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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 6:20 a.m. MST

  • IMMIGRATION-HUNGER STRIKES

MILAN, N.M. (AP) — A dozen Cuban asylum-seekers detained in a New Mexico say they have repeatedly been placed in solitary confinement for going on hunger strikes.The Santa Fe New Mexican reports two asylum-seekers in federal immigration custody said they and 10 others were put in solitary confinement twice as punishment for protesting their lengthy stay in prison.
The men are being held at the privately run Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico.
Juan Carlos Peña Pavon told the newspaper he spent nine days in solitary confinement.
The 51-year-old Peña Pavon is part of a group of detained asylum-seekers that last month staged sit-ins at Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico.
A spokeswoman at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's El Paso field office did not respond to an email.
 

  • EDUCATION LAWSUIT-NEW MEXICO

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A court ruling about insufficient opportunities at public schools in the state is the subject of an upcoming public discussion at New Mexico State University.Experts in public education are inviting residents to join a discussion Thursday in Las Cruces about the lawsuit and responses to it.
State lawmakers have increased spending on public-school salaries and longer academic calendars at many schools. But parents and school districts that sued the state say even more needs to be done to help disabled students and vulnerable children from poor households where English is not spoken.
The state trails most of the nation in average academic proficiency among students and high school graduation rates.
Criminal justice professor Dulcinea Lara says discussion will delve into implications of the district court ruling for students.

  • NEW MEXICO CRIME

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest city is adding more homicide detectives as it nears a record number of killings seen in a year.KOB-TV reports the Albuquerque Police Department is preparing to hire more homicide detectives after Mayor Tim Keller doubled the number when he took office in 2017.
The city of Albuquerque is two killings away from tying its deadliest year ever with 72 homicides.
FBI statistics show Albuquerque had a violent crime rate of 1,365 per 100,000 residents in 2018. The national rate was about 369 violent crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Earlier this year, the country of Uruguay issued a warning to its citizens about traveling to Albuquerque.
 

  • NEW MEXICO-SETTLEMENTS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colon says around $2.7 million in secret settlements with appointees under former Republican Gov. Susana Martinez were an "abuse of power."Colon said Monday a recent audit into past sealed agreements during the Martinez Administration found that 12 lacked proper documentation, transparency, and investigations. He says the secret settlements appeared to be protecting the former governor's "political legacies" and her political agendas rather than taxpayers.
The audit came following revelations about secret settlements of lawsuits against state officials under the Martinez Administration. Some of those settlements were sealed until after her departure from office at the end of 2018.
Martinez did not immediately return a phone message.
Colon says he forwarded the audit to the state Attorney General's Office to review.

  • POLITICAL ACCESS-NEW MEXICO

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has halted publication of a running daily list of appointments that previously offered insights into her travels and interactions with legislators, business leaders and advocacy groups.As of Monday morning, the most recent calendar item for Lujan Grisham was more than seven weeks old.
Weekly online updates about the governor's conversations and appointments were introduced earlier this year as an extra step toward transparency. It marked a change from the administration of Republican predecessor Susana Martinez.
Hundreds of listings for the first nine months of Lujan Grisham's administration include conversations with lobbyists, labor leaders, energy executives, environmental activists and more.
The governor's office previously said the calendars included about 95% of professional engagements and that unlisted engagements primarily involved staff.

  • ELECTION 2020-EMBATTLED LAWMAKER

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, one of the most liberal lawmakers in New Mexico, is facing a Democratic primary challenge from a former campaign worker.Edwina Cisneros recently announced she will seek to unseat Roybal Caballero from her southwest Albuquerque seat. Roybal Caballero last month launched her re-election fundraising kickoff in El Paso, Texas.
Cisneros worked as Roybal Caballero's field coordinator in 2018.
The 69-year-old lawmaker has been criticized for refusing to work with other elected officials to help a district in dire need of roads, lights, and jobs.
State Sen. Michael Padilla and Bernalillo County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada, both Democrats, say they support Cisneros and denounced Roybal Caballero as ineffective.
Roybal Caballero says her opponents want her to be a "puppet for the big developers."

  • FEDERAL PLUTONIUM-NEVADA

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The federal government is arguing that it has already promised no more weapons-grade plutonium will be sent to Nevada, and the state lacks standing to seek a court order to force the Energy Department to remove it.Documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Reno brand as "conjectural" or "hypothetical" state claims that residents are harmed by radiation from material secretly trucked a year ago from South Carolina to Nevada.
The plutonium is now stored at a facility at the vast Nevada National Security Site north of Las Vegas
Attorneys for the state didn't immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.
Energy Department lawyers want the case thrown out of court.
They argue the matter is moot and the federal government is immune from state legal action.

  • NEW MEXICO ENERGY FUTURE

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest electric utility is reaching out to vendors and energy companies around the world for ideas as it works toward going emissions-free.The Public Service Company of New Mexico announced Friday it's seeking information on the types of resources and emerging technologies capable of helping it reach the goal.
That ranges from storage systems and carbon emissions controls to hydrogen technologies.
New Mexico earlier this year adopted renewable energy mandates that call for zero emissions by 2045. PNM vows to beat that deadline by five years.
The utility is seeking indicative pricing for modeling and analysis purposes. Separate requests for proposals are possible in the future.
The call for input comes as the utility embarks on a tri-annual resource planning effort centered on how it will serve customer needs for the next 20 years.