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July 31First News: N.M. Senator Udall Endorses Proposed U.S. - Iran Agreement (Listen)

Calling the proposed diplomatic agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon “a historic moment,” New Mexico Senator Tom Udall endorsed the proposal and urged Congress to support it based on its scientific and technical merits. Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, the Democrat said any agreement on nuclear weapons must be guided by science. *****073115-Udall-3 :34***** Udall added that  diplomacy takes time, saying “It is often imperfect. But, there are times when it is our best option — and our best course. This is one of those times.”
 
New Mexico Democrats are hoping a new executive director and chairwoman will steer the once-dominant party back into power after historic losses in 2014. The party announced this week it has selected Colorado attorney Joe Kabourek (kah-BOOR' ehk) as its executive director and officials plan on embarking on statewide tour to speak to "dispirited" activists. Republicans gained control of the New Mexico House for the first time in six decades and Governor Susana Martinez was re-elected in one of the largest margins of victory for a GOP governor in the state. The losses came even though state Democrats outnumbered Republicans in voter registration one-and-half-to-one. Kabourek says he wanted to rebuild the Democratic bench and put the party in position to retake the New Mexico House in 2016.

The Public Regulation Commissioner for District Three, which includes Santa Fe—Valerie Espinoza— has been appointed to the Telecommunication Act Modernization task force of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. One focus of the group will be providing an updated negotiating framework for any pending federal rewrite of telecommunications law. Espinoza says she’s honored to have been chosen to represent the western states in what she calls “this critical endeavor that will enable New Mexicans to be heard at the national level.”

An inmate is suing the New Mexico Corrections Department, claiming that he was shot in the foot by officers who participated in target practice near the cells. The New Mexican reports that Robert Vasquez filed the lawsuit Wednesday. He alleges that prison officers at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility fired their guns, which had been loaded with bean-bag pellets, at several cells during training exercises in July 2013. Spokeswoman for the department, Alex Tomlin, says prison officials held a "nonlethal training exercise" and that inmates had the option to leave the area. She claims Vasquez told authorities that something happened to his foot but not that he had been shot. Vasquez is seeking damages for pain and suffering. He was transferred to a different prison in 2013.

Bernalillo County is again releasing mugshots and booking sheets for juvenile suspects. The Albuquerque Journal reports news organizations challenged the county's decision this spring to stop releasing juvenile detention records and renewed their push following the shooting death of 60-year-old Steven Gerecke. Six teenagers were arrested in connection with the crime. News organizations and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government were considering a lawsuit to obtain booking sheets and mugshots for the boys. County Attorney Randy Autio said while the law lacks clarity in some areas, booking sheets are inherently related to arrest records that are already in the public domain. The county released the information Wednesday.

The Albuquerque Fire Department will undergo more training after a dispatcher told a 911 caller trying to help a shooting victim who later died to "deal with it yourself." Fire Chief David Downey told reporters this week that the department will start giving crisis intervention training to all firefighters and dispatchers next week. A recording made public this week revealed that dispatcher Matthew Sanchez hung up on 17-year-old Esperanza Quintero, who was seeking help for a friend shot in June. Police say 17-year-old Jaydon Chavez-Silver later died. Sanchez had sent an ambulance before hanging up, and it arrived within minutes. He resigned Tuesday, and efforts to reach him have been unsuccessful. Downey called Sanchez's conduct "egregious" and said the department has notified the New Mexico agency governing emergency medical licenses.

Santa Fe Weather: Showers and thunderstorms likely today, tonight and tomorrow. High temperatures today and tomorrow will be in the upper 70s, while the overnight low tonight will drop to 57. There’s a 70-percent chance for precipitation throughout the forecast period.