Family, friends mourn UNM student's death in Iraq war
When enemy fire ended the life of 26-year-old Christopher Merville in Iraq, friends and family say he died as the man he dreamed of becoming - an American solider.
"We celebrate a man who dedicated his life to giving us freedom," the Rev. Arkad Biczak told some 200 mourners Saturday at Merville's funeral. "He offered his own life on behalf of you and on behalf of me."
The Eldorado High School honors graduate who spent time at the University of New Mexico studying linguistics was remembered for his sense of humor, intelligence and service.
The Army specialist from Albuquerque became the sixth New Mexico solider or Marine killed in Iraq when he received a fatal wound riding in a Humvee during a mission near Baghdad on Oct. 12.
Mourners could see a photographic memorial of the gunner's life Saturday as they entered John XXIII Catholic Church - snapshots of a baby in white diapers at the hospital nursery to a young man kissing his fiancÇe, Renabeth Luis, on the cheek.
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APD officers receive 237 civilian complaints
A record number of complaints have been filed against Albuquerque police officers this year, according to the city's Police Oversight Commission and Independent Review Office.
The commission received 101 civilian complaints during the third quarter, bringing this year's total to 237. Last year, a then-record 220 complaints were made.
Police Chief Gilbert Gallegos said he encourages residents to come forward with concerns.
"We want our civilians to feel at ease," he said. "Accountability is something we strive for, and having the (Police Oversight Commission) and (the Independent Review Office) helps us attain that as far as us being public employees."
Among this year's 237 complaints, 35 have been sustained. Of those, nine involved customer service, 13 involved overuse of police power and 13 were procedural.
Pentagon to investigate Halliburton subsidiary
WASHINGTON - The Army has agreed to a Pentagon investigation into claims by a top contracting official that a Halliburton subsidiary unfairly won no-bid contracts worth billions of dollars for work in Iraq and the Balkans, according to Army documents obtained Sunday.
The complaint alleges that the award of contracts to KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary, without competition to restore Iraq's oil industry and to supply and feed U.S. troops in the Balkans puts at risk "the integrity of the federal contracting program as it relates to a major defense contractor."
It also asks protection from retaliation for the whistle-blower, Bunnantine Greenhouse, chief contracting officer of the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Iraq contract with Halliburton has been a focus of the presidential campaign because of Vice President Dick Cheney's past ties to the company. Cheney was chief executive officer of Halliburton and continues to receive deferred compensation from the company.
Average gas price rising across the country
LOS ANGELES - After dropping to less than $2 per gallon last month, the national average price of a gallon of gas is rising again, in large part because of higher crude oil prices, an industry analyst said Sunday.
Between Oct. 8 and Friday, the combined national average price for all grades of gas rose from $2.02 to $2.07 per gallon, said Trilby Lundberg, who publishes a semimonthly survey of gas stations across the country.
The biggest-selling grade of gas, self-serve regular, was pegged at $2.04. Premium grade was priced at $2.23 a gallon, and mid-grade at $2.14.
San Diego led the nation with an average price for a gallon of self-serve regular at $2.45. The best bargain was Tulsa, Okla., where the average price for self-serve regular was $1.83.
Fears about supply from top oil-producing countries and the growing appetite of emerging economic powers like China and India have helped push up crude oil prices about 80 percent from a year ago.
