The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish meets at Santa Fe Community College later this morning. On the agenda are efforts to increase by 25 percent the number of bears hunters can kill annually, easing the rules for trapping cougars on private lands, and expanding cougar trapping to millions of acres of state trust lands. The cougar changes would discontinue a requirement that hunters get a special permit to use traps or foot snares to snag cougars on private land. The proposed changes have drawn opposition from animal rights groups.
An internal government investigation has found that federal and state regulators underestimated the potential for a blowout from a Colorado mine. The disclosure was contained in documents released Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Investigators concluded that EPA and state regulators underestimated how much water pressure had built up inside the inactive mine before a government cleanup crew triggered the release. The EPA previously offered only impartial information on events leading up to the spill. The August fifth spill involved three-million gallons of waste from the idled Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, unleashing a torrent of toxic water that fouled rivers in three states. The Associated Press reported Saturday that EPA managers knew that a large spill was a possibility yet had drafted only a cursory response plan for responding to a spill.
State health and environment officials are closely monitoring New Mexico air quality in the wake of wildfires still burning in the Pacific Northwest. Officials from the state Department of Health and Environment Department say the air quality may change on a daily basis. They are advising residents, especially in areas where this no air quality monitoring equipment, to check out the visibility in the air. They say those with respiratory conditions such as asthma as well as young children and the elderly should minimize outdoor activities if visibility is below five-miles. Those same groups should avoid outdoor activity completely if air visibility is below three-miles. But all residents should stay inside if visibility is below one mile.
It seems as if New Mexico revenues from Powerball ticket sales are like Tom Brady footballs—a bit deflated. State Lottery officials reporting a nearly 14-percent decline in the sale of Powerball tickets and other big jackpot drawing games for the last fiscal year. That causes concern for New Mexico budget professionals because lottery proceeds aren’t at pace with higher tuition costs and demand for financial assistance. On the plus side, State Lottery chief David Barden says overall lottery sales were up one-million dollars, thanks to better luck with its scratcher games.
A former administrator for major school districts in Colorado and New Mexico is due in a Denver court in a child sexual abuse case. A hearing for Jason Martinez is set for today. Martinez was arrested in Denver in 2013 on sexual abuse charges and his trial is pending. He was hired by Albuquerque Public Schools in June but resigned after the charges came to light. He was re-arrested Wednesday after Colorado officials learned he left the state to take the Albuquerque job, a violation of his bond. New Mexico officials are investigating why Martinez was hired despite the Colorado criminal charges.
Starting Saturday, the entire Chavez Center will be closed through Labor Day Weekend. The City of Santa Fe announcing the center will handle annual and heavy maintenance projects. Those projects include removal and replacement of the entire sheet of ice at the ice arena and adding new dehumidifiers at the pool. All areas of the Chavez Center will re-open September eighth, except for the pools, which will remain closed for improvements. Chavez membership cards will be honored at the Fort Marcy and Salvador Perez facilities during the closure.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly cloudy today with the high near 80 with a 30-percent chance for mainly afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with the overnight low, 58 with the chance for rain at 30-percent. Tomorrow: Partly sunny with a 40-percent chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms… tomorrow’s high, 80.