7-year-old dies in Border Patrol custody

Girl, 162 others turned themselves in south of Lordsburg

Girl dies in Border Patrol custody after New Mexico crossing

The Washington Post is reporting that a 7-year-old girl who crossed the border into the US and was taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol agents in New Mexico has died ($). The girl was part of a group of 163 people who approached agents south of Lordsburg to turn themselves in. Several hours later, suffering from apparent dehydration and hunger, the girl began having seizures, according to Border Patrol. She died at a hospital in El Paso.

That much closer

It was 2004 when Gov. Bill Richardson and Sir Richard Branson (which seem like possible anagrams, but aren't) stood together and gleefully declared a partnership to take tourists to the edge of space by the end of 2007. The state has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building a spaceport for Branson to get a jump on the commercial space boom. So far, it's seen just a trickle of business to the remote facility. Yesterday, those hopes took one giant step closer to reality—and profitability—as Branson's Virgin Galactic spacecraft rocketed to suborbital space. The flight took off from the Mojave Desert in California, not Spaceport America in New Mexico, but it's a step. Heath Haussamen at NMPolitics.net explores some of what the flight means for New Mexico.

Court rules on textbook case

The New Mexico Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling, clearing the path for private schools to receive textbooks and other non-religious instructional materials from public funding programs. That's true whether the private schools in question are religious or not. The court reconsidered the state Constitution and a 2015 decision after a US Supreme Court ruling based on a similar case in Missouri.

Seizure freezer

A three-judge panel on the New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled against the city of Albuquerque's DWI vehicle seizure program, a decision that prompted the city of Santa Fe to suspend its nearly identical program. The city attorney announced the move at Wednesday's City Council meeting. After a decision in a federal case last summer signaled a shift in the legal landscape, Santa Fe County stopped its seizure program.

Threat matrix

A wave of bomb threats across the country yesterday might be tied to several in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. Police say a number of businesses around town, including Santa Fe's Target store, were targeted by the hoaxes ($). The North Central Regional Transit District received threats that a bomb would explode on one of its buses yesterday, prompting evacuations, delays and cancellations on some routes. That threat was also a hoax.

Final four

Farmington teen Chevel Shepherd is a finalist on NBC's The Voice reality talent show ($). She'll compete against the other three finalists on Monday before the judges or America or someone decides WHO WINS CHRISTMAS this year. Or something. But this is a big deal for a talented kid from New Mexico who could soon be a legitimate country singin' star.

Currents goes year-round

The people behind the CURRENTS New Media summer festival open their Canyon Road gallery tonight for the start of a year-round journey. The gallery, Currents 826, focuses on experiential art and a gift shop. The reception starts tonight at 5 pm.

Pre-winter warmer

It feels like winter, but it's not, and we're going to get a reminder. Temperatures will pop up like a holiday gift shop this weekend into the mid-to-upper 40s, low 50s and beyond. There's hardly any chance of precipitation. Get up early if you're going to the car wash, because it's going to be busy.

Thanks for reading! The Word is one of those people who is annoyed by winter technically starting just a few days before Christmas. This most definitely has to do with growing up in Minnesota.

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