- TV-N SCOTT MOMADAY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his groundbreaking novel “House Made of Dawn,” says he’s not done writing and is vowing to finish his long-anticipated memoir.In a rare interview with The Associated Press, the 85-year-old author says he’s excited about a new PBS documentary about his life. But he remains surprised other writers have said his work has influenced them.
Momaday says he’s proud to see so many new Native American writers have successful careers since the publication of his first novel. The Oklahoma-born Momaday, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, says he’s working on three new books.
The American Masters documentary series is set to air “N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear” on most PBS stations on Monday.
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Russell Contreras is a member of The Associated Press’ race and ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/russcontreras
- ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson has announced the appointment of a full-time Assistant U.S. Attorney to be stationed permanently in Roswell.Anderson says the move will help his office serve southeastern New Mexico and enhance its partnerships with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in the region.
Officials from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and others joined Anderson in making the announcement Thursday at the offices of the Roswell Police Department.
The federal agencies routinely work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute a wide-variety of federal criminal activity.
- NEW MEXICO OUTSIDE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of New Mexico’s new office of outdoor recreation says the potential for the Land of Enchantment to become the go-to place for outdoor enthusiasts is enormous.Axie Navas testified before a panel of state lawmakers Thursday. She said the industry already contributes billions of dollars to New Mexico’s coffers but there’s room to grow.
She and others pointed to western states that have been able to coordinate efforts to grow outdoor recreation through dedicated agencies.
Now that New Mexico has its own office, Navas says she’s focused on sharing with key industry players the well-kept secret of the state’s outdoor offerings — from world-class quail hunting to mountain biking flowy singletrack.
A regional official with the U.S. Forest Service told lawmakers it’s like the sleeping giant in the outdoor recreation world is awakening.
- MASS SHOOTING-TEXAS-WALMART-THE LATEST
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Customers have returned to a Walmart in Texas that had been closed since a gunman fatally shot 22 people there in August.About 50 shoppers lined up early Thursday to enter the renovated Walmart in the border city of El Paso. They streamed past dozens of sheriff's deputies, security guards and store employees.
Walmart didn’t have a guard in the store on the day of the mass shooting. Since then, the retail giant has quietly hired off-duty officers to work at all of its area stores.
The move comes amid ongoing lawsuits over store safety.
A suburban Dallas man, Patrick Crusius, has pleaded not guilty to carrying out the attack. Authorities say he confessed to the shooting and that he targeted Mexicans.
- WIFE KILLED-HUSBAND ARRESTED
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Police in Las Cruces say a man suspected of fatally stabbing his wife has been released from a hospital and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.They say 44-year-old Juan Lopez-Banos is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old Amberly Busby Lopez.
Police were dispatched to the couple’s home Saturday night and reported finding a woman dead on the floor and Lopez-Banos on a sofa with a kitchen knife in his chest.
Investigators learned Lopez-Banos feared his wife was planning to leave him and he allegedly stabbed her and then turned the knife on himself.
Police officers interviewed Lopez-Banos at the hospital where he allegedly acknowledged stabbing his wife multiple times before attempting to commit suicide.
It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.
- FOREST HEALTH-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Federal and state officials have reached an agreement they say will strengthen their relationship as they work to improve forest conditions in New Mexico.Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen will be signing the so-called shared stewardship agreement during a gathering Thursday in Santa Fe.
The agreement has been a work in progress over years and will address issues such as wildfires, drought and invasive species.
Officials say the challenges faced by land managers transcend boundaries and affect people beyond the jurisdiction of any single organization, so they have to find new ways of working together and doing business at a greater pace and scale.
Under the agreement, the state and national forests plan to evaluate opportunities, threats and alternatives for risk management.
- OIL BOOM-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal forecasters say drilling in the United States is expected to drive global crude oil production through 2020.The U.S. Energy Information Administration offered some details on the forecast Wednesday. Industry officials are expecting New Mexico to close 2019 as a record-setting year.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association’s Robert McEntyre said producers are poised to top 300 million barrels for the year and daily production levels could reach 1 million barrels before 2020.
The U.S. agency says most of the world’s production growth will come from outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. That includes the Permian Basin that straddles parts of New Mexico and West Texas.
The agency has increased the forecast for U.S. production in 2020 to an average of 13.3 million barrels per day.
- JEFFREY EPSTEIN-VICTIM COMPENSATION
NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for the estate of Jeffrey Epstein want to set up a fund to compensate women who have accused him of sexual abuse.The estate filed papers Thursday in the U.S. Virgin Islands asking a court there to approve the voluntary claims program.
They say that it would be managed by Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator known for administering payouts in other high-profile civil cases.
The 66-year-old Epstein killed himself in his New York City prison cell in August after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
The wealthy financier had pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.
Feinberg said that if the fund is approved, the accusers could begin receiving payments early next year.