Another of the behavioral health providers brought in from Arizona to fill the gap made after the state Human Services Department cut off funding to 15 organizations is leaving the state.

Valle del Sol is the fourth of five organizations from Arizona that were brought into the state in 2013 to take over behavioral health services to leave the state.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that an executive with Valle del Sol said the company is working with HSD on the transition to aid patients. A spokesman for HSD said the same thing to the northern New Mexico paper.

Valle del Sol had seven locations throughout the state.

In 2013, HSD said they found credible allegations of fraud in 15...

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management issued a call for public nominations to fill three positions on its national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Dec. 27. To be considered for selection, nominations must be received via email by Feb. 10, or postmarked by that date. The BLM published its request for nominations in the Federal Register.

 

Nominations are for a term of three years and are needed to represent the following categories of interest: public interest (equine behavior), wild horse and burro research, and natural resource management.

The Advisory Board advises the BLM, an agency of the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the...

Statewide effort targets drunk drivers who skip court

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez announced Dec. 28 that State Police will be conducting a targeted law enforcement operation every three months next year to find and arrest drunk drivers who failed to show up to court.

“If you drive drunk, you better be prepared to pay the price,” Martinez said. “Unfortunately, too many drunk drivers never even show up to court. These are dangerous drivers who have no respect for the law, and they are still out on our streets putting lives at risk. This operation sends a strong message that you cannot avoid justice – officers will find you and bring you back to jail where you...

The Gallup-McKinley County School Board released Superintendent Frank Chiapetti from his duties Dec. 19, putting the long-time educator on paid administrative leave until June 2017. June 30 marks the official end of the $132,000 annual contract that Chiapetti has with the school district.

The action took place at Tse Yi Gai High School in Pueblo Pintado and during a regular school board meeting. After a little more than two hours in an executive session, board member Lynn Huenemann motioned for Chiapetti’s exit and to put assistant superintendent of business and human resources Mike Hyatt in the superintendent’s seat on a temporary basis.

The vote to remove Chiapetti was 4-1...