State
Las Cruces passes stricter DWI punishment
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - The City Council, in an effort to take the keys away from repeat drunken drivers, has passed an ordinance allowing for vehicles to be seized and auctioned.
The ordinance allows the city to seize vehicles if a person previously convicted of DWI is arrested again on a similar charge. It mirrors a law already in effect in Dona Ana County.
Rich Ferrary of the county's chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said the new ordinance sends a clear message to those who insist on driving drunk.
"The price (for driving drunk) is going up all of the time. If you want to pay it, this is the price you're going to pay," Ferrary said.
Bush's NM campaign may split from state aid
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SANTA FE (AP) - President Bush's re-election campaign may base its New Mexico operations separate from state Republican headquarters, Republican officials said.
"There is a breach," said Steve Bell, longtime chief of staff for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. "We still hope we can work out a smooth relationship, but it has been very difficult."
State Republican chairwoman Ramsay Gorham downplayed the seriousness of the situation calling it a "transition period."
"I am trying to work with them," she said.
Gorham acknowledged that Republican National Committee officials and the Bush campaign have talked to her about establishing their New Mexico effort separate, which would mean no sharing campaign offices, staff or money.
National
New Palestinian cabinet leaves Arafat in control
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States expressed disappointment Sunday with the announcement of a new Palestinian Cabinet that leaves Yasser Arafat in control of security forces. Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia had hoped to consolidate the various security forces under a single interior minister, in line with U.S. expectations. Arafat, the overall Palestinian leader, succeeded in putting a hand-picked confidant into the post and keeping the security forces under different commands.
Study shows not all patients getting top care
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Doctors have known for a decade that drugs called ACE inhibitors are a cornerstone of care for congestive heart failure, yet a nationwide survey released Sunday shows that nearly one-third of patients are sent home from the hospital without this lifesaving treatment. The report documents what many see as a dangerous reality of modern medicine: Doctors often fail to offer, or simply don't know about, the most basic elements of care for the many conditions they see daily.
National
18 arrested following missile attack in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Soldiers arrested 18 people in a deadly missile barrage last month that Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz narrowly escaped, officials said Sunday. U.S. warplanes bombed near a center of Iraqi resistance, and the military said it was intensifying the fight against insurgents after increasingly bloody attacks. The U.S. command also announced the death of another soldier, killed late Saturday when his vehicle struck a land mine in Baghdad. A senior Iraqi official warned that mounting violence may delay steps toward a new constitution, considered a major condition for returning the country to full Iraqi rule.
Israel approves prisoner swap with Hezbollah
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's Cabinet narrowly approved a prisoner swap with Hezbollah after eight hours of anguished debate Sunday, overriding warnings that the deal could signal weakness and encourage more kidnappings of Israelis. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lobbied hard for the swap, which excludes Israel's most famous missing serviceman, Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who was shot down over Lebanon 17 years ago. The vote was one of Sharon's toughest leadership tests in three years.
