KRQE Newsfeed: Detention hearing, Santa Fe Soldiers’ Monument, Record heat possible, Mushroom research, Emmy nominee

Thursday’s Top Stories

• APS and Crime Stoppers creating partnership so students can report crime anonymously
• NMDOJ retail crime unit recovers hundreds of dollars of stolen merchandise
• ABQ Old Town to receive upgrades to assist tourists in navigating the area
• Albuquerque woman facing charges for deadly weekend crash
• Santa Fe breaks ground on next phase of 15 mile trail project
• New trial date set for Solomon Peña
• Helene is upgraded to Category 2 hurricane as it barrels toward Florida

Thursday’s Five Facts

[1] Albuquerque city employee accused of battery released ahead of trial – Alfred Flores, a city of Albuquerque employee accused of choking someone out and kicking them in the head, is released from custody while waiting for trial. A woman told police that she was leaving Frontier restaurant with her husband when two people tried to steal her purse and an altercation broke out. Security cameras do not capture the full incident but don’t appear to show anyone attempt to steal the alleged victim’s purse. Judge Jennifer Wernersbach acknowledged the discrepancy. Noting his lack of violent criminal convictions and that Flores has had no contact with the victims since the altercation, the judge released Flores from custody while he waits for trial.

[2] Santa Fe city councilors debate relocating Soldiers’ Monument – Santa Fe city councilors, residents, and indigenous communities debated a resolution on Wednesday to relocate a controversial monument. The Soldiers’ Monument, meant to honor Civil War Union soldiers, stirred controversy with one of its plaques referring to Indigenous people as “savages.” Protestors took down the monument in 2020 and the city has been trying to figure out what to do next. Last month, Santa Fe city councilors proposed a new resolution looking to move the monument from the main plaza to the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Councilors unanimously voted to postpone a decision on the resolution until their meeting on October 30.

[3] Record warmth for some parts of New Mexico – Warmer-than-normal conditions continue across the Land of Enchantment as mostly clear skies are continuing as well. Conditions will warm up to above-normal as temperatures mostly will rise across the region.

[4] State officials look into potentially allowing ‘magic mushroom’ use in NM – Wednesday, state lawmakers heard from the New Mexico Department of Health and University of New Mexico professors about their research on magic mushrooms and how it might work in our state. Trials on hundreds of people are currently underway at UNM in hopes that the psychedelic compound could one day be used to treat different forms of depression. Last legislative session, lawmakers approved researchers to look into it for medical purposes.

[5] ‘The Early Show with Alax’ nominated for Emmy – The New Mexico YouTube series The Early Show with Alax has been nominated for an Emmy. The show follows Alax, an intergalactic ambassador of care, who interviews experts and offers parenting tips while entertaining young kids in New Mexico. The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department said the nomination shows their dedication to making sure families have access to resources that promote healthy development.

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