- HOT NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is in for a stretch of hot weather. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque say a heat advisory may be needed for parts of eastern New Mexico from Roswell up to Clovis and Tucumcari later this week. Temperatures across the region are expected to reach the triple digits while parts of the Rio Grande Valley will see highs well into the 90s. An upper level pressure system is to blame, but forecasters say a front that is expected to push into eastern New Mexico could bring with it thunderstorms and moisture for this weekend.
- AP-US-NEW-MEXICO-STREAM-ACCESS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is weighing in on a long-running dispute in New Mexico over public access to rivers and streams that flow through private property. The Democratic lawmaker is urging a panel of state officials to deny pending applications from landowners seeking certifications that would allow them to prohibit access. In a letter to the state Game Commission, Heinrich wrote that granting the applications would open the door to giving wealthy private landowners control over every waterway in New Mexico and would violate state law. The commission is set to consider the applications at a special meeting June 18.
- IMMIGRATION-SEPARATED FAMILIES
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration says it has identified more than 3,900 children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy on illegal crossings. The Family Reunification Task Force report issued Tuesday provides one of the more detailed accounts of a chapter in U.S. immigration history that drew widespread condemnation. The Biden administration is reviewing additional cases, which means the final count may be higher. Its report provides data that hasn't been previously released. Nearly 60% of children separated under the zero-tolerance policy were Guatemalan. The Border Patrol's Yuma, Arizona, sector recorded the highest number of separations.
- BIDEN-PUBLIC LANDS
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden's nominee to oversee vast expanses of public land in the U.S. West is being criticized by Republicans because of her involvement in partisan politics as a longtime Democratic aide and environmentalist. Tracy Stone-Manning has been nominated to serve as director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. During a hearing on Tuesday, Republicans questioned whether the former chief of staff to former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock could work across party lines. Stone-Manning said she would honor the outcome of the 2020 election after backing Bullock in his failed bid to unseat Republican Sen. Steve Daines.
- MIGRANTS-GIRL ALONE
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — It had been six years since Glenda Valdez said goodbye to her 3-year-old daughter, Emely, in Honduras. Then, last month, she caught a glimpse of a televised AP photo of a little girl in a red hoodie and knew that Emely had made the trip alone into the United States. On Sunday, the child was returned to her mother's custody in Texas. Now, they wait for judges to decide the girl's fate in the United States. Her mother says the plan is to remain together forever.
- ALBUQUERQUE-BLACK INVESTMENT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The mayor of Albuquerque plans to release details this month of a plan to invest $1 million in the city's Black community. The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday that Mayor Tim Keller will elaborate on the investment program during the city's Juneteenth Festival. It's been a year since Keller first proposed funding for Black-owned businesses in response to the racial reckoning sparked by the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.The prop osal was approved by the Albuquerque City Council after lengthy talks about how the money would be allocated. A city spokeswoman, told the newspaper the city has been working closely with the Black business community and other partners on a plan.
- ENDANGERED WOLVES-PUPS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers say they have placed a record 22 captive-born Mexican gray wolf pups into dens in the wild to be raised by surrogate packs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the announcement Monday, calling this year's cross-fostering season a success. Officials have said the fostering program has helped to boost the genetic diversity of the wild population in Arizona and New Mexico. Some environmentalists say the fate of many of the cross-fostered wolves released over the last four years is unknown and that federal officials should release family groups instead. Ranchers also remain concerned about the effects of the endangered predators on livestock.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS COMPENSATION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state Supreme Court says that New Mexico has no obligation to compensate businesses for financial losses and expenses due to emergency health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unanimous opinion on Monday scuttles about 20 lawsuits filed last year in district court. The original plaintiffs argued that aggressive health restrictions from the governor's administration constituted a regulatory taking much like the taking of land for public works projects. The governor urged the Supreme Court to block the lawsuits. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed into law a variety of temporary grants, minimal-interest loans and tax breaks on businesses in response the pandemic.