Two flights cancelled due to weather, OFFICIALS said

The 37th annual Red Rock Balloon Rally experienced two unexpected cancellations the past weekend, but still managed a fun time for everyone, officials said.

Bill Lee, executive director of the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce and president of the Red Rock Balloon Rally Association, said there were no flights Dec. 1 or Dec. 3 due to threatening weather conditions. The Dec. 2 schedule went off without interruptions.

This year’s rally included pilots from as far away as California, Idaho and Florida, and there were at least two pilots that came from the United Kingdom. Gallup’s balloon rally is one of two in New Mexico...

Drivers who operate a motor vehicle under the influence in McKinley County have a 43 percent chance that their criminal charge will be dropped or pleaded out by the district attorney.

The New Mexico Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that McKinley County is the highest among six counties under a monitoring program of DWI case dismissals.

The one-year report covering July 2016 through July 2017 was released in November. It shows that of the 380 monitored cases, 119 of them were dismissed, and an additional 44 were given a deferred prosecution.

Deferred prosecution is when the district attorney declines to prosecute and offers an arrangement to the defendant.

“It’s...

Thousands of New Mexicans were victimized

ALBUQUERQUE – On Nov. 29, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that he has been investigating Wells Fargo for over a year and will be making a demand for damages on behalf of thousands of New Mexicans who were victimized by an illegal scheme, which created nearly 19,000 fake and unauthorized bank and credit card accounts. Wells Fargo is the largest, most powerful bank in New Mexico with 93 branches doing approximately $9 billion of business in the state. The attorney general’s investigation focuses on potential violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act. The focus of the litigation is to strengthen corporate stewardship and...

ALBUQUERQUE – On Nov. 27, Mayor-Elect Tim Keller announced appointments to a number of executive positions at the Albuquerque Mayor’s office. Keller is committed to building a qualified and professional administration to address the challenges facing Albuquerque head on.

Sarita Nair will serve as the City’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Nair has served as the Office of the State Auditor’s Chief Government Accountability Officer and General Counsel for the past three years, following a prestigious law career where she represented government and business clients. She earned a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico School of Community and Regional...