Sponsors needed for veterans benefit

Promoters are looking for someone to co-sponsor a two-day event in February to benefit state military veterans.

The Rotary Foundation of Santa Fe Centro, in partnership with Tonemark Music, the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services and the Mid-Rio Grande chapter of the American Red Cross, is presenting the two-night event called "Nashville Underground in Old Santa Fe."

The two-night special event will take place Feb. 17 and 18 in Santa Fe.

Kicking off the festivities will be a gala Cigar Dinner-Dance, which includes a fashion show and concert, Feb. 17 at Bishop's Lodge Resort. Performing there will be country music singer/songwriter Chuck Cannon, who's written hits for Toby Keith and John Michael Montgomery.

The next night, Cannon and country singer Billy Dean will perform at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.

Those interested in sponsoring the event should contact Tony Sanchez at 820-3385.

Los Alamos, Taos high schools earn 'silver' ranking

Three high schools in Albuquerque, Los Alamos and Taos earned silver medals in a U.S. News and World Report ranking of "America's Best High Schools."

No high schools in New Mexico earned gold medals in the national ranking.

The state Education Department says La Cueva High School in Albuquerque and Los Alamos and Taos high schools received silver medals.

The department says 16 New Mexico high schools received bronze medals. They include schools in Animas, Clayton, Cliff, Des Moines, Fort Sumner, Hagerman, Reserve, Roy, San Jon, Springer, Tatum, Texico and Tularosa. The Albuquerque-area schools that were honored included Eldorado High, East Mountain Charter High and the Career Enrichment Center.

The magazine analyzed more than 21,000 high schools, rating them on student performance and how well the schools prepare students for college.

A total of 1,925 high schools nationwide were mentioned.

N.M. credit unions participate in car-loan program

Buying a new vehicle just got easier in New Mexico.

Sylvia Lyon, chief executive officer for the Credit Union Association of New Mexico, says credit unions statewide are participating in a new program called "Invest in America."

Nationwide, the program is expected to give 90 million credit union members access to about $80 billion in low-interest loans for new GM and Chrysler vehicles.

Lyon says that's great for credit-union members in New Mexico. She says credit unions have money to lend because they were not involved in subprime lending.

According to Datatrac, a survey company that tracks auto-loan rates, the credit-union loan average is 5.4 percent compared to 6.9 for the average bank rate.

The program is open to any credit union in New Mexico for the next three months.

Lehman collapse means loss for Doña Ana County

LAS CRUCES — Dona Ana County says its share of investment loss tied to the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers is more than a quarter of a million dollars.

County Treasurer David Gutierrez says the estimated loss of $253,000 means the county's investment income from the state will be reduced by about $25,000 a month over a 10-month period.

Gutierrez met with county officials Monday to talk about the loss.

He is recommending the county move a portion of its investment out of New Mexico's local government investment pool and into local banks.

Gutierrez says he plans to continue participating in the pool but that the county needs to diversity its portfolio.

At the time of the Lehman collapse, the county had nearly $80 million invested in the pool.

Navajo officer fatally shoots Shiprock man

SHIPROCK — A 25-year-old Shiprock man was shot and killed early Monday by a Navajo police officer after a vehicle chase and violent confrontation.

The FBI says officers began chasing a pickup after alcohol was stolen from a convenience store just east of Shiprock on U.S. 64. The chase reached speeds higher than 90 mph and lasted 45 minutes before ending at the home of the driver, Arnold Dan Jr.

An officer fatally shot into the pickup as it was approaching him, hitting Dan and wounding a passenger. A third man in the truck was unharmed.

The FBI has not released the officer's name.

The FBI says Dan had an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The FBI and the Navajo Department of Public Safety are investigating the shooting.

Appeals Court rejects discrimination suit

ALBUQUERQUE — A Puerto Rican woman who sued Albuquerque's school board and a high-school principal for racial and gender discrimination when she was passed over for the same position three times has lost her case on appeal.

A panel of three judges at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld a lower court ruling and rejected the appeal of Lourdes Trujillo, saying some of her arguments "verge on being frivolous," according to court documents.

Trujillo had sued the Albuquerque school board and Valley High School principal Anthony Griego.

She claimed that Griego discriminated against her when he failed to hire her between 2001 and 2003 as a senior aerospace science instructor in the school's Junior Reserve Office Training Corps program.

Trujillo said Griego failed to interview her during the hiring process, but a district court found she was not qualified for the position. She also accused Griego of improperly changing the hiring process in 2002 and 2003.

Nevada man arrested on pornography warrant

DEMING — New Mexico State Police have arrested a Nevada man wanted on a warrant for sexual assault and using a minor to produce pornography.

Brad Montgomery, 54, of Fallon, Nev., was arrested Thursday after being stopped for an alleged traffic violation during a routine warrant check.

Lane Mills of the Churchill County, Nev., District Attorney's Office says the charges against Montgomery involve a 13-year-old boy.

Mills says Montgomery has been wanted since November 2008.

Montgomery is being held in Luna County in lieu of $250,000 bail on the Nevada warrant.

Mills says Montgomery has waived extradition to Nevada.