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) -- The Luna County Commission will meet in regular session Thursday.
 Included on the agenda is a  presentation by Luna County Extension Agent Jack Blandford on the plant African Rue... an inducement resolution relating to the proposed Industrial Revenue  Bonds for the Macho Springs Solar Project... a resolution pertaining to taxable fringe benefits... two contract renewals for services at Healthy Start... an amended organizational chart which moves security for the judicial complex under the Sheriff's Department... a public hearing for a Planning Department  variance... and the call for an ordinance establishing a five-percent Luna County procurement preference.
Also... a service award will be  presented to David Townsend for 10 years with the Detention Center.  The meeting is set to begin at  9 a-m Thursday in the commission chambers, located on the third floor of the  Luna County Courthouse. The meeting is open to the public.
An executive -- or closed -- session to discuss the disposal of the former Western Furniture building at  110  North Gold and limited personnel matters pertaining to the detention center will  follow the open meeting.

(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.

(Deming) -- Congratulations to  the Deming High School golf teams for winning state!
The Class Quad A-State Championship golf tournament was held in Socorro... and both the Deming boys and girls teams won their respective state titles.
In addition... senior Derek "Buzz" Perales was the Quad-A State Boys Individual Champion... and freshman Darian Zachek was the Quad-A State Girls Runner-up Champion.
Perales' state-winning teammates were Julian Alba... Derek Baeza... Cooper Jackson... and Gabe 
Martinez. 
Zachek's state-winning teammates were Cynthia Galindo...Jasmyne Gallosa... Kayla Molina... Linda Sisneros... and Shelby Turner.  The Wildcat and Lady 'Cat  golf  teams are coached by James Williams... Jimmy Galindo... Richard Perales...
and  Kevin Zachek.  Congratulations to the  Deming High School golf teams -- both boys and girls -- for being the 2012  Quad-A State Champions!
NOTE:  By mistake, we left out Jasmyne Gallosa's name in the previous story.  We are sorry for the error. 

(Deming) -- There will be a public meeting in Deming Wednesday so local residents can offer input on a proposed high-voltage power line that would run through New Mexico and  Arizona.
The Bureau of Land Management  has scheduled a series of open house meetings in both states on an electrical  transmission line that could provide up to 25-hundred megawatts of electricity.
Southline Transmission is proposing building the line in two segments. The first segment would stretch 225 miles from a substation in Afton, New Mexico -- south of Las Cruces, to one in Apache, Arizona -- south of Willcox.
The second would be an upgrade  of 130 miles of an existing line between Apache and a substation outside of  Tucson.
The line would cross federal,  state and private lands.
The Deming meeting will be held  this Wednesday from 5:30 to 8 p-m in the Mimbres Valley Learning and Special  Events Center, 2300 East Pine Street.
The format will be an open house with project specialists available for questions. A presentation on the 
project begins at 6 p-m. The meeting is open to anyone  interested.

(Deming) -- A Deming man sustained four gunshot wounds after he allegedly went to the home of an ex-girlfriend and threatened her husband. 33-year-old Ramon Delgado was  treated at the local hospital and airlifted to El Paso with gunshot wounds to  both arms, and graze wounds to his right leg and the top of his
head.
Police Captain Brandon Gigante  said the wounds did not appear to be life-threatening.  Gigante said officers were called to the 400 block of South Yucca at about 9 Monday night because shots had been fired.
They found Delgado slumped over  and bleeding in the driver's seat of his pickup.
The investigation revealed that  Delgado was attempting to run into or over the husband of Delgado's former girlfriend, when the husband jumped out of the way, pulled a gun, and shot Delgado.
Reportedly, the husband was armed because of previous domestic issues with Delgado. Gigante said it appears the shooting was in self-defense, although the investigation is continuing.

(Deming) -- Here's the area crime report:
Ramon Altamirano, age 58, was  arrested for aggravated D-W-I and failure to stop... Chase Allen, age 27,
was  arrested for D-W-I, on a driving violation, and for driving while license was  suspended or revoked... Vanessa Dempsey, age 27, was arrested for D-W-I and on a  driving violation... Francisco Barba, age 38, was arrested for aggravated 
battery... Mareeta Ordonez, age 64, was arrested for battery on a healthcare  professional... Alex Mendiola, age 24, of Columbus, was arrested for battery and  on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear... Jesus Vasquez, Junior, age 30, of Columbus, was arrested for public affray and on a Dona Ana County warrant for  failure to appear... 
Matthew Schipper, age 29, was  arrested for assault against a household member... Antonio Grado, age 32,
was  arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked... Jeffery Mendiola,  age 23, of Columbus, was arrested for resisting or evading an officer.
Hector Casas, age 33, was  arrested on an Adult Probation and Parole Office warrant for a probation 
violation... Mario Salcido, age 19, was arrested on a District Court warrant for failure to appear... and Erica Sanchez, age 26, was arrested on a Dona Ana County warrant for failure to pay fines.
In juvenile news... a  16-year-old boy was picked up on three warrants -- one for abandonment or abuse 
of a child, aggravated battery on a household member and injuring or tampering  with a motor vehicle, and two juvenile traffic bench warrants for failure to  appear... a 17-year-old boy was picked up on a Magistrate warrant for failure to  appear on January charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure to  immediately notify authorities of an accident... a 17-year-old boy was cited for possession of alcohol by a minor, possession of marijuana and possession of drug  paraphernalia... and a 17-year-old boy was cited for possession of  alcohol. Also... radiators valued at three-thousand dollars were taken from antique tractors located off East Olive... two televisions, clothing and household items were taken from a  residence off West Spruce... a bicycle valued at over 150+dollars was taken from a location off West Pine... and toys and clothing valued at 150-dollars were taken from a residence off East Birch.

(Deming) -- All four Luna County 4-H shooting sports teams placed in the top five of their respective competitions during the State 4-H Shooting Sports event held at the N-R-A Whittington Center in Raton this past weekend.
In the rifle competition, teams from Luna County placed second and fourth, and Brannick Sweetser was the  eighth-high individual. His teammates were Graham Borden, Keri Hays and Dustin  Zamora.
Members of the other rifle team  were Ty Borden, Tee Pickett and Tel Pickett.
In the shotgun competition,  Zak Speir placed fourth in the individual standings and he and teammates Cassie  Hartman, Jason Lewis and Tee Pickett placed fourth in the team competition.
And in the archery compound competition, Graham Borden placed fifth and Mitchell Stevens placed sixth in the individual competition, and together with teammates Stephanie Swope and Toney McDougal they placed fifth in the team event.

DEMING, N.M. (AP) - A food processing plant in Deming is closing  its doors just four years after  receiving a $500,000 city loan.
City officials say they've just  learned the Proper Foods plant plans to close and aren't sure what they can do.
Luna County economic development executive Linda Smrkovsky told city officials late last week that she's looking at options but hasn't  yet identified any.
The Deming Headlight  reports the City Council approved the loan using  state economic development funds in 2008.
Smrkovsky says about 125 workers make prepared frozen foods like tamales and stuffed peppers at  the plant.
The loan required the company  to maintain at least 100 full-time employees and make annual payments at a 3 percent interest rate. 
City officials were unable to  immediately provide the outstanding balance. Information from: Headlight, www.demingheadlight.com 
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is campaigning to win the White House as a Libertarian after receiving scant attention in the Republican presidential race.
According to an online story at the www.santafenewmexican.com Johnson easily became the party's presidential nominee at the
Libertarian national convention in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday. He hopes to appeal to voters fed up with the traditional two-party system this November. 
Johnson was a longshot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination when he announced in December that he would instead pursue the Libertarian ticket. He won 74 percent of the vote on the first ballot in Las Vegas, an unusual showing of support. In 2008, Libertarian delegates needed six rounds of voting to pick a presidential nominee.
Johnson supports legalized marijuana, low taxes and immigration reform.
He was elected New Mexico's governor in 1994.  What are your opinions of Johnson, and his chances to become our next President? Let us know.