_Alejandro Villegas, age 30, was arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle and causing criminal damage to property on a case dating back to 2008.
Fawn Singleton, age 34, of La Luz, New Mexico, was arrested on a District Court arrest warrant.
Melinda Paez, age 23, was arrested on a District Court arrest warrant.

_The District Court Judicial Nominating Commission has forwarded only one name to Governor Susanna Martinez to fill the vacancy on the Sixth Judicial District Court created by the retirement of Gary Jeffreys.

Sandra Baumann, Coordinator of the Judicial Nominating Commission, said the commission members recommended that Jennifer DeLaney be appointed to the bench.

DeLaney was one of four applicants for the vacancy -- the same four who filed declarations of candidacy for the position: DeLaney and Michael Renteria, who are Democrats, and Jarod Hofacket and Cynthia Patterson, who are Republicans. A fifth applicant, Gerald Byers, withdrew his name from consideration.

DeLaney has been practicing law in Deming for 10 years, and has served as the District Court's Special Master since 2009. She has passed the bar in New Mexico and Florida.

Governor Martinez can either accept the commission's recommendation of DeLaney, or ask the commission for additional names.
Once appointed, the successful applicant will serve on the bench through the end of the year, when the elected candidate assumes the bench.

Tuesday was the deadline for most candidates for state office to file for election, and all local races are contested.

Incumbent Senator John Arthur Smith, a Democrat, drew a fellow Democrat and a Republican opponent in his race for re-election to the Senate District 35 seat. Smith, from Deming, will face Democrat Larry Martinez of Lordsburg in the June primary, with the winner taking on Republican Russell Allen of Las Cruces in the November general election.

Incumbent District 32 State Representative Democrat Dona Irwin of Deming will face Democrat Louis Luna of Deming in the primary, and the winner will take on Republican Thomas Guerra of Deming in the general election.

Three democrats and one Republican filed for Sixth Judicial District Attorney. The Democrats -- Francesca Estevez, Nathan Gonzales and Armand Velez -- will compete in the June primary for the opportunity to face Republican Gabor Zsoka in the November general election for D-A.

And two Democrats and two Republicans filed to fill the Sixth Judicial District Court judgeship vacated with the retirement of Gary Jeffreys. Democrats Jennifer Delaney and Michael Renteria... and Republicans Jarod Hofacket and Cynthia Patterson with be on the primary election ballot for the judgeship.

A married couple who both hold Columbus Village trustee positions are expected to officially resign next month.

Columbus Mayor Nicole Lawson confirmed that William "Bud" Canfield and Jeane Canfield will be resigning to move to Wisconsin.

Lawson said Bud Canfield had an existing medical condition that was recently exacerbated, and they decided to move closer to family members.

Bud Canfield was in the middle of his four-year term as a trustee, and Jeane Canfield was just elected this month to a four-year term.

Bud was the last remaining trustee in office from before the gun smuggling case that rocked the border community last year and prompted the resignations of the mayor, police chief and trustee Blas "Woody" Gutierrez.

Lawson said the Canfields have not submitted their resignations yet, but she expects them to do so next month, effective April 30th.

She has notified Municipal League attorneys of the impending resignations.

Lawson said once the resignations are official, she will request letters of interest from Columbus residents who would like to be appointed to the village trustees. She will then select two candidates from those letters and submit her choices to the trustees for approval.

Jared Libby, age 23, was arrested for aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Rogelio Grajeda, age 47, was arrested for D-W-I, battery on a peace officer, resisting or obstructing an officer, driving while license was suspended or revoked and failure to yield.
Tomas Coleman, age 23, was arrested on an Adult Probation and Parole office warrant for a probation violation and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Also a telephone box near Country Club and Orno roads was tampered with.

_A Luna County produce farm has been awarded nearly 50-thousand dollars from the U-S Department of Agriculture. U-S-D-A Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner will be in Luna County Thursday to present a certificate of obligation to Doctor Matthew Stong of Preferred Produce, located 25 miles south of Deming off the Columbus Highway.

Stong is receiving a value-added producer grant for 49-thousand 500-dollars awarded to help Preferred Produce provide high-quality vegetables to more people at a lower cost.

A media release says the company plans to create an additional job that will pay more than twice the wages paid at most Luna County farms.

In addition, Preferred Produce plans to provide high-nutrition vegetables to area school children and increase food safety for its customers through providing locally produced vegetables delivered to consumers within eight hours of harvest.

The U-S-D-A Value-Added Grant Program provides financial support for planning activities and for working capital to market value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy.

Preferred Produce is located at 23485 Columbus Road. The ceremony to celebrate the successful application of funds is set for this Thursday at 11:30 a-m.

_
Miguel Mendivil, age 29, was arrested for D-W-I and interference with officers, and was cited for speeding and no driver's license... Maria Wilson, age 35, was arrested for violating a protection order... Silas Wilson, age 48, was arrested for violating a protection order... and Andrew Cantone, age 24, was cited for reckless driving, unlawful use of a license and no driver's license.

Also... radiators were reported missing from several vehicles located off North Eighth Street... and a telephone box located off Silver and Willow Streets sustained 100-dollars worth of criminal damage.

A structure fire caused a propane tank explosion Sunday in Columbus.

Luna County Sheriff's Deputy Trini Garcia said the fire started at before 11 a-m Sunday in a mobile home serving as the business office of Columbus L-P Gas, located at 1550 South Highway 11, north of Columbus.

Emergency dispatchers were notified by witnesses who saw smoke coming from the property.

Garcia said the fire spread to four sheds on the property, and caused a 125-gallon propane tank to explode.

Columbus and Deming fire departments responded to the blaze.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The first defendant in the gun smuggling case that involved the Columbus mayor, police chief and village trustee has been sentenced by a federal judge in Las Cruces.

Judge Robert Brack sentenced 27-year-old Vicente Carreon to 46 months in prison during a hearing Wednesday. Brack also ordered that Carreon be placed under supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.

Brack reportedly rejected a prosecutor's request that Carreon be given a stiffer sentence.

Carreon pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling firearms from the United States and one count of conspiracy -- admitting that he assisted in the smuggling into Mexico of at least 30 nine-millimeter pistols purchased from Chaparral Guns in Chaparral New Mexico.

Carreon assisted by removing serial numbers as well as U-P-C codes from firearms boxes, purchasing a backpack used in transporting the firearms and transporting the firearms to a stash house in El Paso.

Last summer, 14 people were charged in federal indictments involving arms smuggling to Mexican cartels. Columbus Police Chief Angelo Vega, Mayor Eddie Espinoza, and a trustee, Blas "Woody" Gutierrez, were among the defendants charged.

Federal prosecutors say the defendants were part of a conspiracy in which straw buyers bought about 200 firearms from a dealer in Chaparral and sent them to Mexican drug gang members.

A special border task force and increased federal support are being credited for helping reduce illegal migrant traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/yPEq3T) that ranchers on New Mexico's border praised this week the Southwestern Border Security Task Force for the dramatic drop in border arrests in just six years.

In 2005, government figures show that 122,679 people were arrested trying to enter illegally through the El Paso Sector, which includes New Mexico. Last year, only 10,345 were apprehended

in the same area - a more than 90 percent drop.

James Johnson, a rancher near Columbus, says he hadn't seen illegal border traffic this quiet in 30 years.

The task force is made up of a coalition of local and federal authorities.