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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 3:20 p.m. MDT

  • NEW MEXICO SETTLEMENTS

Agreements prompt review of New Mexico's settlement system(Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Questions about $1.7 million in payouts by New Mexico to settle legal claims have prompted a review of policies and procedures regarding such agreements.
Albuquerque television station KRQE reports the settlements were made near the end of former Gov. Susana Martinez's administration. She has denied involvement in the agreements.
The cases included past members of the former governor's security detail and involved what one lawyer for the plaintiffs described as damaging personal information.
Details will remain secret since the settlements are sealed until 2023.
Open records advocates tell the Santa Fe New Mexican there's no legal basis for sealing settlements that long.
The attorney general's office has received complaints regarding the settlements, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration is developing new procedures to ensure reviews are done for all claims.
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  • ENDANGERED WOLVES-ILLEGAL KILLINGS

Politics, killings stifle wolf recovery amid hefty price tagRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Illegal killings and political resistance have undercut the return of two species of endangered wolves despite more than $80 million in government spending.
Wildlife officials warn the red wolves of North Carolina could be gone from the wild within a decade. In the Southwest, Mexican gray wolves continue to struggle despite recent gains.
Biologists say poaching has a big effect.
The Associated Press found that over the last two decades, more than half of Mexican wolf deaths and about one in four red wolf deaths resulted from gunshots or were otherwise deemed illegal.
Their recovery has been further hindered by opposition over attacks on livestock or game animals.
A third wolf type — the Western gray wolf — has thrived since reintroduction and could soon lose federal protection.

  • GENDER NEUTRAL RULEBOOKS-NEW MEXICO

She can take it, but not 'him': Gender-specific nouns nixedSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first female to oversee New Mexico's multibillion-dollar mineral resources is proposing to do away with gender-specific pronouns such as "he," ''his" or "him" in state agency rulebooks.
Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says her agency will hold a public hearing Friday in Santa Fe on the proposed changes. Gender-specific pronouns would be replaced by more neutral or specific references.
Garcia Richard says current agency rules use male pronouns throughout to refer to her position. She says it's no surprise that some written wording has grown outdated at the 120-year-old agency.
The commissioner has final say on the language changes.
The State Land Office oversees energy leases across about 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) of state trust land to help fund schools, universities and hospitals.

  • CONGRESS-IMPEACHMENT-NEW MEXICO

New Mexico candidates diverge on oversight of White HouseSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver says it's time for Congress to start impeachment proceedings against President Trump over concerns about obstruction of justice.
Toulouse Oliver said Wednesday in a statement that it's time to hold the president accountable for possible obstruction of justice and that there is more than enough evidence to move forward with the impeachment process.
The rival contender for the Democratic nomination is U.S. Rep Ben Ray Luján.
He takes credit for helping build the House Democratic majority that is seeking closer oversight of the White House through investigations, legal proceedings and subpoenaed testimony.
In a statement, Luján says impeachment proceedings still are a tool that can be used by Congress if the Trump administration continues to obstruct inquiries.

  • IMMIGRATION-DROP OFFS

Far from border, US cities feel effect of migrant releasesMIAMI (AP) — A surge of asylum-seeking families that has strained cities along the southern U.S. border for months is now being felt in cities far from Mexico.
Immigrants are being housed in an airplane hangar and rodeo fairgrounds, while local authorities struggle to keep up with the influx.
U.S. immigration officials have eyed spots in states like Florida, Michigan and New York, to help process the migrants before they move on to their destination, which could be anywhere in the U.S.
And in border states, cities that are several hours' drive from Mexico are already seeing sometimes hundreds of migrants a day.
The situation is leaving local authorities and nonprofits with the task of providing shelter for a night or two, a few meals and travel assistance to help migrants reach their final destinations across the U.S.

  • NEW MEXICO-ATHLETICS SPENDING

Hearing delayed for former New Mexico ex-athletics directorALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A hearing for former University of New Mexico athletics director Paul Krebs has been pushed back to August.
Krebs was due in court this week but attorneys in the case have been granted more time. Court records show a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26.
A state district judge will decide whether there's probable cause for Krebs to face charges stemming from his use of public funds on a golf trip to Scotland.
Prosecutors have alleged that Krebs tried to conceal a $25,000 donation to cover the cost of the trip. They have accused him of fraud, money laundering, evidence tampering, making or permitting false public voucher and ethics violations.
Krebs has said the golf trip was meant to strengthen relationships with donors and that the university had not planned to pay for the donors' expenses.

  • NIGHTCLUB OWNER-AR-15

New Mexico nightclub owner sentenced in AR-15 pointing case(Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A former nightclub owner accused of pulling an AR-15 on a woman outside of a Las Cruces restaurant has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Robert Burnham was sentenced this week after pleaded guilty on May 10 to one count of aggravated assault.
Burnham owned Boots and Bourbon, a popular Las Cruces nightclub that shuttered its doors days after his arrest last year.
Police say Burnham pulled out the rifle and pointed it at a woman during an argument. Court documents say Burnham was allegedly a no-show for a date.
Burnham told police that he had recently won the rifle in a raffle and was just moving it inside his car.
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  • ANIMAS RIVER FESTIVAL

River festival organizers face opposite water level concerns(Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com)
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Organizers of a festival celebrating the Animas River in northwest New Mexico say they were again concerned about the water level.
The Farmington Daily Times reported Wednesday that organizers of the three-day Riverfest in Farmington were concerned last year that there could be too little river water to hold certain events like rafting trips.
They were concerned this year that there could be too much water.
The San Juan Mountains snowpack has hovered near 300 percent of normal, causing a strong river flow.
Organizer Gloria Lehmer says the river level had recently creeped into the park, but now forecasts show moderate river conditions for the event this weekend.
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