Thursday’s Top Stories

Thursday’s Five Facts

[1] San Juan County sheriff who shot a dog tells his side of the story – An off-duty sheriff from San Juan County is telling his side of the story after he fatally shot a man’s dog. Sheriff Ferrari is now giving his side of the story on his Facebook page “Shane Ferrari for Sheriff.” He goes into detail on what happened on Feb. 17. According to the sheriff, he was off-duty in his personal pickup when he saw 42-year-old Jamie Nino commit multiple traffic violations before he confronted him. According to Ferrari, the whole episode lasted eight to ten minutes before he pulled in behind Nino in a parking lot. Ferrari ended up shooting Nino’s dog while Nino brandished a large metal pipe. Nino is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving, passing in a no-passing zone, and running a traffic light.

[2] Couy Griffin found not guilty of campaign finance charge – Former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin has been found not guilty of a campaign finance charge. Griffin was on trial, accused of failing to register ‘Cowboys for Trump’ as a political committee. The Secretary of State’s office won an arbitration decision in June 2020 that ordered the “Cowboys for Trump” group to register as a political committee, file expenditure and contribution reports, and pay a fine of $7,800. Griffin cited free speech protections and said that donations were used for travel to support conservative ideals without raising money for a political candidate. The jury sided with Griffin and he was found not guilty.

[3] Snow, rain and strong winds arrive in New Mexico this morning – Snow has been coming down in northern New Mexico, including the northern and western mountains, throughout the night. Snow will continue in the mountains through this evening, while the Valley and plains will mostly see rain and mix, with a chance for light snow accumulation. The wind will be whipping across southern New Mexico today as the storm moves in. Wind advisories and high wind warnings will be in effect, where 45-80 mph wind gusts will be possible.

[4] Historic Kress Building in Downtown ABQ could soon see new life – After sitting empty for years, the historic Kress Building could soon see new life. Plans to revitalize the building have been in the works for the last four years. However, COVID slowed things down. There are ideas to build a roller skating rink on the main level with a speakeasy and lofts on the top. Plans even include a pop-up performance space and a recording studio. It would be a gathering place during Artwalk and a space for artists to create masterpieces. There are talks of adding garage windows to the back of the building to have car shows.

[5] Albuquerque launches lowrider bike club for students – The City of Albuquerque is launching a program where students will be able to build their own lowrider-style bike. Ten students are a part of the Duke City Youth Lowrider Bike Club. The club is an after-school program where each student gets a bike. With the bicycle, they can build their own lowrider-style customizations. Volunteers from local law enforcement agencies and members of the lowrider community are pitching in to help the students with their bike builds.