New Mexico governor defends approach to attempted gun restrictions, emergency order on gun violence
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is defending her decision to treat gun violence as a public health epidemic by presenting statistics on recent firearms seizures, reduced reports of gunfire in the Albuquerque metro area and an uptick in jail bookings.
New Mexico governor amends order suspending right to carry firearms to focus on parks, playgrounds
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has narrowed an order that broadly suspended the right to carry firearms in and around Albuquerque to apply only to public parks and playgrounds where children and their families gather.
New Mexico governor's suspension of right to public carry ignites protests, lawsuits and debates
Some demonstrators defiantly wore holstered handguns on their hips or carried assault rifles in a rally by gun-rights advocates, protesting New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishamโs surprise order to suspend for 30 days the right to carry firearms after two children were recently killed in separate shootings.
Sheriff in New Mexico's most populous county rejects governor's gun ban, calling it unconstitutional
The sheriff in New Mexicoโs largest metro area has vowed not to enforce an emergency order by the governor to temporarily suspend the right to carry firearms in public in and around the city of Albuquerque.
Albuquerque sued by ACLU for hounding, harassing homeless
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and others are suing the city of Albuquerque in an effort to stop officials in the stateโs largest city from destroying homeless encampments and jailing and fining people who are living on the street.
At a New Mexico abortion clinic, calls flood in from Texas and wait time for appointments grows
The University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health is one of only three clinics in the state that perform abortion procedures. The clinicโs doctors say people from Texas make up more than 75% of their patients.
Members of Congress highlight missing minority women, girls
Members of a congressional panel focused on civil rights and liberties are acknowledging that more needs to be done to address the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous, Black and other minority women and girls who are missing in the United States.
New Mexico Legislature moves to preserve abortion rights
Female senators took the lead in presenting the Democratic-sponsored bill that would repeal a 1969 ban on most abortion procedures. The law has been dormant since 1973 when the nation's highest court issued the Roe v. Wade decision, overriding state laws that banned or severely restricted access to abortion procedures. Left in place, the statute could go back into effect if the high court eventually overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. โWith uncertainty at the federal level, New Mexico needs to be clear about womenโs rights, womenโs health care, womenโs reproductive choices, abortion and abortion care,โ Lujan Grisham said in a video conference with news media. AdSupporters of New Mexico's restrictions on abortions say a repeal would drive valued medical professionals from New Mexico who are conscientious objectors to abortion procedures.
Wayne Taylor Racing wins record-tying 3rd consecutive Rolex
Wayne Taylor left General Motors after 28 years at the end of last season to become a factory Acura program. "We won it with Ricky, and Jordan won the GT class with Corvette, and then the Wayne Taylor Racing program won it overall. Albuquerque won in 2018 driving a Cadillac; Ricky Taylor won in a Cadillac for his father's team in 2017. AdWhen Taylor switched to Acura, he released van der Zande, who was grabbed by Ganassi as the team returned to sports car racing after a one-year hiatus. โLooked like we had the race won right there.
'Lost connection' hampers Virgin Galactic's test flight
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. โ A Virgin Galactic test flight Saturday ended prematurely as the spacecraft's rocket motor failed to ignite and it then glided down safely to its landing site in southern New Mexico. โAfter being released from its mothership, the spaceshipโs onboard computer that monitors the rocket motor lost connection,โ CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement. โAs we do with every test flight, we are evaluating all the data, including the root cause assessment of the computer communication loss,โ Colglazier said. It's unclear how soon another window will open for Virgin Galactic's next attempt at a powered flight to space. Virgin Galactic has yet to announce a firm date for its first commercial flight.
Netflix to expand production hub in New Mexico
The footprint of the production hub will grow with a private land purchase and a lease involving state trust land. She said the partnership with Netflix should send a signal that New Mexico is the place to be for film and television production. As part of the proposed investment, Netflix has committed to providing training programs in partnership with the New Mexico Film Office, local universities and industry organizations. Since coming to New Mexico in 2018, Netflix said it has spent more than $200 million, used more than 2,000 production vendors and hired more than 1,600 cast and crew members. Netflix is in production in New Mexico on the original films โThe Harder They Fall" and โIntrusion" and is expected to soon begin filming โStranger Things 4" in Albuquerque.
US Latino civil rights group moves 2021 convention online
LULAC, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization, voted Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, to postpone its planned national convention in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2021 over uncertainty caused by COVID-19. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)RIO RANCHO, N.M. โ The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Latino civil rights group in the U.S., has decided to move its 2021 national convention online amid concerns and health orders caused by COVID-19. The state currently limits the number of people at large gatherings and LULAC national conventions typically attract thousands of activists. The group still plans to hold a national convention in Albuquerque in 2023 because the city and the LULAC's local chapters made financial commitments to hold an event in the city. LULAC national conventions and gatherings have attracted presidents, presidential candidates, and international leaders.
Ambassador: Time is right for new arms control agreement
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. โ The Trump administration has sketched out a framework that it hopes will avoid a three-way arms race as a deadline nears for extending the only remaining nuclear arms control deal with Russia and as China looks to expand its nuclear forces. Ambassador Marshall Billingslea, the special presidential envoy for arms control, spoke with The Associated Press about negotiations with Russia while touring some of the top nuclear research labs and production sites in the United States. Signed in 2010, the New START treaty limits the United States and Russia to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. It represents the only remaining nuclear arms control deal between the two countries after they both withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year. โWe need to get the experts together to get comfortable with technical solutions that enable meaningful arms control going forward,โ he said, with the goal being security and stability in Europe and Asia.
Trump sends in agents as Albuquerque struggles with crime
They're now facing charges in a city that is 10th in the nation for violent crime, ranks No. Since the agents arrived, 16 people in Albuquerque have been charged with offenses involving firearms, drugs, carjacking and other crimes, federal officials have said. The latest non-preliminary federal crime statistics from 2018 show that Albuquerque's crime rate was more than 3.5 times the national average. An Associated Press analysis of violent crime rates per 100,000 people put Albuquerque as No. "Without addressing this inequality in areas like housing, you might see increases in violent crime, Lyons said.
Surge of federal agents leaves many questions unanswered
Federal agents wearing camouflage without clear identification hit the streets in Portland to protect federal property amid demonstrations against police brutality. For now, the plan for Chicago and Albuquerque does not seem to include federal agents engaging with protesters. The agents in Kansas City were to investigate homicides, shootings and violent crime in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, officials said. For decades, administrations have dispatched extra federal agents to cities during surges of violence, natural disasters and other crises. But since this weeks announcement about sending additional federal agents, shes struck a cautiously optimistic chord, saying she was encouraged that the U.S. attorneys office would supervise at least some of the agents.
Trump deploys more federal agents under 'law and order' push
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced he will send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help combat rising crime, expanding the administrations intervention into local enforcement as he runs for reelection under a law and order mantle. Sending federal agents to help localities is not uncommon; Attorney General William Barr announced a similar surge effort in December for seven cities with spiking violence. Indeed, civil unrest escalated after federal agents were accused of whisking people away in unmarked cars without probable cause. The campaign believes the push can help Trump by drumming up support from suburban and older voters who may be rattled by violent images, which have been broadcast often by conservative media outlets. In New Mexico, Democratic elected officials had cautioned Trump against sending in federal agents, with U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich calling on Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales to resign for attending the White House event.
Atomic anniversary brings US nuclear official to New Mexico
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2019, file photo, National Nuclear Security Administration administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty talks about her agency's work to reduce global nuclear threats during a business conference in Albuquerque, N.M. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty will visit New Mexico Thursday, July 16, 2020 as part of a nationwide tour of the federal government's nuclear security operations. Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty spoke with The Associated Press during a stop in New Mexico. The visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Trinity Test, which marked the worlds first atomic explosion. The latest round of funding for the plutonium project is being hashed out now by Congress. Some lawmakers are concerned that the nuclear agency hasn't developed a master schedule that outlines all the activities related to plutonium pit production.
Man arrested in shooting during Albuquerque statue protest
(Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A 31-year-old man has been arrested in a shooting that happened as protesters in New Mexicos largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum, police said Tuesday. The shooting prompted the city to announce that the statue would be removed until officials determine the next steps. Police in a statement said detectives arrested Stephen Ray Baca and that he was jailed on suspicion of aggravated battery. In 1998, someone sawed the right foot off the statue an incident that weighed in the decision to stash away the statue. Tony Valerio, 65, rushed to the site after a neighbor alerted him that the statue was being taken down.
Man shot during protest over Spanish conqueror's statue
(AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)ALCALDE, N.M. A man was shot Monday night as protesters in New Mexicos largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum. The man was taken to a hospital but his condition was not immediately unknown, said Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos. A forklift pried the massive bronze statue of Oate on horseback from a concrete pedestal. Plus, I don't feel like risking my sheriff's deputies or state police to defend it.The Oate statues have been a source of criticism for decades. In 1998, someone sawed the right foot off the statue an incident that weighed in the decision to stash away the statue.