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New Mexico

New Mexico, ‘Stranger Things’ backdrop, hits production peak

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New Mexico, ‘Stranger Things’ backdrop, hits production peak


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s movie and TV trade has hit a brand new peak, with report spending by video manufacturing firms in a state that drew tasks together with the Netflix sequence “Stranger Issues.”

Manufacturing firms instantly spent a report $855 million on movies, TV sequence and different media within the fiscal 12 months that ended on June 30, New Mexico’s governor introduced Thursday. Trade executives have been drawn to New Mexico’s distinctive landscapes for the reason that success of AMC’s long-running sequence “Breaking Unhealthy” and a beneficiant enhance of incentives handed by state lawmakers in 2019.

In-state spending by the trade elevated about 36% from practically $627 million the earlier fiscal 12 months.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a first-term Democrat operating for reelection, additionally touted a rise in spending past main cities resembling Santa Fe and Albuquerque, fueled by expanded state incentives for rural and small-town movie manufacturing.

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Native manufacturing spending in these outlying areas jumped greater than six-fold to $49.5 million amid an trade rebound, state financial improvement officers advised a legislative panel gathered in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

It was unclear how a lot the state will finally spend on corresponding movie incentive funds. New Mexico gives a rebate of between 25% and 35% of in-state spending for video manufacturing that helps filmmakers massive and small underwrite their work.

Incentive funds crested at $148 million in 2019 earlier than falling to about $40 million for the 12 months ending in June 2021. Whereas the state basic fund is awash in earnings linked to federal pandemic assist together with a surge in oil and pure fuel costs and manufacturing, some lawmakers have criticized the rebates as being too pricey.

State financial improvement officers say conversations are underway with lawmakers to revisit phrases of the state movie tax rebate program when the Legislature meets once more in January 2023, presumably redrawing the boundaries for bonuses in rural areas and exploring new incentives linked to decrease emissions of climate-warming air pollution by the energy-intensive trade.

Fiscally conservative legislators have questioned for years whether or not New Mexico could also be spending an excessive amount of on the movie trade as compared with the employment it sustains. However Lujan Grisham pointed to state knowledge that confirmed a rise within the variety of trade employee hours and new highs for the variety of movie and tv productions general at practically 110 for the 12 months.

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“As a result of work we’ve accomplished to foster a profitable atmosphere for manufacturing and construct a thriving base of gifted native crews, movie and tv productions from all over the world are placing cash instantly into New Mexico communities, supporting our small companies and creating jobs for hundreds of New Mexicans,” Lujan Grisham stated in an announcement.

After the success of “Breaking Unhealthy” and spinoff “Higher Name Saul,” different notable current productions in New Mexico embody parts the fourth season of the Netflix sequence “Stranger Issues” and AMC’s “Darkish Winds,” primarily based on the the thriller e-book sequence from Tony Hillerman and daughter Anne Hillerman.

Each Netflix and NBCUniversal have arrange everlasting manufacturing hubs in Albuquerque lately, including to hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in investments and guarantees of extra jobs.

Legislative reforms in 2019 opened up better incentives to movie manufacturing firms that show long-term commitments to New Mexico via a 10-year contract on a professional manufacturing facility. Netflix and NBCUniversal have secured that “movie companion” standing that lifts the cap on annual manufacturing rebates.

Spending by the trade had been trending upward earlier than the pandemic introduced a halt to work resulting from public well being mandates and trade protocols, leading to a precipitous drop in 2020. As restrictions had been eased, spending rebounded in 2021 as work ramped up.

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File-setting exercise befell amid allegations of office security violations on the set of “Rust,” the place actor and producer Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer in October 2021. No legal costs have been filed within the case and Baldwin has denied wrongdoing.

Rust Film Productions is difficult the premise of a $137,000 fantastic towards the corporate by state occupational security regulators who say manufacturing managers on the set of the Western movie did not comply with commonplace trade protocols for firearms security.

The Legislature this 12 months allotted $40 million to assist set up a collaborative media academy to bolster coaching for the trade. Financial Growth Secretary Alicia Keyes stated the headquarters of the academy shall be positioned in Albuquerque.



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New Mexico

Mountain America exiting New Mexico with branch deal

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Mountain America exiting New Mexico with branch deal


Mountain America Credit Union, one of the nation’s largest, plans to exit New Mexico with a branch deal expected to close early in 2025.

Paul Brady/pabrady63 – stock.adobe.com

A New Mexico-based credit union is bulking up in its home town, acquiring two branches from the $20.3 billion-asset Mountain America Credit Union in Sandy, Utah. 

Members of Mountain America’s two branches in Albuquerque, New Mexico, approved the transaction earlier this month, paving the way for their acquisition by Sunward Credit Union. Expected to close early next year, the deal will result in Mountain America’s exit from New Mexico. No terms were disclosed. 

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Mountain West said in a press release it entered into the agreement with Sunward to focus on other geographies. Mountain West operates more than 100 branches in Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho. A spokesperson had not responded to a request for comment at deadline. 

For the $4.2 billion-asset Sunward, founded in 1948 by employees of Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque is a core market. Sunward’s presence includes its headquarters and six other branches. “This addition will strengthen our position and ability to deliver on our goal of making banking better in the Southwest, and in New Mexico specifically,” Sunward CEO Steph Sherrodd said in a press release. 

Albuquerque credit unions have been active acquirers in 2024. The most prominent deals, however, involved banks. In March, the $4.9 billion-asset Nusenda Credit Union completed a deal to acquire the $327 million-asset Western Heritage Bank in Las Cruces. In August, the $1.5 billion-asset U.S. Eagle Credit Union said it planned to acquire the $475 million-asset, Albuquerque-based Southwest Capital Bank. No terms were announced in either instance. 

Branch sales between credit unions are relatively infrequent events, with about five taking place in any given year, Michael Bell, a partner with the Honigman law firm who specializes in credit union deals, said Tuesday in an interview. Like Mountain America’s agreement with Sunward, most involve one institution seeking to “right-size its footprint,” Bell said. 

Michael Bell, an attorney for Royal Credit Union.

Michael Bell

While credit union branch deals typically involve cash consideration for property, as well as a deposit premium, “I do believe there is an altruistic motive as well,” with sellers often concluding the buyers can better serve their members, Bell said. 

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Bell expects branch sales to occur more frequently, with credit unions that have shifted from  employment-based fields of membership to ones that are geographically-oriented moving to exit markets that made sense once but are now distant from the core service area. 

“Many credit unions do have odd footprints based on their historical genesis,” Bell said.

Sunward underwent a name change, from Sandia Laboratories Federal Credit Union, earlier this month. 

 



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New Mexico

Family of woman fatally shot by police officer given $20M settlement by New Mexico city

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Family of woman fatally shot by police officer given M settlement by New Mexico city


The family of a woman shot dead by a former New Mexico police officer has reached a $20 million settlement with the city that employed him, ahead of his murder trial next year.

Las Cruces police officer Felipe Hernandez killed Teresa Gomez, 45, last year and the city said in a statement Monday that his actions “on the morning of Oct. 3, 2023, were so severe that charges were brought against Hernandez.”

In January, Hernandez was charged with second-degree murder and later fired from the police department. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for June 2, 2025.

The shooting, which was captured on body camera footage, happened after Hernandez questioned Gomez and a passenger about trespassing after he saw the two of them sitting in a parked vehicle in an area that he described as “public housing.” Hernandez approached the vehicle on a bicycle, proceeding to tell Gomez to step out of her vehicle.

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At one point he tells her: “You’re going to get tazed.” A minutes-long interaction takes place between the three and Gomez eventually leaves the vehicle to speak with the officer.

Hernandez recognized the passenger in the vehicle as a person who was allegedly the subject of multiple warrants for trespassing. Hernandez then tells Gomez to step outside of the vehicle, tell her there are rules that need to be followed.

“I will really, really make your life a living hell,” he said, according to the video.

After returning to the vehicle, Gomez then attempts to flee the scene and Hernandez fires at least three shots into the vehicle. She was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

In its statement Monday, the city of Las Cruces said that the settlement should not indicate “criminal guilt” on the part of Hernandez and noted that it will respect the criminal justice process.

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“This settlement should be understood as a statement of the City’s profound feeling of loss for the death of Gomez and of the City’s condolences to her family,” it added.

Shannon Kennedy, attorney for Gomez’ family, said in a statement to the Las Cruces Sun-News that Gomez’s parents, children and siblings are still mourning her loss.

“They are grateful to the City of Las Cruces for recognizing the injustice of Teresa’s death,” Kennedy said. “They trust that the city will redouble efforts to make sure no other family suffers the tragedy of losing a loved one to abusive police conduct.”

NBC News has contacted an attorney for Hernandez for comment overnight and had not received a response at the time of publication.



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New Mexico

Thanksgiving travel begins this week at Albuquerque Sunport

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Thanksgiving travel begins this week at Albuquerque Sunport


As sure as there will be turkey on the table, Thanksgiving week will be the busiest time to travel.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As sure as there will be turkey on the table, Thanksgiving week will be the busiest time to travel. 

“Pack your patience,” said Leah Black, Albuquerque International Sunport’s Outreach & Marketing manager.

Because as you’re traveling, so are millions of others.

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“We’re a little spoiled, because our airport is pretty small, and it’s usually pretty efficient to get through,” said Black.

Black says predictions are in the thousands for our midsize airport.

“On Wednesday, before Thanksgiving, 20,000 people coming and going through the Sunport, which is crazy. And then the second-busiest day is going to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, at about 19,000 people,” Black said. 

She’s telling passengers to arrive at the Sunport three hours early. Black says that should be enough time to navigate any issues with traffic, ticket counter lines, and parking, which ran out of room quickly this time last year. 

“It’s going to fill up, it’s just a matter of when it will fill up. So I would say, watch our socials. But also, again, come three hours early because you might need to park in one of our third party off-site lots,” said Black. 

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Those lots are right next to the Sunport and offer a shuttle ride to your terminal. Another place you might be waiting a bit? The TSA security lines. But Black says new tech at the Sunport is helping move things along.

“They’re getting more people through per hour now than they have in the past,” Black said. “When you see an open bin, go up to it, you don’t need to wait behind the person in front of you anymore. People are always worried that they’re cutting the line.”

Things will certainly get more hectic as the week goes on, but some passengers planned for it. 

“We’ve traveled before for Thanksgiving and decided to try and get ahead of it. So we’re doing Monday to Friday,” said Jennifer Clark, a visitor from New York. 

Clark is visiting family in Santa Fe and says it was a good decision to fly Monday. 

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“We’re on time, and we had a connection. It’s been real easy,” said Clark. “One year we got caught in some weather, so we’ve decided this is a little easier.”

For locals Gail and Alan Hawkins, flying in Monday wasn’t a headache either.

“It was pretty busy, but it was very smooth. We didn’t have any problems,” said Gail.

Even if you are caught up in a hectic travel day, the Hawkins want to remind everyone to instead focus on the meaning of the holiday.

“Redeem the time. It’s precious. Be together and pay attention to one another,” said Alan.

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As for hitting the roads, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Transportation says construction on I-25 in the metro will continue.

Those lane closures won’t be lifted, but crews won’t be working Thanksgiving Day through Sunday.



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