Two nearby pueblos have gained control of their school curriculums. Acoma and Santa Clara Pueblos have received federal funding to create their own curriculums, giving pueblo educators an opportunity to emphasize subjects like indigenous language learning. According to the Albuquerque Journal, these pueblos have been trying to gain input in their students’ learning for some time, and are among five tribes nationwide that recently received federal funds to make it happen. But tribal officials say a good financial plan will need to be in place to make sure that funding goes as far as it should—Acoma and Santa Clara pueblos are assuming responsibility not only of planning coursework, but also of organizing transportation, food service, and security for their schools.
Three New Mexico cities are being ranked among the top five metropolitan areas in the country with the most export growth. Gov. Susana Martinez said Friday that Las Cruces, Farmington, and Santa Fe broke records for export growth according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Las Cruces and Farmington came in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Santa Fe was ranked fifth. Martinez says the rankings confirm the state's strides to diversify its economy and grow in the private sector. According to a Department of Commerce review, the Las Cruces area dominated other cities with an export growth of more than 210 percent in the last year. That amounts to a gain of $913 million. A majority of the exports were to markets where the U.S. has trade agreements.
The father of one of the teens accused of gunning down an Albuquerque man in his driveway says he is sorry for the victim's family but his son "is not an animal." Police reports show that four of the six teenage boys charged in the killing of 60-year-old Steve Gerecke came from troubled homes with parents who had run-ins with the law too. Police say the four had a history of running away from home or accusing an adult family member of abuse. Only five have a previous criminal history. Meanwhile, more than 100 people attended a memorial Saturday for Gerecke. His family says they blame the teens' parents for his death.
The father of a New Mexico lawmaker has settled two lawsuits in which he claims he was wrongfully arrested for drunk driving and assaulting an officer. Luciano Trujillo, whose son is state Rep. Carl Trujillo, will receive $85,000 from Santa Fe County's insurer. Trujillo filed a lawsuit in federal court against individual officers and one in state District Court against Santa Fe County and Sheriff Robert Garcia. In his federal suit, Trujillo says a law enforcement employee ran a check on the license plate of the vehicle he was driving 15 minutes before he was stopped by Pojoaque tribal police in 2011. Tribal police had been commissioned to enforce traffic laws in that area. Prosecutors dismissed the charges against the then 70-year-old.
The FBI in New Mexico is seeking potential victims of a Florida man who they say tricked hundreds of females into giving him sexually explicit images of themselves. 26-year-old Lucas Michael Chansler, of St. Johns, Florida, pleaded guilty last year to several counts of child pornography production but 250 images he had remain unidentified. FBI spokesman Frank Fisher says the images may involve New Mexico teens. According to Fisher, Chansler operated a "sextortion" scheme dating back to 2007. He posed as a teenage boy on social media sites and manipulated girls into sending photos or exposing themselves. He then threatened to post or share them if they didn't send more pictures or videos. The FBI previously identified victims from New Mexico in other images.
Federal authorities say the remains of a man who went missing in May have been unearthed at a home in northern New Mexico. Prosecutors are charging 66-year-old Jack Patterson Jr. in the murder of 29-year-old Benjamin Youngbear. Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs investigators excavated Youngbear's remains in a shallow grave at Patterson's Chamita home last week. According to a criminal complaint, Patterson admitted to shooting and killing Youngbear in self-defense once the remains were recovered. Tribal police say Youngbear, of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, was reported missing May 27. The U.S. Attorney's Office says an alleged accomplice, 24-year-old Antonio Valdez, remains at large. Valdez is facing charges of aiding and abetting in a murder.
The International Folk Art Market is headed for another banner year, and dozens of artisans — many from developing countries — are reaping the benefits as they work to start their own businesses and improve their communities. Now in its 12th year, the three-day market entered its final stretch Sunday. Thousands of people crowded onto Santa Fe's Museum Hill to browse the booths of more than 150 artists from around the globe. Everything from hand-woven baskets to carved gourds and rugs made of recycled clothes were on display. Organizers say the first two days were sold out and more than $700,000 in art was sold in less than four hours during the first night, a 12-percent increase over 2014. Last year, sales topped $3 million for the weekend. To hear interviews with some of the artisans who graced the market this year, visit KSFR.org.
And in national news….
A report says more than 1,800 immigrants that the government wanted to deport were nevertheless released from local jails and later re-arrested for various crimes. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement report released Monday says that the re-arrested immigrants were among 8,145 people who were freed between January and August 2014, despite requests from federal agents that they be held for deportation. The report provided by the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies says about 23 percent were eventually taken into custody again. The center actively opposes illegal immigration. Many jurisdictions have stopped honoring so-called immigration detainers, saying they can't hold arrestees without probable cause. In a case drawing national attention to the issue, authorities say a woman was shot to death in San Francisco this month by a suspect who was released from jail despite an immigration detainer.
Thousands of people have rallied in central Florida in support of flying the Confederate flag. Police estimated 2,000 vehicles, mostly motorcycles and trucks adorned with the Civil War-era flag, took part in Sunday's gathering in Ocala. The event was being held to back a decision by Marion County to return the Confederate flag to a display outside its government complex. Participants wore shirts with phrases including "heritage not hate" and talked of defending Southern traditions as the flag's symbolism is widely debated. South Carolina removed a Confederate battle flag Friday that flew near its Statehouse, weeks after nine shooting deaths at a historically black church there. Police have charged a man shown in pictures with a Confederate flag, who they say was motivated by hate.
Santa Fe Weather: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 20%.The overnight low, 60 degrees.