Today's News

DENVER (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Oklahoma must allow gay couples to wed, marking the second time it has found the U.S. Constitution protects same-sex marriage.
The decision from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a ruling that struck down Oklahoma’s gay marriage ban. But the Denver-based court immediately put its decision on hold pending an appeal, meaning same-sex couple won’t be allowed to marry in Oklahoma for now.
The 2-1 ruling comes after the same three-judge panel ruled in June that Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the Constitution. It was the first time an appellate court determined that last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act meant states couldn’t deny gays the ability to wed. That ruling also is on hold, and Utah’s attorney general has said he plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The lawsuit challenging Oklahoma’s ban was filed against the Tulsa County clerk, whose attorneys were still considering their options Friday afternoon. But they noted the panel’s dissenting judge argued that changing the definition of marriage should belong to Oklahoma residents, not a federal court.

Police Beat items are compiled from public information contained in Los Alamos Police Department Records. Charges or citations listed in Police Beat do not imply innocence or guilt. The Los Alamos Police Department uses the term “arrest” to define anyone who has been physically arrested, server a court summons, or issued a citation.

July 10

4:01 p.m. — Rickie Burrell, 28, of Los Alamos was arrested through a magistrate bench warrant in the 600 block of San Ildefonso Road. The original charges stemmed from an incident that happened on June 22, 2014, where he was arrested for aggravated battery on San Ildefonso Road.

11:59 a.m. — A 53-year-old Santa Fe man reported to police that he was the victim of fraud (more than $250, less than $2500) on Trinity Drive.

3:04 p.m. — George Barela was arrested through a magistrate bench warrant in the 600 block of San Ildefonso Road. The original charges were failure to display a proper registration/licence plate and driving with a suspended or revoked license (not for DWI).

July 11

1:41 p.m. — A 51-year-old Ohkay Owingeh woman reported to police she was the victim of fraudulent use of a credit card without consent at Peach Street.

Albuquerque’s VA hospital responded properly when a veteran died after collapsing in the medical center’s cafeteria.
Hospital staff faced scrutiny after the death of 71-year-old Jim Napoleon Garcia, who received CPR on the floor while an ambulance was called to take him to an emergency room 500 yards away.
Gibson, speaking to reporters shortly after meeting with staff at Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center, said an initial review found staffers followed procedure in providing help to the Vietnam War veteran.
“I thanked every single one of them individually,” Gibson said. “As I heard what they did, and I stood and looked at them in the eye, I was very proud.”
Hospital emergency experts have said it’s standard for medical centers to require staffers to call 911, even when patients are near an emergency room. VA officials say such policy is in place at its hospitals across the country.
Emergency response records show that an ambulance arrived to help Garcia about 10 minutes after the 911 call.
Officials said VA staff along with Kirtland Air Force Base personnel immediately responded in providing basic life support to Garcia.

In 2012, the Pueblo of Jemez filed a lawsuit under the 1976 Quiet Title Act to reclaim its aboriginal right of ownership to the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
U.S District Court Judge Robert Brack dismissed the lawsuit in September 2013, but the Pueblo has filed an appeal.
On Friday, Jemez Gov. Joshua Madalena explained the pueblo’s position to the VCNP board of trustees. Madalena was governor in 2012 when the lawsuit was initiated.
“The Valles Caldera belongs to the Jemez people,” Madalena said. “We were the first stewards. We were the first conservationists. We took care of the caldera when we arrived in this area.”
The governor gave a brief history of the pueblo’s connection to the Jemez Mountains and the Valles Caldera, from its first 50 room “reconnaissance camp” adjacent to the caldera to its growth during the great migration of the 13th century into a 62-pueblo “empire” of 20,000 people.
“There’s really no structure built within the caldera, because it is our church,” Madalena explained.