Santa Fe police have arrested a Children, Youth and Families Department worker on several criminal sexual charges involving a minor. KOB-TV reports that Benjamin Anaya faces charges of two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of criminal sexual communication with a minor and two counts of solicitation by an electronic device. CYFD spokesperson Henry Varela said Anaya has worked with CYFD since June 1997 as an office clerk, and said he worked in the administrative services mail room the entire time. Varela adds that Anaya has no contact with children in his job. The spokesman added the agency takes the allegations seriously and pledged to work closely with law enforcement during the investigation of the allegations.
The New Mexico Department of Health is crediting the use of the drug naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, for a significant increase in the number of reversals of overdoses from powerful painkillers. The agency announcing Wednesday that more than 900 opioid overdose reversals were reported in 2014 due to the use of the drug. The department says that's nearly a 29 percent increase from 2013. The department has been working with other agencies to increase access and availability of naloxone in New Mexico as part of a multi-pronged approach to reduce overdose deaths in New Mexico.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says he has created a special task force that will target cheats and recover public funds that are lost due to fraud. Balderas announced the Fraud Recovery Strike Force on Wednesday. He says it will be charged with investigating false claims and deceptive practices, and will partner with whistle-blowers to expose abuse and corruption. Some of these efforts are already under way in the form of ongoing litigation against companies accused of misusing public funds and offering sub-par care to vulnerable New Mexicans. Other active cases include litigation against credit card companies for restraint of trade and private colleges for deceptive marketing, unfair practices and misrepresentation.
A federal appeals court in Denver is set to hear arguments in the case of former Rio Arriba County sheriff Tommy Rodella, who received a 10-year prison sentence for violating a motorist's civil rights while brandishing a handgun. The New Mexican reports the appeal hearing has been scheduled for September 29th. Rodella's attorney plans to argue that Rodella's stop of Espanola motorist Michael Tafoya was lawful and that he didn't receive a fair trial. The scheduling of the hearing comes as the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque fights to seize Rodella's assets to help pay nearly 150-thousand dollars that Rodella owes the government for his fine in the case. After being found guilty, Rodella received a 200-thousand dollar fine and was ordered to pay 10—thousand to the motorist.
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center says it has received a gift of correspondence between the famed artist and portrait artist Frances O'Brien. The New Mexican reports that the gift includes letters, postcards, interviews and other materials from the 1940s to the 1970s. O'Keeffe died in Santa Fe in 1986 while O'Brien died in 1990 in Tucson, Arizona. The donors are Brian and Bina Garfield of Pasadena, California. Brian Garfield in the son of O'Brien, who was a protégé of O'Keeffe. O'Brien was known for her portraits of composer Irving Berlin, President Dwight Eisenhower, historian William Shirer, Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt and Grandma Moses. Many of the portraits made the cover of The Saturday Evening Post magazine.
The top official at Spaceport America says she's hopeful Virgin Galactic will launch commercial space flights from New Mexico beginning next summer. New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson updated members of the Legislative Finance Committee this week in Alamogordo. Anderson said there have been 23 vertical rocket launches to date and revenue has covered more than half of the facility's operating expenses for the last three fiscal years. But because revenue is tied to leases and launch activity, legislative analysts say setbacks at Virgin Galactic will leave the spaceport scrambling for revenue this year. Officials say the spaceport might need an additional one-point-two million dollar appropriation to avoid a shortfall. Anderson is touting a 136-percent increase in ticket sales since a new visitor center opened last month.
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with the high reaching 81, with a 20-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a continued 20-percent chance for precipitation and the overnight low dipping to 59. Tomorrow: Expect partly sunny skies, a 10-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms, and a high of 82.