Tuesday’s Top Stories
- What are Albuquerque’s 10 ‘sister’ cities?
- After New Mexico’s COVID battle, why is Dr. David Scrase is retiring?
- Residents file appeal over future North Valley car wash
- San Juan County sheriff shoots a dog fearing attack
- Man takes plea deal after deadly Border Patrol crash
- Three crew members from ‘Rust’ file lawsuit
- Albuquerque Iron Man sculpture toppled in downtown car crash
- US Marshals hit with ‘major’ hack, sensitive data compromised
- Flurry of drone strikes hits Russia as TV, radio are hacked
Tuesday’s Five Facts
[1] Jury finds three men guilty of murdering Albuquerque teens – The jury has reached a verdict of guilty of murder for all three men accused of torturing and killing two Albuquerque teens in 2018. Stephen Goldman Jr., Julio Almentero, and Jimmie Atkins are charged with the deaths of 15-year-old Colin Romero and 14-year-old Ahmed Lateef in an alleged drug deal gone wrong. All three men were convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, along with armed robbery. Goldman was nineteen at the time of the murder
[2] Appeals heard against Albuquerque sanctioned homeless camp – Several organizations filed appeals against one of Albuquerque’s sanctioned homeless camps. The organizations are concerned about what the camp would bring to their neighborhood. Seven organizations expressed their frustrations against the site, saying the city failed to notify them of the sanctioned encampment. Those groups say security measures are some of their biggest concerns. Dawn Legacy Pointe, the organization that has applied to run the safe outdoor space, says security has been contracted to oversee the site 24/7 once operations are up and running. The city’s Land Use Hearing Officer, Steve Chaveza, will make a recommendation on the appeals to the city council in early April.
[3] Windy weather and fire danger ahead of next winter storm – The winds will be intensifying across the state Tuesday. Wind advisories will be in effect in eastern New Mexico, where winds will gust up to around 55 mph. Winds will also pick up in the Rio Grande Valley and western New Mexico, up to around 35 mph. Red Flag Warnings will be in effect for the east plains, and central New Mexico, including the Metro. Snow will be coming down in the San Juan Mountains today through Thursday. Snow will begin in the northern mountains of New Mexico on Wednesday evening, and the rest of the state will see snow by Thursday morning.
[4] Lawmakers want smaller class sizes in New Mexico – A bill that would cap how many kids can be in a classroom has stalled because there are not enough teachers. House Bill 413 would cap how many kids can be in a classroom in each grade. While this bill had bipartisan support in the House Education Committee, lawmakers said the funding and the staffing just aren’t there for it yet. Lawmakers decided it’s not doable this year. An analysis of this bill found New Mexico’s elementary schools alone would need 687 more teachers, at a cost of more than $40 million dollars. Legislators liked the idea but recognized it would likely die later on in the Roundhouse due to lack of funding.
[5] Albuquerque Sunport awarded millions in federal funding – The Albuquerque International Sunport will receive $7 million in federal funding to make improvements to the terminal, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday. The money awarded comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to a release from the FAA, the money will fund the renovation of up to 14 passenger bridges and will increase accessibility and efficiency.
