New Mexico lawmakers are considering a proposal to open Democratic and Republican primary elections to any voter amid a surge in independent voter registration. House Democrats announced the proposal Monday to switch the state to an open primary system in which voters can cast a primary ballot for the candidate of their preference without respect to party affiliations. Currently, only Republicans and Democrats can vote in their respective primary elections in New Mexico. Critics say that contributes to low voter turnout. A lawsuit challenging the state's two-party primary system is pending in the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
AM-Feature 3:10 Q: Albuquerque and Santa Fe.”
About 700 immigrant children from Central America are now staying at Holloman Air Force Base. KOAT-TV reports that the children arrived in Alamogordo on Sunday. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter directed Holloman Air Force Base to be the first of three temporary shelters to open in New Mexico, Colorado and Florida. The children are being housed in a vacant building on base previously used by the 4th Space Surveillance Squadron. The children are between the ages of 14 and 17 and are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Officials say they will likely not stay on the base for more than a month.
Albuquerque residents have reached a record low when it comes to per capita daily water use. Bernalillo County Water authority board chair Maggie Hart Stebbins says the numbers for 2015 show the Duke City is making strides in preserving the city's groundwater resources. The water authority announced Monday that per capita daily water use reached an all-time low of 127 gallons per person last year. That's a decrease of seven gallons from the year before. Utility officials say overall water use is at levels comparable to the early 1980s, when the population was much less. The utility produced about 30.7 billion gallons of water last year. Officials also say above-average precipitation in 2015 helped to keep usage down.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today, with a high near 34. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 15. Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 41.