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Monday, December 22, 2008

Around New Mexico


Journal Wire Reports
          Riders Overwhelm Rail Runner
        Authorities running a new commuter train route to Santa Fe said they would add more cars to accommodate demand that has been much higher than expected.
        It was standing room only Saturday for many passengers who took advantage of the Rail Runner Express' free service to the capital. The additional cars were expected to be added Sunday.
        Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, which oversees rail service operations for the state, said that so many people were at the Los Ranchos stop that they couldn't all get on.
        Officials say 200 to 300 people had to wait for a second train to pick them up. The Rail Runner is offering riders free trips on Saturdays and Sundays until Jan. 4.
        Clovis Woman's Throat Slashed
        CLOVIS — Police say they suspect that a 54-year-old Clovis woman found dead inside her burning house Saturday morning was killed by someone she knew.
        The victim is identified as Elizabeth McAdams. Her body was discovered shortly after 7 a.m. by Clovis firefighters responding to a house fire at 1600 N. Lea St.
        Police found McAdams lying on the floor of a back bedroom. It appeared that someone had slashed McAdams' throat, then set several small fires in an attempt to burn down the house and destroy evidence of a homicide, police said.
        Police said McAdams' slaying wasn't random, and she "may have known the murder suspect." They said they have a "person of interest" they are trying to locate as part of the investigation.
        The homicide is Clovis' third this year.
        Cases Overload Cruces' Court
        LAS CRUCES — The state District Court in Las Cruces has had to dismiss about a dozen cases in recent months because its seven elected judges cannot keep up with the increased workload, court officials say.
        District Attorney Susana Martinez said that, in the past five months, misdemeanor DWI, drug and other nonviolent cases have been dismissed.
        "The dockets are extremely crowded," Martinez said. "It comes to a point where a judge just has to dismiss" because a speedy trial cannot be granted.
        The court, which serves all of Doña Ana County, is handling 700 more cases than at the same time in 2007. Through mid-December, the court handled almost 9,600 cases, including 4,510 civil cases and 2,526 criminal cases, said Mark Perea, deputy court executive officer.
        The court also has more jury trials than any other district in the state, he said.
        Despite the increasing workload, there has been no corresponding increase in the number of judges or court staff.