Four people were stabbed at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a young man allegedly jumped from his seat and charged the choir just as the service was ending, police said. A police spokesperson told The ABQ Journal that two of the four people who were stabbed…
“Breaking Bad” boosts Albuquerque tourism
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A fast-food burrito chain in Albuquerque has become an international tourist attraction as people come from all over the world to see the spot where a fictional drug trafficker runs his organization. A pastry shop sells doughnuts topped with blue candy designed to resemble crystal meth. A beauty store has a similar product — crystal blue bathing salts.As “Breaking Bad” finishes filming its fifth and final season in Albuquerque, the popularity of the show is providing a boost to the economy and creating a dilemma for local tourism officials as they walk the fine line of profiting from a show that centers around drug trafficking, addiction and violence. “Breaking Bad” follows the fictional character Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned meth lord.Albuquerque has seen an unexpected jump in tourists visiting popular sites from the show and local businesses cashing in on its popularity. Tourists are also flocking to sites that before the show were unknown and unimportant: the suburban home of White, played by Bryan Cranston; a car wash that is a front for a money-laundering operation on the series; a rundown motel used frequently for filming; and the real-life burrito joint, which is a fast food chicken restaurant on the show. The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau has even created a website of the show’s most popular places around town to help tourists navigate, and ABQ Trolley Company sold out all its “BaD” tours last year at $60 a ticket.Continue Reading… … Read More
Appeal by photographer in gay bias case is heard
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — In a case that tests anti-discrimination protection for gays, a religious rights group told the New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday that a photographer who declined to shoot the commitment ceremony of a lesbian couple was exercising her rights to free speech and artistic freedom.The First Amendment should exempt Elaine Huguenin and her Albuquerque business, Elane Photography, from state laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defending Freedom told the high court.He said gay marriage is against the photographer’s religious beliefs, and she should not be required to promote a message that violates her conscience.An attorney for the couple, however, argued that the business openly advertises its wedding photography services, and as a public business is required to follow the same anti-discrimination laws as any other company.After the hearing, Lorence called it an unusual case that takes the gay marriage debate to a new level.”Nationally, there is a lot of debate about should marriage be defined as between a man and a woman,” he said. “One of the consequences is that it creates these rights of conscience cases.”Continue Reading… … Read More
2010 Albuquerque Police Shooting of Kenneth Ellis III Ruled Unconstitutional
The police department in Albuquerque, New Mexico
came under investigation by the federal Department of Justice
last November after there had been 17 fatal police shootings
since the shooting of Iraq War veteran Kenneth Ellis III on January
13, 2010. That shooting has now been ruled as a violation of Ellis’
rights in a federal lawsuit the family is pursuing. From the
local CBS affiliate:
In 2010 Albuquerque Police Department Officer Bret
Lampiris-Tremba killed Kenneth Ellis Jr. outside a Northeast
Heights convenience store.
Ellis, an Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress
disorder, was pointing a gun at his own head and negotiating with a
crisis-intervention officer when Lampiris-Tremba suddenly shot
him.
The city independent review officer ruled he should not have fired,
but the citizen review commission later ruled the shooting
justified.
However, at a hearing Wednesday on a lawsuit filed by Ellis’
family, District Judge Shannon Bacon ruled that Ellis posed no
threat to anyone and that the shooting violated his constitutional
rights.
The Albuquerque Journal has a response
from the city attorney:
“Detective ;Lampiris-Tremba and the City are
disappointed in Judge Bacon’s ruling. We firmly believe the issues
in this case should have been submitted to a jury for its
deliberation and judgment. Prior to discharging his weapon,
Detective Lampiris-Tremba reasonably perceived an imminent threat
of deadly harm from Kenneth Ellis who was armed. Due to the fact
that there are remaining issues going to trial, the City believes
it would be inappropriate to comment further at this
time.”
And from CBS News, other reasons the DOJ is
probing the police department:
In addition, the Albuquerque Police Department has been
plagued in recent months by a number of high-profile cases alleging
excessive force by officers, including some cases caught on
video.
One video showed officers giving each other celebratory “belly
bumps” after beating a suspected car thief in a parking garage.
Another clip showed an officer illegally entering an apartment and
using a stun gun on one suspect, then punching another suspect
after he had surrendered.
The department also changed its social media policy involving
officers after a detective shot and killed a man last year and
listed his occupation as “human waste disposal” on his Facebook
page. The detective was later suspended and transferred out of the
department’s gang unit to field services.
Ellis’ father also met
with DOJ officials after their investigation began in November. … Read More
Nehemiah Griego, New Mexico Teen Accused Of Murdering Family, Planned Attack In Advance: Police
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For at least a week, authorities say, 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego had been planning the attack.After shooting his mother and three siblings in their beds, he ambushed his father as the pastor returned home from an overnight shift at a homeless shelter. Then the teen reloaded the family’s rifles.Read More…
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Albuquerque Shooting: Teenager Kills 5 People, Including 3 Children
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A teenage boy fatally shot two adults and three children inside an Albuquerque home, authorities said Sunday.The boy was arrested and booked on murder and other charges in connection with the shootings Saturday night, Bernalillo County sheriff’s spokesman Aaron Williamson said.Read More…
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Albuquerque High School Shuns Rosaries, Says They’re Linked To Gang Activity (VIDEO)
Ideally, high school dress codes protect students from excessive distractions that typically arrive in the form of too much skin or clothing with inappropriate imagery.In Albuquerque, they’re concerned with a different distraction: students’ rosaries and crosses. Officials at Atrisco Heritage Academy, a public high school, have instructed students that the religious items should not be visible at school, citing a link to gang activity.Read More…
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