ACLU looks at protest arrests
The American Civil Liberties Union is probing arrests made by Santa Fe police during Friday's Entrada protests. The group's New Mexico branch says it's concerned about possible civil rights violations as officers cleared the Plaza and arrested protesters. They've pleaded not guilty.
Griego wants Balderas to testify
Former state Senator Phil Griego wants to put the state's attorney general on the witness stand in Griego's corruption trial. The senator's attorney says Hector Balderas may have talked to Griego about possible criminal liability. Balderas' spokesman says the AG was serving as state auditor at the time and having that conversation wouldn't have been a logical move. Griego faces charges that he illegally shepherded a real estate deal through the Legislature for which he was paid $50,000 to act as a broker.
Wrong side of the tracks
A plan used by the Richardson administration to finance debt on the Rail Runner Express and other projects has New Mexico locked into interest rates that are costing it tens of millions more than it otherwise might. To pay for the train and other infrastructure needs, the state sold bonds with variable interest rates and then swapped that debt as a way to protect against rising interest rates. When interest rates fell, the state couldn't take advantage without paying a huge penalty.
Police charge woman in fatal St. Mike's crash
Police believe Alexis St. James was drunk when she pulled into the intersection of St. Michael's Drive and Pacheco Street on Saturday afternoon. They say she also pulled into the path of a motorcycle, which hit her and killed the rider, Anthony Archuleta. St. James faces an aggravated DWI charge as well as leaving the scene of an accident and other crimes.
Cult leaders enter pleas
Two of the leaders of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps have pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and, for one, 100 counts of raping a child. Deborah and Peter Green have a trial scheduled in May 2018. Seven other sect members, including Deborah Green's husband and co-founder, James, face charges after police raided their compound in Cibola County last month.
Because Albuquerque
If you drive through Albuquerque and stay the night, it might be best to find a really safe place to store your trailer. We've all seen stories about U-Hauls and other trailers getting stolen from motels. In this case, police think someone stole a trailer that had a casket—and a body—inside.
Duke City mayoral antics
Just days after Republican mayoral hopeful Wayne Johnson filed an ethics complaint against one of his opponents, Tim Keller, for accepting potentially illegal campaign contributions, a top Democrat has filed a complaint against Johnson for his own ethics violations. Terry Brunner, a former chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, says Johnson used his role as county commissioner to benefit people who eventually became campaign donors.
Thanks for reading! The Word reminds you that it's Taco Tuesday. Unless you had tacos yesterday. Actually, it'd still be Taco Tuesday, but you'd be ahead of the game. Taco Monday: Crushing it since yesterday.
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