Thursday’s Top Stories
Report: APD chief intentionally did not turn on body camera after crash
Woman charged in connection to boy’s death outside of Isotopes Park in 2023
Driver arrested for deadly crash in northwest Albuquerque
NMDOT shows off underpass in Raton designed to lower wildlife-vehicle collisions
MDC employees disciplined for clerical errors that led to wrongful releases of inmates
‘Game-changer’ – New malting facility near Estancia opens for an excited beer industry
FAA refers 43 more unruly passenger cases to FBI for investigation
Thursday’s Five Facts
[1] Report: New Mexico missed out on $405 million from oil and gas revenue – Over the last three years, New Mexico has had more oil production than any other state including Texas, according to the State Land Office. Last year the state earned nearly $14 billion from the industry, according to the NM oil and gas association. The land office says that number should be higher. The land office has tried to pass a bill that would increase the state’s royalty rates from 20% to 25%. If the bill passes in the next legislative session, New Mexico could see more in oil revenue each year.
[2] BernCo DA pushes for stricter juvenile state code aimed at teens with guns – District Attorney Sam Bregman says the New Mexico children’s code was adopted in the 1970’s and not equipped to tackle the crimes teens are committing today. Bregman’s office is proposing changes to the code, including tougher penalties for juveniles charged with murder, sexual assault and DWI vehicular homicide. The DA’s office says they plan to present their completed proposals to the governor and lawmakers by mid-October.
[3] Rain & cooler air creeping closer to Rio Grande Valley – As temperatures across the region rise from the morning school commute into the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and above 100 degrees for some areas by the afternoon, more moisture in the air that is mostly confined to the west, along with plenty of daytime heating, will lead to slightly more areas receiving rainfall.
[4] APS launches reunification cards for school pick-ups after an emergency – APS is rolling out a new way to reunite students with their parents during a crisis. APS is launching reunification cards for when parents have to pick up their kids in a controlled release after an emergency, like extreme weather, power outages or crime. Soon parents will get two reunification cards that are unique to each student, with a name and bar code. In emergency situations, parents will get an alert on where and when to pick up students. They will need to bring their ID and reunification card to the pickup location.
[5] Tourism to New Mexico state parks on the rise – The director of New Mexico’s state parks division is giving lawmakers a picture of the economic impact the state parks have on communities. There are 35 state parks in New Mexico, ranging across 25 counties. The director says tourism to the state parks is on the rise, but we still trail behind other southwestern states.
