Two Albuquerque police officers were charged with murder Monday in the shooting death of a knife-wielding homeless man that led to violent protests and brought new scrutiny to the Duke City’s police department amid a federal investigation. The decision to bring murder charges occurred at a time when police tactics are under intense review nationwide, fueled by the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of another unarmed man in New York City. Grand juries declined to charge officers in those cases, leading to large protests. Acknowledging the frustration over the secrecy of the proceedings in those cases, the Albuquerque district attorney said she would bypass the grand jury process and instead present the murder case to a judge at a preliminary hearing that will be open to the public. Police said SWAT team member Dominique Perez and former detective Keith Sandy fatally shot James Boyd, a mentally ill homeless man who had frequent violent run-ins with law enforcement. Video from an officer's helmet camera showed Boyd appearing to surrender when officers opened fire, but a defense lawyer characterized him as an unstable suspect who was "unpredictably and dangerously close to a defenseless officer while he was wielding two knives."
Republican Governor Susana Martinez has unveiled a nearly six-point-three billion dollar spending plan for growing New Mexico's economy and bolstering a slew of education initiatives. Martinez detailed her plan Monday during a visit to Dona Ana Elementary School in Las Cruces. The plan includes 68 million dollars for raising the minimum wage for new teachers, expanding early childhood education initiatives and meeting other public school needs. Martinez and the Legislature will begin hashing out a final budget for the next fiscal year when the 60-day legislative session begins a week from today. Both the Martinez administration and lawmakers have warned the state will have less money to spend due to falling oil prices. A one-dollar change in oil prices causes a seven-and-a-half million dollar change in revenue for the state's main budget account.
Public Service Company of New Mexico is disputing a fired plant manager's testimony that PNM caused higher spending for electricity by cutting operating and maintenance spending and padded other costs to potentially earn more profits. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Gregory Smith testified during a November deposition for an environmental group in preparation for a regulatory proceeding now underway. PNM says Smith signed off on the San Juan Generating Station's budget for 2013 long before he was fired in May 2013. The current hearing is on PNM's proposal to close and modify parts of the coal-fired plant. PNM succeeded in keeping much of Smith's testimony out of the current proceeding, but a hearing examiner has said it could be suitable for consideration during a separate rate case for PNM.
The first woman elected president of Croatia also happens to be a 1986 graduate of Los Alamos High School. KolindaGrabar-Kitarovic won the Croatian Presidential election Monday and takes office on February 19th. KOB-TV reports that Los Alamos Schools Superintendent Dr. Eugene Schmidt says, quoting: "Our community is very proud of her many accomplishments that include serving as Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia. We wish her well in her new duties as President of Croatia."
The National Weather Service says New Mexico will be dealing with a long duration winter storm through tomorrow morning......bringing periods of snow and wintry weather and travel conditions. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier in Albuquerque says snow accumulations in Santa Fe proper will rely on colder weather. *****011315-Frazier-2:19*****Frazier says the heaviest snowfall totals are going to favor the higher terrain. *****011315-Frazier-3 :26***** Jason Frazier with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
Santa Fe Weather: Snow likely before 11am, then rain and snow likely with areas of freezing fog before 8am. It’ll be cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 70-percent today. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Tonight: A 50 percent chance of snow. Areas of freezing fog after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.