Lawsuit decries rodent infestation at New Mexico prison

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two former inmates in New Mexico are suing state prison staff and a food-service contractor for cruelty and negligence after they failed to resolve a yearslong rat and mouse infestation at the kitchen in a women’s lockup. They cited health risks including mouse-borne Hantavirus. The federal-court lawsuit announced Tuesday from Albuquerque-area residents Susie Zapata and Monica Garcia describes a “horrific and widespread” rodent infestation that inclu