A long time Santa Fe resident and cherished member of the KSFR community has died. Craig Barnes died Wednesday after a prolonged illness. Barnes grew up in eastern Colorado. His long list of accomplishments includes being a trial lawyer working to protect civil rights. He also helped facilitate talks between opposing sides in a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Barnes had been a regular contributor to National Public Radio, and served on a variety of boards here in Santa Fe including the Land Use Resource Center, and the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. The Santa Fe resident authored several books, including a memoir of growing up on the prairies of Colorado. Barnes was 79.
A federal appeals court in Denver has upheld the conviction of former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Tommy Rodella. Rodella’s been found guilty accused of pulling a gun on a motorist and striking him with his badge. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit affirmed the civil rights violation conviction for ex-Rio Arriba County Sheriff Thomas Rodella in a ruling filed Wednesday. Rodella was sentenced in January to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as a fit of road rage. He also was ordered to pay a 200-thouand dollar fine and more than ten-thousand dollars in restitution. But his attorney, John Cline, had argued that improper jury instructions created an unfair trial. Cline says the traffic stop was legal because the motorist was driving carelessly.
Officials at Sandia National Laboratories say they've revised procedures to ensure control and accountability of all radioactive materials and devices that are required to be tracked. The move comes after a small device used to eliminate static went missing following an explosive handling activity. The device — about the size of a double A battery — contains a tiny amount of the radioactive element Polonium 210 but doesn't pose a health hazard. The device was shipped back from the test site to the lab earlier this year, but the package appeared to be empty when it arrived. After a search, the lab declared it lost. The U.S. Department of Energy sent an enforcement letter to the lab last week. The agency says it will monitor the lab's actions to ensure it doesn't happen again.
A former Santa Fe merchant has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his part in a drug operation that used his Plaza-area store. AshrafNassar was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Albuquerque for conspiracies to distribute oxycodone and marijuana. The 32-year-old and four co-defendants were charged in September 2013 in a 16-count indictment. Two other defendants were added later. Nassar (Nah—Sahr) pleaded guilty June, admitting that from December 2012 to September 2013 he received oxycodone from multiple sources and provided it to redistributors and users. He has also pleaded guilty to drug charges in state District Court. Nassar is scheduled to be sentenced for those charges December seventh. All of Nassar's co-defendants have also entered guilty pleas.
Netflix has renewed “Longmire” for a fifth season. “Longmire” is shot near Santa Fe. The show employed about 100 local crew members during its fourth season. It also hired about 40 New Mexico actors. The fifth season will have 10 episodes. Netflix hasn’t scheduled a release date for the season.
Later today, Santa Fe Community College is hosting Veterans and Family Appreciation Day Resource and Career Fair. United States Marine Corps Sergeant Andrew Brandi will give the keynote address 'Coping after Combat. ' Brandi will offer free copies of his book, 'The Warriors Guide to Insanity' to all active military, veterans and their families.
School board members in Mora are distancing themselves from its disgraced former superintendent. The Las Vegas Optic reports the Mora Independent School District board said in a statement this week the resignation of Superintendent Charles Trujillo "brings to an end a fraud" against the district. Trujillo's resignation follows an investigation by the Optic that Trujillo faked his credentials to obtain his administrative license. Two days after the Optic story was published, Trujillo surrendered his education licenses to the state Public Education Department. The statement, written by Trujillo's uncle, board chair George Trujillo, says the former school chief used "deception and counterfeit" to get his job. The board says the state Public Education Department shares the blame for issuing Charles Trujillo his license.
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with the high near 44 and a 40-percent chance of rain or snow showers. Tonight: Expect a hard freeze—it’ll be partly cloudy with the overnight low of 26. Tomorrow: Sunny with the high reaching 48.