A state senator from southwest New Mexico wants Attorney General Hector Balderas to weigh in on whether parents can legally opt out their children from taking an upcoming standardized test. Democrat Howie Morales of Silver City says parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children and that includes whether they take assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. Morales sent a letter to Balderas on Thursday, asking for a formal opinion. Testing will begin for some students next week, while others will start taking the exams later in the month. Morales says there's confusion because some school districts are telling parents they don't have a right for their children to opt out.
New Mexico has seen more fires this year than last, with the latest reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican burning 750 acres of tall grass east of Las Vegas. That fire was quickly doused, according to the New Mexican, and it’s part of 132 small fires across the state so far this year. Last year there were 63. Several other fires have scorched bosque areas and are mostly contained this morning. They include the Brown Fire southeast of Socorro; the Dump Fire on federal land in Grant County, and the Moon Mountain Fire. About 200 firefighters assigned to that blaze are being released today. The fire burned 125 acres and is now 70-percent contained. Snow falling in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico this morning is contributing to reduced fire warnings today.
A new wireless communication system will enable workers at the federal government's underground nuclear waste dump in southern New to signal officials aboveground in the event of an emergency. The U.S. Department of Energy and the repository's manager announced the installation of the system Thursday. It includes audible and flashing alarms and allows for two-way voice and text communication. The system also provides for real-time tracking of all personnel entering the underground facility. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has adopted a host of changes aimed at improving safety in the wake of a radiation release in February 2014 that forced the closure of the repository. The release was caused by a container of waste that had been inappropriately packed and shipped from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
A Mexican journalist got the scoop of a lifetime when she spotted two suspected drug smugglers scaling a tall border fence from Mexico into the U.S. and then promptly climbing back after they realized they were being filmed. Journalist Carolina Rocha of Azteca Noticias in Mexico City was in Nogales, Arizona, reporting on the U.S. Border Patrol's use of force March 16 when she spotted two young men climbing down the fence. Footage shows them carrying large backpacks and turning back once they saw the camera. Rocha says there were three Border Patrol trucks parked within yards of the incident. The Border Patrol says it's not uncommon for smugglers to scale the fence. A spokesman says it's not clear why the agents around the fence didn't try to arrest the men.
Authorities say a small plane crashed yesterday eight miles south of Shiprock and the pilot was airlifted to a hospital. New Mexico State Police say the plane was landing at the Shiprock airport about noon Thursday when it got caught in a crosswind and was pushed off the runway. The plane caught an edge and flipped. The Cessna 180D reportedly is registered to a company out of Durango, Colorado. Authorities say the pilot was airlifted to the San Juan Regional Medical Center with back pain while the passenger walked away from the crash and was treated at the scene. Federal officials will investigate.
The national immigrant rights group known by the acronym MALDEF is asking a state district court for an injunction against New Mexico’s taxation and revenue department. The request seeks to stop TRD from withholding money from immigrant taxpayers who use federal ID numbers to file their returns. A news release from Santa Fe’s Somos Un Pueblo Unido – an immigrant rights group joining in the request – says it wants TRD to end its policy of denying tax refunds to immigrants who use the federal ID, and in some cases, Somos says, immigrants have been double-taxed. Two pending lawsuits by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, charge the state tax and revenue department with violating the federal law by withholding tax refunds and requiring additional documentation simply because they are immigrants using the federal ID numbers.
The Santa Fe Police Department says it has made a third arrest of a drug trafficking suspect during the month of March. And they say this man is also a person of interest in the homicide investigation of David Dickerson, who was found in a water tank last year in Santa Fe. SWAT and narcotics unit detectives arrested 35-year old Richard Daniel Castillo on Wednesday. He faces drug charges after a search of his home and person discovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Authorities say they are finished exploring the famed Blue Hole near Santa Rosa after an experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the underwater passageways died. They are recommending closure of the Blue Lake. A member of a diving team died last week during the survey from what authorities say appears to be an accidental drowning at the popular water hole. An autopsy is underway to find the exact cause of death. Curt Bowen, head of the ADM Exploration Foundation says the team explored every cave passage they could fit through and the system ended in a tight rock breakdown at a depth of 194 feet. Due to the extreme environment, the city has accepted the group's recommendation that the cave system remain off-limits to the public. The divers have covered and secured the grate at the bottom of the swimming hole to prevent untrained divers from entering. Bowen plans to complete a three-dimensional map illustrating the entire Blue Hole system.
A New Mexico man must serve 25 years in federal prison over a crime spree and gun battle with law officers in Texas that left him wounded. Enrique Sanchez Quiroga of Lovington, New Mexico, was sentenced Thursday in Pecos, Texas. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impede or injure officers, plus several firearms and assault-related charges. Officers in 2014 tried to stop a stolen vehicle near Sierra Blanca. Sanchez Quiroga and two other people were inside. Authorities say the trio began shooting at officers, who returned fire — wounding Sanchez Quiroga. The other two suspects ran but were caught in the desert. Investigators say the trio, over several days in New Mexico, stole guns, a vehicle and carried out a burglary.
Volkswagen is recalling about 91,000 Passat cars with diesel engines because wiring under the body can corrode, overheat and potentially start fires. The recall covers midsize Passats from the 2012 through 2014 model years. VW says wire seals in an electrical connector weren't properly assembled and can let water touch electrical terminals. This can cause a short that in rare cases can cause a fire beneath the cars. The problem was discovered when a Volkswagen factory reported some underbody fires. Dealers will replace the connector with new ones that are properly sealed. Customers will be notified to bring their cars in for service starting in June.