The robbery occurred about 10:45 a.m. at the bank located at 8040 Academy NE, according to information sent out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The man implied he had a weapon. No one was injured.

He was described as Anglo or Hispanic, 35-40 years old, 5-feet-9-inches tall, with brown hair, a baseball cap and sunglasses, according to the FBI.

About 9 p.m., officers were dispatched to a home in the 9100 block of Sandy Spring SW -- an area northeast of Dennis Chavez and 98th Street -- after an audible alarm was reported, according to information released this morning by the Albuquerque Police Department.

Officers arriving on scene found a door open. They entered the home and were "confronted by a male in the residence."

After identifying themselves as police officers and giving commands to "stop," the individual ignored the commands and began reaching toward a bulky item in his back pocket, police said.

At that point, an officer shot at the individual, who then fled out the front door and began to run down the street into and through several backyards, police said.

The person, whose name has not been released, was arrested at Grassland and Orchard. Police as of Saturday afternoon were trying to confirm his identity, police spokeswoman Nadine Hamby told ABQjournal.com.

He was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital for a gunshot wound to the torso area, according to police.

He is expected to live. After recovering, he will be booked into the metropolitan jail on residential burglary and other felony charges, police said.

Police said there have been numerous reports of burglaries in the area.

The latest monthly forecast discussion concludes that El Niño, a warming of the equatorial Pacific, will keep strengthening and should last through the winter. There was some argument in the forecast community that this year's edition would be "puny". But while sea surface temperatures stopped warming back in September, buoy-based instruments continued to record warming subsurface that the National Weather Service's Erik Pytlak told us last month would likely lead to a resurgent El Niño.

There's been a lot of press coverage around the country suggesting that El Niño will end this or that drought (see here, for example) but the effect is subtle. Here in New Mexico, it's most noticeable in the southern part of the state, where El Niño tips the odds toward a wetter winter. But it's important to remember that this is no guarantee, but rather a shift in the probabilities. Here's the latest forecast map. That light green in southern NM indicates an increase in the odds of a wet winter:

 Lambert is prohibited from participating in all team practices, competition and conditioning activities.

 "I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions," said Lambert. "My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the upmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."

 "Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship," said UNM coach Kit Vela.

 "Liz's conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate," said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. "There is no way to defend her actions."

 UNM lost 1-0.

To watch the video of the incident, click here.

A Las Cruces woman who told authorities she "fell in love" with a 15-year-old boy has been indicted on charges stemming from the alleged rape of the teenager, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Dominique Betancourt, 20, was indicted last month on four counts of felony criminal sexual penetration of the boy between Aug. 1 and Aug. 25, the newspaper said. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges this month.

The Sun-News reported that according to court documents, Betancourt met the boy and his sister while living at a domestic violence shelter in Las Cruces.

Betancourt told an investigator with the District Attorney's Office that she had the boy move in with her and "let her guard down and fell in love," according to the newspaper. She said the boy took care of her baby while she was at work.

Flags will be lowered across the state to half-staff in memory and honor of Spc. Joseph L. Gallegos from Saturday through sundown Monday under a proclamation signed Friday by Gov. Bill Richardson.

Gallegos, a member of the New Mexico National Guard, died of cardiac arrest while serving his country in Iraq. Gallegos, 39, was pronounced dead Oct. 28 in Tallil, Iraq.

The Questa native and Questa High School graduate was a light-wheel vehicle mechanic with the 720th Transportation Company out of Las Vegas, N.M.

New Mexico National Guard spokesman Jamison Herrera said Gallegos' funeral will be Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Questa High School gymnasium.

Richardson said in his executive order directing flags be flown at half-staff that Gallegos' "patriotism, bravery and dedication to the nation will always be remembered."

"The thoughts and prayers of the people of New Mexico go out to his family as well as a heartfelt appreciation for his courageous service," the governor said.

Scott Pierce was shot to death in his home in front of his wife, six days after the couple got married

Jason Skaggs and Clifton Bloomfield were looking for someone else in June 2008 when Bloomfield broke into the couple's home and shot Pierce in the neck, according to a criminal complaint. The intended victim was a man who had allegedly slept with Skaggs' wife and beaten up Skaggs when he attempted to retaliate. The man had lived in the house on Hannett NE until a few months before the Pierce's moved in.

Skaggs appeared before District Court Judge Ross Sanchez in July and entered guilty pleas to second degree murder, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and criminal solicitation to commit murder.

He was sentenced today.

Bloomfield also pleaded guilty to killing four others and has been sentenced to 195 years in prison.

Reps. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, also Democrats, told the Journal Friday they will vote for the legislation.

Teague, a first-term lawmaker from southern New Mexico, represents the most conservative congressional district in the state. He has wrestled for months over whether to support a slew of health care initiatives put forth by President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats.

In a statement, Teague said:

"Let me be clear, I believe we need to reform our health care system.  I personally know how not having health insurance can impact individuals and families.  Growing up, both my parents worked, but we still couldn't afford health insurance.  So when my parents got sick, I had to drop out of high school and go to work to help support our family.  Those were difficult times and why as a small business owner I worked hard to provide affordable health insurance options to my employees and their families.

I had hoped to have an opportunity to vote for a health insurance reform bill that would guarantee every American access to affordable, quality health care, and rein in the skyrocketing health care costs that are keeping people and businesses out of the system and driving up our national debt.  Unfortunately, the current bill before Congress falls short of that and I am left with no choice but to vote against it. 

This bill doesn't do enough to rein in insurance companies.  It mandates millions of people and businesses to buy health insurance, but does little to make insurance companies control consumer costs.  I am also concerned that American taxpayers will end up footing a nearly $900 billion tab for a bill that doesn't do enough to 'bend the cost curve' in a way that permanently reduces both costs and the national debt."

House Democratic leaders planned the vote for Saturday, but signaled the vote could be delayed because it was not clear they had the 218 yea votes needed to pass the bill.

More to come in tomorrow's Journal.

A 19-year-old Las Cruces man is being held in the Dona Ana County Detention Center in lieu of a cash-only bond of $50,000 after being arrested for allegedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Zachery R. Robertson is charged with two first-degree felony counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child under 13 and three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, the newspaper said.

The Sun-News reported that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges against Robertson are pending.

The charges stem from an alleged Oct. 3 incident that detectives learned about Thursday when the girl's mother called police, the newspaper reported.

The Sun-News said that according to police reports, Robertson met with the girl at the Mesilla Valley Mall and took her to two locations in Las Cruces where they allegedly engaged in consensual intercourse.

Robertson had been texting the girl on his cell phone via the social networking site MySpace, the newspaper said. Investigators learned that the girl led Robertson to believe that she was 15 years old.

The case of a Flora Vista man accused of kidnapping a former girlfriend and holding her against her will for seven days last month is being moved from state court to federal court.

The Daily Times reported that charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree retaliation against a witness, misdemeanor battery and interference with communications against Reynold Blackburn, 39, were dismissed Thursday in Aztec Magistrate Court so federal agencies can proceed with prosecution.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Norm Cairns told the Farmington newspaper that Blackburn faces life in prison if convicted of federal kidnapping, a harsher penalty than the 29 years he would face at the state level.

The Daily Times said that according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O'Brien, the U.S. Attorney's Office has jurisdiction in the case because Blackburn allegedly took the woman across state lines.

Blackburn allegedly kidnapped the ex-girlfriend in Bloomfield and drove her to Durango, Colo., after forcing her to sign a typed statement in front of a notary public dismissing pending domestic violence charges against him, according to court documents.

Friday, 30 October 2009 17:54

A Flora Vista man is facing a kidnapping charge after allegedly abducting his ex-girlfriend to force her to sign a statement requesting that pending domestic violence charges against him be dismissed, The Daily Times reported.

Reynold Blackburn, 39, was charged Thursday with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree retaliation against a witness, misdemeanor battery and interference with communications, according to the Farmington newspaper.

 The Daily Times reported that according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, Blackburn encountered the woman at a Bloomfield car repair shop on Oct. 12 and forced her to go to his Flora Vista home to sign the documents regarding the domestic violence charges. He was charged in June with beating the woman with a golf club.

 According to arrest documents in the kidnapping case, Blackburn then held the woman against her will for seven days, going to Durango, Colo., and later to Grants, where the woman escaped on Oct. 19, the newspaper reported. Blackburn was arrested by Acoma tribal police.

Blackburn was charged in 2005 and 2008 with felony kidnapping and battery charges for attacking family members but both cases were dismissed by the District Attorney's Office after the alleged victims declined to participate in the prosecution of the cases, according to The Daily Times.

The newspaper reported that the woman in the pending kidnapping case is the same woman who in September 2008 alleged Blackburn held her hostage in a trailer for two days and raped her with a baseball bat. Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O'Brien told the newspaper that case could be refiled if the woman cooperates with prosecutors.

Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff from Saturday through sundown on Monday in memory of former state Supreme Court Justice Gene E. Franchini.

Franchini died unexpectedly Wednesday evening while he was delivering a guest lecture in Albuquerque to the first-year class of law students at the University of New Mexico. He was 74.

Richardson issued a proclamation Friday lowering flags across the state to half-staff in honor of Franchini.

"Justice Franchini's genuine love of the law and his tireless dedication to justice will be remembered by generations of New Mexicans," the governor said in the proclamation. "His actions and words served as a reminder for all who practice law that integrity and honesty are paramount to any successful career."

Richardson said the "thoughts and prayers of the people of New Mexico go out to his family as well as a heartfelt appreciation for his dedicated service."

Franchini spent 32 years as a trial lawyer and six years as a district judge in the 2nd Judicial District in Albuquerque before resigning in protest in 1981 over a mandatory sentence he believed unfair. In 12 years on the New Mexico Supreme Court starting in November 1990, he wrote more than 160 opinions, participated in well over 400 and served as chief justice in 1997-98.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Fatima church, 4020 Lomas NE in Albuquerque, with burial to follow at Gate of Heaven cemetery. The family has asked for memorial donations to the Center for Civic Values, P.O. Box 2184, Albuquerque, 87103.

To read Albuquerque Journal reporter Scott Sandlin's story about Franchini that was published in Friday's Journal, click here.

 Lambert is prohibited from participating in all team practices, competition and conditioning activities.

 "I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions," said Lambert. "My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the upmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."

 "Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship," said UNM coach Kit Vela.

 "Liz's conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate," said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. "There is no way to defend her actions."

 UNM lost 1-0.

To watch the video of the incident, click here.

A special ceremony will be held at Friday night's high school football game in Shiprock honoring the two Westbrook brothers, Kenneth and Marshall, who died serving their country, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan, The Daily Times reported.

The school plans to retire two jerseys in honor of the brothers, the Farmington newspaper reported. Shiprock High School athletic director Mike Walker said the retired jerseys will be presented to the Westbrook family and another set will hang in the new field house scheduled to open in the spring.

Country music star Jo Dee Messina will sing the national anthem, The Daily Times reported. She will be in Shiprock for a concert Friday night and when she heard about the special ceremony before the Zuni-Shiprock football game to honor the Westbrook brothers, she offered her services.

She will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before going to the Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center to perform at her concert, according to the newspaper.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook, 41, died in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7. He was wounded in Ganjgal Valley, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit Sept. 8, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

New Mexico National Guard Sgt. Marshall Alan Westbrook, 43, died Oct. 1, 2005, when a bomb was detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq.

Navajo police Capt. Ivan Tsosie said that evidence was recovered that connects Carroll to the killing of Sister Marguarite Bartz, KRQE Channel 13 reported.

Bartz was found dead in the St. Berard Mission Church convent on Sunday after she failed to show up for Mass. Police later recovered a Honda SUV in Arizona that had been used by Bartz.

A Roman Catholic priest at St. Joseph's Church in Lordsburg has been severely injured in a traffic accident, The Deming Headlight reported.

The newspaper said Father Virgilio Flores was injured Wednesday afternoon in the traffic accident that occurred outside Lordsburg and was airlifted to University Medical Center in Tucson.

Dr. Wayne Pribble, chancellor of the diocese, told The Headlight that Flores was driving from Bayard to Lordsburg and was about five miles out of town when the accident occurred.

"I spoke with the EMTs and people at the site," Pribble said. "It looked like perhaps a deer jumped into the road in front of him ... a typical scene, with skid marks."

Pribble told the newspaper that EMTs cut Flores' seatbelt and removed him from the vehicle. "At that point," Pribble said, "he was lucid and talking. Fairly soon after that, he lapsed into a coma."

Prior to being assigned to St. Joseph's Church, Flores was assigned to Deming's Holy Family and St. Ann's churches and the mission in Columbus, according to the newspaper.

A moment of silence was being observed at 12:34 p.m. Friday at White Sands Missile Range to honor the memory of the victims of the shooting incident at Fort Hood, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

The Sun-News said the moment of silence at 12:34 p.m. also was being observed at Fort Bliss.

Thursday's shooting incident at Fort Hood left 13 people dead and 30 wounded, believed to be the largest mass shooting ever to occur on a U.S. military base.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's detectives located 17-year-old Roberto Gonzalez in a home in the South Valley a few hours ago, sheriff's spokeswoman Erin Kinnard Thompson tells ABQJournal.com.

Gonzales is charged with an open count of murder in the Oct. 30 shooting death of 19-year-old John Valenzuela.

Read last week's Journal story here and pick up a copy of tomottow's West Side Journal for more.

• George Miller, the director of the  Lawrence Livermore nuclear weapons lab, makes $442,000 per year. 
• The chairman of the Valles Caldera board of trustees says a study is under way by the National Park Service to determine whether the Valles Caldera would be better off as a national park.
• Motor Transportation police officers at the Gallup port of entry found more than 100 pounds of marijuana in a load of produce being hauled by a Henderson, Nev., man.
• The San Juan Coal Company has received a national award from the federal government for a reclamation project at its La Plata Mine in northwestern New Mexico.
• Startup of an asphalt plant at the Caja Del Rio Landfill run by Santa Fe city and county government has been stopped after residents raised concerns about the project.
• After nearly a month of continuous increases, gas prices in the state are stabilizing.
• If New Mexico doesn't invest in human capital -- the education of its children -- it will see two inevitable results: External capital won't want to invest here, and "talented young adults in New Mexico will want to move out." Those stinging words Thursday came from Robert H. Dugger, a financial manager who warned that the business community needs to get involved with state policies toward education.
• The 1st Judicial District's Nominating Committee on Thursday forwarded the names of six area lawyers to the governor as possible replacements for Judge James Hall, who is retiring in December.
• Looking ahead to the weekend, the weather should be wonderful.

To vote for your favorite story, click here.

Because the three nuclear weapons research centers are run for the government by private companies, the directors' salaries were not previously a matter of public record, but were recently posted on the federal government's stimulus act web site.

(Note when this correction was sent out as an e-mail alert it said $422,00 rather than $442,000)

Motor Transportation Police officers caught 35-year-old Carlos Santa Cruz of Henderson, Nev., on Wednesday afternoon.

 He was hauling a load of produce and ingredients for Chinese food from California to New Jersey when he was stopped at the Gallup port of entry for an inspection.

 More than 100 pounds of marijuana were found nestled among boxes of broccoli and bean sprouts.

 Some other prescription pain medication was also found in the cab of the truck. He did not have prescriptions for the medication.

 Santa Cruz was booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Here is the forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today

Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Saturday

Partly cloudy. Highs in the 70s.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear. Lows in the 30s to lower 40s.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s.

After nearly a month of continuous increases, gas prices in the state are stabilizing. Triple-A New Mexico says the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular costs $2.68 in New Mexico, the same as the national average. A gallon of gas is selling in Albuquerque for $2.62, while Santa Fe's $2.67 a gallon is the most expensive in the state.