- Prosecutors seek to jail state Senator for drunken driving
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors are recommending a six-month jail sentence against a state senator convicted of aggravated drunken driving in connection with a June car wreck. State Sen. Richard Martinez of Ojo Caliente was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday afternoon by a state district court judge. Martinez was found guilty during a two-day trial in December of drunken driving and reckless driving after rear-ending a vehicle that was stopped at a red traffic light and refusing an intoxication test. Prosecutors for the attorney general's office say Martinez was intimately aware as a lawmaker and former magistrate judge of rules he ignored by drinking and driving.
- New Mexico House GOP seeks answers on Albuquerque 'surge'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico House Republicans are seeking answers around a so-called surge last year of state police fighting crime in Albuquerque. Seven House Republicans sent a letter Friday to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham requesting an investigation into the much-criticized "Operation Surge." A KOAT-TV analysis in December found that 52% of those cases were tossed for a variety of reasons, including shoddy paperwork or a lack of evidence. The Republicans say the "disappointing anti-crime operation" sent a message to criminals that they likely won't be prosecuted for crimes.
- Suspended New Mexico professor sues to return to work
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A University of New Mexico professor who was suspended for all of 2020 after the school found he violated sexual harassment policies is seeking a return to work. The Albuquerque Journal reports Anderson School of Management associate professor Nick Flor last week filed a lawsuit to halt his yearlong suspension without pay. The suspension also prohibits Flor from working elsewhere for more than 39 days during the suspension. The lawsuit says the university violated Flor's due process rights during its investigation into a relationship between Flor and a graduate student. Flor denied that he violated any policies, and his attorney said he wasn't given a fair chance to defend himself. University officials declined to comment on Flor's case.
- New Mexico governor seeks raises for teachers, state workers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor is proposing more pay raises for public school and state government workers plus new subsidies to expand early childhood schooling and provide tuition-free college. In budget recommendations delivered Monday to the Legislature, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham seeks a 4% teacher pay boost. State employees would get 3% raises. Other proposed spending increases would expand child care subsidies to 4,200 more children. To pay for the plan, the Democratic governor is proposing an 8 percent general fund spending increase to about $7.7 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1. The Democrat-led Legislature convenes Jan. 21 to craft the budget.
- Shooting range owner joins US Senate race in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Louie Sanchez, a health care businessman and a shooting range owner, is jumping in the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico. Sanchez announced Monday he will seek the Republican nomination for a spot currently held by retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall. Sanchez says he is running because others have refused to "take action" to tighten immigration and drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border. He will face anti-abortion activist Elisa Martinez, contractor Mick Rich and college professor Gavin Clarkson in the Republican primary. Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján is running for the seat in the Democratic primary.
- Marijuana farms may be straining New Mexico water supplies
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More medical marijuana plants are being grown in New Mexico than ever and the crop could be straining local water supplies. The Albuquerque Journal reports two rural water systems in Sandoval County say the crop may be depleting local water supplies. And they say they have been left powerless to stop it. The Peña Blanca Water and Sanitation District and Sile Mutual Domestic Water and Sewer Association sent a letter last month to state agencies and legislators describing their concerns over their disappearing water resources. The water system representatives say New Mexico's patchwork of medical marijuana regulations has not kept up with the increased strain on rural water supplies.
- Rob Dean, former editor of Santa Fe New Mexican, dies at 65
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Rob Dean, a former editor who led the Santa Fe New Mexican for more than two decades, has died. The paper announced that Dean died Sunday unexpectedly at his Santa Fe home. He was 65. The cause of death has not been determined. Born and raised in Harlowton, Montana, Dean served as metro editor at the News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington, and taught journalism at Pacific Lutheran University before coming to Santa Fe. He took over the New Mexican after former owner Robert McKinney won a court decision returning control of the newspaper to him from conglomerate Gannett. Dean retired in 2013. A few years later, he was chosen to lead Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative journalism project co-founded by former New Mexican editor Ray Rivera.
- Navajo Nation eyes proposed Department of Medical Examiners
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation says it is working with Congress to fund the tribe's proposed Department of Medical Examiners. The Gallup Independent reports Navajo Law and Order Committee Chairwoman Eugenia Charles-Newton says the panel is seeking full funding amid overworked criminal investigators. Navajo criminal investigators have been handling deaths on the sprawling Navajo Nation that is located in three states. Navajo criminal investigators have been devoting about 40% of their time to serve as coroners. This has also created a problem when it comes to recruiting criminal investigators because they turn down the job discouraged by the extra duty of coroner.