- ELECTION 2022-GOVERNOR-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's campaign for reelection has amended its October campaign finance report and returned $4,200 to a corporate contributor after a donation exceeded limits set in state statute. An opposition political committee titled Stop MLG highlighted the original $25,000 donation from Denver-based Intrepid Potash to Lujan Grisham. New Mexico caps campaign contributions at $20,800 in the course of a four-year election cycle. Intrepid Potash supplies water and minerals to the oil and natural gas industry and has a water rights case pending before the state Supreme Court. The campaign also identified the sources of four contributions that were not previously disclosed.
- DECAPITATION KILLING-NAVAJO NATION
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal authorities say a North Dakota man is charged with second-degree murder in the decapitation killing this month of a man at the victim's home on the Navajo Nation in northwestern New Mexico. A criminal complaint alleges 28-year-old Shilo Aaron Oldrock attacked and decapitated the victim with an ax on Oct. 10 and burned his head in a wood stove before fleeing. A statement Thursday from the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico says Oldrock is from Fargo. Federal officials didn't release the victim's full name, giving only his initials. A lawyer representing Oldrock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- AP-US-URANIUM-HUMAN-RIGHTS-CLAIM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A group representing Navajo communities is presenting its case to an international human rights body, saying U.S. regulators violated the rights of tribal members when they cleared the way for uranium mining in western New Mexico years ago. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights based in Washington, D.C., decided earlier this year that the petition filed by Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining was admissible. The group is filing additional testimony and exhibits Thursday. The commission is expected to hold a hearing in the spring. On the Navajo Nation, uranium mining has left a legacy of death, disease and environmental contamination.
- ALBUQUERQUE-STADIUM PROPOSAL
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Voters in Albuquerque may be confused about how a proposed soccer stadium will be funded. That's because the ballot measure includes inconsistent language about financing for city's $50 million stadium bond proposal. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the ballot initially describes the project financing's financing as coming from gross receipts tax revenue bonds. But the place where voters will mark their ballots refers to general obligation bonds. Officials say they don't know how the mix-up happened but that it doesn't pose a legal issue. The New Mexico United professional soccer team has said it would pay $10 million upfront toward the stadium's construction.
- REDISTRICTING-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An advisory panel on political redistricting has advanced three proposals for overhauling district boundaries in New Mexico's Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, with special deference to Native American communities. Two of the endorsed redistricting maps conform to proposals from Indigenous nations and tribes in northwestern New Mexico, a celebrated cradle of ancient civilization where a recent decline in population threatens to disrupt and dilute majority-Native American voting districts. The maps endorsed by the Citizens Redistricting Committee are nonbinding. New Mexico's heavily Latino and Native American population presents unusual challenges in efforts to unite communities of interest and give minority voters a fair shot to elect candidates of their choice.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 78 more COVID-19 cases and seven additional deaths. It was just the seventh time in the past 21 days that tribal health officials had reported a coronavirus-related death. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 35,583 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll now is at 1,471. Tribal officials still are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Based on cases from Oct. 1-14, the Navajo Department of Health issued an advisory for 31 communities due to the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
- DRY NEW MEXICO-PECOS RIVER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal water managers say the Pecos River Basin in New Mexico is likely to experience growing water shortages as temperatures continue to rise over the next century. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Wednesday discussed the findings of a recently completed study on the basin. The Pecos River flows through eastern New Mexico into Texas, where it joins the Rio Grande near the U.S.-Mexican border. It's home to more than 130,000 acres of crops and orchards. The study was aimed at getting a better understanding of the threats to the basin's water supply due to climate change. Officials also looked at what tools could be used to stretch resources.
- CHILD CARE GRANTS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state officials are sending $157 million to around 1,000 child care providers. The money can be used to pay rent, utilities, and labor costs. Gov. Michell Lujan Grisham said Wednesday that a strong child care industry is needed to support parents in the workforce. It's the latest investment in child care made possible by federal pandemic relief funds. The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department has also used federal money to make more families eligible for child care subsidies. Eligibility now includes families of four with incomes as high as $93,000.