Lujan Grisham, former intern, clash over dismissal
Yesterday, Riley Del Ray said she was fired from an internship in Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham's Capitol Hill office because she was transgender. Lujan Grisham said she was "dumbfounded" by the claim. Now, a former congressman says Del Ray disclosed her gender identification to him, but he never told Lujan Grisham about it. Meanwhile, Del Ray produced emails that show she was asked to write a letter of apology to Lujan Grisham for unprofessional performance during her brief internship.
New year, old water battle
The end may be near for a water dispute between New Mexico and Texas. The two states have long griped at each other over how much Rio Grande water is traveling to Texas. Oral arguments before the US Supreme Court are scheduled for next month. At issue is the ability of Southern New Mexico farmers to pump groundwater from the aquifer below the Rio Grande. At stake is a potentially crippling penalty New Mexico might have to pay if it loses.
Father sues city after rec center molestation case
The father of a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly molested by a 71-year-old man in the shower at the Fort Marcy recreation center says the city should have known about the man, Eric Knee, because it had banned him from the Salvador Perez pool after a similar incident four years earlier. The suit says the city apparently didn't report the earlier molestation claim to police.
UNM shifts social policy for Greek system
With three complaints against three fraternities in three months, the University of New Mexico has suspended "mixed events" with other Greek chapters. The ban affects 22 Greek houses both on and off campus. The complaints involve hazing and alcohol violations. Two of the frats have on-campus houses.
School starts again Monday in Aztec
Aztec High School has been closed since last week's school shooting. The shooter took the lives of two students before killing himself. The school district says classes will start up again on Monday ($), the week before the Christmas holiday. Other schools around the district opened for regular class schedules yesterday.
NMAA waives unique living situation for Pecos basketball player
There's good news for Pecos High School senior Carlos Cordova and his assistant basketball coach, Dominick Baca. The New Mexico Activities Association said it will waive any policy violations ($) caused by the pair's living arrangement. Cordova has lived with his coach since the senior's custodial grandfather died. The New Mexican highlighted the relationship on Thanksgiving Day. Shortly after, the high school sports authority said it was investigating the arrangement.
That smoke you’re seeing
It's not quite up in the air this morning, but soon, state forestry crews and prison inmates will be burning brush piles in Hyde Memorial State Park ($). It's expected to last about three days and could kick smoke into the sky throughout the burn. The park and surrounding forest will still be open. If you live somewhere else and are seeing smoke … RUN. Just kidding. Probably.
Where’d the money go?
The Office of the State Auditor is digging into a $10.5 million telecommunications grant that was supposed to boost broadband in the Pojoaque Valley and further north in communities along both the Rio Grande and the Rio Chama. But Rio Arriba County says that when it tried to take the reins from the utility that had been set up to handle the grant, it got a tangled mess.
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