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Local Crime Report for Friday January 31, 2014

1/31/2014

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:

David Cowart, age 34, of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, was arrested for aggravated DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia, having an open container, and on a failure-to-stop driving violation… Ashley Hernandez, age 29, of Silver City, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and on two Magistrate warrants for failure to pay fines… Michael Estrada, age 42, was arrested for unlawful use of a license… LeeAnn Pena, age 43, of Silver City, was arrested on a District Court arrest warrant… and Jorge Martinez, age 41, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear.

Also… two laptop computers with a combined value of $1,100 were taken from a portable office in Columbus… and two counterfeit $20 bills were discovered at Wal-Mart.

DPS School Board Meets Monday

1/31/2014

(Deming) – The Deming School Board will meet in special executive session Monday.

     According to the legal notice, the purpose of the special executive session is to discuss the superintendent position search.

     No action will be taken.

     The special executive session is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the conference room of the Emmett Shockley Administration Building, 400 Cody Road. The special session is closed to the public.

Mexican Gray Wolf Population Rising

1/31/2014

(Deming) – There are more Mexican gray wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona than last year.
     The results of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's annual survey were released Friday. There are at least 83 of the endangered predators in the two states, marking the fourth year in a row the population has increased.

     Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle says the population is at an all-time high. In fact, it has nearly doubled from a high of 42 in 2009.

     A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican gray wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976.

     Biologists have been working to return wolves to the Southwest since 1998. Those efforts have been hampered by everything from politics to illegal killings.

     Officials reported last year that Mexican gray wolves may be in Luna County in coming years due to a proposed habitat expansion, and local officials were working to determine the most effective way to manage the endangered animals into the area’s environmental and economic dynamic.

     The Luna County Endangered Species Advisory Committee hosted an October meeting to present an outline of work done by Luna County officials so far in the process.

     Local residents also submitted questions and comments on the issue at the meeting.

Local Crime Report for Thursday January 30, 2014

1/30/2014

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:

     Roberto Montoya, age 20, of Columbus, was arrested for battery on a peace officer, assault on a peace officer, resisting or evading an officer and causing criminal damage to property, and was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana… Alexandrine Gutierrez, age 30, was arrested for abandonment or abuse of a child… Robert Ward, age 19, of Tucson, Arizona, was arrested on a Pima County, Arizona, warrant for solicitation to commit burglary…

     John Bynum, age 43, of Mimbres, was arrested on a District Court warrant for failure to appear… David Tidey, age 24, was arrested on a District Court warrant for a probation violation… Mary Gandara, age 25, of Silver City, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear… Maria Ortiz, age 51, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to pay fines… Bianca Rincon, age 21, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to pay fines… Alfonso SantaMaria, age 29, of Bayard, was arrested on a Dona Ana County warrant for failure to pay fines… Angel Nevarez, age 32, was arrested on a Municipal warrant for failure to appear… and Carmen Franco, age 22, was charged with shoplifting at Wal-Mart.

     Also… a 45-caliber pistol valued at $500 was reported missing from a residence off San Miguel… a coin-operated washing machine at a business off East Pine sustained $250 in criminal damage after the coin box was broken into; approximately $100 in coins were taken… a CD player valued at $300 was stolen from a vehicle parked off West Buckeye… a pit-bull puppy valued at $100 was taken from a residence off East Olive… and a bicycle valued at nearly $100 was taken from a location off Santa Rosa.

Early Voting on School Bond Ending

1/30/2014

DPS Superintendent Harvilee Moore at voting booth

(Deming) – Early, in-person and absentee voting for the school bond election ends Friday.

     The special school district election to be held Tuesday, February 4th, is asking voters to authorize the issuance of up to $27 million of additional general obligation bonds to build a new high school and replace the intermediate school.

     If approved by voters, the new bonds will not raise property tax bills because school officials say the bonds will be issued in amounts and times designed to maintain a stable tax rate.

     The cost of building a new high school on the site of the current school is estimated to be $73.5 million. Of that amount, $21.75 million would come from the bond proceeds, and the remaining $51.75 million would come from the state.

     The second project, building a new intermediate school near the Old Lordsburg Highway and Florida Street, has a projected cost of $17.7 million, of which $5.25 million would come from bond proceeds and $12.45 million would come from the state.

     Friday, January 31st, is the final day to vote early in the Luna County Clerk’s office.

     The February 4th election will use the new county voting convenience centers at the Mimbres Valley Learning Center, Holy Family Parish Hall and the Columbus Village Library.     Registered voters may vote at any of those locations Tuesday.

Local Crime Report for Wednesday January 29, 2014

1/29/2014

Crime Report    1/29/14    11:04a

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:

     Manuel Salinas, age 29, was arrested for larceny and conspiracy… James Oranen, age 28, was arrested for prowling… Adrian Rodriguez, age 21, of El Paso, Texas, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear… and Jesus Garcia, age 24, was arrested for submitting a false report.

     Also… a 2011 Chevrolet pickup truck belonging to Globe Energy Services and reported stolen in Snyder, Texas, was recovered abandoned at a convenience store off Cedar Street in Deming… a tile saw set valued at $1,000 was reported stolen from off Kachina Road Southwest… and a chain-link fence off South Copper sustained $200 in damage.

PILT Funding Extended for One Year

1/29/2014

(Deming) – Luna County will be receiving just under $1.8 million dollars in compensation for non-taxable federal lands for another year.

     The money comes from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program administered through the Department of the Interior which compensates local governments for lost tax revenue from federal lands so the governments can continue to provide public services such as police and fire protection, road maintenance and school assistance.

     It was announced Tuesday night that one year of PILT Program funds will be included in the Farm Bill conference report.

     U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich were among a bipartisan coalition who wrote to Farm Bill negotiators to request an extension of the program, which expired at the end of last year with no plan for renewal.

     Without an extension of PILT, rural counties were facing drastic budget and job cuts in June.

PILT payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal entitlement land within each county and the population of the county.

     Luna County has nearly 747,000 acres of federal Bureau of Land Management – or BLM – property within its boundaries.

Luna County Unemployment Rate Jumps Again

1/29/2014

(Deming) – Luna County's unemployment rate jumped again in December.

     Preliminary figures from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions show Luna County with a December unemployment rate of 17.1%, up from the revised November rate of 15.7%, but down from the December 2012 rate of 18.1%.

     Luna County once again had the highest unemployment percentage in the state, followed by Mora with 15%. Those were the only two New Mexico counties with double-digit unemployment.

   Other counties with high unemployment rates in the state in December were Taos and McKinley at 8.5% each, and Guadalupe, Rio Arriba and Torrance at 7.8% each.

     In our area, Grant County had 6.6% unemployment in December, Hidalgo County had 6% and the Las Cruces area had 6.9%.

   The counties with the least unemployment were Eddy and Los Alamos with 3.7% each.

   The New Mexico labor force estimates show Luna County with a labor force of 11,745 – with 9,732 employed and 2,013 unemployed.

Deming Awarded Grants

1/29/2014

The City of Deming has recently been informed that four grants they applied for in 2013 have been awarded. On January 6, the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division completed its review of all applications. Only 13 grants projects were selected for this grant cycle, with the City of Deming receiving four of those grants.

The first grant is for a recently required red brick building located at 113 East Maple Street. It has yet to be determined what the building will be used for. The second grant was for an assessment of the auditorium and storage room in Morgan Hall located at 109 East Pine Street.

A development of design standards and guidelines for the Downtown Deming Historic District was the third grant that had been submitted to the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division..

The fourth grant is for the nomination of the Marshall Memorial Public Library Building to be placed on the National Register.

In the southwest quadrant of the state, communities that were eligible for grants were Silver City, Columbus and Deming.

Columbus Port Gets $7.4 Million Expansion Funds

1/29/2014

Columbus POE set to get $7.4 million dollar facelift.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Columbus Land Port of Entry is set to receive $7.4 million for expansion and modernization that will help improve security, commercial development and create jobs in New Mexico.

The new funding will help pay for the design phase of the planned expansion and modernization.

Udall said, "The Columbus Port of Entry is extremely important to security, U.S.-Mexico trade and economic development in Southwest New Mexico. But the current facilities are outdated, prone to flooding and don't allow officials to smoothly handle inspections and increased commercial activity,"

The Columbus Port of Entry was built in 1989 to screen visitors entering the United States. Plans call for expanding the building workspace, inspection facilities and parking capacity to ensure the facility meets the needs of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Similar efforts are underway south of the border, where the government of Mexico is working to reroute traffic and improve access to port facilities.

The new construction project will more than triple the size of the existing facility from over 20,000 to over 60,000 square feet of building space.