Protecting the accused
Santa Fe County defended its jail operations Monday after accused killer Thomas Ferguson apparently hanged himself in his cell using a bedsheet. Ferguson was accused of the beating and death of Jeremiah Valencia last fall. There were signs the 13-year-old had been viciously abused by Ferguson. Valencia's mother—who was Ferguson's girlfriend at the time—is also accused, as is Ferguson's son. County officials say they are investigating ($), but that no matter what their procedures, inmates who want to kill themselves will find a way to do so.
Can’t find it
The city of Albuquerque says one of its animal welfare officers couldn't find a car last month which sat in the sun for hours as five dogs inside died. That's despite a nursery employee who called in about the situation and gave the city an address, a description of the car, a license plate, a number to call if officers needed more information … and the fact that the car's hazard lights were on. The city investigated and the animal welfare officer resigned.
Quick response
The Santa Fe National Forest had four air tankers and 20 firefighters on the ground yesterday to respond to a fire in the Jemez Mountains west of Española. The quick response is typical of what we'll likely see throughout the spring ($) as New Mexico's drought-stricken forests and grasslands are extremely vulnerable to fire that is often fanned by high winds.
Incorrect and incomplete
A pair of lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe claim that a list of so-called credibly accused priests is incorrect and incomplete. The church produced the list last fall in response to a series of lawsuits claiming the archdiocese covered up and improperly responded to sexual abuse allegations against priests. The suits say one name was incorrectly included and 46 others were left off the list.
Beyond suspicious
The FBI says a man who said he's from New Mexico sent packages to dozens of young girls in states back East. The strange parcels contain half-eaten food and usually notes asking that the girls email him—posing as a young boy—at one of two email addresses. Investigators say they traced those email addresses to message boards frequented by sexual predators.
New justice (no peace)
Former District Court Judge Gary Clingman was sworn in as New Mexico's latest Supreme Court justice yesterday. Gov. Martinez appointed the Hobbsan to the state's highest court to fill the vacancy created by Justice Edward Chavez' retirement in March. Clingman will hold the seat temporarily and have to run a campaign if he wants to keep it, as voters will elect a permanent replacement in November.
Social media giant
If that isn't a media term rapidly gaining parity with "tech-heavy NASDAQ," well then we're just fit to be tied. In this instance, it refers to Facebook, which has partnered with Central New Mexico Community College to offer a digital marketing certificate. It's the first time Facebook, which began as a substitute for freshman meet-and-greet pamphlets on college campuses, has partnered with a school for such an effort.
Apparently, it can
In what appears to be a rather sad instance of tempting fate, a Ruidoso barbecue joint called Can't Stop Smokin' caught fire over the weekend and was destroyed. The state fire marshal is investigating the fire, which happened while the restaurant was open and both employees and customers were inside. No one was seriously injured. The owner says he isn't certain whether he'll rebuild.
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