Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Kate Powell brings you local news at noon. 

White Sands national monument bills itself as being like no place else on earth—with shifting white gypsum dunes and wide-open blue skies, visitors often say they feel like they’ve traveled to another planet. But it’s also unlike other hiking and recreation destinations due to the dangers posed by heat—which park officials say can easily climb into the low hundreds on a summer day, with no shade in sight. 

As soon as children who have crossed into the United States without the proper legal documents are arrested, they are thrust into a single system with 2 conflicting mandates: to care for the children and to prosecute, and deport them.  Georgetown University scholar Susan J Terrio researched what happens to these children, and turned a decade of scholarship into a new book, WHOSE CHILD AM I?   She told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, her ability to see this system from the inside has turned out to be almost unique.

In this edition of The Sporting Life, host Dan DeFrancesco takes a critical look at a suspended 10 year old girl basketball player.

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Jeremy is a University of New Mexico student who has volunteered diligently at KSFR this summer. Today was the last day of his internship. We at KSFR News salute Jeremy and wish him an excellent second year at UNM. 

As you heard during the local news segment earlier, a spill of contaminated water from a Colorado mine has been released into the Animas river, and officials say it could create drinking water shortages in communities in the San Juan Basin. KSFR’s Kate Powell has details. 

We Americans are addicted to our credit and debit cards.  So what’s the difference?  A credit card is essentially a loan to the cardholder that allows you buy things now and pay later.  A debit card lets you make purchases by electronically accessing the money in your checking or savings account.  In her third segment of a series of reports on consumer protection, reporter Mary Lou Cooper gets a crash course in Plastic 101 from the New Mexico Attorney General’s office.

The Republican-led Congressional harangue against the nuclear weapons agreement negotiated between Iran and the US and 5 allies has, to put it mildly, accentuated the negative. But Dalia Dassa Kaye, the director of the RAND Corporation's Mideast Policy Center told KSFR'S Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, the agreement actually imposes several severe limits on Iran.

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

President Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” unveiled Monday produced the first set of emission-reduction requirements for the nation's existing coal-fired power plants that will be monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. KSFR spoke with two New Mexico environmental organizations about the President’s plan, and how the new rules will impact our state's energy future. 

We asked New Mexico’s largest utility, Public Service Company of New Mexico, for its thoughts on the President’s proposal.  PNM Resources’ Chairman, President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn issued a statement that says, in part:

“PNM is committed to reducing emissions and increasing the use of cleaner resources in ways that keep electric prices affordable for our customers and ensure the reliability of the electric system. We still have to review the plan in detail, but we are encouraged that EPA’s emission rate for New Mexico is not significantly different from the proposed rule and that EPA has provided additional time for states to submit plans and for utilities to comply.”

In partnership with the New Mexico Attorney General's office, KSFR today is launching a series of reports on consumer protection.  Today's report focuses on immigrant consumers--the abuses they face and what can be done about them.  KSFR reporter Mary Lou Cooper brings us part one of this story.

In today’s edition of “Medical Insights” with Santa Fe physician Dr. Erica Elliot, the topic is depression and its link to inflammation.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

New Mexico’s Department of Health continues to look into the death of a Santa Fe County woman from a deadly form of the plague, and experts are warning people to keep areas around their homes free from wood piles and compost pits that attract plague-carrying fleas.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez spoke with a state epidemiologist about the disease and the investigation, and brings us more on the story.

Tonight marks the first primary debate of the season--this first GOP debate will take place in Cleveland, Ohio today. KSFR's Kate Powell asked Republican Party of New Mexico's Public Relations officer, Pat Garrett, what viewers can expect from the debate tonight. 

Tonight's debate will air on FOX, with a first debate among 7 undercard candidates set to take place at 5pm Eastern Time, and a second debate among the 10 leading candidates kicking off at 9 PM Eastern Time. 

In an earlier story on the special problems faced by immigrant consumers, KSFR looked at one of their biggest concerns--unauthorized agents who take money and claim to be experts on immigration status issues.  In today's segment, reporter Mary Lou Cooper talks with Joel Cruz-Esparza with the New Mexico Attorney General's office about other examples of scams targeted at immigrant consumers. 

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Since 1948 when the first Arab-Israeli agreement was reached establishing a two-state region in the Middle East, continuing conflict has dominated news reports.  But at the same time many non-governmental agencies have been working to reach peace.  One of those is the Santa Fe-based group, Creativity for Peace.  The non-profit works in the West Bank and in New Mexico, bringing teenaged girls together at its summer camp here in a peaceful setting where they can share their stories, learn mediation skills, and get to know one another. KSFR’s Deborah Martinez has more on their fifth annual cultural celebration for peace.

New Mexico has a poor reputation when it comes to crimes of violence.  It seems that parts of our culture, if not actively encouraging such behavior, do not do as well as they could in preventing it.  And recently, we have been hearing more about human trafficking, which is itself yet another form of violence, often sexually-oriented. 

However, there are organizations dedicated to helping the victims of such events. And right here in Santa Fe we have one such group which is working on the front line. KSFR’s David King met with the Executive Director of Santa Fe’s Solace Crisis Treatment Center to talk about their work.

In this week’s edition of “The Sporting Life,” host Dan DeFrancesco discusses life lessons he’s learned from sports.

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

The biggest money-maker in Hawaiian agriculture is no longer pineapples, or sugar cane.  The biggest thing, Al Jazeera America Science reporter Jacob Ward told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, is the development of experimental seeds for global farming.  The problem he says are the chemicals sprayed to keep fields of seeds healthy.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

On a recent episode of KSFR's Santa Fe Radio Cafe, host Mary-Charlotte Domandi presented the third part of her series with the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She talked to Sheila Lewis, former president of that organization and retired public defender, as well as Barry Porter, criminal defense and civil rights attorney with the Albuquerque firm Burgess and Porter, about the obstacles formerly incarcerated New Mexicans face as they attempt to rebuild their lives. 

In this edition of Equal Time, host Martha Burk turns her attention to the first Republican presidential debate, scheduled to take place in Cleveland, Ohio August 6th. How will contenders handle issues affecting the largest population of American voters--that is, women? 

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

One of the main topics in last night’s Santa Fe City Council meeting was the approval of a planned senior living facility on Old Pecos Trail. Since the plan was first introduced, it’s drawn criticism from residents of the surrounding neighborhood. Mayor Javier Gonzales cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the facility in the City Council’s July 8^th meeting, but told councilors last night he now wants to remand the decision to the Planning Commission. KSFR’s Kate Powell brings us some highlights from the council’s conversation. 

The Thoma Art Foundation has been serving the Santa Fe Art Community for many years now with the purpose of shifting perceptions, sparking creativity, and connecting people across cultures. One of the ways that The Thoma Foundation is currently doing this is by bringing rare digital art to their Santa Fe Gallery ART House on 231 Delgado St. KSFR’s Sebastian Huerta went to the Art House to meet with one of The Thoma Foundations Curators, Mira Burack, and learn more about digital art.

Over the past month, the global price of oil has taken another huge drop, with the price of American oil, the so-called West Texas Intermediate, falling from 60-dollars to below 50-dollars a barrel.  But Janie Chermak, the Chair of the Economics Department at UNM told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, this might not be the bottom.

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Although most observers speak of the situation in Ukraine as "a frozen war," the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, secessionist forces, supported by Russia have become more and more aggressive in the south and east of the country.  He says the US and the West need to be tougher on confronting this.  But he says, when it comes to the crucial matter of reforming Ukraine's politics and economy, there are reasons for real optimism.

When Cheesemongers of Santa Fe opened on Marcy Street in downtown Santa Fe, many wondered if a city of our size could sustain a specialty cheese shop. More than seven months later, it looks like the pungent boutique near the offices of the Santa Fe New Mexican isn’t going anywhere. KSFR’s Alan Dee paid Cheesemongers a visit, and brings us this report. 

In this week’s Medical Insights feature, Dr. Erica Elliot discusses what she calls the “nocebo” effect.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

In This Week’s “The Sporting Life,” Dan DeFrancesco wonders if we are heading for Robot Umpires !!??

A community library in Northern New Mexico has received a National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Located in Dixon, the heart of the state's organic farming community, the Embudo Valley Community Library has been recognized for its outstanding contribution to its community, and for its innovative approach to public service. Adrienne Rosenberg is a new friend of KSFR living and working in Dixon, and she brings us this report.

We’ve been talking a lot lately about the detonation of the first atomic bomb, which took place 70 years ago this month. KSFR’s Zelie Pollon spoke with Rushmore Denooyer, director of a two-hour PBS special on the bomb airing tonight—about what drew him to his project, and what surprised him most as he learned about the early days of nuclear technology. 

KSFR’s Zelie Pollon reporting. The Bomb airs tonight, from 7-9 pm on New Mexico PBS—that’s Channel 5.1.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Pop-Up Galleries are one of the ways in which artist of today are finding resourceful ways to spread their art to communities. Through these pop-up galleries artist are able to sidestep the large overheads that come with traditional galleries along with staying flexible due to the short-term aspect of them. Pop-ups also offer a more accessible opportunity for those who want to learn about or collect art, but are perhaps intimidated or uncomfortable in the traditional gallery setting.  KSFR’s Sebastian Huerta visited one of these pop-up galleries in the Santa Fe Railyard on its opening day. 

In New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment, dis-enchantment can be just a glance away.  Reporter Margaret Wright of The New Mexican told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, abandoned household garbage, furniture and appliances not only mar the beauty of the state's landscape, they can harm the environment. 

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

The second installment of KSFR's look at changes to federal law that could affect the livelihood of New Mexico artists. Kate Powell talks to Talia Kosh of New Mexico Lawyers for the Arts to get an attorney's perspective on proposed changes copyright law. 

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon.

Santa Fe is a major hub of the international art world. We’re also home to a large community of local artists and designers, many of whom manage their own creative works. Until recently, what you didn’t know about copyright law couldn’t really hurt you. But that might soon change. Congress recently received recommendations from the US Copyright Office to replace present copyright law with something new—including a revival of legislation first introduced in 2006 called the Orphaned Works Act.

KSFR’s Kate Powell spoke to artist and activist Brad Holland about orphaned works legislation, and how it stands to impact artists in New Mexico and across the country. 

To learn more about this issue, or to write a letter to the Copyright Office, visit asip-repro.org . 

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's local news at noon presented by Kate Powell

Tuesday’s ‘At Noon’ is when we hear from Dr. Erica Elliot for her “Medical Insights” feature.    

In his encyclical and on his three-nation tour of South America, Pope Francis preached that humanity and the environment cannot be separated, and that both are due higher levels of protection and care.  But, veteran Catholic News Service Vatican Correspondent John Thavis told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, the Pope also had a second message:  of inclusion, of bringing all people of good will, -- gays and straights, the married and divorced, -- into the family of the Roman Catholic Church.

The results are in--and New Mexico has held its ranking—of 49th in the nation—for child well-being among the 50 states. New Mexico Voices for Children Executive Director Veronica Garcia helped KSFR's Kate Powell understand why our state is almost dead-last in its ability to give kids what they need to survive and succeed.    

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Dozens of New Mexicans sounded off at a State Human Services Department hearing in Santa Fe on Friday, as Governor Susana Martinez’s administration gets ready to expand requirements for those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, formerly known as food stamps.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez attended the meeting and brings us this report.

 A new photo exhibition at Verve Gallery presents visitors with an opportunity to experience visually the impact of climate change. KSFR's Zelie Pollon reports. 

In this edition of The Sporting Life, host Dan DeFrancesco ponders Major League Baseball’s lull during the all-star game, followed by its frenzied and widened race for the playoffs… Plus, a plug for Yogi Berra as one of the top four major leaguers of all time.

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

While government groups and nonprofits like the Department of Agriculture and the Food Depot manage to fill families’ immediate needs for good nutrition, long-term solutions are the key to ending child hunger and the poverty that often causes it.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez this week has shown us the history and current action underway, and in this final part of her series she explores efforts to change policy, and other larger solutions to hunger that hits one in seven households in the U.S.

With strong disagreements still evident among the leaders of Germany and the International Monetary Fund, the Greek financial crisis may not be over.  After weeks of diplomatic wrangling and parliamentary reversals, Al Jazeera America Economic Correspondent Patricia Sabga told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, most of the people she's been talking with in Athens are both demoralized and frightened.

St. Johns College has been celebrating its 50^th year with event offerings all summer, but some people may still be unaware of its rich history and the study it offers. Sebastian Huerta has more.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

As people celebrate today the 70th anniversary of the first atomic bomb, it's important to remember those impacted by the radioactive fallout. Many in New Mexico want to make sure the human story is given the same if not more importance than the science. 

In the first segment of her KSFR series, reporter Deborah Martinez took a look at how the child hunger issue has evolved, and what several government and nonprofit agencies have historically done to alleviate the pain of poverty and hunger.   Today’s focus is on what’s happening right now in Santa Fe and New Mexico to help parents make healthy choices, double their dollars, and get beyond their day-to-day struggles with hunger through job training and early education.

A new study from the journal Nature finds that living near trees has major health benefits. Luckily for Santa Feans we live in a landscape d full of forests. And to celebrate our arboreal friends you can head over to the centennial celebration of the Santa Fe National Forest. KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik spoke to Julie-Ann Overton from the Forest Service for details on the event.

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

One in every five New Mexico Families lives in poverty, and for many of those families, help with their children’s meals is vital.  But are we failing to feed the most vulnerable segment of our population?  In this three-part series, Deborah Martinez sorts out the data on child hunger, who’s doing something about it, and how families struggle to overcome the odds.

In part one, Deborah looks at the history of the problem, the part public assistance has played and the link between a living wage and hunger in New Mexico.

After more than a year away, one of Santa Fe's favorite breakfast and brunch spots is back in business. KSFR's Kate Powell talked to Tecolote Café owners Katie and Matt Atkins about the challenging road that got them where they are today

The recent PBS Frontline documentary Rape on the Night Shift revealed an apparently widespread problem of unpunished sexual predation in the national janitorial services industry.  To tell this story, Producer Daffodil Altan (All-TAHN) told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, she had to find victims who were credible, coherent, and willing to tell their painful stories in the presence of cameras and microphones.

Daffodil Altahn, one of the leader producers of the PBS Frontline television documentary Rape on the Night Shift, speaking on KSFR’s HERE AND THERE with Dave Marash, which airs right after the 5 o'clock news.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Today an historic agreement was reached with Iran concerning their nuclear program. The deal, which spans 20 months of negotiations, has been a focus for President Barak Obama – and he stated earlier today that he would veto any legislation by Congress that would block this deal. The agreement basically says that in exchange for limits on its nuclear activites, sanctions on the country would be lifted. The country would still be able to practice its nuclear program toward “peaceful” purposes. US Senator Tom Udall this morning spoke about the agreement calling it an historic deal with great input from New Mexico’s national labs.

As the negotiations with Iran over restraints on the next 10 to 15 years of nuclear developments hover ever-closer to the finish, fewer and fewer details have been leaking out.  Al Jazeera America's Ali Velshi, host of the business and economic news program On Target told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, there are some important things about the talks that no outsiders know. 

Today on our segment Medical Insights Dr. Elliott speaks about Sinusitis.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

US Senator Martin Heinrich today unveiled a bill to promote clean energy development in Indian country, saying it was time to level the playing field. KSFR's Kate Powell has more.

Senator Heinrich’s announcement comes on the heels of a three-part plan announced by the Federal government last week to extend solar power benefits to low and middle income Americans.  In some ways, the plan parallels initiatives both the city and the county of Santa Fe called for some two years ago.  KSFR’s Alan Dee takes a look at where the local efforts stand.

KSFR’s new program Through Our Eyes airs Wednesdays from 4-5pm and focuses on Native communities. Recently IAIA Marketing & Communications Director and show host Eric Davis interviewed renowned historian Zoni Gorman on The Navajo Code Talkers. Sebastian Huerta has more from that interview.

in this edition of The Sporting Life, host Dan Defrancesco talks about the importance of women’s soccer for aspiring young female players.

Two nearby pueblos have gained control of their school curriculums. Acoma and Santa Clara Pueblos have received federal funding to create their own curriculums, giving pueblo educators an opportunity to emphasize subjects like indigenous language learning. According to the Albuquerque Journal, these pueblos have been trying to gain input in their students’ learning for some time, and are among five tribes nationwide that recently received federal funds to make it happen. But tribal officials say a good financial plan will need to be in place to make sure that funding goes as far as it should—Acoma and Santa Clara pueblos are assuming responsibility not only of planning coursework, but also of organizing transportation, food service, and security for their schools.

Three New Mexico cities are being ranked among the top five metropolitan areas in the country with the most export growth. Gov. Susana Martinez said Friday that Las Cruces, Farmington, and Santa Fe broke records for export growth according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Las Cruces and Farmington came in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Santa Fe was ranked fifth. Martinez says the rankings confirm the state's strides to diversify its economy and grow in the private sector. According to a Department of Commerce review, the Las Cruces area dominated other cities with an export growth of more than 210 percent in the last year. That amounts to a gain of $913 million. A majority of the exports were to markets where the U.S. has trade agreements.

The father of one of the teens accused of gunning down an Albuquerque man in his driveway says he is sorry for the victim's family but his son "is not an animal." Police reports show that four of the six teenage boys charged in the killing of 60-year-old Steve Gerecke came from troubled homes with parents who had run-ins with the law too. Police say the four had a history of running away from home or accusing an adult family member of abuse. Only five have a previous criminal history. Meanwhile, more than 100 people attended a memorial Saturday for Gerecke. His family says they blame the teens' parents for his death.

The father of a New Mexico lawmaker has settled two lawsuits in which he claims he was wrongfully arrested for drunk driving and assaulting an officer. Luciano Trujillo, whose son is state Rep. Carl Trujillo, will receive $85,000 from Santa Fe County's insurer. Trujillo filed a lawsuit in federal court against individual officers and one in state District Court against Santa Fe County and Sheriff Robert Garcia. In his federal suit, Trujillo says a law enforcement employee ran a check on the license plate of the vehicle he was driving 15 minutes before he was stopped by Pojoaque tribal police in 2011. Tribal police had been commissioned to enforce traffic laws in that area. Prosecutors dismissed the charges against the then 70-year-old.

The FBI in New Mexico is seeking potential victims of a Florida man who they say tricked hundreds of females into giving him sexually explicit images of themselves. 26-year-old Lucas Michael Chansler, of St. Johns, Florida, pleaded guilty last year to several counts of child pornography production but 250 images he had remain unidentified. FBI spokesman Frank Fisher says the images may involve New Mexico teens. According to Fisher, Chansler operated a "sextortion" scheme dating back to 2007. He posed as a teenage boy on social media sites and manipulated girls into sending photos or exposing themselves. He then threatened to post or share them if they didn't send more pictures or videos. The FBI previously identified victims from New Mexico in other images.

Federal authorities say the remains of a man who went missing in May have been unearthed at a home in northern New Mexico. Prosecutors are charging 66-year-old Jack Patterson Jr. in the murder of 29-year-old Benjamin Youngbear. Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs investigators excavated Youngbear's remains in a shallow grave at Patterson's Chamita home last week. According to a criminal complaint, Patterson admitted to shooting and killing Youngbear in self-defense once the remains were recovered. Tribal police say Youngbear, of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, was reported missing May 27. The U.S. Attorney's Office says an alleged accomplice, 24-year-old Antonio Valdez, remains at large. Valdez is facing charges of aiding and abetting in a murder.

The International Folk Art Market is headed for another banner year, and dozens of artisans — many from developing countries — are reaping the benefits as they work to start their own businesses and improve their communities. Now in its 12th year, the three-day market entered its final stretch Sunday. Thousands of people crowded onto Santa Fe's Museum Hill to browse the booths of more than 150 artists from around the globe. Everything from hand-woven baskets to carved gourds and rugs made of recycled clothes were on display. Organizers say the first two days were sold out and more than $700,000 in art was sold in less than four hours during the first night, a 12-percent increase over 2014. Last year, sales topped $3 million for the weekend. To hear interviews with some of the artisans who graced the market this year, visit KSFR.org.

And in national news….

A report says more than 1,800 immigrants that the government wanted to deport were nevertheless released from local jails and later re-arrested for various crimes. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement report released Monday says that the re-arrested immigrants were among 8,145 people who were freed between January and August 2014, despite requests from federal agents that they be held for deportation. The report provided by the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies says about 23 percent were eventually taken into custody again. The center actively opposes illegal immigration. Many jurisdictions have stopped honoring so-called immigration detainers, saying they can't hold arrestees without probable cause. In a case drawing national attention to the issue, authorities say a woman was shot to death in San Francisco this month by a suspect who was released from jail despite an immigration detainer.

Thousands of people have rallied in central Florida in support of flying the Confederate flag. Police estimated 2,000 vehicles, mostly motorcycles and trucks adorned with the Civil War-era flag, took part in Sunday's gathering in Ocala. The event was being held to back a decision by Marion County to return the Confederate flag to a display outside its government complex. Participants wore shirts with phrases including "heritage not hate" and talked of defending Southern traditions as the flag's symbolism is widely debated. South Carolina removed a Confederate battle flag Friday that flew near its Statehouse, weeks after nine shooting deaths at a historically black church there. Police have charged a man shown in pictures with a Confederate flag, who they say was motivated by hate.

Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 20%.The overnight low, 60 degrees.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

This week we’ve been hearing voices from the international Folk Art Market, which begins tonight with a sold out viewing at Museum Hill. KSFR's Zelie Pollon talked to one artist from Oaxaca who is making her first appearance at the market tonight.

KSFR's Zelie Pollon spoke with Sylvia Obledo, who is the director of Ambiance and decor at the market. For those who‘ve attended before, décor is an exceptionally important and popular part of the market itself.  Obleda describes this year’s color and imagery that will be seen throughout this year’s market.

In this edition of Equal Time, host Martha Burk takes Republican presidential candidates to task for their condemnation of gay marriage's legalization as an assault on "religious freedom." 

Last week, President Obama announced his Administration was changing the way it would deal with the holding of American hostages by terrorists abroad.  A new Fusion Cell comprised of experts from the FBI, the intelligence services, the State Department and the Defense Department would direct efforts, backed by a watchdog group from the National Security Agency, and a special liaison between government and the families of the hostages. Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation, lone one of America's top experts on terrorism told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, the process that built this new structure was a good one.

Officials at the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department are firing back after the state auditor raised questions about senior-level officials inappropriately exerting influence over tax matters. Department spokesman Ben Cloutier says the allegations are nothing more than unsubstantiated claims being driven by disgruntled former employees. He also accused State Auditor Tim Keller, a Democrat, of playing politics. Keller announced Thursday that he forwarded allegations of wrongdoing to the state attorney general's office. Keller didn't release many details, but his office looked into whether officials used their positions to pressure employees to obtain differential treatment for a certain taxpayer. Other questions included whether these actions were taken to protect a high-level official from individual liability stemming from previous work for the taxpayer and whether the state lost revenue as a result. KSFR spoke with Keller yesterday. He says findings from his initial investigation  are troubling. INS KELLER-1 :18 New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller.

State Attorney General Hector Balderas says he doesn't want New Mexico communities to be pitted against one another as water resources dwindle and an interstate legal challenge over the Rio Grande looms. So Balderas announced Thursday during a visit to Las Cruces that his office is partnering with the Water Resources Research Institute at New Mexico State University. Balderas says the goal is to be more innovative when dealing with water planning and the use of water in general. He also wants to find a reasonable resolution to the fight with Texas over the Rio Grande but still protect the rights of New Mexico citizens. As part of the partnership, the attorney general's office is investing $1 million from its consumer protection fund in the water research institute.

A man awaiting trial in the fatal shooting of a Rio Rancho police officer has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for violating his probation. Prosecutors say 28-year-old Andrew Romero was given the maximum sentence Thursday. They say Romero has a lengthy criminal history that includes a manslaughter conviction. He originally was charged with receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle in November 2013. Court records show Romero also has faced charges of drug trafficking and armed robbery. Romero could get life in prison without parole if convicted in the May 25 shooting death of Officer Gregg Benner. He's pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and nine other charges. At the time of the shooting, Romero was wanted for failing to participate in a court-ordered drug treatment program.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled that workers aren't entitled to overtime pay under New Mexico's minimum wage law for travel between their homes and job sites. The case involved workers who were based in Artesia but who traveled at least an hour a day to and from job sites in the Permian Basin oil field in southeastern New Mexico. The Court of Appeals' June 25 decision upheld a trial judge's pretrial ruling in favor of the workers' former employer, J.W. Drilling Inc. The workers contended they were entitled to overtime because the travel required them to work over 40 hours a week. The appellate court rejected the argument, ruling that it would expand the state minimum wage to include requiring employers to compensate workers for travel time.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of an injured worker in a medical marijuana case. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the recent decision marks the third time in a year the court has sided with a medical marijuana patient in a workers' compensation claim. According to the ruling issued in late June, a patient in the medical marijuana program who is injured on the job must be reimbursed by an employer for the expense of marijuana used for treatment. Appellate Judge James Wechsler wrote that a workers' compensation judge was correct in ruling that American General Media, which owns several radio stations in New Mexico, had to reimburse Sandra Lewis of Albuquerque. The company had argued that the state's medical marijuana law created a conflict with federal law.

Federal officials will host a series of public meetings this summer on the U.S. government's coal program after criticism that corporations are profiting off publicly-owned reserves of the fuel at the expense of taxpayers. Thursday's announcement comes as coal companies and their allies in Congress have tried to thwart the Obama administration's initial attempts to change longstanding industry practices. That includes recent legislation from Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke that would block an Interior Department proposal to overhaul coal royalty payments. Under rules in place since the 1980s, companies can sell coal to affiliates and pay royalties to the government on that price, then turn around and sell the coal for more overseas. One of the public meetings will take place in Farmington on August 20th. Other public meetings are planned in Washington, D.C., Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

In national news…

Today, the confederate flag that has flown in front of the South Carolina Statehouse since 1961 will be taken down. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley says she's proud of how her state responded to the shooting deaths of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston last month. Haley told NBC's "Today" show Friday morning that she'll be thinking of the shooting victims as the flag is removed at a 10 a.m. ceremony. Haley said South Carolinians honor tradition and history but the Confederate flag belongs in a museum where people can honor it appropriately. Haley said: "No one should ever drive by the Statehouse and feel pain. No one should ever drive by the Statehouse and feel like they don't belong."

American Samoa stands as the only U.S. territory to hold out against the recent Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage. But as the Pacific island's attorney general reviews the decision, legal observers and gay rights advocates are saying it should go into effect immediately. As of Thursday, no one has applied for a same sex marriage license in American Samoa, according to the island's Office of Vital Statistics. But Rose Cuison Villazor, a professor at University of California, Davis' law school and an expert on territorial law, says the lack of marriage license applications by same-sex couples shouldn't be taken to mean no one in American Samoa desires gay marriage.

And the weather in Santa Fe: Chance of thunderstorms today is 40%, the high today, 77 degrees. Tonight, that chance of thunderstorms continues, with an overnight low in the mid-50s. On Saturday and Sunday, the chance of rain drops to 30%, dropping to 20% on Monday. 

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon.