Blog Archives

Pine & Gold Street to Receive ADA Safety Improvements

1/31/2020

DEMING – The New Mexico Department of Transportation announced upcoming improvements for pedestrian safety and mobility in Deming in the following weeks.
The contractor, A-Mountain Construction will begin replacing the sidewalk, curb and ramps to include ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) improvements starting February 10, 2020 at the intersection of Pine & Gold Street.
The project is estimated at just over $197,000 and is scheduled to take about one week to complete.
Pine and Gold Street will remain open during construction with the exception of temporary lane closure for equipment to remove and replace concrete.
Traffic control will be in place for the safety of construction workers.
The NMDOT thanks you for your patience. Please use caution in the area, obey the posted speed limit and drive safely.

New Mexico State News - Friday January 31, 2020

1/31/2020

TIMBER WOES-OWL RULING
New Mexico sawmill struggling under revised owl ruling
MILAN, N.M. (AP) — A sawmill is struggling to keep afloat amid a monthslong court injunction that barred logging anywhere near Mexican spotted owl habitat in New Mexico's five national forests. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Mt. Taylor Manufacturing in Milan, New Mexico, was silenced in mid-December because of the court battle. A federal judge imposed the ban on timber activities in September based on a 2013 lawsuit by the Santa Fe-based environmental group WildEarth Guardians that claimed the U.S. Forest Service failed to monitor the spotted owl adequately. The bird is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1993. The business uses ponderosa pine — the trees on which the owls nest.

PROSTITUTION-PAYING WITH BURGER
Police: New Mexico man agreed to pay prostitute with burger
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing charges after police said he agreed to pay an undercover officer posing as a prostitute with a hamburger. Police say Dominic Calderon was arrested Tuesday in Albuquerque following an offer to exchange his hamburger for sex. A criminal complaint says the 36-year-old Calderon approached the undercover officer while riding his bike and asked her how much she charged. When Calderon said he didn't get paid until Friday, the officer said he could pay with his burger and he agreed. He was arrested. It was not known if he had an attorney.

PENSION REFORM-NEW MEXICO
Public pension reforms advance in New Mexico Legislature
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislators advanced a proposal to reform New Mexico's public pension plan for state and local government workers with some dissent among Democrats in the legislative majority. Public workers and retirees packed the Senate committee hearing for deliberations on a bill aimed at reigning in $6.6 billion in unfunded liabilities at the pension fund overseen by the Public Employees Retirement Association. Major provisions of the bill would tie future annual cost of living adjustments to investment returns instead of providing automatic 3% increases. It also increases pension contributions by employees and employers, with the exception of low-paid workers and state police and corrections officers.

IMMIGRATION COURT-BACKLOG
DOJ works to ease ballooning immigration case backlog
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — At the headquarters of the nation's immigration courts, the focus is on how to make the immensely strained system more efficient. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is grappling with a backlog that has ballooned to 1 million deportation cases, a years-long wait for hearings and White House pressure. So it is buying real estate for new courts, creating an online filing system, streamlining training and hiring judges. And it still can't keep up. Its monthly caseload more than doubled last October. James McHenry, who leads the office, says, "We are working on what we can control."

NUCLEAR OPERATIONS-MAINTENANCE
New Mexico nuclear waste facility to pause operations
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico nuclear waste plant will temporarily stop its waste acceptance and other operations to complete multiple maintenance projects. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reported that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is expected to cease its primary operations of receiving and disposing nuclear waste from Feb. 14 to March 15. Federal energy officials say the maintenance projects are expected to take multiple days or be conducted in critical areas of the facility. Officials say waste shipments would also be put on hold until the projects are completed.

WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING-NEW MEXICO
State bill aims to discourage trafficking of wildlife parts
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State legislators in New Mexico are considering criminal penalties including jail time and civil fines for people who knowingly buy or sell endangered wildlife parts and products. A Senate committee on Thursday endorsed the bill from Democratic Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque on a 6-3 party-line vote with Republicans in opposition. Stewart said 10 other states have adopted their own enforcement provisions on wildlife-parts trafficking to support federal and international restrictions. New Mexico district courts would be able to enforce fines of up to $25,000 per object, with potentially higher fines for highly valuable animal products.

DNA-RAPE ARREST-NEW MEXICO
Man in New Mexico DNA website rape arrest ordered held
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man charged with rape after authorities checked DNA evidence against a genealogy website has been ordered held pending trial. State District Court Judge Cindy Leos ruled Wednesday that Angel Gurule should remain behind bars even though he has no criminal history. She wrote that the violent nature of the attack, among other factors, led to her finding that no conditions of release could protect the safety of the community. Defense attorney Raymond Maestas had urged the judge to impose strict conditions of release, like GPS monitoring and a curfew.

UNSALARIED LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico could break its taboo on salaries for legislators
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators could receive state salaries for the first time as the result of a newly proposed constitutional amendment. A legislative panel led by state Democratic Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment that would give the State Ethics Commission authority to set salaries for legislators and other elected state and county officials. New Mexico runs the only unsalaried Legislature in the nation, though members receive a $162 daily stipend during sessions and some money for gas. A watchdog group says that instituting salaries could help eliminate financial conflicts of interest between legislative duties and outside careers.

Local Unemployment Highest in the State Again in December

1/30/2020

DEMING - Luna County's unemployment rate in December was up slightly from the November’s revised rate, and we continue to top the state in the number of residents out of work.
Preliminary figures from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions show Luna County with an December unemployment rate of 14.8%.
That figure is the same as it was from last December’s rate of 14.8%.
Following Luna County in the list of New Mexico counties with the worst unemployment is Catron at with 7.1%.
Other counties in the state with higher unemployment are McKinley and Mora both tied at 6.4%, Torrance at 6.3% and Cibola at 5.9%.
In our area: Grant County had 4.5% unemployment in December, Hidalgo County had 4.3%, and the Las Cruces area had 5.2%.
The counties with the least unemployment rate in December… tied were Eddie and Los Alamos at 2.8%.
New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in December 2019, down from 4.8 percent in November 2019 and 5.0 percent in the previous year.
The New Mexico labor force estimates show Luna County with a labor force of 9,906 – with 8,443 employed and 1,463 unemployed.

New Mexico State News - Thursday January 30, 2020

1/30/2020

DNA-RAPE ARREST-NEW MEXICO
Man in New Mexico DNA website rape arrest ordered held
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man charged with rape after authorities checked DNA evidence against a genealogy website has been ordered held pending trial. State District Court Judge Cindy Leos ruled Wednesday that Angel Gurule should remain behind bars even though he has no criminal history. She wrote that the violent nature of the attack, among other factors, led to her finding that no conditions of release could protect the safety of the community. Defense attorney Raymond Maestas had urged the judge to impose strict conditions of release, like GPS monitoring and a curfew.

UNSALARIED LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico could break its taboo on salaries for legislators
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators could receive state salaries for the first time as the result of a newly proposed constitutional amendment. A legislative panel led by state Democratic Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment that would give the State Ethics Commission authority to set salaries for legislators and other elected state and county officials. New Mexico runs the only unsalaried Legislature in the nation, though members receive a $162 daily stipend during sessions and some money for gas. A watchdog group says that instituting salaries could help eliminate financial conflicts of interest between legislative duties and outside careers.

TEACHER SHORTAGE
New Mexico district: Teacher shortage a 'health emergency'
ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — A northern New Mexico school board says a statewide teacher shortage that is hitting the region especially hard is a "public health emergency." Española Public Schools made the assertion earlier this month about the dearth of qualified classroom teachers. The Albuquerque Journal reports the district urged Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to formally make that same declaration. A recent analysis by the Center for American Progress shows that, since 2010, enrollment in teacher prep programs declined by one-third nationwide. New Mexico, perpetually near the bottom in education rankings, is one of nine states that experienced a 50% enrollment drop.

VIETNAM WAR-CANNON
New Mexico city OKs money for Vietnam War-era cannon
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A western New Mexico city is acquiring a Vietnam War-era cannon from the U.S. Army for display in its downtown near the historic Route 66. The Gallup Independent reports the city council of Gallup, New Mexico, recently approved more than than $12,000 to pay the fees to acquire an M102 Howitzer cannon. City officials want to place it in front of the Veterans Memorial pillars in the Downtown Courthouse Plaza. Gallup resident JoAnn Benenati says she worried the cannon was more of a celebration of war rather than an homage to veterans.

CHINA OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico State to halt student trips to China amid virus
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University says its study abroad office will not be sending students to China amid a virus outbreak that has sickened thousands and killed more than 100. University spokeswoman Minerva Baumann told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the school will follow the U.S. State Department's travel warning of "reconsider travel" to China until further notice. Baumann says New Mexico State doesn't have any outbound students registered through Study Abroad who were planning to study in China this semester. The move comes after Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, announced that students studying abroad with the school's Shanghai international program will return home this week amid growing concerns of Wuhan coronavirus.

ENERGY FUTURE-NEW MEXICO
NM Supreme Court: Energy law applies to power plant case
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court says a landmark energy law that moves the state toward more renewable energy must be applied as regulators consider plans by the state's largest electric utility to close a major coal-fired power plant. The court ruled Wednesday. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration had argued that the Energy Transition Act passed last year should apply to Public Service Co. of New Mexico's application to close the San Juan Generating Station. Questions were raised when regulators opted to consider a portion of the application as part of an ongoing case that was initiated before the law was enacted.

CENSUS 2020-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Senate wants more money to promote 2020 Census
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators are setting aside more money to promote participation in the U.S. Census. The state Senate on Wednesday voted 39-0 to assign $8 million to ensure residents are not left out of the population count that calibrates funding levels for federal programs. The state previously allocated $3.4 million to the effort. The census determines the allocation of $1.5 trillion in federal spending, and New Mexico officials estimate that a 1% undercount would cost the state more than $700 million in federal aid over a decade.

JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER-CLOSURE
New Mexico county directs juvenile detention center closure
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe County County commissioners have directed employees to close the county juvenile detention center, citing concerns about rising costs and a decrease in the detention population. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Tuesday that multiple members of the commission supported shutting down the Youth Development Program, but must inform the union that represents the facility workers. County officials say the number of juveniles held at the center has decreased from 357 in 2017 to 293 in 2019. Officials say the facility's closure would save the county nearly $1.8 million per year.

Local 4-H Sign Up Period Ends Saturday

1/29/2020

DEMING – Time is running out for area youth to join the local youth club 4-H.
4-H is a U.S. based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times in the organization's original motto ‘head, heart, hands, and health’ which was later incorporated into the fuller pledge officially adopted in 1927.
County Extension agent Jack Blandford told Deming Radio News that 4-H is a youth organization open to participants from ages 5-19. Novice competitors are 9-11, while junior competitors are 12-13.
The organization is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture.
To sign up or for more information stop by the county extension office 210 B. Poplar Street in Deming by Friday January 31, 2020. DEMING – Time is running out for area youth to join the local youth club 4-H.
4-H is a U.S. based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times in the organization's original motto ‘head, heart, hands, and health’ which was later incorporated into the fuller pledge officially adopted in 1927.
County Extension agent Jack Blandford told Deming Radio News that 4-H is a youth organization open to participants from ages 5-19. Novice competitors are 9-11, while junior competitors are 12-13.
The organization is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture.
To sign up or for more information stop by the county extension office 210 B. Poplar Street in Deming by Friday January 31, 2020.

New USBP Santa Teresa Port Director Introduced at Change of Command Ceremony

1/29/2020

Port Director, Mr. Thome recites the oath of office

SANTA TERESA, N.M. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Santa Teresa Port Director Fernando A. Thome was formally sworn into office this morning at a CBP Field Operations change of command ceremony. Family, friends, colleagues and local dignitaries gathered as Mr. Thome recited the oath of office during a ceremony at the War Eagles Museum at the Dona Ana County Airport.

“This is a great honor to represent CBP and the port of Santa Teresa as the new Port Director,” said Fernando Thome, CBP Santa Teresa Port Director. “The agency has entrusted me with a huge responsibility and I look forward to working with the local Santa Teresa/San Jeronimo community and with our fellow law enforcement agencies in southern New Mexico.”

As the Port Director, Mr. Thome will direct operations and enforcement activities and provide management and administrative oversight of CBP officers, Agriculture Specialists, and Canine Enforcement Officers working with the area port operations. Mr. Thome provides guidance to the areas under his leadership through policy implementation and quality management.

“I am proud to represent all the dedicated officers assigned to the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. I am confident our officers will meet the challenge and continue protecting our nation,” said Thome. “I am happy I was able to share this day with my family, friends and fellow officers.”

Mr. Thome will work to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists or weapons of terror from entering the United States is accomplished on a daily basis. Mr. Thome is also responsible for all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of people applying for entry into the United States. He is also responsible for customs and agriculture inspections at the ports of entry to ensure that all goods and people entering the United States do so in accordance with our laws and regulations, while ensuring that they are efficient in their processing to support the global market place and the international tourism industries.

Mr. Thome began his career with the Office of Field Operations (OFO) in 2003 as a CBP Officer assigned to the Port of El Paso. He has worked in various leadership roles during his tenure, to include: Supervisory CBP Officer, the Port of El Paso’s Administrative Chief, Acting Port Director for the Albuquerque Port of Entry, Chief assigned to the El Paso Field Office, the El Paso Field Office’s Border Security Coordinator and most recently, the Acting Port Director – Santa Teresa. In addition to Mr. Thome’s operational positions, he has also performed details to OFO Headquarters.

CBP Field Operations in 2008 adopted formal change of command ceremonies as another way to unify the workforce and highlight the agency mission. Since its inception in March 2003, CBP has developed and implemented standards, policies and symbols to advance the internal and external recognition of the agency and to demonstrate the strides the agency has made as the guardians of the nation’s borders. The change of command ceremony is designed to meet those goals.

Local Crime Report for Wednesday January 29, 2020

1/29/2020

DEMING- Here’s today’s local crime report:
     Christina Garcia, age 30, was arrested for controlled substance possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, concealing identity, a Luna County Magistrate warrant for failure to appear and a Deming Municipal warrant for failure to pay fines…   Nathaniel Kelly, age 25, was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, on two Magistrate warrants for failure to pay fines, and two Municipal warrants for failure to appear… Arthur Murillo, age 20, arrested for resisting, evading or obstructing an officer… Bianca Rincon, age 28, was arrested on an adult probation and parole warrant for parole violations… Randy Bennett, age 33, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear and a Municipal warrant for failure to pay fines.
In other reports:   An electric meter box and a 10” speaker total value of $1500 was taken from a residence on Talkalai road.   A grey Polaris ATV was taken from a residence on Keeler Road valued at $1,200.
Finally, a 28-year-old male was injured Tuesday evening after racing with other ATV’s in the Keeler road area. Responding officers reported the victim sustained head and other body injuries. He was transported by ambulance to Mimbres Memorial Hospital, and then flown to El Paso for further medical treatment.

New Mexico State News - Wednesday January 29, 2020

1/29/2020

MURDER CONVICTION OVERTURNED
Murder conviction overturned in Navajo reservation killing
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a Gallup man's first-degree murder conviction in a 2016 homicide, ruling that the defendant should have been allowed to present evidence that the man killed had used methamphetamine before a fatal fight. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday grants Brian Tony a new trial in the killing of 44-year-old Pat Garcia on the Navajo reservation near Church Rock. Tony claimed self defense and the trial judge allowed him to present evidence that Garcia's behavior was erratic and violent. However, the judge didn't allow Tony to indicate that Garcia's alleged behavior resulted from methamphetamine use. The appeals court said allowing the drug-use evidence sought by the defense might have explained Garcia's behavior.

ENERGY FUTURE-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Supreme Court to hear arguments in energy case
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court could determine how the state implements a landmark law that clears the way for the closure of a coal-fired power plant and sets goals for being carbon-free by 2045. Oral arguments are scheduled Wednesday in Santa Fe. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration has argued that the Energy Transition Act passed last year is the law of the land and should apply to Public Service Co. of New Mexico's application to close the San Juan Generating Station. Questions were raised when regulators opted to consider a portion of the application as part of an ongoing case that was initiated before the law was enacted.

GUN LEGISLATION-NEW MEXICO
Gun legislation advances with state Senate committee vote
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal has advanced in the New Mexico state Legislature that would allow law enforcement officials or family members to seek court orders to seize firearms temporarily from people deemed a threat to themselves or others. A Senate committee endorsed the bill with support from Democrats on a party-line vote. Proponents invoked the toll of firearm suicides and mass shootings, while opponents warned that lawmakers risk treading on constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also supports the legislation. The state Senate prohibited firearms in its public gallery and nearby rooms for the first time, with exceptions for law enforcement officials.

COAL-TRANSITION FUND
Navajo look to Arizona utilities to make up for coal losses
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is looking to Arizona utilities that shared in the power generated on the reservation to help make up for the financial losses from the coal industry. Navajo leaders asked utility regulators in Arizona to require that power companies contribute financially and with technical assistance as the tribe focuses on renewable energy projects. The appeal was made in a rate case involving Tucson Electric Power, but it could extend to another major state utility and aid other communities that have long depended on revenue from coal.

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico recreational pot legalization passes 1st test
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A key committee has passed a Democrat-backed bill to legalize recreational marijuana businesses in all towns and counties across New Mexico. The Senate Public Affairs Committee voted Tuesday 4-3 to move along the measure that would subsidize medical marijuana and automatically expunge many past pot convictions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she supports such a proposal. The initiative condemned as a threat to workplace and roadway safety by a coalition that includes the local Roman Catholic Church and the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. Others like medical marijuana dispensaries and health care advocates came out in support of the measure.

SANTA FE-UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
Santa Fe chooses finalists for midtown campus redevelopment
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The city of Santa Fe has named three finalists for the redevelopment of a city-owned campus that was left vacant when the Santa Fe University of Art and Design closed in 2018. The finalists include Central Park Santa Fe, Singapore-based Raffles Education Corp. and KDC Real Estate Development and Investments with Cienda Partners of Dallas. Santa Fe radio station KSFR reports that the finalists will be asked for additional information to clarify the confidential contents of their project submission packages. Based on community input, the mixed-use development project will include housing, higher education, arts and culture spaces and entrepreneurial businesses.

BOOKS-AMERICAN DIRT-LATINOS
'American Dirt' Latino backlash part of long publishing war
"American Dirt," a novel about migrants from Mexico and cartel violence, continues to draw criticism from some Latino writers and activists. It's written by Jeanine Cummins who is of Irish and Puerto Rican descent. Critics complain that the publishing industry is excluding Latino writers and say the novel contains incorrect cultural references. The publisher is defending the book, which had a huge promotional campaign and big-name endorsements. But some bookstores have canceled planned readings by the author amid promised protests.

SHERIFF INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
Sheriff in New Mexico to create intelligence division
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A sheriff in New Mexico has announced plans to add an intelligence division to her department in Las Cruces to consolidate information from federal databases to pursue criminal trends in the county. Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the in-house intelligence division will be staffed with sheriff's office staff and outside intelligence analysts from federal programs. It is unclear how much the division would cost. Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart says her office is seeking to have access to federal databases meant for law enforcement with high security clearances, but clearances have not yet been provided.

Local Crime Report for Tuesday January 28, 2020

1/28/2020

DEMING – Here’s s today’s local crime report:
     Eleazar Perez, age 21, was arrested for criminal trespassing and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia… Miguel Gonzalez, age 37, was arrested on two Deming Municipal warrants one for failure to appear and one for failure to pay fines… Christina Escobedo, age 35, was arrested on a Luna County Magistrate warrant for failure to appear.
     In other police reports:
     Police took a report of unlawful use of a debit card after it was stolen from a mailbox and used to withdrawal $1,750 in cash from the victim’s bank account. $2000 in jewelry, $100 in coins and bills and a toolbox with $50 in tools was reported taken from a residence on South Gold street. $1000 in damage to property occurred on Monte Vista Road in the county after a vehicle went through the fence. A pistol valued at $350 was reported lost in the Cook’s Peak area.

FCC to hold Outreach Meetings in Deming

1/28/2020

DEMING - Robocalls are the top consumer complaint received by the Federal Communications Commission. Last month New Mexicans received more than 18 million robocalls, nearly half of which were scam calls.

To help consumers avoid unwanted robocalls, spoofing and phone scams, the FCC now allows phone companies to block unwanted robocalls by default based on reasonable call analytics.

The FCC is hosting consumer education events about unwanted calls and other topics of interest, as part of the FCC Rural Tour.

In Deming, the FCC will hold public meetings, Thursday January 30th at 9am at the Chamber of Commerce office 800 East Pine and at the Senior Center 800 S. Granite at 11a.m. and 2 p.m..

The public is invited to attend and cover the Rural Tour events in your area. To schedule a one-on-one meeting with FCC Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division Chief Lyle Ishida. Call (202) 418-0997.

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