Santa Fe New Mexican, May 10, 2014

Page 1

A day of firsts for Northern track stars at state finals Sports, B-1

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Saturday, May 10, 2014

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FATAL OVERDOSE

Teen’s medical release questioned Expert says girl, 17, ‘should have never been released from hospital’ By Chris Quintana

The New Mexican

Desiree Gonzales

Questions with no easy answers lingered over the death of a 17-year-

old Santa Fe girl who died Thursday morning following a heroin overdose. Foremost among questions by medical experts is why Desiree Gonzales was “medically cleared” from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center after just an hour and a half of care Wednesday evening. Following her release from the hospital, city police officers took her to the Santa Fe County Juvenile Detention Center,

where staff noted that she appeared to have difficulty breathing. They found her unresponsive early Thursday and rushed her back to the hospital, but the medical staff was unable to save her. City police say Gonzales’ death may have been connected to a unusual batch of heroin on the streets of Santa Fe. Similar reactions were reported

Fundraisers planned to keep preschool from closing doors Playschool of the Arts, which relies heavily on state support, is still struggling to survive. PAge A-5

Thousands fleeing Nigeria U.N. says as many as 1,000 people weekly are leaving homes to escape Islamist attacks. PAge A-3

Man resumes 98-year sentence

Please see OVeRdOse, Page A-4

Convicted armed robber in Colorado returns to jail after being released 90 years too soon. PAge A-2

Nuclear expert believes ‘kitty litter’ switch led to leak at WIPP

NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY 13 SANTA FE CADETS ENTER FORCE

Geochemist says absorbent swap may have created dried-out nitrate salts, caused ‘mild’ explosion By Staci Matlock The New Mexican

An absorbent material similar to kitty litter is the likely cause of a radiation leak that shut down the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad three months ago, according to a longtime nuclear expert. A company in charge of packing radioactive contaminated materials at Los Alamos National Laboratory in containers for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant switched from using a clay-based absorbent in the drums to a wheat-based absorbent — both made of the same Jim Conca materials used in different types of kitty litter, according to Jim Conca, a geochemist who worked for years at the lab and in environmental monitoring for WIPP. The absorbent soaks up any liquids in the containers and remains as part of the mix that is shipped to WIPP.

Santa Fe Police Department cadets Christopher Abbo, front, and Maxim Alaniz, both of Santa Fe, were among 13 cadets from the department who graduated Friday from the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy. The 13-cadet class is the largest in the department’s history and the largest from any agency in state history. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

Court of Appeals rejects hold on New Mexico copper mine rules AG, groups: Regulations give companies too much leeway to pollute groundwater By Susan Montoya Bryan

The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Court of Appeals on Friday rejected efforts by the state attorney general, environmentalists and a ranch owned by billionaire mogul Ted Turner to put on hold regulations that govern groundwater pollution by copper mines. Attorney General Gary King, the Gila Resources Information Project, Amigos Bravos and Turner Ranch Properties filed an appeal last fall to challenge the new regulations. They sought a stay earlier this year to put the rules on hold while the appeal is heard. The court said in a two-page ruling that King and the others failed to show irreparable harm would be caused if the copper rules are enacted while the appeal is pending. The court also questioned the appellants’ likeli-

Index

Calendar A-2

Classifieds B-7

Please see WIPP, Page A-4

U.S. Postal Service nixes plan to move downtown office

Today Sunny. High 76, low 45. PAge B-6

hood of success on the merits of the case, but noted that it’s still early in the proceedings. King, a Democrat running for governor, said Friday he was disappointed in the court’s ruling but still confident in the case. “The Attorney General’s Office remains dedicated to helping protect New Mexico’s groundwater from pollution posed by chemicals associated with copper mining. We maintain that the revised rule violates the state’s Water Quality Control Act,” he said. King, the water watchdog groups and Turner’s Ladder Ranch contend the regulations give mining companies too much leeway to pollute groundwater. State officials defended the regulations, saying they are among the toughest rules in the nation when it comes to dealing with pollution generated by the copper mining industry. State Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn said the rules, adopted last year, replaced an antiquated system that did not do enough to protect New Mexico’s groundwater. “They represent a balanced approach to

Obituaries

By Steve Terrell The New Mexican

Joe L. Aragon, Pecos, May 3 Roberta Baca, 57, Santa Fe, May 8 John J. Greenwood, March 26

Despite earlier plans to move the city’s main post office from its downtown location, the U.S. Postal Service has decided the office on Federal Place will stay where it is, members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation announced Friday. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján said they welcome the news that the idea to move the post office — 120 S. Federal Place, across the street from City Hall — has been shelved. The Postal Service, which has been leasing the downtown Santa Fe space in a federal building managed by the General Services Administration, began raising concerns last year that its rental costs were too high, particularly as the agency was wrangling with a multibillion-dollar deficit. But its plans to move met

PAge A-10

Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com

2014 IAIA Pow Wow Held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; gourd dancing 10 to 11 a.m., grand entry 11 a.m.; dancing contests continue to 7 p.m., Institute of American Indian Arts, 83 Avan Nu Po Road, no charge.

Please see OFFICe, Page A-4

InsIde

Please see COPPeR, Page A-4

Comics B-12

Crosswords B-8, B-11

Lotteries A-2

u Postal Service reports $1.9B quarterly loss. PAge A-4

Opinions A-11

Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010 News tips: 983-3035

Sports B-1

Time Out B-11

Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 165th year, No. 130 Publication No. 596-440

Family A-9

BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM

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