The Public Regulation Commission tomorrow will consider Public Service Company of New Mexico’s plan for replacing the power that will be lost when the utility shuts down two of the coal-fired generators at the San Juan plant in the four corners. The two plants are scheduled to close in 2017 under an agreement with federal and state officials to curb haze-causing pollution. Critics, including environmentalists and consumer advocates, counter that the plan isn’t in the best interest of ratepayers. Last month a hearing examiner reviewing the proposal recommended it not be adopted, calling it—quote—"not fair, just, and reasonable or in the public interest." The plan is the third agenda item on tomorrow’s PRC agenda. The PRC meeting is scheduled to start at 9:30 am in the commission’s chambers in the PERA building.
Authorities say two hikers unknowingly found an inert bomb in the Santa Fe area wilderness. The New Mexican reports that the men were hiking Rowe Mesa on Friday afternoon and found the missile-shaped object. Police say the men loaded the metal device into an SUV. But the pair called Santa Fe police after arriving in Santa Fe and were advised to immediately stop driving and wait for emergency responders. Police spokeswoman Lt. Andrea Dobyns says Air Force officials X-rayed the device and determined it was inert. The item has since been sent to Kirtland Air Force Base. Dobyns says no one was injured and anyone who finds a possible explosive should immediately notify law enforcement.
New Mexico's major universities may not be turning out graduates in science and mathematics at a rate fast enough for employers in those fields. The Albuquerque Journal reports that both the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University have given fewer degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — known as STEM subjects — than in liberal arts. Records showed 25 percent of the more than 37-hundred bachelor's degrees UNM conferred in fall 2014 were for STEM. Twenty-eight percent of NMSU's 13-hundred graduates at that time earned STEM degrees. New Mexico employers such as Sandia National Laboratories say finding qualified workers in and out of the state is a challenge. Others say adding to the challenge is that some STEM graduates leave the state for opportunities elsewhere.
Workers at southern New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are installing a temporary ventilation system that will increase airflow in the underground facility. WIPP officials say the system will include two above-ground filter units and fans that will be connected to ductwork that feeds the underground portions of the federal government’s underground nuclear waste repository. WIPP has been closed for more than a year following a radiation release that stemmed from a chemical reaction among waste improperly packed inside a drum at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since the February 2014 mishap, all air exiting the underground passes through filters. Ventilation of the underground is reduced based on the filter capacity. Officials say more airflow will allow more workers to be in the underground at any given time.
Authorities say a Rio Rancho police officer has been shot, but there is no word on the officer's condition. Police spokesman Paul Rogers says the shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday just north of the downtown area. He tells the Albuquerque Journal that the condition of the officer isn't known. No other details were immediately available including how the shooting occurred and if there are any suspects.
An Albuquerque initiative aimed at steering people to donate to charities instead of panhandlers is struggling to bring in donations. KRQE-TV in Albuquerque says city officials estimate about 170-dollars has come in since the initiative was unveiled more than three weeks ago by the Mayor's Office. The "There's a Better Way" initiative focuses on getting panhandlers help and informing passing drivers of a website where they can instead give money to the United Way of Central New Mexico. Officials say more than half of the 170-bucks came from one person. That donor has pledged to give another one-hundred dollars for the next eight months. City Chief of Staff Gilbert Montano says it's still early since the initiative launched and nobody was expecting lots of donations immediately.
Downtown Portales will be closed to traffic this morning and get temporarily taken over by Hollywood. KRQE-TV reports that crews from the action film "Comancheria" will be shooting on parts of 1st and 2nd streets. The crime drama stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster. Pine and Foster play brothers — one an ex-con and the other divorced dad — who plot a bank heist to save their family's farm from foreclosure. Bridges is slated to portray a lawman pursuing them. The closures will be in effect until 5 p.m.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today with the high near 72 and there’s a 20-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy with the overnight low 44, and a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and warmer with the high hitting 77, and a 10-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms.