(Deming) – Officials with the  Southwestern Regional Housing and Community Development Corporation of Deming  have announced a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to begin construction of the  Sierra Vista Apartment Complex.

The complex is being  built in the 800 block of  North Iron Street by The Parkside Manor Limited  Partnership, which consists of the local housing corporation and J.L. Gray and  Associates from Las Cruces.

Funding for  construction of the 24-unit complex was made possible through a $1,000,000 loan  by USDA Rural Development’s
Multi-Family Housing Program and tax credit proceeds  in the amount of nearly $4,430,000 through the New Mexico Mortgage Finance  Authority. 

Also included in the  construction will be a manager’s unit, a common area for use by tenants, and two  centrally located
playgrounds.  USDA Rural Development  State Director Terry Brunner is expected to attend the ceremony, set for 3:30  p.m. Tuesday at the  apartment complex location, 878 North Iron  Street.

(Deming) – The Deming City Council will meet in regular session Monday
at 6pm.  Included on the agenda is a proclamation declaring the month of October as Disability Awareness Month. And, declaring the week of October 7th – 13th as Public Natural Gas Week.  
 
The councilors will also acknowledge and approve the final budget for fiscal year 2012 – 2013 for the City of Deming that were furnished to the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration in Santa Fe.    

The councilors also will consider a resolution approving the city participating
in the Municipal Arterial Program that is administered by the New Mexico
Department of Transportation… and a Job Description of Solid Waste Lead, Range 17… and bids for trash dumpsters.  

A City Council Workshop will be held at 4pm to discuss the regular meeting items.  
 
And immediately prior to tonight’s regular meeting, the Council will be meeting as the Community Development and Planning board.   The councilors will hear a progress report and accept input from the public.  
 
The meeting is set to begin at  6 pm Monday   in the council chambers of the John Strand Municipal Building on South Gold. The
meeting is open to the public.  A closed session to discuss potential litigation will follow the open meeting.

(Deming) – The Deming-Luna County Economic Development Council has been awarded $33,000 from the state over a three-year period.

The local funding was one of 23 approved applications for the current  three-year program cycle of the Certified Community Initiative program of the  New Mexico Economic Development  Department.

The assistance provided by the Certified Community Initiative program is  intended to create new jobs as well as increase
community pride, help improve  communities and help boost the overall state of New Mexico’s economic  condition.

New standards for receiving funding also were incorporated into the  program by the state Economic Development Department.

The Deming-Luna County EDC met 13 mandatory requirements for  certification which focused on job creation and economic
development.The $11,000 per-year award included  $10,000 for maximum funding of a single entity – such as Luna County, and  another $1,000 for an additional entity – such as the City of Deming. The EDC will have to recertify every three years.

The funding is to be used toward special projects such as workforce  studies, grant writers, training expenses and economic development impact  studies.

(Deming) – The Deming Fire  Department has lowered its Insurance Services Office rating.
    Chief Edgar Davalos  said the rating system ranges from one to 10 – ten being the worst – and  Deming’s rating has dropped from a five to a four. 
    Davalos said the recent  purchase of a three-million gallon water tank and accompanying water  distribution equipment helped lower the rate.   A new ladder truck  helped with the rating drop as well. 
     Also, he said, the department  continues to improve service… including dispatch and firefighter  training.  The lower rate means homeowners  within the Deming city limits may see lower insurance rates.
      Davalos encouraged residents to  mention the lower ISO rating to their insurance provider during annual renewal 
negotiations.   Also, Davalos mentioned acquiring  a Stryker ambulance load assist device as another advance in the  department.
     Deming is the first department in  the state to acquire the lift, which raises the patient to ambulance level  instead of requiring
emergency responders to lift the patient into the  ambulance.  The cost of the device was  32-thousand dollars, and it was
purchased with a Trauma Fund  grant.

(Deming) – Deming is now included  in an expanded border zone  accessible to Mexican nationals holding Border Crossing Cards.

The Department of  Homeland Security Wednesday issued a rule expanding the zone in which certain  pre-cleared Mexican nationals can travel into New Mexico to shop, conduct  business and/or visit family.

Previously… persons  holding Border Crossing Cards were permitted to travel 25 miles into the United  States for a period of 30 days without obtaining additional  permits.  Now… the border zone  has been expanded to 55 miles, which includes Deming, Las Cruces and  Lordsburg. 

Senator Jeff Bingaman  said Border Crossing Cards make it possible for frequent, low risk travelers to  visit border
communities and engage in economic activity.   Bingaman said the  expanded zone should provide a much-needed economic boost to southern New Mexico  communities without negatively impacting border security. 

Biometric Border  Crossing Cards are issued only to those individuals who have undergone  background, fingerprint and security
checks.   Deming and Luna County  officials had written federal decision makers in support of expanding the  zone.

(Las Cruces-Deming) The verdict is in for a Deming family accused of selling guns to a Mexican Drug Cartel member. 
KOB-TV is reporting that the parents and two sons, owners of local Deming business New Deal Shooting Sports, have been found not guilty of gun smuggling charges.  

Rick Reese, his wife Terri Reese and their two sons Ryin and Remington Reese were charged for selling weapons and ammunition from the family gun store in Deming.  One of the sons, Remington Reese has been acquitted on all charges.

However, Rick, Terri and Ryin Reese were found guilty on much lesser charges including making false statements.  But again the family has been found NOT guilty on the most serious gun smuggling charges.  Additional information will follow.
*photos from Luna County Detention Center - Las Cruces Sun News

(Deming) – A Deming manufacturing  company has been awarded  funds from the New Mexico Economic Development  Department’s Job Training Incentive Program to help create more jobs in  Deming.

Compass Components, a  privately held manufacturing services and distribution corporation located in  the Deming Industrial Park, received over 76-thousand dollars from the state program to create eight jobs. 

Compass Manufacturing  Services opened in April of 2007, in its 40-thousand square-foot harness  manufacturing facility.
The company specializes  in cable, harness and electro-mechanical assembly and system  integration.   Official say Compass  Components supports a variety of industry leaders in the transportation,  semiconductor, capital equipment and medical markets… as well as network and  telecom, test and measurement, and metal fabricator industries. 

State Economic  Development Secretary Jon Barela said the Job Training Incentive Program  provides job creators – like Compass Components – the assistance they may need  to take the next step and grow their company.

 He added that having a  steady stream of dollars available to help businesses hire and train workers has  been a great benefit to the state. 
     
Other businesses awarded job training funds were located in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Clovis and Las  Vegas, New Mexico.

(Deming) – The state is taking  over Mimbres Valley Escrow.

Orders for declaratory judgment  and permanent injunctive relief were filed Friday against Mimbres Valley Escrow  Services and owners Anna and Jesus Delgado.

The orders, filed in  the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, state that Mimbres Valley Escrow  has been conducting its business in an unsafe and injurious manner… has been  conducting its business in violation of the Escrow Company Act and accompanying  regulations… that the assets or capital of the business are impaired… and that  irreparable harm has occurred within the business. 

The permanent  injunction means the Delgados and their family members or agents are prohibited  from entering Mimbres Valley
Escrow at 507 South Gold, removing documents from  the business, or conducting business transactions as Mimbres Valley  Escrow.

The order also states  that the New Mexico Financial Institutions Division will oversee business  management, auditing and
day-to-day business transactions for Mimbres Valley  Escrow. The state was granted  immediate access.

Mimbres Valley Escrow  Services customers with questions about their accounts should call the state  Financial Institutions
Division at 505-476-4692 or visit the website  rld.state.nm.us/financialinstitutions.