Human Trafficking
Stats from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline show
have been reported in New Mexico since 2007. Last year, there were 28 cases, which included 22 cases of sex trafficking and 5 cases of labor trafficking. And it appears that Federal officials have been
without doing proper background checks.
Remembering the West Mesa Murders
Journalists Nicole Perez and Robert Browman are taking another look at the
seven years after 11 women’s bodies were unearthed. Today, one detective continues to search for a serial killer.
Linking Alcohol to Domestic Violence
Brandi Fink, an assistant professor at the UNM Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is studying
UNM Law School #1
The Daily Lobo reports, “A recent issue of PreLaw Magazine named the University of New Mexico School of Law as number one in the country for public defenders and prosecutors.”
The magazine listed the school high on the list because of its strong faculty, curriculum and financial help for the students, according to a UNM press release.
The study is based 50 percent on employment, 40 percent on curriculum and 10 percent on financial. Financial itself is 40 percent based on public salary, 40 percent debt and 20 percent on a Loan Repayment Assistance Program, according to the release.
Legislative News
- Joe Monahan doesn’t think many of those tough-on-crime bills will make it very far in the state Senate.
- Milan Simonich says state Rep. Nora Espinoza’s “mean-spirited” bill that would allow businesses to discriminate against homosexuals still hasn’t been added to the agenda, but a bill that would take away a city’s right to set its own minimum wage rate is “alive and well” and could add to the state’s growing poverty crisis.
- The total value of the state’s permanent fund fell by 1.2 percent in 2015, from $20.2 billion in 2014 to $19.95 billion as of Dec. 31, according to preliminary estimates by the State Investment Council.
- Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, says lawmakers need to re-evaluate “just how much we depend on a relatively small number of sources to fund state government, like oil and gas revenue, and an increasingly problematic tax code that provides far too many exemptions.”
- The bill that mandates retaining third graders who can’t read is moving forward after winning House approval, 36-27, on Friday night.
- A bill that would allow independent voters to participate in the state’s primary continues to make its way through the Roundhouse.
Drone Testing in New Mexico
Google, whose Titan Aerospace company pulled out of the Moriarty Municipal Airport last year, is secretly
in southern New Mexico.
Bosque Fire Contained
Fire crews in Albuquerque spent most of the weekend containing a
in the Bosque, which may have been sparked by campfires.
MedPot Report Card
New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program earned a B+ on the
and tied with California for the best score. The group looked at patients’ rights, access to medication and product safety protocols.
Treasure’s Real Cost
Taxpayers are
to pay for search-and-rescue missions when treasure hunters get lost looking for antiquities dealer Forrest Fenn’s loot. Randy Bilyeu, of Colorado, is still missing.
Election Day
Presidential candidates spent the weekend
look for last-minute support ahead of tonight’s caucuses, and it looks like the two top Democratic candidates are
. On the Republican side, we should find out if
is for real and who may emerge as a serious contender for the nomination.
Equine Herpes
Some of the state’s most valuable thoroughbreds are infected with equine herpes. Since Jan. 21, veterinarians have diagnosed
and have had to put down some of the racers. Apparently, it’s spread nose to nose but is not a threat to humans. Now, track officials in Arkansas are
from New Mexico and Arizona from competing there.
Plastic Fills Oceans
We may live in the high desert, but this is still frightening: There may soon be
Climate Change
60 Minutes
correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi went to the top of the world to get to the bottom of
Eco-Friendly Death Suit
Eco-friendly burials are trendy, but have you ever considered being buried in a suit with mushroom spores attached to it? Apparently, the fungi digest the corpse as it decomposes and
—including pesticides, preservatives and heavy metals.
Lobo Basketball
We missed this last week, but the
are now in second place in the Mountain West Conference standings, after beating Boise State, 88-83.
Santa Fe Reporter