Pedestrian hurt in vehicle accident

An intoxicated man walking on Cerrillos Road was struck by a truck Saturday night.

Deputy Chief Abram Anaya said several south-bound cars swerved to miss the man about 50 feet southwest of Cerrillos' intersection with Zafarano Drive.

But about 8 p.m., when a truck swerved into the left lane, the man "walked into its side," causing a "glancing blow" from the low-speed collision, he said. Anaya said the 36-year-old man suffered minor head injuries and was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

He said it took police about 40 minutes to clear the roadway.

Funeral services held for slain nun

GALLUP — A slain Catholic nun who lived and worked on the Navajo Nation of Western New Mexico was laid to rest Saturday.

A tearful, standing-room-only crowd at Gallup's Sacred Heart Cathedral attended the funeral Mass for 64-year-old Sister Marguerite Bartz.

Many wore a variety of memorial ribbons on their shirts, jackets and blouses in honor of Bartz.

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament President Patricia Shuchalaski told mourners that during her 43 years as a Catholic nun, Bartz showed her compassion daily for God and for God's people — especially the poor.

Bartz lived and worked for 33 years at missions belonging to the New Mexico Diocese in Gallup and Santa Fe.

Authorities announced Friday they had arrested an 18-year-old in connection with Bartz's death.

'Warrant roundup' nets multiple arrests

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — State police say a Friday morning "warrant roundup" in which law-enforcement officers saturated the San Miguel County area netted 26 arrests and that five others turned themselves in once they heard officers were out looking for them.

Charges on the warrants included driving while intoxicated, traffic violations, probation violations and "narcotic absconders," Lt. Eric Garcia said in a news release.

More than 54 officers from 14 different agencies contributed to the joint operation, the statement said, including the Las Vegas and Raton police departments, U.S. marshals, sheriff departments in San Miguel, Mora, Colfax and Harding counties, the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, Adult Probation and Parole officers, the state Corrections Department, Highlands University police and a regional drug task force.

Public retirees can enroll partners

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico says public employees signed up with the New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority can now enroll domestic partners.

In response to a lawsuit, the ACLU said, the agency agreed to provide health insurance to domestic partners — gay or straight — of participating public employees.

But the ACLU said retired public employees affected must act quickly. Open enrollment ends Tuesday and coverage begins Jan. 1, a news release said. Completion of an affidavit provided by the authority is required.

The ACLU brought the lawsuit in 2007 on behalf of lesbian and gay state employees and their domestic partners. The suit charged that it was a violation of the state constitution's equal protection guarantees for the state to treat them differently from heterosexual employees.

Los Alamos to boost hydro plant

Los Alamos County is looking to increase energy production out of its hydroelectric power plant at Abiquiú Dam.

The U.S. Department of Energy said last week that it has awarded more than $4 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for adding a low-flow turbine to the 13.8-megawatt hydroelectric plant, built in the late 1980s.

The project is intended to increase the amount of electricity generated there by 22 percent and allow the dam to operate when releases are below or above the capacity of the two existing turbines.

The plant is at the foot of Abiquiú Dam, which is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Periodic water releases from the dam drive the turbines that produce electricity for the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities. The new turbine will qualify under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for Renewable Energy Credits.

Construction of a new powerhouse at the hydroelectric plant to house the additional turbine will begin this year and is expected to be completed by 2011.

Bank adopts trail segment

Wells Fargo Bank has adopted the northernmost Sierra del Norte trailhead of the Dale Ball Trails system in Santa Fe.

The bank is the first business to adopt a trail segment under a new program coordinated by the Trails Alliance of Santa Fe, which is encouraging businesses and individuals to adopt portions of the trail.

The alliance is a partnership between the Santa Fe Conservation Trust, the city and Santa Fe County to recruit, train and send out trail maintenance teams for the 30-mile Dale Ball Trails system on Santa Fe's east side. Teams have already repaired or improved eight sections of trail. The bank's sponsorship helps fund the Santa Fe Conservation Trust's commitments to the Trails Alliance.

Other business sponsorships are available for other sections of the Dale Ball system. For more information, contact the Santa Fe Conservation Trust at 989-7019.

IRS says refunds due New Mexicans

ALBUQUERQUE — The Internal Revenue service says it has more than $3 million in undeliverable tax refunds to return to New Mexicans.

The federal agency says it has 4,425 undelivered checks from 2007 to 2009 in New Mexico.

The money includes regular refunds and economic stimulus payments.

IRS spokesman David Stell says the refunds are due to people in 28 of the state's 33 counties.

The average amount of the checks ranges from $677 to $961, depending on the year and type of payment.

Nationwide for 2009, the IRS is seeking to return $123 million worth of refund checks that were returned by the U.S. Postal Service.

Thief robs Duke City bank branch

ALBUQUERQUE — Federal authorities responded Saturday to a Bank of America branch in northeast Albuquerque after it was robbed.

The FBI reports the robber left the branch at Academy and Wyoming streets with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Agents said the robber implied he was armed. There were no injuries.

The robber is described as 35 to 40 years of age, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with brown hair. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

Anyone with information is asked to call Albuquerque police or the FBI.

Feds to buy land within N.M. monument

ALBUQUERQUE — The federal government says it will buy some of the last remaining privately owned land within the Petroglyph National Monument on Albuquerque's west side.

About $1 million for the acquisition was included in the fiscal year 2010 Interior and Environment appropriations bill recently signed by President Barack Obama.

The property is not connected to the main monument area. It falls within the 360-acre Northern Geologic Window.

Monument spokeswoman Diane Souder says the purchase will complete the acquisition of the Northern Geologic Window.

The area includes evidence of a pueblo campsite that is between 3,000 and 4,000 years old and canyons that were formed thousands of years ago by a lava flow.

The monument plans to fence off the area. It will only be open to guided tours.

Symposium to explore tax law change

The Tax Law Club at The University of New Mexico School of Law will host a symposium this month on combined reporting and how it may alleviate some of the state's budget problems.

Panel members will include: State Rep. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe; Professor Emeritus Robert Desiderio; Bruce Fort, counsel with the Multistate Tax Commission; and Dick Minzner, a longtime lobbyist at the Legislature and a director in the Rodey Law Firm.

The two-hour symposium begins at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 in Room 2404 at UNM law school, 1117 Stanford NE. The event is free and open to the public.

Albuquerque police shoot burglary suspect

ALBUQUERQUE — A burglary suspect shot by Albuquerque police officers is expected to live and later face charges.

Officers responding to a home in southwest Albuquerque on Friday evening found an open door.

They entered and were "confronted by a male in the residence."

Officers said the man ignored orders and reached for a bulky item in his back pocket.

At that point, police shot the man, but he managed to run out of the house before he was later captured.

APD spokeswoman Nadine Hamby said police were trying to identify the man.

The suspect was taken to University Hospital for a gunshot wound to the torso area.

Police said the man will be booked on residential burglary and other felony charges once he recovers.

OHV group gets grant for trail work

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance plans to use more than $322,000 in federal funds and $126,000 in matching contributions for trail work in the Cibola National Forest.

The project for the Cedro Peak area was announced Friday.

The group plans to use the money to construct new trail segments, rehabilitate existing trails and install signs on over 60 miles of trail. Some of the money will also go toward trailhead improvements and trail entry control.

The group's partners include the Sandia Ranger District, New Mexico 4 Wheelers, the Black Feather Trail Preservation Alliance and R&S Powersports.

The work is expected to start in the spring. Recreation planning experts from Pan Pacific Services will help manage the project.