(Deming) -- Deming Public  Schools held its first-ever Elementary Career Day Monday at the Mimbres Valley  Learning and Special Events Center.
School Superintendent Harvielee  Moore said the event was the idea of a fourth-grader last year who wrote to  Moore suggesting it would be a good idea for fifth graders to participate in a  career day to begin learning about career options and what skills and education  levels were needed for each.
The student, Andres Reyes, chaired a steering committee convened by Moore which was comprised of a  fifth-grade boy and girl from each elementary school. The students represented  the 484 fifth graders in the district.
Moore said the students planned  the event, named the careers they were interested in learning more  about, and  agreed that each school would prepare career collages as part of their studies  in the classroom.
The committee members also  designed a tee-shirt which each of the fifth-graders in the district wore to the  event. The shirt slogan said: "Fifth Grade, the Future" on the front... and "The  future is near..." with a Charlie Wildcat wearing a graduation cap and leaning  on the words "Wildcats 2019" on the back.
Career presenters included the Southern Area Health Education Center... DeLaney and Hernandez, Attorneys at Law... High Desert Veterinary Clinic... Deming Police Department... McReynolds Family Chiropractic... Deming Fire Department... Rick Holdridge with the New  Mexico Space Port Authority... Mark Vasconcellos, Move Production... and Mary  Anderson and the Skills U-S-A students.

(Deming) -- A local medical assistant has been charged with forging a prescription for a controlled  narcotic  using the name of the doctor for whom he worked.
34 year old Jafet "Jay" Vallejo  was arrested on charges of forgery and fraudulently obtaining a controlled  substance.
Vallejo, an assistant to Doctor  George Williams, is accused of taking a forged prescription for 100 tablets of  Adderall, a brand-name pyschostimulant medication considered to have high  abuse potential, to the Wal-Mart pharmacy.
The pharmacist flagged the prescription after Vallejo asked if the dosage could be raised.  The pharmacist confirmed with  Dr. Williams that the prescription was forged and notified the Deming Police Department. Vallejo invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Chief Michael Carillo said both  charges are fourth-degree felonies.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Bradley Brown, age 31 was arrested on two Luna County Magistrate court
warrants – one for failure to pay fines, and the second for failure to
appear.   Anthony Banegas, age 22 of Las Cruces was arrested on a Dona Ana County warrant for Failure to Pay  Fines.  Gordon Garland, age 37 was
  arrested on a Luna County Magistrate court warrant for failure to appear.  Juan Carbaja, age 28 was arrested for receiving stolen property and on a 6th Judicial District Court warrant for contempt of court… and Gerardo Torres, age 41 was arrested for driving while license suspended or revoked ... Gordon Garland, age 37, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear... Anthony Banegas, age 22, of Las Cruces, was arrested on a Dona Ana County warrant for failure to pay fines... and a 17-year-old boy was detained for battery on a household member and false imprisonment. And in other news... a vehicle parked off East Florida
sustained 500-dollars in criminal damage after it was spray-painted.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Juan Carbajal, age 28, was arrested for receiving stolen property and  on a District Court warrant for contempt of court... Gerardo Torres, age 41, was  arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked... Gordon Garland,  age 37, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear... Anthony  Banegas, age 22, of Las Cruces, was arrested on a Dona Ana County
warrant for  failure to pay fines... and a 17-year-old boy was detained for battery on a  household member and false imprisonment. And in other news... a vehicle  parked off East Florida sustained 500-dollars in criminal damage after it was  spray-painted.

Thieves Caught Taking Sign Batteries 
(Deming) -- Two Deming men were  caught taking batteries from lighted traffic signs off the Silver City Highway,  and one of the men was still recovering from a gunshot wound he sustained in a  residential break-in.
Thirty-year-old Abelardo Contreras and 32-year-old Justin Hull were stopped by Luna County Sheriff's  Department deputies Tuesday after they were seen by witnesses taking four batteries and cable from traffic signs off Highway 180 near milemarker 162. Contreras was arrested on charges of larceny and causing criminal damage to property.  Hull is facing a charge of  conspiracy to commit larceny, but was not immediately arrested because he is still recovering from gunshot wounds to his stomach and right leg he received in  February after breaking into an unoccupied home off Amapola Road Southeast.
Hull was shot by the property  owner, a 62-year-old man who was staying in the home after discovering that the  home had been broken into previously, and property had been piled in rooms ready  to be loaded.
Sheriff's officials said the  sign batteries were recovered after deputies followed tire tracks which led them  to the stolen items.
(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report: Bradley Brown, age 34, was  arrested on two Magistrate warrants... Carlos Munoz, age 34, was arrested on a  Magistrate warrant for failure to appear and on a Municipal warrant for failure  to pay fines... and three rolls of five-foot cattle fencing and fence posts with  a combined value of nearly 500-dollars were taken from a location off Leghorn   Road.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Randy Morales, age 21, was arrested for larceny over 250-dollars... and Juan Quezada, age 20, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to pay fines.
Also... a 60-year-old Deming  man reported being the victim of fraud after purchasing a vehicle on eBay for  over 12-hundred dollars and never receiving the vehicle... a bicycle valued at  250-dollars was taken from a location off East Pine... a tractor battery and  cables valued at over 200-dollars were taken from a location off Highway 418  Southwest... a loss-prevention employee at a business off East Pine reported a  cash embezzlement of nearly 200-dollars... and a window valued at 150-dollars  was broken on a business off West Pine.

(Deming) -- The Deming Post  Office letter carriers will gather donated food on Saturday as part of the 20th annual National Association of Letter Carriers National Food Drive, the largest one-day food drive in the nation.
Diane Jackson, president of the  Deming chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said the donation  drive will work the same as years' past.
All food collected in Deming  and Luna County will be delivered to Luna County shelters and soup kitchens.
Anyone interested in donating  should place a box or can of non-perishable food next to the mailbox before  their letter carrier delivers mail this Saturday.
The letter carrier will collect  the food and take it back to the post office, where it will be given to Helping  Hand for disbursement to families in need.
Again, the letter carrier food  drive is this Saturday, May 12th. Please place your can goods or other  non-perishable donations next to the mailbox before your letter carrier delivers the mail Saturday.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Luis Zuniga, age 43, was  arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked... Frank Wiggins,  age 38, was arrested on an Adult Probation and Parole office warrant for a  probation violation... Deneice Williams, age 52, was arrested on a District Court warrant for a probation violation... and Andrew Cantone, age 25, was arrested on a Municipal warrant for failure to appear.

School Board Holds Budget Forum 

(Deming) -- The Deming School  Board is holding a public forum Thursday to solicit input on the
district's  2012-2013 budget. The board and administration  will review funding and listen to public comments on budget
issues.  Action will be  taken.  The meeting will begin at 2 p-m  in the board room of the Emmett Shockley Administration Building, 400 Cody Road. The meeting is open to the public.
Also, the school board will meet in executive -- or closed -- session at 4 p-m Thursday... followed by an open meeting at 5.
Topics to be addressed during  the closed session include the assignment or resignation of an employee... a  tort or unemployment claim... and the disposal of the former Columbus elementary  building and other properties.
The regular monthly meeting agenda includes the recognition of Deming High School student Maximilian 
Contreras who was awarded the New Mexico School Boards Association 2012 Excellence for Student Achievement Award.
The board also will consider  budget and handbook issues... setting the 2013 graduation date.. approving a  three-year district technology plan... updating the policy pertaining to public  participation at board meetings... and approving a Macho
Springs  Resolution.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Raymond Smyer, age 43, was arrested for aggravated D-W-I... Patsy Hernandez, age 25, was arrested for breaking and entering, causing criminal damage to property and on an Adult Probation and Parole Office arrest order for a probation violation... Raul  Mercado, age 20, was arrested for two counts of theft of identity, theft of a credit card, fraudulently signing a credit card, fraudulent use of a credit card and forgery... Matthew Schipper, age 29, was arrested on an Adult Probation and Parole Office order for a probation violation... Lisa Parrish, age 44, was arrested on a Municipal warrant for failure to pay fines... Eva Pacheco, who was already incarcerated, was served with a Municipal warrant... and Jorge Nevarez, age 30, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. In juvenile news... three boys -- ages 13, 14 and 15 -- were charged with breaking and entering. And in other news... a water  meter was taken from a location off East Maple.