Latest news with #NewMexicoDepartmentofAgriculture
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Body Camera Footage Shows Gene Hackman's Dog 'Guarding' Wife's Dead Body
Newly released body camera footage reveals one of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's dogs staying close to her body as police surveyed their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, where the couple was found dead in late February. The video, released by investigators and published by TMZ on Tuesday, shows an officer briefing his colleague as they enter the residence. 'He's guarding her,' the officer says, referring to one of the Hackmans' three dogs, seen sitting near Arakawa's body. The officer notes the dog 'seems pretty friendly,' but informs his colleague that their team also found another deceased canine inside a crate deeper in the house. Authorities noted they could hear a third dog barking in the distance, but it did not appear in the footage. According to a sheriff's incident report obtained by NBC News, authorities later found the animal running loose on the couple's 12-acre property. A New Mexico Department of Agriculture report, detailed by the New York Post last month, revealed that the deceased dog, named Zinnia, was found in a 'mummified' state when authorities initially canvassed the home on Feb. 26, nearly two weeks after Arakawa is believed to have died. Authorities suspect Hackman, who was 95 and living with advanced Alzheimer's, was alone with his wife's body until he died several days later. Tuesday's release also included a document showing Arakawa had researched COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms online before her death, which was later determined to be from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease. An environmental assessment of the Hackman property, also included in the records, showed health officials found rodent nests and feces in several outlying buildings but not in the main residence. Hackman and Arakawa were recently laid to rest in a private memorial service for their family, according to People magazine. Gene Hackman's Wife Researched Illness Symptoms Days Before Her Death, Records Show Gene Hackman Estate Rife With Rodents Linked to Wife's Death: Report Gene Hackman's Wife Called Doctor 1 Day After Her Supposed Death Date
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cat food with positive bird flu test recalled in New Mexico
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — A brand of raw, frozen cat food has been recalled after it tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus, also known as bird flu, according to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. Officials are advising pet owners to check the lot numbers on their products. Savage Pet issued the voluntary recall for its product, Savage Cat Frozen Cat Food chicken, 84 oz. (packaged in boxes containing 28 three-oz. plastic packets of product) and 21 oz. (packaged in boxes containing seven three-oz. plastic packets of product). The large size is packaged in 28-count boxes with three oz. plastic packets of product. The smaller size is packaged in seven-count boxes, also with three-oz. plastic packets. The lot code is 'Lot. 11152026.' If you have this product, you're asked to immediately stop feeding it to your pet. If any of your pets seem ill, you're asked to call your veterinarian. An HPAI infection in a domestic cat could cause the following symptoms: Fever Lethargy Low appetite Reddened or inflamed eyes Discharge from the eyes and nose Difficult breathing Neurological symptoms such as tremors, seizures, incoordination or blindness The agriculture department says the product was distributed nationally, and some New Mexico retailers sell Savage Cat products. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico set to become third state to implement full PFAS product ban
New Mexico is poised to become the third state to institute a full-fledged ban on products that contain toxic 'forever chemicals,' as two key bills head to the governor's desk. The concurrent pieces of legislation, which have both passed through the state Legislature, would prohibit most items that contain these compounds, while also deeming specific types of discarded firefighting foam as hazardous waste. The chemicals in question, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are notorious for their propensity to linger in the human body and in the environment. Linked to various types of cancers and other serious illnesses, PFAS are found in numerous household products, as well as in certain kinds of firefighting foam. The first bill, H.B. 212, would ban products that contain intentionally added PFAS and would authorize the state's Environmental Improvement Board to adopt relevant rules. Starting on Jan. 1, 2027, manufacturers would not be able to sell or distribute cookware, food packaging, dental floss and juvenile products that have intentionally added PFAS. The same would apply to carpets, cleaning fluids, cosmetics, fabric treatments, menstrual products, textiles, ski wax and upholstered furniture on Jan. 1, 2028. With respect to pesticides, fertilizers and other agricultural materials — many of which contain PFAS — the Environmental Improvement Board would consult with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture before setting rules on these subjects. There would be some exceptions to the prospective ban, such as those items that the board has determined 'to be essential for health, safety or the functioning of society and for which alternatives are not reasonably available.' The accompanying piece of legislation, H.B. 140, focuses on a range of chemicals, including PFAS, and provides new clarity on the meaning of the term 'hazardous waste.' The bill would redefine hazardous waste as 'any solid waste or combination of solid wastes' that because of its amount, concentration or characteristics could 'cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness.' Among the specific hazardous waste items mentioned is 'discarded aqueous film-forming foam containing intentionally added [PFAS].' If Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signs the two bills as anticipated, New Mexico would become the third state to implement a near-complete prohibition on PFAS-containing products. The state would follow in the footsteps of Maine and Minnesota, which passed their respective laws in 2021 and 2023. Numerous other states have approved legislation forbidding PFAS in certain product categories, rather than instituting bans across the board. While the three-year price of preventing PFAS pollution via such a ban would climb to about $2.8 million, the cost of removing and destroying just one pound of PFAS from water could be up to $18 million, according to an analysis of the legislation from the New Mexico Environment Department. 'With approximately 1,100 public drinking water systems in New Mexico serving 94 percent of our residents, preventing contamination is the only affordable means of securing our drinking water supply,' the analysis concluded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-03-2025
- Health
- The Hill
New Mexico set to become third state to implement full PFAS product ban
New Mexico is poised to become the third state to institute a full-fledged ban on products that contain toxic 'forever chemicals,' as two key bills head to the governor's desk. The concurrent pieces of legislation, which have both passed through the state Legislature, would prohibit most items that contain these compounds, while also deeming specific types of discarded firefighting foam as hazardous waste. The chemicals in question, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are notorious for their propensity to linger in the human body and in the environment. Linked to various types of cancers and other serious illnesses, PFAS are found in numerous household products, as well as in certain kinds of firefighting foam. The first bill, H.B. 212, would ban products that contain intentionally added PFAS and would authorize the state's Environmental Improvement Board to adopt relevant rules. Starting on Jan. 1, 2027, manufacturers would not be able to sell or distribute cookware, food packaging, dental floss and juvenile products that have intentionally added PFAS. The same would apply to carpets, cleaning fluids, cosmetics, fabric treatments, menstrual products, textiles, ski wax and upholstered furniture on Jan. 1, 2028. With respect to pesticides, fertilizers and other agricultural materials — many of which contain PFAS — the Environmental Improvement Board would consult with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture before setting rules on these subjects. There would be some exceptions to the prospective ban, such as those items that the board has determined 'to be essential for health, safety or the functioning of society and for which alternatives are not reasonably available.' The accompanying piece of legislation, H.B. 140, focuses on a range of chemicals, including PFAS, and provides new clarity on the meaning of the term 'hazardous waste.' The bill would redefine hazardous waste as 'any solid waste or combination of solid wastes' that because of its amount, concentration or characteristics could 'cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness.' Among the specific hazardous waste items mentioned is 'discarded aqueous film-forming foam containing intentionally added [PFAS].' If Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signs the two bills as anticipated, New Mexico would become the third state to implement a near-complete prohibition on PFAS-containing products. The state would follow in the footsteps of Maine and Minnesota, which passed their respective laws in 2021 and 2023. Numerous other states have approved legislation forbidding PFAS in certain product categories, rather than instituting bans across the board. While the three-year price of preventing PFAS pollution via such a ban would climb to about $2.8 million, the cost of removing and destroying just one pound of PFAS from water could be up to $18 million, according to an analysis of the legislation from the New Mexico Environment Department. 'With approximately 1,100 public drinking water systems in New Mexico serving 94 percent of our residents, preventing contamination is the only affordable means of securing our drinking water supply,' the analysis concluded.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New Report Reveals Likely Cause Of Death For Gene Hackman's Dog
A veterinary report has detailed what likely killed the dog found deceased with Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, providing some answers to one of the lingering questions in the deaths of the couple and their pet. The dog, a female kelpie mix named Zinna, is believed to have died of dehydration and starvation, according to a report from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture's veterinary lab, obtained by the Associated Press. Zinna's body, found inside a closed dog crate, had a mostly empty stomach. There were no signs of disease, trauma or poisoning, though the report noted that the body's state of decomposition could have made those factors harder to detect. Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home late last month. The actor's body was in the home's entryway, where he had appeared to have suddenly fallen. The body of Arakawa, a pianist, was in an upstairs bathroom with an open pill bottle nearby, pills scattered on the floor. The crate that held Zinna was close to Arakawa's body. All three bodies were in a severe state of decomposition, suggesting they had been dead for days or weeks. Meanwhile, the couple's two other dogs were alive and roaming freely. Investigators ultimately determined that Arakawa had died from hantavirus, a disease spread by rodents, on or around Feb. 11. Hackman died a week later, of heart disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a 'significant contributory factor.' Robert Gruda, the couple's veterinarian, said Zinna had recently undergone 'major surgery,' and Arakawa had been instructed to keep the dog confined in a crate while she recovered. The vet remembered her as an 'excellent' dog owner. 'She really doted on them,' he told USA Today. The two surviving dogs, a German shepherd named Bear and an Akita-shepherd mix named Nikita, are healthy and currently with a dog day care facility where they had spent time in the past. New Details Reveal Gene Hackman's Dogs Helped Paramedics Find His Body Gene Hackman And Wife Betsy Arakawa's Causes Of Death Released New Report Sheds Light On What Happened To Gene Hackman's Dogs
