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September 5 KSFR First News: Post-Leak Progress Reported At WIPP, But Re-Opening Years Away (Listen)

Officials working to reopen the federal government's troubled nuclear waste dump in southeastern New Mexico say they are making significant progress and will detail their recovery plans in two weeks. Tammy Reynolds, who is leading the effort at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, told a community meeting Thursday that there are more than seven-thousand pieces to the plan for cleaning up radiological contamination and resuming operations after a mysterious February leak that contaminated 22 workers. Officials have said it could be three years before WIPP completely reopens. It's still unclear exactly what caused the leak from a barrel of waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory. WIPP is the government's only permanent repository for legacy waste such as contaminated gloves, tools and clothing from decades of nuclear bomb building.

Governor Susana Martinez says New Mexico offered a competitive economic development package to Tesla Motors but the company gave a priority to locating a planned five-billion dollar battery factory in a state close to Tesla's headquarters in California. Martinez made her comments Thursday before the formal announcement in Nevada that the electric car maker had selected that state for a factory that could eventually employ up to 65-hundred workers. Nevada’s Governor says he'll ask legislators to approve tax breaks and other incentives worth up to one-point-three billion dollars over 20 years to secure the Tesla plant. Martinez and Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela declined to provide details or a total value of the incentive package offered by New Mexico.

An allegation of forced sex against a former New Mexico state investigator has led to a settlement.  KSFR's Dave Marash has the story. ***** :55*****TEXT:  Taxpayers of the state of New Mexico are again on the hook to pay for the misbehavior of a state law enforcement officer.  The cost of the settlement of a former prostitute's lawsuit alleging she was forced to perform sexual acts on a state Special Investigations Division officer won't be disclosed for 6 months under state law.  The woman said former Department of Public Safety officer Timothy Carlson forced her to have sex a number of times on threat of being put in jail.  Carlson, who is now 35, was charged in March 2012 with extortion, bribery, soliciting prostitution, sex charges and violating ethics laws after a sting by Albuquerque police. Those charges were later dropped, but the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office says the case is still under review.  For KSFR News, I'm Dave Marash.

New Mexico State University is set to celebrate the opening of the Pete Domenici Archives. The school has scheduled a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday to unveil the collection of the state's former senator. Officials say the archives will span three-thousand-linear feet. The collection includes unique artifacts and memorabilia from Sen. Domenici's extensive career in New Mexico. A photo exhibit will also highlight the senator's work in Washington. Domenici, a Republican, served in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2010. He is the longest serving senator in state history.

A Texas company has announced it's opening an abortion clinic in southern New Mexico to help increase abortion care access near West Texas amid a restrictive new law. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Whole Women's Health confirmed Wednesday it's opening a clinic in the Las Cruces area next week. The clinic will be the second in Dona Ana County to provide abortion services. A federal judge has ruled against a Texas law requiring clinics in the state to maintain hospital-level operating standards, a requirement that had shuttered many centers.

What you need to know when your planned adventure becomes unplanned and as a result, you’ll be spending the night out unexpectedly is the topic of a chat tomorrow at 10am at the performance space at La Tienda in Eldorado. The discussion is being held by Santa Fe Search and Rescue. It’s free and open to the public.

Santa Fe Weather: Mostly cloudy today and tomorrow with highs in the low 70s with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: Cloudy with the low, 58 with scattered showers and thunderstorms. The chance of precipitation is 60-percent today, it’s 50-percent tonight and tomorrow.