An Albuquerque Public Schools board passed a resolution that will keep guns out of classrooms. APS Board of Education members voted earlier this month in opposition to the idea that arming educators with handguns will deter school shootings. The resolution said that school staff “are not trained law enforcement officers and should not be asked or incentivized to keep weapons accessible in their classrooms.” Most APS schools already operate with an armed officer on campus.The resolution also calls on Congress and the US government to conduct more research into school violence, therapy and preventative measures.The board’s resolution was passed on a 6-1 vote. The only member to vote against the resolution was Peggy Muller-Aragón. The idea of arming teachers has been promoted recently by President Donald Trump, who told reporters last month that an armed teacher would be able to “immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions.”
Newscity: Contaminated Water Illegally Dumped By Transit Employees
Officials reported that the Transit Department’s Westside facility illegally dumped contaminated wastewater into storm drains.The city’s Inspector General provided a report to the New Mexico Environment Department and US Environmental Protection Agency last month alleging that over 300,800 gallons of contaminated water were illegally dumped by city employees into storm drains which led to a retention pond south of the Transit Department facility near Unser and Interstate 40. According to the report, a hose used to transport waste from the facility’s steam clean and bus wash bays to an underground decontamination tank was too short. Instead of addressing the problem and procuring a new hose, however, a supervisor allegedly instructed employees to use the drains instead. The report describes how employees described the supervisor as a “hard person to work for” who often threatened them by stating that “employees can be replaced.” This supervisor allegedly ordered his subordinates to drain the wastewater into the storm drains on the weekends when management wasn’t at the facility. The practice reportedly ceased in 2016, when a manager discovered an employee discharging waste into a storm drain. A spokesperson for the transit department told the Albuquerque Journal that two maintenance supervisors and another employee are currently being disciplined. Current employees are being retrained on waste disposal procedures. An environmental engineering firm has been hired by the city to collect and analyze soil samples in the area.
Newscity: Border Wall Contested By Land Commissioner
New Mexico Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn will be meeting with US Customs and Border Protection officials soon to discuss whether a mile of land along the Mexico border can be used to build a wall.Dunn claims the federal government does not have the authorization to access state trust lands. He reportedly posted signs and cordoned off the area in question—near the Santa Teresa port of entry—claiming it was because his office’s attempts to correspond with federal authorities were ignored. The agency plans to meet with Dunn in April.
