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Dec. 28 First News: Governor Martinez Declares State Of Emergency Following Power Storm-Listen

Governor Susana Martinez has declared a State of Emergency following a powerful winter storm that’s delivered snow and strong winds to New Mexico. Martinez said in a statement Sunday that all residents must stay off the roads until conditions improve. The National Weather Service says some areas of the state received as much as 21 inches of snow from the storm system. Weather conditions have led to hundreds of traffic accidents on icy roads and major freeways shutting down. The system has closed Interstate 40 from Albuquerque to Texas. The New Mexico Department of Transportation says County Emergency Managers and law enforcement are having a difficult time keeping the roads cleared of vehicles due to accidents. The agency says drivers are putting emergency responders at risk when they go out and cross barricades to roads that are closed. The roads are closed for safety reasons – to prevent loss of life and limit areas that require first responder action.Also, the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) would like to reach out to all motorists traveling to the eastern United States and request motorists make arrangements to travel south from I-25 to I-10 if they are passing through New Mexico.

In the nearly three years since the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument was created, the field office that manages its 242-thousand acres has seen consecutive years of budget cuts despite seeing its visitor numbers on the rise. The Taos News reports that will change next year. President Obama created the monument in March 2013. The Proclamation sought to protect cultural and natural resources on BLM property on the vast Taos Plateau, which includes a long reach of the Rio Grande. The more than one-trillion dollar federal budget approved by Congress and signed by the president last week includes a couple of helpful provisions. A joint news release from New Mexico’s senators shows the federal bill includes nearly three-million dollars earmarked for the purchase of private property inside the monument’s exterior boundaries.  Additionally, the funds will cover wildlife surveys and new staff positions. The measure also sets- aside five-million to go to newly designated national monuments, such as Rio Grande del Norte.

An aviation police chief investigated for misusing official resources is appealing a 90-day unpaid suspension. The Albuquerque Journal obtained a copy of an internal report last week that says a city-commissioned private investigation found evidence to support that Aviation Police Chief Marshall Katz used official resources, city letterhead and city time for his own benefit. His administrative assistant Jennifer Fulton said he asked her to sew a button on his pants and type personal letters, among other tasks. A report says Katz told an investigator sewing the button on may be considered official work since it was for his uniform. Attorney John D'Amato said he and his client do not know what evidence the city has for "these potentially libelous representations." An appeal hearing is scheduled for February.

A Mesilla businessman has been indicted for allegedly lying about where he lived so he could run in municipal elections. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that a grand jury indicted 66-year-old Christopher Alexander earlier this month on felony counts of making a false statement in a candidacy declaration and falsely swearing to an oath in a municipal election. Alexander also faces a count of interference with the conduct of a municipal election. A plea hearing for him is set for next week. State investigators say Alexander lives at a Las Cruces address but listed a Mesilla museum owned by his deceased mother as a residence. Alexander says the charges are based on others trying to get back at him for "political reasons."

Holloman Air Force Base will be a temporary shelter for hundreds of immigrant children from Central America. The Alamogordo Daily News reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has directed the base to house up to 400 children starting in January. The children are currently in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services. Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce President Mike Espiritu says health department officials have already visited Holloman to see if the site could work. The children will be housed in a vacant building Espiritu says they have been immunized and screened for possible diseases. The children are considered refugees who fled strife in their homeland or are trying to reunite with family in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is embarking on a partnership with universities across the country in hopes of infusing its ranks with more diversity as it faces civil rights complaints from Latino farmers and ranchers. But some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are voicing frustration, saying the agency has yet to adequately address their concerns. The caucus asked for a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in October, expressing concern about the treatment of Latino farmers and ranchers. The USDA saysit can't talk about civil rights because of pending litigation over grazing permits in New Mexico. However, the agency told the caucus in a letter that progress is being made on other fronts and pointed to the program with the Hispanic-serving colleges and universities.

Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today with the high near 30. Tonight: Partly cloudy with the overnight low down to 12 degrees. Tomorrow: Partly sunny a 50-percent chance for scattered snow showers with the high tomorrow near 30.