New Mexico Corrections Department Secretary Gregg Marcantel has ordered a lockdown of the state's 11 prisons as part of an unannounced hunt for contraband. The department announced the lockdown Monday and said staff would search every housing unit and review conditions of buildings. Marcantel says the lockdown was part of periodic reviews aimed at safety and reducing recidivism rates. In recent months, correction officials says inmates and their families have tried to smuggle Suboxone into prisons using various methods such as on the back of stamps or children's coloring books. Officials say the lockdown will be lifted once all facilities have been inspected. All visits will be canceled until lockdown ends. Officials say no end date has been decided.
The management group that operates northern New Mexico's Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort is taking over the ski slopes near Los Alamos. Resort officials say they are now planning for a full season of skiing and snowboarding at the Parajito Mountain Ski Area starting on Thanksgiving Day. The Los Alamos Ski Club made the announcement Monday, saying the partnership with the Sipapu Group will allow the club's traditions to continue and it will enhance recreational opportunities for the community. Last May, the ski club — which had previously owned and operated Pajarito — voted to transfer the ski area to Los Alamos County and the Sipapu Group. The club is now in the process of transferring its assets to the group and the county.
Western New Mexico University has signed an agreement with a Ciudad Juarez school to allow students from Mexico study at the university's language institute. The agreement with Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez signed last week opens the Silver City school to 30 students from Mexico in November. They will take intensive English immersion four-week courses. Another 50 students are scheduled to enroll in classes in June. Several WNMU faculty members are scheduled to meet with UACJ officials soon to develop exchange and research possibilities for professors and students.
Democrats have controlled the New Mexico House for the past 60 years, but the political landscape is giving Republicans hope for a breakthrough in the general election. Republicans need a net gain of three seats to take control of the 70-member House. There are at least 10 competitive races, with Democrats and Republicans each holding five of those seats. Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff says Republicans will receive a boost from the national political mood and having a popular GOP governor — Susana Martinez — on the top of the ticket to draw party loyalists to the polls. Sanderoff says Republicans have picked up seats in the Legislature historically when there's an unpopular Democratic president during a midterm election. The GOP gained eight seats in 2010.
From the snow-dusted peaks of northern Arizona's San Francisco Mountains to the fire-singed mountainsides of New Mexico, Mother Nature is signaling that fall is here. Forest officials say colors are at their peak in the high country around Flagstaff, along the Mogollon Rim and on Mt. Lemmon near Tucson. Here in New Mexico, some spots are already past their peak thanks to cooler temperatures but other areas are beginning to pop with splashes of yellow, red and orange as the aspens, oak and cottonwoods change color. For Los Alamos, this year marks one of the first in which the aspens are big enough — and bright enough — to catch the attention of fall leaf peepers. The area was devastated in 2000 and again in 2011 by record-setting wildfires.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it is reducing the number of inpatient beds at its Albuquerque hospital by 20 percent due to a nationwide nursing shortage. The department says the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center is limiting its inpatient beds to 120, down from 150. The department says the reduction of the number of beds in multiple wards addresses concerns regarding patient safety and quality of care. It also says the reduction will help boost morale and work satisfaction with the hospital's nursing staff. And it says that could help recruit high-quality candidates to fill vacant nursing positions. According to the department, hiring more nurses will allow the bed count to return to previous levels.
A company providing some behavioral health services in New Mexico following a shake-up of the state's network says it needs more money to stay afloat. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Turquoise Health and Wellness said in a recent report that it "is currently not a financially viable organization on its own." Turquoise operates in Carlsbad, Clovis and Roswell. The company is a unit of Phoenix-based Lifewell Behavioral Wellness Inc. Turquoise was one of five Arizona firms hired by Gov. Susana Martinez's administration last year after the abrupt termination of 15 New Mexico behavioral health providers suspected of Medicaid fraud.
Santa Fe police have arrested a 33-year-old man accused of attempting to ram a police car while trying to avoid arrest during a pursuit. Police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says Robert Pacheco was arrested early Monday morning after police received information he was hiding out a hotel. Espinoza says officers were attempting to detain Pacheco on an outstanding warrant last Wednesday when the attempted ramming to place. According to Espinoza, Pacheco was sought because he allegedly cut off an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet after he was released from jail two months ago. Espinoza says Pacheco was previously arrested in connection with several 2013 armed robberies.
Authorities say dead chickens and pigeons are being left at a New Mexico cemetery. Bernalillo County officials told KRQE-TV that Animal Care Services reported at least eight mysterious cases where the dead birds have been left at an Albuquerque South Valley cemetery over the last year and a half. Animal Care Services spokesman Larry Gallegos says he birds in bags and boxes appeared to have been killed humanly. But he says since the acts appear to be part of a religious ceremony, the person leaving the dead animals likely won't face charges.Early this year, Michael Gabaldon, co-owner of Romero Cemetery, said for two years dead chickens and chicken parts were being dropped off at his site overnight.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly cloudy today with the high near 61 and a 30-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers and a 40-percent chance for showers. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny with a 20-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms, the high tomorrow, 66.