Car slams into home at high speed, killing driver
A high-speed crash sent a car sailing through the air and into a West Side home before it burst into flames Friday morning.
Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said the driver and sole occupant of the car died at the scene and those inside the home were uninjured.
Officers responded around 4 a.m. to the crash in the 4900 block of Whisper Wind NW, near Unser and Vulcan. Police determined the car was speeding down Unser when it went over the median, hit multiple objects and went airborne.
“The vehicle skipped off of two sheds in two different yards and landed in a third yard, where it struck a house and caught fire,” Gallegos said. “The driver has not been identified at this time.”
Albuquerque Fire Rescue said firefighters were dispatched to the home to find the car lodged in the porch of the home amid smoke and flames.
“AFR crews were able to extinguish the fire within minutes and contain the fire to the porch with minimal damage,” Capt. Clint Wensley said in a news release.
APD investigating fatal shooting in NE ABQ
Police are investigating a shooting that left a man dead Friday afternoon in Northeast Albuquerque.
Daren DeAguero of the Albuquerque Police Department said the incident happened around 5 p.m. in the 2600 block of Graceland NE, near Menaul and Washington.
“The scene is currently active, so information is limited,” he said. “I can confirm one subject has succumbed to his injuries on scene.”
DeAguero did not say if anyone else was injured, or give any suspect information or other details.
Española councilor charged with 3 felonies
ESPAÑOLA — A city councilor has been charged with three fourth-degree felonies by Española police, including two counts of conspiracy and one for an unlawful interest in a public contract, according to an online media outlet.
The Northern New Mexico Independent reported that City Councilor John Ramon Vigil allegedly conspired with former councilor Phillip Chacon to commit bribery and for receiving something of value worth more than $50 from Chacon.
Chacon, who in March holed up in his home after allegedly stabbing another man, resulting in police sending a SWAT team to his house, had sent Vigil text messages and pictures or videos of victims Chacon had allegedly assaulted. Chacon also allegedly sent videos of women involved in sexual acts, to which Vigil replied, “who are these chicks.”
When questioned about the videos, Vigil cut off the interview with a police detective, according to the report.
The detective also reportedly found text messages that showed Vigil instructing Chacon what to say during a Feb. 25 City Council meeting in order to keep a property from being bulldozed.
Another text message allegedly indicated that Chacon offered to contribute $25,000 to the campaign of Vigil and another city councilor if they would get the city’s planning director fired.
NMHU votes to raise tuition, fees by 4%
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Another New Mexico college will be raising its tuition amid uncertainty over state funding and the economy.
The Las Vegas Optic reports the New Mexico Highlands University Board of Regents recently voted to increase tuition by 4%. The hike applies to all tuition and fees, except for tuition for certain online programs, including the nursing and alternative licensure programs.
Currently, the tuition rate for a full-time, in-state student in the undergraduate program is $2,220 per semester. The new rate will be $2,308.80. The increase will also apply to housing and meal plans.
University officials say the tuition hike was necessary because the school is expecting a jump in such expenses as employee compensation and utilities. The school also is preparing for a decrease in state funding.