LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The man who sold an AR-15-style rifle used in a 2019 mass shooting that killed seven people in West Texas was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison, prosecutors said. Marcus Anthony Braziel, 45, of Lubbock pleaded guilty in October to unlicensed firearms dealing and concealing the proceeds from weapons sales from the IRS. Braziel …

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The man who sold an AR-15-style rifle used in a 2019 mass shooting that killed seven people in West Texas was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison, prosecutors said. Marcus Anthony Braziel, 45, of Lubbock pleaded guilty in October to unlicensed firearms dealing and concealing the proceeds from weapons sales from the IRS. Braziel …

Hector Madrid took a plea for a Hobbs double homicide and will serve seven years in a Department of Corrections facility. Madrid, 41, of Hobbs, was charged in the murders of Rojelio Velasquez, 37, and Chrystal Moore, 40, both of Hobbs. Velasquez and Moore were found in their home shot to death in July 2019. Fifth Judicial District Attorney Dianna …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Roundhouse will be off limits to the public and lobbyists as New Mexico’s upcoming legislative session will feature many virtual committee hearings and floor debates due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Leading state lawmakers met Wednesday to discuss safety precautions as the Legislature prepares to convene Jan. 19 for its first lengthy session since …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico have fined two churches in Albuquerque for violating the state’s public health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 after both venues held large gatherings for Christmas. The state Department of Health fined Legacy Church and Calvary Church $5,000 each on Monday after photos and video showed both churches violated …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Oil and gas development infused $2.8 billion into New Mexico coffers during the 2020 fiscal year and marked its second-highest total revenue ever reported despite a global price war and plummeting demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Monday. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association commissioned the nonprofit New Mexico Tax Policy …

SANTA FE (AP) — The New Mexico State Land Office announced Tuesday that it will be halting the practice of allowing fresh water to be pumped from state trust land and sold for use in oil and gas development. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard detailed the shift in policy in a letter to companies that hold easements that grant access …

SANTA FE — The state’s emergency public health order on Wednesday was amended to accommodate slightly increased capacity inside essential retail spaces, such as grocery stores and certain other large big box retailers that generate a percentage of their revenue from consumable food and drink products, as cold weather grips most of New Mexico. In accordance with the state’s graduated …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Lawyers representing New Mexico students say the state’s attempts to provide internet access and learning devices to children is “woefully insufficient.” With in-person learning banned by state officials until mid-January and plans for hybrid learning scrapped for the vast majority of students earlier this year, the inability to access remote classes has been a challenge …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The first coronavirus vaccines arrived in New Mexico on Monday as hospitals prepared to distribute doses to frontline health care workers. Shipments arrived at the New Mexico Department of Health’s warehouse and at a hospital in Santa Fe, where the first group of workers at high to medium risk was vaccinated. They included respiratory care, nursing …