Blog Archives

Luna November Unemployment in Double-Digits

12/28/2018

(Deming) – Luna County's unemployment rate rose in November, crossing into double-digit territory.
     Preliminary figures from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions show Luna County with a November unemployment rate of 11.9%, up from the revised October rate of 7.8%, but down considerably from the November 2017 rate of 14.6%.
     The next closest county in the state to Luna in unemployment in November was McKinley County at 6.8%, followed by Torrance County at 6.7%.
     In our area, Grant County had 4.9% unemployment in November, Hidalgo County had 3.8%, and the Las Cruces area had 5.3%.
   The counties with the least unemployment in November were Los Alamos and Union – both at 3.1%.
     Unemployment statewide was 4.6% in November – unchanged from September and October.
   The New Mexico labor force estimates show Luna County with a labor force of 9,697 – with 8,546 employed and 1,151 unemployed.

Local Crime Report for Friday December 28, 2018

12/28/2018

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

     Jacob Valdez, age 36, was arrested for false imprisonment and causing criminal damage to the property of a household member… Raul Garcia, age 37, was arrested for interference with officers, driving while license was suspended or revoked, improper display of registration plate, expired registration, on Magistrate and Municipal warrants for failure to pay fines, and on a Magistrate warrant for failure to appear… Raymond Duran, age 37, was arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked, possession of drug paraphernalia, and improper display of registration plate…
     Bruce Fabian, age 68, was arrested on two District Court warrants for failure to comply with conditions of probation… Ramon Franco, age 19, was arrested on a District Court warrant for failure to appear… Amber Apodaca, age 28, of Las Cruces, was arrested on a Hidalgo County warrant for failure to pay fines… Julie Collins, age 47, was arrested on a Municipal warrant for failure to appear… and Daniel Vela, age 23, was arrested on a Municipal warrant for failure to pay fines.
     Also, a wallet containing cash, with a combined value of nearly $150, was taken from a residence off W. Florida.

CenturyLink Internet Outage Includes Deming

12/28/2018

(Deming) - (AP) — CenturyLink says engineers have identified a problem that left customers across the country without internet service and expected to restore it within hours.

The company said Thursday night the problem involved a "network element" that was affecting services but didn't provide details.

The outages reported Thursday afternoon stretched from New York to California and even temporarily shut down phone services at the Idaho Department of Correction and knocked out 911 emergency call services in parts of western Washington state.

Most of the trouble appeared to be in the West.

Verizon says it had service interruptions in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and parts of Montana because of issues with CenturyLink, which Verizon said helps handle wireless network data traffic for several providers.

Neither company indicated how many customers were affected.

Commissioners to Interview for County Manager

12/26/2018

(Deming) – The Luna County commissioners will be interviewing for a new county manager this week.
     According to a legal notice, the commissioners will interview applicants Thursday, Dec. 27th, and Friday, Dec. 28th, beginning at 8 a.m. both days.
     Interviews will take place in the Luna County Courthouse, 700 S. Silver Ave., and will be closed to the public.
     Luna County has been operating under the direction of Assistant County Manager Glory Juarez since early August when the commissioners placed then-County Manager Ira Pearson on administrative leave following a whistle-blower complaint that Pearson had county maintenance personnel work on his private home while on the county payroll.
     In mid-October, the commissioners voted unanimously to terminate Pearson’s contract and appoint Juarez as interim county manager.
     Criminal charges were filed on Pearson and three other county employees for allegedly using a Luna County credit card to purchase plumbing supplies to be used in Pearson’s private home.
     Two of the cases have since been dismissed, but the case against Pearson and maintenance employee Jose Contreras have moved forward to the Sixth Judicial District Court.

Teen Transported after T-bone Accident

12/26/2018

(Deming) – A 13-year-old girl was transported to the hospital with undisclosed injuries Sunday evening following a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Florida and Columbus Road.
     According to the accident report, 39-year-old Jesse Varela was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu east on Florida at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday when he reportedly didn’t see the red traffic light and proceeded into the intersection.
     That’s when his vehicle was t-boned by a 2003 Ford four-door being driven north on Columbus Road by 38-year-old Camilo Granillo.
     The injured girl was a front-seat passenger in Varela’s vehicle.
     Varela was cited for failing to obey a traffic signal and driving while license was suspended.
     Granillo was cited for driving while license was suspended.

December 26th, 2018

12/26/2018

(Deming) – Here’s the area crime report:
     Jason Diaz, age 42, was arrested for aggravated DUI… Frank Hervol, age 46, was arrested for aggravated DUI… Angel Padron, age 40, was arrested for prohibited possession of a controlled substance, driving while license was suspended or revoked, no insurance, expired registration, improper display of registration plate, on a failure-to-yield driving violation, and on a Municipal warrant for failure to appear… Joseph Peter, age 27, of Albuquerque, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia… Kelly Moore, age 38, was arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a Grant County warrant for failure to appear… Justin Tovar, age 25, was arrested for unlawful use of a license with liquor and on a Magistrate warrant for failure to pay fines…
     Benita Pena, age 40, was arrested for aggravated battery, battery, and assault against a household member… Daniel Serna, age 24, of Silver City, was arrested on a Grant County warrant for battery against a household member and drunkenness… a criminal summons was issued for Jessica Almanza, age 38, for battery… a criminal summons was issued for Mercedez Moraga, age 28, of Albuquerque, for battery… Sandra Solis, age 39, of Albuquerque, was arrested for concealing identity, driving while license was suspended or revoked, no proof of insurance, expired registration, and on a failure-to-yield driving violation… Mario Jimenez, age 43, was arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked, no proof of insurance, improper display of registration plate, and on a failure-to-dim-lights driving violation… Antonio Arroyo, age 33, was arrested for driving while license was suspended or revoked, no proof of insurance, expired registration, and improper equipment…
     Crystal Lujan, age 36, was arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle… Joshua Santana, age 28, of Las Cruces, was arrested for causing criminal damage to property and criminal trespass… Alfredo Armendariz, age 22, was arrested for concealing identity and on a Municipal warrant for failure to pay fines…
     Lena Cisneros, age 43, of Silver City, was arrested on two Magistrate warrants – one for failure to pay fines, and one for failure to appear – and was cited for shoplifting at Walmart… Christopher Dixon, age 32, of Mimbres, was arrested on two Grant County warrants for failure to appear… Seth Smith, age 27, was arrested on two Grant County warrants – one for failure to comply with conditions of probation, and one for failure to appear… Daniel Morales, age 31, of El Paso, TX, was arrested on a Magistrate warrant for failure to pay fines… Juan Hernandez, age 37, of El Paso, TX, was arrested on an Otero County warrant for failure to appear…
     A criminal summons was issued for Celeni Saborio, age 23, for burning, injuring or defacing property… a criminal summons was issued for Joel Zamarripa, age 19, for burning, injuring or defacing property… Mario Herrera, age 21, was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana… Hector Mendoza, age 56, was cited for battery… Larry Hernandez, age 33, was cited for prowling… Gerardo Chavez, age 19, was cited for shoplifting at Walmart… and Jacqueline Lancaster, age 41, was cited for shoplifting at Walmart.

     Also, a 1994 Saturn was reported stolen from the Columbus port of entry… a 2007 Toyota four-door reported stolen from a residence off S. Granite was found abandoned in a church parking lot… a travel trailer, furniture, and other items were taken from a residence off Kiva Rd. SW… a flat-bed trailer valued at $3,500 was taken from a location off Skyview Rd… two televisions and a digital converter box, with a combined value of $600, were taken from a residence off S. Klondike… over $500 cash and credit cards were taken from a residence off Rockhound Rd… a computer valued at $400 was taken from a residence off N. 9th St… and sheetrock and other items, with a combined value of $200, were taken from an unoccupied residence off W. Hemlock.
     And a residence in the 17000 block of Montezuma Rd. SE burned. The cause of the fire was not immediately disclosed. No injuries were reported.

Luna County Commission Meets Today

12/26/2018

(Deming) – The Luna County commissioners will meet in special session three times this week.
     The first special meeting is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26th.
     Included on the agenda is the county’s amended 2019 holiday schedule.
     The meeting will take place in the commission chambers, located on the third floor of the Luna County Courthouse, and will be open to the public.
     Following the open meeting, the commissioners will meet in executive – or closed – session to discuss the selection process and interview schedule for county manager candidates.
     Then the commissioners will interview candidates Thursday, Dec. 27th, and Friday, Dec. 28th, beginning at 8 a.m. both days.
     Candidate interviews will take place in the Luna County Courthouse, 700 S. Silver Ave., and will be closed to the public.

Pet of the Week - DAGSHIP Rescue

12/24/2018

This week we would like to introduce you to Bubba. Bubba is a male around 3 and a half years old. He is described as an Akita mix. He just recently got neutered, microchipped, and has been fully vaccinated.

He knows commands, is good on a leash and attentive! He is a sweet dude in a tough guy's body looking for a happy home and more hearts to connect with.

As Pet of the Week, Bubba can be adoption is only $35 which includes everything and all paperwork. If you decide to foster Bubba …the trial period is free!

To visit Bubba stop by DAGSHIP Rescue at 1755 Domingo Road SW or call 545-8862.

Visit with Bubba…. because he’s Deming Radio’s pet of the week.

New Mexico on List of Jennie-O recall of Ground Turkey

12/23/2018

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota-based poultry producer is recalling more than 164,000 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with salmonella.

The Jennie-O Turkey Store products have markings saying to use or freeze by Nov. 12 or 13. The recall includes plain ground turkey and turkey with taco or Italian seasonings. The products were shipped to Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

Food safety officials are worried that some contaminated turkey may be in people's freezers. The recalled products have the tag P-579 marked on the lower left corner of the front of the package .

The USDA says the recall was part of an investigation into a November salmonella outbreak that involved 216 patients in 38 states.

Special Christmas Programming on Deming Radio

12/21/2018

(Deming) – On a programming note:

Monday, Christmas Eve, at 1 p.m., we will begin our special Christmas programming with sounds of the season – Christmas music accented by Christmas greetings and community "thank you's" sponsored by area merchants.
The festive greetings will run on 94.3-FM KDEM and 1230-AM KOTS through 7 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Also, we will air Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol," on both stations from 7-8 p.m. Monday night – Christmas Eve.
The program is a complete uninterrupted rebroadcast of the 1939 Campbell's Playhouse Production produced and narrated by Orsen Wells and starring Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge. "A Christmas Carol" is sponsored by First New Mexico Bank.
And all of us at Luna County Broadcasting wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe holiday.

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