Friday’s Top Stories

Friday’s Five Facts

[1] FBI finds guns, ammo, drugs in outlaw motorcycle gang raids in New Mexico – A massive statewide operation, targeting two dozen homes, turned up guns, drugs, and more, as the feds went after members of the notorious outlaw motorcycle gang, the Bandidos. In a 173-page federal affidavit, the FBI revealed details about what investigators believe was the bandidos’ plans to retaliate, after two of their gang members were killed in a shootout with another motorcycle gang – the Water Dogs, who lost one member in the shootout. 151 guns were recovered, along with thousands of rounds of ammo. Law enforcement also found ballistic vests, fentanyl, meth and cocaine plus a stolen police radio

[2] Three people dead in southeast Albuquerque shooting, suspect arrested – Officers responded to the area of Rhode Island St. and Bell Ave. to reports of a shooting Thursday morning where two people were dead on scene and a third was taken to the hospital, where they later died. Police detained 32-year-old Thomas Clark Jr., who told police he shot all three people. Clark told police he killed them because he was afraid they would kill him because of rumors he had been stealing items. Clark was booked into MDC, he is facing three open counts of first degree murder, along with other charges.

[3] Hot and mostly dry Labor Day weekend for New Mexico – Temperatures will climb back into the 80s, 90s and 100s. Near-record and record hot high temperatures are expected, especially in eastern New Mexico. The majority of the state will stay dry, as storms move north. Saturday will be mostly to partly sunny. On Sunday, isolated rain chances will move further east, bringing the chance to central NM, and a slight chance for a shower in the Metro. Temperatures will taper off a few degrees through Monday.

[4] UNM Athletics raked in tens of millions last budget year – UNM Athletics brought in tens of millions last year—the biggest driver being men’s basketball. The department says this is the sixth year they’ve finished ‘in the black.’ Officials credit the overage mainly to the men’s basketball team’s early season win streak. The team sold out The Pit twice for the first time since 2015 and had seven games that brought in around 15,000 fans. Officials add that the Lobo Club fundraising also had a banner year: bringing in more than $9 million dollars.

[5] Oldest church in the United States is now solar powered – San Miguel Chapel is the oldest church in the country, built in the 1600s. The well preserved adobe chapel now has solar panels. Keeping the historic integrity of the building intact was the main priority for Cornerstones, a non-profit dedicated to protecting historic sites like San Miguel Chapel. The $80,000 project was funded entirely by grants and donations. The solar panel alone were between $20,000-$30,000.