- ELECTION 2020-SENATE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján says his Senate election bid in 2020 has the support of New Mexico's two current senators.
In a statement Monday, Luján announced endorsements of his campaign by retiring Sen. Tom Udall and second-term Sen. Martin Heinrich.
Leading Democrats are falling in line behind Luján as the only Democratic contender to replace Udall after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver dropped out of the race last week.
Republican contractor Mick Rich and college professor Gavin Clarkson are pursuing the GOP nomination for Senate. They both lost statewide elections in 2018.
Luján represents northern New Mexico and currently holds the No. 4 leadership position among House Democrats. A crowded field of candidates are vying for his seat in Congress.
- OIL BOOM-HOUSING
JAL, N.M. (AP) — A small New Mexico town in the heart of the Permian Basin oil and gas boom is getting a new camp development to house oil workers.
The Hobbs News-Sun reports Canada-based international hospitality company Amity Lodges announced this month a groundbreaking ceremony for a new camp development under construction east of Jal, New Mexico.
Jal Mayor Steve Aldridge says the southeastern New Mexico town has been struggling in recent years to provide sufficient housing for oil and gas workers.
Amity Lodges management consultant Ryan Bullock says the camp will open in a first phase providing 558 executive style beds.
Officials say amenities at the facility will include a 26,424 square-foot (2,455 square-meter) kitchen and dining hall in 39 modules with up to 780 dining hall seats.
- ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Republican Party of New Mexico appears set to join Nebraska Republicans and endorse President Donald Trump for re-election.
State GOP chairman Steve Pearce told The Associated Press on Monday that an endorsement "would be a mere formality" since everyone on the party's central committee is supporting the president.
Pearce says he knew of nobody in New Mexico GOP circles who wasn't supporting Trump. He also didn't know if any of Trump's Republican challengers, like former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh or former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, would even get on the New Mexico ballot.
The Nebraska GOP announced in August the party had unanimously endorsed Trump for re-election.
Four states have discussed plans to cancel their 2020 GOP presidential primaries.
- NAVAJO POLICE OFFICER DIES
CROWNPOINT, N.M. (AP) — Navajo Police Department officials say a 22-year veteran officer has died after suffering a medical problem while on duty last month.
They say Sgt. Lamar Martin died Monday.
Police officials say Martin had a "medical event" on Oct. 9, but they didn't release any other details.
Martin became a Navajo Police Officer in November 1997 and was a defensive tactics instructor, a general instructor, a field training officer and a member of the strategic reaction team for the department.
Police officials say Martin served in the Marines and the New Mexico Army National Guard.
He also was assigned for active duty in support of Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2009.
Funeral plans for Martin were pending and police didn't immediately have a list of his survivors.
- BORDER PATROL-SHOOTING-THE LATEST
SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (AP) — New Mexico State Police say a man shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent was stopped because he was believed to have crossed the border illegally.
They say two Border Patrol agents approached a group of four people about a mile from the border and a chase began early Monday. Authorities say the suspect fired at the agents, but neither was injured.
One of the agents shot back, hitting the man, who died at a hospital.
A Border Patrol spokesman says the three other people in the group have been arrested. It's unclear what charges they face.
The shooting happened in Sunland Park, New Mexico, a suburb of El Paso, Texas.
- TRAVEL-GEORGE ORWELL-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A George Orwell exhibit in New Mexico is tackling the themes of the novelist's work from "1984" to "Animal Farm."
"George Orwell: His Enduring Legacy," which runs to April at the University of New Mexico, features posters and material related to work challenging totalitarianism.
The exhibition was sparked after a longtime advocate and employee of the University of New Mexico University Libraries donated his collection of rare Orwell books.
Artifacts and posters from the Spanish Civil War are shown to illustrate how the conflict played a role in Orwell's intellectually formation. The exhibit also features artistic portrayals of Napoleon, the authoritarian pig in "Animal Farm."
The British-born Orwell was also known for "1984," which has become a best-seller in the U.S. again during the Trump administration.
- AIR QUALITY VIOLATIONS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Environment Department has issued notices of violation to two Permian Basin oil and gas producers over air quality regulations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued similar notices for the violations.
During April inspections in southeast New Mexico, the EPA and state environmental department reported finding violations of state and federal air quality laws at the Mewbourne Oil Company and Matador Production Company facilities.
These violations include failure to capture emissions from storage vessels, maintain pilot lights on flares, comply with closed vent system requirements and ensure natural gas is captured and not emitted to the atmosphere.
Authorities say failure to comply with air quality laws can result in uncontrolled emissions of volatile organic compounds, contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone and hazardous air pollutants.
- WARRIOR GENE-MURDER APPEAL
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is considering whether evidence of a genetic predisposition toward violence should have been allowed in the trial of a man convicted of murder in 2015.
Oral arguments were scheduled Monday in an appeal stemming from the conviction of Anthony Blas Yepez in the killing of his girlfriend's 75-year-old step-grandfather during a domestic dispute in 2012.
The state Court of Appeals says evidence was improperly excluded at trial that Yepez had a so-called warrior gene variant linked to aggressive and violent behavior. The appeals court also found the omission was harmless and would not have had a bearing on the second-degree murder conviction against Yepez.
State prosecutors fear the appeals court decision left the door open to an unsubstantiated scientific theory in court.
SUNRISE AND SUNSET NOVEMBER 5 2019......SUNRISE 631 AM MST SUNSET 508 PM MST NOVEMBER 6 2019......SUNRISE 632 AM MST SUNSET 508 PM MST - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.