Federal Government Gives $68,000 per home to Homeowners for Repairs

KOAT - They're old, broken down homes that should be deemed unsafe to live in, but thanks to federal money, 50 Bernalillo County houses have a new lease on life. The federal program helps rebuild rundown homes, and for the past two years Bernalillo County's Housing Department has helped renovate 50 houses. The grant money gives each home about $68,000 in construction money.
It's money that at least one homeowner said is a godsend. "Oh, I'm very happy when I got the letter that I qualified," said homeowner Dulcy Padilla.
To qualify, a person must own their home. Their property taxes must be current. And they have to provide a utility bill to show they live in the home.
"It's also income-based," said Irene Serna from the Bernalillo County Housing Department. "For example, for a family of two, they're income level can't be over $21,000." Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Coyote Attacks in Santa Fe Raise Eyebrows

KOAT - A warning was issued to residents Sunday after recent coyote attacks. In the past month, coyotes have attacked two dogs at the Santa Fe ski basin. The fear now is that a hiker or even a child could be next. Coyotes are out year-round, but during the summer, attacks are more of a concern because residents, pets and children spend a lot more time outside.
Game and Fish officials want to educate everyone on how to avoid attacks. "Coyotes are canine. They will defend their territory. They don't see humans as prey or as a food source," New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Wildlife Division Chief Cal Baca said.
Coyotes will usually eat mice, rabbit and squirrels, but Game and Fish officials warned they will go after cats and dogs. While they usually aren't a danger to humans, they can be if they are sick.
"They may be infected with rabies or some other disease that could trigger a difference in how they act," said Baca.
Game and Fish officials said if someone encounters a coyote, there are tips to avoid an attack. "Make yourself look big (and) be very loud. If you see a coyote that tries to come into contact with you, yell at it (and) throw things at it," said Baca. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Gardner to Testify in Personnel Board Hearing

Keith Gardner
KOB - An administrative law judge has ruled that New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's chief of staff must testify next week at a State Personnel Board hearing for a former Department of Corrections employee who was fired.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Martinez's office objected to the subpoena of Keith Gardner, the governor's chief of staff, in an employment appeal by former corrections employee Larry Flynn.
Flynn was investigated last fall for allegedly firing a handgun at a rattlesnake nest outside the residence he shared with then-Corrections Secretary Lupe Martinez. He was already on paid leave while he was being investigated for alleged time card falsification. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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117 Page Report Will Form Basis of Negative Ads Versus Janice Arnold-Jones

New Mexico Congressional District #1 GOP candidate Janice Arnold-Jones is the target of secret National Democratic Party efforts to trash opposition candidates. The committe has put together a 117 page report for Democrats, PAC’s, and Super PAC’s to use against her.
The plan was uncovered by Media Trackers, an investigative watchdog group. Media Trackers discovered nearly three-dozen Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) opposition research notebooks including secretive manuals outlining anything that could be used against political opponents like Arnold-Jones.
Some of the files have actually been published on the DCCC’s website to facilitate their use by candiates, progressive PAC’s, and progressive Super PAC’s.
Janice Arnold-Jones
Last Thursday Media Trackers published a dozen of the opposition research books that Democrats had managed to keep secret for months. These twelve unpublished manuals range in size from a few dozen pages to more than one hundred pages, depending on the personal, business, and civic record of the Republican target.
Washington-based Roll Call a political newspaper actually covered some of the meetings at which Democratic political staffers discussed ways to gather information for the intelligence files they were building on Republicans. Apparently Roll Call was granted access on the condition that they not publish the names of key targeted Republicans.
However, in a major information breach at the DCCC, the booklets became available via Google searches that combined targeted candidate’s names with opposition research search terms. The information found in the documents contains biographical details, copies of land plots, voter registration records, tax information, business records, and press clippings. Most likely Michelle Lujan Grisham's campaign, along with progressive out-of-state PAC’s and Super PAC’s, and the DCCC itself will use the information contained in the booklet to fashion negative ads targeting Arnold-Jones.

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Pegasus Pulling Out of Hobbs

KRWG - The company behind plans to build a scientific ghost town says it's pulling out of a deal to develop the make-believe city near Hobbs. Pegasus Global Holdings says complications with the land deal forced them to pull out. The group in May announced selection of a 15-square mile site in Lea County for development of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Testing. Officials then said they hoped to break ground by June. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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ACLU Scrutinizes Use of Technology at Border

KOAT - The American Civil Liberties Union is scrutinizing a new device that is being put up at New Mexico border checkpoints. Border agents have installed specialized scanning devices that track all drivers at New Mexico checkpoints.
The ACLU said the devices cause profiling and violate privacy rights. "We don't think law enforcement should be broadly fishing through the American public, trying to figure out who is suspicious and who is not and making judgment about those people as potential criminals," ACLU executive director Peter Simonson said.The specialized recognition devices capture license plates, date, time and location and save the information for years.
The Drug Enforcement Agency said it is using the technology to identify and catch drug and weapon smugglers, but the ACLU said it's violation of civil rights and privacy.
"It's our assumption that it's not just license plates that are being scanned that those cameras also use facial recognition software and that purpose try to identify not just the vehicle, but the person behind the steering wheel," Simonson said. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Teacher's Unions Reject Evaluation System

KOB - Three New Mexico teachers unions are complaining the state Public Education Department has failed to consult parents and teachers as it crafts a new teacher evaluation system.

The state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, the Albuquerque Teachers Federation and the Albuquerque Education Assistants Association sent a letter Friday to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
The letter claims the state didn't include any teachers nominated by the American Teachers Federation on its evaluation task force. The letter also says parents and school board members weren't included and that the task force violated the Open Meetings Act by meeting without public notice. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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"Activists" Protest Apple Stores in the Duke City

KOB - An Albuquerque teacher risked being arrested in order to make her voice heard. Jeanne Pahls and a group of residents spent Saturday morning at ABQ Uptown. They weren’t shopping; instead they protested the Apple Store.
Despite getting a letter from ABQ Uptown management, threatening to be arrested, protestors still gathered at the shopping center to voice their anger.
“I've gone to AppleCare, I've gone to the supervisor of this store and they all blew me off," said Pahls. She is one frustrated customer. She and others took their complaints against Apple, to its only store in Albuquerque. "It bothers me when big corporations take advantage of working people," said Charles Powell of Albuquerque. Pahls is an Albuquerque teacher and an outspoken activist. She says this situation started when a student stole her iPhone. "When I went to Apple to help with this, they told me the phone wasn't registered and they blew me off. It turns out they had sold me a used phone," she said. More police arrived at ABQ Uptown when Pahls refused to get off the private property. "I'm going to stand here. I'll be arrested if I have to," she said. Others joined in her fight. They also accuse Apple of corporate greed, exploiting workers and not paying their fair taxes. (NewsNM note - Apple paid $8,283,000,000 in income taxes last year) Read full story here: News New Mexico

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More Voter Fraud Charges in Sunland Park

KOB - Voter fraud charges in Sunland Park have been filed against four more people, the Dona Ana County District Attorney's said on Friday.
Former city councilor Angelica Marquez, also facing extortion, bribery and other voter fraud charges, registered the four individuals to vote, District Attorney Amy Orlando said. Out of the four people charged, three are from Texas. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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10 Year Old Vandal Punished in Public

KOAT - An Albuquerque mother took her parental punishment public after she said her daughter vandalized her school, causing hundreds of dollars in damage.
Tony Armijo and her 10-year-old daughter, Bonnie, sat on the corner of the busy intersection of Central Avenue and Wyoming Boulevard on Friday afternoon holding a sign that read, "I vandalized my school."
The fifth-grader said it has taught her a lesson she will never forget after getting caught throwing rocks at her school and breaking several windows.
"I did it because my friend did it, and I knew it was a bad choice," Bonnie Armijo said. She said that even though the public punishment is embarrassing, she thinks her mom is doing the right thing by having her hold the sign at a busy intersection.
"I know that she loves me and (is) trying to teach me a lesson so I don't go to jail," Bonnie Armijo said.
Tony Armijo said she just wants to make a lasting impression. "It's hard, because I don't know if I am doing the right thing," she said. "I am trying to help her understand the ripple effect." She came up with the unconventional punishment after hearing about a mother who made her drug-dealing son wear a similar sign. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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