WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal grazing fee for 2018 will be $1.41 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.41 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the USDA Forest Service.  The 2017 public land grazing fee was $1.87.

An AUM or HM—treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes—is the use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month.  The newly calculated grazing fee was determined by a congressional formula and takes effect March 1, 2018.  The fee will apply to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and nearly 6,500 permits administered by the Forest...

ALBUQUERQUE – Moises Jimenez-Salas, 40, a Mexican national illegally in the United States who previously has been deported three times, was sentenced Jan. 25 in federal court in Santa Fe, to 60 months of imprisonment for his conviction on drug trafficking and firearms charges.  Jimenez-Salas will be deported following his prison sentence.

Jimenez-Salas was arrested on May 12, 2016, and was charged in a criminal complaint with possessing methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute, and using and carrying a firearm and ammunition in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Court records reflect that on May 11, 2016, detectives of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded...

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Jan. 30 that Enock Arvizo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping and assaulting female inmates in his custody at the Bernalillo County District Court in 2015 when he was a Metropolitan Detention Center guard.

Arvizo was convicted in September of raping an inmate, and in August he was found guilty on two counts of assault against a different female inmate. The Office of Attorney General Hector Balderas asked for the maximum penalty and Judge Briana Zamora granted the state’s request for the maximum of 10 years in prison.

“Prosecuting sexual violence against women and holding those who abuse their power accountable...

County officials discuss findings

The recent 2017 McKinley County audit summary report is a clear indication that the county is headed in the right direction when it comes to fiscal accountability. There were no major findings in the report.

Farley Vener, president and managing shareholder of Hinkle & Landers, an Albuquerque-based CPA firm, presented the report during the Jan. 23 regular meeting of the McKinley County Board of Commissioners.

“We conducted an audit of financial statements according to generally accepted accounting standards within the United States,” Verner said. “We’re required to give opinion on the single audit.”

He said the engagement team for the audit...