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ICYMI: These were the top stories this past week in the Journal

Channell Segura hugs Gabriella Blakey

APS Chief of Schools Channell Segura, left, congratulates Superintendent-select Gabriella Durán Blakey on Monday at the district’s headquarters. Segura was a semifinalist for the job before being eliminated in mid-January.

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From police corruption probes to the selection of a new superintendent for the Albuquerque Public Schools, here are five top stories from this week.

1. Two Jal police officers, Corey Patrick Saffell, 34, and Ceasar Enrique Mendoza, 28, along with former officer Robert Edward Embly, aka “Eddie,” were charged with violating the civil rights of an unidentified man in 2021. If convicted, all three could face up to 10 years in prison.

2. Gabriella Blakey was named the new superintendent for Albuquerque Public Schools. Blakey, who has been with APS on and off for two decades, will succeed current Superintendent Scott Elder when he leaves the position June 30. Blakey's annual salary will be $295,000.

3. Forty-three additional DWI cases related to a federal investigation into corruption at the Albuquerque Police Department have been dismissed by the 2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office. There have been 195 cases dismissed, most of them were DWI.

4. A second bill on New Mexico's graduation requirements is on its way to the governor's desk. House Bill 171 passed the Senate on a 40-0 vote Wednesday. The bill aims to bring more flexibility and choice to students in high school by incorporating more career-technical education options.

5. Good News: The New Mexico Commission for the Blind has a free, statewide, telephone-based system operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, allowing the blind to access voice recordings of news articles from a variety of newspapers and publications.

Photos: Inside NEWSLINE For The Blind

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Richard Fritz, NEWSLINE for the Blind early morning coordinator, reads the Gallup Independent off his computer screen and records articles for NEWSLINE readers at his desk
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Jim Salas, New Mexico Commission for the Blind deputy director, explains how he listens to NEWSLINE For The Blind everyday during lunch in his office at commission offices in Albuquerque.
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NEWSLINE For The Blind reads the Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, Gallup Independent and Alamogordo Daily News on a daily-basis for their readers. The red marks on the paper indicate which section they are in and which volunteer will be reading them.
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Krista Mireles, New Mexico Commission For The Blind NEWSLINE coordinator, sits in her office in Albuquerque.
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A sign reading “Quick Please ... Important Work in Progress” hangs on Krista Mireles’ door at the New Mexico Commission For The Blind office in Albuquerque on Feb. 1, 2024.
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