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July 29 First News: Wet Weather System To Hit Santa Fe Through Saturday (Listen)

A National Weather Service Meteorologist in Albuquerque is warning that showers and thunderstorms will expand today through Friday.  Jason Frazier says a “back-door” cold front is the driving force behind the uptick in moisture and rainfall chances. Frazier says this system will be heading west through the day today and moving in Santa Fe’s direction. *****072915-Frazier-1 :22***** Frazier says while forecasters have predictions of how much rain may fall, all it takes is one storm to produce way more and result in flooding issues.

The City of Santa Fe is again be looking for someone to head its police force. This following the news Tuesday that the current Chief Eric Garcia, will retire, effective immediately. Garcia’s decision came only after being in the post just more than a year. City spokesman Matt Ross says Garcia announced his retirement after a meeting with the city manager. I asked Ross what prompted Garcia’s action. *****072915-Ross-2  :25***** Ross says the City’s search for Garcia’s successor as Chief will begin immediately. He says in the meantime, the city's training specialist, Patrick Gallagher, will serve as interim chief. Gallagher has 27 years in law- enforcement and served in several police departments, including those in New York City, Santa Fe and Truth or Consequences. He served as a captain in his previous time with SFPD.  Garcia said in a statement that the department has laid a foundation for improving community policing, and City Manager Brian Snyder expressed gratitude for Garcia's work to decrease crime, expand community engagement and raise morale within the department.

The Albuquerque firefighter and 9-1-1 dispatcher who told a panicked caller who was trying to save the life of a shooting victim to “deal with it yourself” has resigned. KRQE-TV reports 17-year-old Jaydon Chavez-Silver was fatally shot during a party in late June. In the recording, the frenzied caller snaps at the dispatcher for repeatedly asking whether Jaydon is breathing. The dispatcher responds that the caller can deal with it herself and adds, "I'm not gonna deal with this, OK?" before hanging up. A spokesman for Jaydon's family says they're astonished at the call, but want to focus on finding their son's killer. A statement Tuesday evening from the office of Albuquerque's chief administrative officer said that the dispatcher, Matthew Sanchez, had resigned from the fire department.

Green chiles, the signature crop of New Mexico, are in danger. As this year's harvest begins, labor shortages, drought and foreign competition have hurt production in the state. Farmers and producers say shrinking acreage set aside for the crop also highlights the need for changes in the industry that has helped define New Mexico for generations.  To rejuvenate production, investors and inventors are testing machines that would harvest and de-stem the crop. The delicate chiles are now picked by hand, and problems with bruising and the removal of stems have made it difficult to make the change to machines. Ed Ogaz, owner of chile wholesaler Seco Spice Co., prefers the old ways and believes farmers need more laborers to improve production.

A Rio Rancho man accused of abducting a 16-year-old girl and taking her to Indiana will be extradited back to New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque announced Tuesday that 37-year-old Joe Medina faces federal charges of kidnapping and transporting a minor in interstate commerce for purposes of engaging in sexual activity. Indiana State Police arrested Medina on July 20 after locating him with the missing girl at a bus station in downtown Indianapolis. The girl's mother reported her missing July 9. The teen told state police Medina had taken her against her will. The teen told the FBI that Medina abandoned his car in Denver and boarded several buses until they were stopped in Indianapolis. Prosecutors say Medina could face life in prison if convicted in the case.

Two houses featured on the hit AMC-TV series "Breaking Bad" are up for sale in Albuquerque. A mother-daughter realty team said this week they are helping sell the home where there character Jesse Pinkman made methamphetamine on the hit television show. The house in Albuquerque's Country Club area is listed for more than one and a half million dollar. In addition, Susan Feil and Alicia Feil-Peterson of Coldwell Banker Legacy also listed another house that appeared in the series finale. That home is in Albuquerque's North Valley. The sales team created the breakingbadhouse.com website to promote the houses. "Breaking Bad" follows former high school teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, producing methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. The series ended in 2013.

Santa Fe Weather: Mostly cloudy today with a 60-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon, with today’s high, 76. Tonight, the chance for storms rises to 80-percent and the overnight low expected to be 58. Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy and a high of 75, with a 60-percent chance for storms.