- BORDER-BABY BOOM
Officers report busy night of births at US border checkpointCOLUMBUS, N.M. (AP) — It was a busy night for officers stationed at a U.S. border checkpoint in New Mexico, where three women in labor turned up for help in a matter of hours. One woman arrived in a Mexican ambulance and officers at the Columbus port of entry provided an obstetrical kit for the emergency delivery. A U.S. ambulance crew was able to transport the second woman to a hospital before she gave birth. The last woman arrived before 5 a.m., only to drop to the sidewalk and go into delivery. Customs and Border Protection officers helped deliver the baby girl. The head of the Columbus port of entry commended the officers for their quick responses.
- STATE SENATE-NEW MEXICO
Governor taps longtime lawmaker to fill state Senate vacancySANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State Rep. Bobby Gonzales has been picked to fill a state Senate seat vacated with the death of Democratic Sen. Carlos Cisneros in September. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nominated the Democrat from Rancho de Taos on Friday to serve the remainder of a term that runs through the end of 2020. Gonzales is a retired educator who has served in the state House since 1995. He voted this year for a defeated bill to overturn New Mexico's unenforced ban on most abortion procedures. He also is in favor of expanded background checks on private gun sales.
- CULTURAL AFFAIRS-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico has goal to boost rural art, culture partnershipsALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top priority for officials who oversee New Mexico's system of museums and cultural offerings will be forming more partnerships with rural communities and Native American tribes over the next year. The secretary of the state Cultural Affairs Department recently testified before a legislative committee that oversees crafting of the state budget. She's asking lawmakers for more money, saying expanding access to arts and culture is the goal. New Mexico has enjoyed back-to-back revenue surpluses because of the ongoing oil boom. But legislative budget hawks are warning that spending should be kept in check to weather a future downturn.
- NAVAJO NATION-OFFICER KILLING
Man pleads guilty in death of Navajo Nation police officerALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The man accused of gunning down a tribal police officer in a remote corner of the nation's largest American Indian reservation has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Kirby Cleveland faces a possible life sentence in connection with the death of Navajo Nation Officer Houston Largo. The killing happened March 2017 on a dark road in western New Mexico while the officer was responding to a domestic violence call. Cleveland said during a hearing in federal court Thursday that he didn't know the person he was shooting at was a police officer.
- BC-NM-ALBUQUERQUE CRIME
Most cases involving state police in Albuquerque dismissedALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Most of the cases involving a so-called surge of New Mexico State Police fighting crime in the Albuquerque have been dismissed. KOAT-TV reports an analysis of the cases found that 52% of them were tossed for a variety of reasons, including shoddy paperwork or a lack of evidence. The station discovered that some of the cases were dismissed because state police officers didn't bother to show up to court hearings. State Police launched "Operation Surge" earlier this year in New Mexico's largest city following high-profile homicides of a mail carrier and a University of New Mexico baseball player. State Police Chief Tim Johnson called "Operation Surge" a success.
- AP-US-IMMIGRATION-BRAZILIANS
Brazilians arrive in waves at the US-Mexico borderEL PASO, Texas (AP) — A patchwork of Trump administration policies has virtually ended asylum for migrants from Central America but left what immigration officials call "loopholes" open to migrants from non-Spanish speaking countries. In New Mexico and West Texas, that's led to an unexpected trend: Brazilians now make up about a quarter of the migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents. This week, a top immigration official vowed to stop "catch and release" of Brazilian migrants after more than 18,000 were apprehended on the Southwest Border in the past year.
- FARMWORKER BILL-KOCH NETWORK
Koch network group thanks Torres Small for Farmworkers BillALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A group funded by the powerful conservative-leaning Koch network is praising a Democratic congresswoman in New Mexico for joining a bipartisan effort to pass a farmworkers residency bill. Americans for Prosperity is scheduled Friday to launch a direct mail and digital campaign thanking U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small of southern New Mexico. The group also plans to thank other Democrats and Republicans who supported the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The bill, which passed the U.S. House on Wednesday, would give farmworkers in the country illegally a pathway to permanent residence.
- ENDANGERED WOLVES-PUPS
New Mexico zoo cares for endangered Mexican gray wolvesALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque's zoo is celebrating the survival of one of three Mexican gray wolf pups born at the facility this year. ABQ BioPark officials say the pup has grown over recent months and is becoming more curious and confident. The births in May marked the first time in nearly 15 years that the BioPark welcomed Mexican wolf pups. The rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America, Mexican wolves have struggled to gain ground since first being released in 1998 as part of an effort to return the animals to their historic range in the American Southwest.