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Wednesday, April 01, 2009

AROUND NEW MEXICO



      Journal and Wire Reports
    Deliberations in Craig Trial Continue Today
    Jurors considering three murder and three child abuse charges against Brandon Craig in the 1999 East Mountain shooting deaths of three teenagers adjourned at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday after a full day of deliberations.
    The jury asked a pair of questions mid-morning before working through the lunch hour. One question asked if the jury could have a letter that Jeff Moore, Craig's friend since childhood, had written to Craig's cousin, Luke Morris, while Morris was in prison. In testimony, Moore acknowledged writing to tell Morris he was willing to raise bail money for him and give other assistance.
    Moore also testified that in the letter he wrote "I got nothing but love for you," but added during questioning, "I know what it's like to get those empty promises, and I gave it right back."
    Judge Kenneth Martinez, after consulting with attorneys, sent the jury a message that the letter was not in evidence and jurors would have to rely on their collective memory.
    Deliberations will resume today.
    Report Shows N.M. Students Improve
    SANTA FE — A new report shows the reading and language skills of New Mexico fourth-graders have improved over the past decade along with the mathematics performance of eighth-graders.
    The Education Trust released its report Tuesday.
    The report includes information about student achievement, attainment and opportunity and it shows gaps that separate low-income and minority students from others.
    In fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math, New Mexico students showed statistically significant increases in achievement from 1998 to 2007. But the numbers for the change in the achievement gap stayed constant.
    State Public Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said educators must continue their efforts to see increased performance for all students.
    Jobless To Retrain For Film Industry
    SANTA FE — The New Mexico Film Office is launching a program designed to retrain displaced workers for jobs in the state's film industry.
    Gov. Bill Richardson has announced that the Department of Workforce Solutions will partner with the Film Office to find New Mexicans with transferable skills and prepare them for employment in the film industry through intensive skill and safety training.
    The program will offer training for unemployed carpenters, painters, sheet metal fabricators, welders and landscapers.
    Richardson said that despite the economic downturn, the film industry continues to flourish and so does its demand for skilled labor. He said this is an opportunity to get unemployed New Mexicans back to work by matching their skills to the industry's needs.
    Jicarilla Suit Over Royalties Tossed
    A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the Jicarilla Apache Nation over how natural gas royalties paid to the tribe are calculated.
    The northwestern New Mexico tribe filed suit in 2007 in U.S. District Court in Washington after the U.S. Interior Department changed how the royalties paid to the tribe by gas lessees are calculated.
    Court records show that the Jicarilla Apaches argued that the change was arbitrary, that it departed from Interior Department precedents and that it violated the department's fiduciary duties toward the tribe.
    U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon disagreed, saying the Interior Department explained in detail why it changed the calculation and followed the rule of law.
    Steven Gordon, an attorney representing the Jicarillas, said the tribe is studying the decision and has no further comment.

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