Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 10/22/12

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich

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Clovis non-profit sued for negligence
Dept. of Transportation to spend $20 million on NM roads
Lovelace sues ABQ Health Partners
Election contact for NM appointed 

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 10/22/12

Group wants land in NM set aside for Jaguars

An environmental group is pressing federal officials to set aside millions of acres in Arizona and New Mexico for jaguars.

Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity recently told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that jaguars need more than the 1,300 square miles the agency proposed in August. Robinson says a jaguar reintroduction program, similar to the one for Mexican gray wolves, also is needed.

New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association executive director Caren Cowan called the idea “ridiculous” and said there is no need to add land restrictions for an animal that can’t survive in the region.

The endangered jaguar, the largest cat native to the Western hemisphere, was thought to have been eliminated in the U.S. by 1990 until two were spotted in 1996 in southern Arizona.

Group wants land in NM set aside for Jaguars

Newsbreak New Mexico 12pm Webcast 10/22/12

Newsbreak New Mexico 12pm Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich

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Lovelace sues ABQ Health Partners
Bernalillo and Dona Ana County early voting numbers
ABQ shooting store cancels controversial coyote hunt
NM girl victim of Sunland salmonella outbreak 

Newsbreak New Mexico 12pm Webcast 10/22/12

DOT to spend $20 million on NM roads

The Department of Transportation says $20 million will be spent on repairing New Mexico roads and bridges to ensure they're properly maintained as winter approaches. 

The state Transportation Commission approved the use of the money from the department's fund balances. Transportation Secretary Alvin Dominguez says the agency plans to spend the money quickly to protect highways and bridges from potential damage by winter weather. 

Earlier this year, Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed highway maintenance legislation. The governor said the proposal was flawed because it allocated $20 million from the state road fund for maintenance projects but offset that with just $12 million from a transfer of tax revenue from car and truck sales. The governor said cuts in other transportation expenses would have been necessary to make up the difference.

DOT to spend $20 million on NM roads

Battle between ABQ Health and Lovelace gets ugly

The parting of ways is getting ugly between ABQ Health Partners and Lovelace Insurance after ABQ Health Partners announced it will soon stop accepting Lovelace Insurance. 

Lovelace Insurance filed a lawsuit against ABQ Health Partners, claiming doctors are pressuring patients in their health insurance decisions. ABQ Health Partners said it is giving patients fliers stating which insurance policies they accept. 

According to ABQ Health Partners, patients can switch insurance to stay with their doctors by calling Medicare, Medicaid or talking to their employers' human resources director.

Battle between ABQ Health and Lovelace gets ugly

Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 10/22/12

Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich

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FBI investigating Governor's email
NM girl victim of Sunland salmonella outbreak
ABQ and Balloon Fiesta officials reach agreement 

Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 10/22/12

Controversial coyote shooting contest cancelled

A popular Albuquerque shooting store is cancelling a plan to sponsor a coyote hunt next month.

 Calibers said after a week of nasty Facebook comments, emails and phone calls, it decided the contest wasn't the right fit for the company's image. 

Earlier this week a contest was announced which would've rewarded the hunter who killed the most coyotes with two AR-15 semi-automatic firearms. The hunt was to have strict guidelines and was requested by farmers and ranchers across the state. But animal lovers quickly pounced on the idea, calling it inhumane and in bad taste.

Controversial coyote shooting contest cancelled

Roosevelt County girl victim of salmonella outbreak

State health officials say a 5-year-old girl from Roosevelt County has been identified as the 36th victim of a salmonella outbreak in peanut butter and other nut products from eastern New Mexico. 

The girl is from Roosevelt County, the area where the tainted products were processed. Health officials say the girl was never hospitalized and has recovered. She is the first person in the state linked to the outbreak, which has sickened 35 other people in 19 states.

 The Portales peanut processing plant, Sunland Inc., has shuttered while it conducts a top to bottom scrubbing and upgrade to equipment and safety controls. 

Roosevelt County girl victim of salmonella outbreak

Prosecutors and FBI investigate Governor email

Susana Martinez

The U.S. Attorney's Office has confirmed that prosecutors and the FBI are investigating a complaint by Gov. Susana Martinez that her campaign emails were stolen. 

The Albuquerque Journal reports that U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales late last month confirmed in a letter to Martinez that an investigation has begun.

Martinez says emails sent to her campaign email address, Susana2010.com, were illegally obtained and released to the public by a union-funded political action committee. The confirmation comes after an Inspection of Public Records Act request by the Journal for written communications between Martinez's office and federal law enforcement agencies regarding her complaint. 

Prosecutors and FBI investigate Governor email