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records, Adjekuko and Butler conspired to beat up the 16-year-old cadet because the victim had told on them for smoking marijuana. Butler admitted donning a black ninjastyle mask and dark sweatpants before ambushing the victim at the victim’s dorm room the night of Nov. 19, court records state. Authorities allege Adjekuko, who signed a scholarship in late-February to attend NMMI, asked Butler to commit the assault because Butler and the victim are both minors, whereas Adjekuko is 19. “Cadet Butler advised that Cadet Adjekuko knew what he, Butler, was planning to do and that Cadet Adjekuko wanted him, Butler, to do it because he, Butler, was a minor like (the victim),” Capt. Charles Yslas of NMMI’s police department wrote in his incident report. Yslas stated Butler implicated Adjekuko, and Adjekuko and Butler confessed their guilt. “Cadet Butler advised that he put on a black ninja-style mask and proceeded to (the victim’s) room,” Yslas wrote. “Cadet Butler advised that upon (the victim) opening the door, he stepped around the wall area and pushed (the victim) back and began striking him with closed fists.” Yslas stated Adjekuko admitted schem-
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tion medication that can help reverse overdoses from opioids such as heroin, methadone, oxycodone and hydrocodone. In March, pharmacists in New Mexico became the first in the United States certified to prescribe Narcan (naloxone), which prevents or reverses the effects of overdose by opioids — and death by opioids overdose is a statistic in which New Mexico and Chaves County lead the country. A person who is abusing prescription painkillers might take larger doses to achieve a euphoric ef fect and reduce withdrawal symptoms. These larger doses can cause breathing to slow down so much that breathing stops, resulting in a fatal overdose. Primm Drug in Roswell was one of the first pharmacies in the state with a pharmacist certified to administer the nasal spray to patients suffering from a
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drug overdose. In 2009 New Mexico had the highest drug overdose fatality rate in the nation. The change in national ranking was largely due to a reduction in fatalities involving prescription opioids. This reduction in deaths was largely due to a reduction in opioid prescribing in New Mexico, according to the news release. “Gov. Martinez has been working to fight drug abuse and its impact since day one,” said New Mexico Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Retta Ward. “We are continuing to see progress in reducing preventable overdose deaths, and will continue to work with our many community and statewide partners to continue these efforts.” New Mexico is becoming a national leader in monitoring prescription drugs to help reduce “doctor shopping” by drug-seeking patients and inappropriate prescribing by medical providers, according to the release.
County, discussed the importance of building a good relationship with local media and presented tips on how to effectively communicate to the public. The New Mexico Association of Counties
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went, and now hazardous waste cleanup efforts at Los Alamos and other U.S. Department of Energy facilities across the country are stalled thanks to WIPP’s closure. The New Mexico Environment Department said Friday it was disappointed with the latest budget proposal, saying previous cuts have weakened the lab over time and have kept environmental cleanup projects from moving more quickly. “Another significant budget cut to LANL cleanup activities shows a lack of commitment on behalf of the federal government to protecting the safety of LANL workers and the people of New Mexico, and will almost certainly subject the federal government to additional liability in the future as LANL continues to miss deadlines for completing legally obligated projects,” Jim Winchester,
ing to lure the victim into an ambush. “Cadet Adjekuko finally admitted that he, Adjekuko, had provided the plan to text (the victim) to tell him to meet him, Adjekuko, in the bathroom, where Butler would be waiting to assault him,” Yslas wrote. “Cadet Adjekuko advised that Mr. Butler stated that he didn’t want to use that plan and that he, Butler, was just going to go to (the victim’s) room and assault him there.” Yslas said the victim suffered several injuries to his face, consistent with being battered or struck. “(The victim) advised that he fell to the ground as the assailant continued striking him in the face, shoulders and back area,” Yslas wrote. “The victim stated that he believed it was retaliation for him telling on them for smoking marijuana.” Another cadet who was reported to NMMI administrators for smoking marijuana with Adjekuko and Butler is mentioned in Yslas’ police report, although no known charges have been filed against the other cadet. The name of the other cadet remains unknown, so it remains unclear if the other cadet is enrolled at NMMI. Staff Writer Jeff Tucker may be contacted at 575-622-7710, ext. 303, or at reporter01@rdrnews.com. In 2012, Martinez and her administration developed guidelines for mandatory participation in PMP, which helps health care providers and authorities share information to reduce drug diversion and abuse. “Thanks to Gov. Martinez, the Prescription Monitoring Program has seen tremendous growth in the past few years, processing more than 100,000 requests each month compared to only 4,000 requests monthly in 2011,” said New Mexico PMP Director Carl Flansbaum. Providers, pharmacists and other health care professionals, as well as law enforcement, register for the service on a continual basis, Flansbaum said. The program has seen almost 2000 new users approved for access this year alone. “We are now able to more ef fectively share data with other states as well, with our users having access to the PMPs of over 20 other states,” Flansbaum said.
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing and serving New Mexico’s 33 counties. For more information, visit nmcounties.org.
a spokesman for the state agency, said in a statement issued Friday. The proposed cleanup budget of $185 million is more in line with what the lab was receiving for environmental work before the state’s push. With WIPP closed and the cleanup of transuranic waste halted, the funding request was lowered. Still, watchdog groups voiced concern that cutting Los Alamos’ funding would send the wrong message. “I would argue that the LANL contractor and WIPP contractor are the ones who need to be penalized and pay the fines,” Don Hancock with the Southwest Infor mation and Research Center told the Albuquerque Journal. The state last week proposed more than $54 million in fines against the DOE and the contractors over the mishaps that
forced WIPP’s closure. The DOE has expressed interest in negotiating with the state, and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has said reopening WIPP is a priority. The budget bill includes the Obama administration’s original funding request of $220 million for WIPP and tacks on another $100 million for remediation work necessitated by the radiation leak. DOE officials have estimated it could take years and cost more than a halfbillion dollars to reopen the nuclear waste repository. “Getting the extra money for recovery at WIPP is absolutely critical,” said Jennifer Talhelm, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. The senator has said opening the facility is key to getting cleanup back on track at Los Alamos and elsewhere.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
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