Hicks works at the site and called the closing "a death blow to Grants and Milan." Environmental activists hailed the closing announcement. 

  • Church offers little outreach to minority victims of priests

Even as it has pledged to go after predators in its ranks and provide support to those harmed by clergy, the church has done little to identify and reach sexual abuse victims. A survey of dioceses shows only seven know the ethnicity of survivors. While it was clear at least three had records of some sort, only one stated it purposely collected such data as part of the reporting process. For survivors of color, who often face additional social and cultural barriers to coming forward on their own, this means less public exposure, and potentially more opportunities for abuse to go on undetected.