- BODY FOUND-SANTA FE PARK
Dead body of a man found in Santa Fe park; may be a homicideSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Santa Fe are investigating a possible homicide after a dead body was found in a park.
They say officers responded to De Vargas Park shortly before noon Sunday.
Police say the dead body of a man was discovered under a bridge spanning the Santa Fe River near the downtown skate plaza at De Vargas Park.
They say the body showed signs of blunt force trauma.
The name of the man isn't immediately known. But police say the victim is believed to be between 20 and 30 years old.
It's unclear if police have any suspects in the case.
OPIOID CRISIS-PURDUE-BANKRUPTCY
After bankruptcy filing, Purdue Pharma may not be off hook
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy protection.
But that doesn't mean the company or the family that owns it is off the legal hook.
States are divided on whether to accept a tentative settlement with the company as part of the bankruptcy.
Several of those who have declined it have made it clear that they plan to object to the bankruptcy and push forward with their claims against members of the Sackler family in state court.
It will be up to a bankruptcy judge to decide if those suits can move ahead. And even if he stops them, he could consider their claims in his court.
The bankruptcy filing Sunday will likely get Purdue out of a trial over the toll of opioids scheduled for October in Cleveland.
___
Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
___
Follow Geoff Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill
- CAR CRASHES INTO RESTAURANT
Police: Woman dies after car crashes into Ruidoso restaurantRUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Police have identified a woman who was killed after a car crashed into a restaurant in Ruidoso.
They say a 70-year-old driver was trying to back out of a parking lot when she drove through the restaurant around 7 p.m. Friday.
Police have identified the victim as 58-year-old Tammy Lynn Ford of Clovis.
They say a 58-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries while a 75-year-old woman suffered injuries that are considered non-life-threatening.
Police say the driver wasn't hurt, and her name won't be released at this time because no charges have been filed.
They say the crash remains under investigation, but alcohol wasn't a factor.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-NEW MEXICO
Trump's rally in New Mexico a bid for an upset next year
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state of New Mexico doesn't feel like Trump Country.
The president's first campaign lost the state by 8 percentage points back in 2016. Last year, Republicans lost a House seat and the governorship.
But the Trump campaign puts New Mexico on the short list of states Trump hopes to flip in 2020.
Political observers say Trump's strength in rural America may not compensate for his failure, so far, to win over Hispanic voters.
A political science professor at the University of New Mexico, Lonna Atkeson, doesn't see Trump going far politically in a state with the highest concentration of Latinos in the U.S.
Trump will arrive in the midst of an oil-production boom that has boosted employment and spurred a state government spending spree.
- URANIUM CONTAMINATION-VIRTUAL REALITY
Virtual reality used to highlight uranium contaminationGALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Activists are using virtual reality technology to focus on areas of the Navajo Nation affected by uranium contamination.
The Gallup Independent reports the arts collective Bombshelltoe has collected 360-degree footage of Churchrock, New Mexico, to show how people and the land have changed since a 1979 uranium mill spill.
The project started four years ago after Washington, D.C.-based nuclear policy program manager Lovely Umayam met Navajo activist Sunny Dooley at an event in Santa Fe.
Umayam says the group wanted to use the new technology of virtual reality with the stories to show the impact of uranium mining.
In 1979, a dam on the Navajo Nation near Church Rock broke at an evaporation pond, releasing 94 million gallons (356 million liters) of radioactive waste to the Puerco River.
- SUICIDE RATE
New Mexico had 535 suicides last year, up 6.7 % from 2017(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State health officials say New Mexico had more suicides in 2018 than any other year in at least two decades.
According to data provided by the state's Department of Health, 535 people died by suicide last year.
That a rate of 24.8 per 100,000 residents and represents a 6.7% increase over the state's 2017 suicide rate.
Mental health experts told the Albuquerque Journal that the 2018 numbers represent the highest suicide rate on record in New Mexico since the state began consistently keeping track in 1999.
According to an analysis released by the Violence Policy Center, New Mexico had the fourth highest suicide rate in the nation in 2017 at 23.51 per 100,000 people.
Authorities say there's an association with firearm ownership and firearms use and deaths connected to suicide.
___
- TAOS-HOMICIDE ARREST
State Police: Taos homicide victim, suspect had disputesTAOS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a Taos man gunned down when he went to feed his livestock and the man arrested in the early morning killing previously had disputes.
The New Mexico State Police said Gregg Steele was arrested Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder, armed robbery and tampering with evidence in the Aug. 27 killing of 63-year-old Patrick Larkin .
The State Police said Steele identified as a person of interest and then arrested after investigators found evidence of Larkin's blood in Steele's vehicle and determined that the men "previous disputes with each other."
According to the State Police, Steele used a handgun to shoot Larkin but then stole one belonging to Larkin before discarding both weapons.
Court records don't list an attorney for Steele who could comment on the allegations.
- FATAL CAR CRASH-RESTAURANT
Car crashes into New Mexico restaurant; 1 killed, 2 injuredRUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities say a car driven by a woman attempting to leave a restaurant's parking lot crashed into the building, killing one patron inside and injuring two others.
According to the State Police, "for reasons still under investigation," the car accelerated and drove forward into the restaurant in Ruidoso (REE-uh-DOH-soh) Friday night.
The State Police said Saturday that 58-year-old Tammy Lynn Ford of Clovis was killed while a 58-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman were injured.
The State Police said alcohol wasn't a factor in causing the crash.
It said the car's driver was a 70-year-old Ruidoso woman who wasn't injured and that her name wasn't being released because she hadn't been charged.
Ruidoso is 118 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of El Paso, Texas.