- CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A special congressional election is testing the pulse of politics in the Albuquerque metro area and a few outlying rural communities at a turning point in the pandemic and economic recovery. Four names are on the ballot in Tuesday's congressional election to succeed Deb Haaland after her confirmation as secretary of the U.S. Interior Department. Republican Mark Moores hopes to erode the 219-211 Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives with his hardline campaign platform on crime and immigration enforcement. Democrat Melanie Stansbury has embraced President Joe Biden's core agenda for economic recovery, free universal preschool, infrastructure and the environment.
- MARIJUANA REPEAL-ALAMOGORDO
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — With New Mexico legalizing recreational marijuana, Alamogordo is repealing the city ordinance against unlawful possession that has been on the books since 1960. The Alamogordo Daily News reports that the repeal ordinance approved unanimously by the commission will take effect June 29, That's the same date that state law will allow people age 21 and over to possess up to two ounces of marijuana. Alamogordo City Attorney Petria Bengoechea said the state law will be enforced. Bengoechea also said no one is currently incarcerated for illegal marijuana possession under the ordinance being repealed since it is punishable with a fine.
- DRUG OVERDOSES-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Drug overdose deaths in New Mexico in 2020 increased by 25% from the previous year, continuing a trend seen before the pandemic. The Albuquerque Journal reports that increased abuse of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl pumped up the number of overdose deaths to 721 in 2019, up from 574 in 2019. According to the Journal, the provisional numbers were gathered by the federal government and broken down by QuoteWizard, a division of LendingTree, according to the Journal. Fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid that is prescribed for legitimate medical uses but it also is smuggled into the United States from Mexico and often trafficked illegally.
- PRESCRIPTION-DRUGS-FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Biden administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that could stand in the way of states like Florida allowing prescriptions drugs to be imported from Canada. The administration is arguing that the lawsuit filed on behalf of U.S. pharmaceutical companies was premature because the federal government has yet to approve any importation programs. Florida and other states argue that allowing federally approved drugs to be imported from Canada would save Americans millions of dollars. But the lawsuit raises concerns about safety and costs. The administration's legal filing Friday came on the same day Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on the federal government to approve its drug importation application.
- CHILD WELFARE-TRANSPARENCY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's child welfare agency is promising increased transparency after its use of an auto-deleting messaging app came under fire by state lawmakers and others. The state Children, Youth and Families Department also is improving an antiquated records system that makes it hard for the public to get information. But two former top staff members who were recently fired say that a culture of punishing internal dissent is hurting the agency's efforts to modernize. One says his warnings to stop using the messaging app were ignored until an investigative report about the practice spurred public outcry. Another says the record system project is at risk of failure.
- NEW MEXICO WEATHER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The National Weather Service says forecasts for much of New Mexico in coming days could spell trouble in much of the state. The Weather Service said an "active weather pattern" possibly continuing as late as Wednesday will produce slight or marginal risks for severe weather each day. Forecasters say risks include heavy rainfall that could produce for flash flooding. According to the weather service, people undertaking outdoor activities should check forecasts frequently and plan for possible thunderstorms and flooding hazards. Areas were forecasters are urging caution include eastern New Mexico, the Rio Grand Valley and mountains in central and northern New Mexico.
- EQUAL PAY LAWSUIT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The former head of New Mexico's pension system for educators is accusing Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and others of denying her equal pay. Jan Goodwin filed a federal lawsuit Thursday. She claims she forced to leave her position at the Educational Retirement Board because the administration refused to pay her the same as a male counterpart at the State Investment Council. An attorney for Goodwin says Lujan Grisham and others violated the state's Fair Pay for Women Act. The lawsuit alleges that the pay disparity goes back more than a decade. The governor's office contends the claim is baseless.
- POLICE OFFICER KILLED-CONVICTIONS AFFIRMED
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has affirmed the convictions of a man in the fatal shooting of an Albuquerque police officer in 2015. In a unanimous opinion Thursday, the state's high court rejected Davon Lymon's arguments on appeal challenging his convictions of first-degree murder, evidence tampering, forgery, receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. In 2019, Lymon was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for the murder plus 11½ years for the other charges. Police officer Daniel Webster was shot as he tried to handcuff Lymon, who was stopped while driving a motorcycle that police dispatchers reported was stolen.