News

  Oil production in New Mexico has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last three years, making it one of five western states that have helped boost national production over the last three years.

Statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show onshore oil production increased nationally by more than 2 million barrels a day — or nearly two-thirds — between February 2010 and February 2013.

North Dakota and Texas have been the driving forces, but New Mexico along with Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah account for 15 percent of the growth.

The University of New Mexico hospital is sending a 26-member team of medical, computer and security specialists to Moore, Okla., to help with the response to Monday's massive tornado hit.

Medical personnel who are part of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team include doctors, nurses and medical managers.

The deployment could be for up to two weeks.

According to the hospital, the team is part of a national system that deploys medical support to events of national significance.

A proposed ban on sales of sugary sodas in public elementary and junior high schools is on its way to the governor.

In a 24-6 vote on Tuesday, the Senate approved a bill intended to help the state's youngest students develop nutritious drinking habits. It would allow schools to sell only water, low-fat milk and pure juice.

Democratic Sen. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio said the change will save the state untold millions in health care costs.

A judge has ruled that a North Texas lesbian couple can't live together because of a morality clause in the divorce papers of one of the women.

The clause is common in divorce cases in Texas and other states. It prevents a divorced parent from having a romantic partner spend the night while children are in the home. If the couple marries, they can get out from under the legal provision, but that is not an option for gay couples in Texas.

The trial for an Albuquerque teenager accused of killing his father on a November 2010 hunting trip in the Gila National Forest has been pushed back.

Trial had been scheduled to begin in July for 18-year-old Thomas Manning. But attorney Stacey Ward says a witness critical to the defense won't be available to testify until early next year.

The Silver City Sun-News says State District Judge J.C. Robinson vacated the July trial date and will rule later on Ward's brief about the availability of the defense's key witness.

Warmer weather may seem like a good reason to leave windows open, but Las Cruces residents are reminded that most home and automobile burglaries are considered ‘crimes of opportunity’ and committed by perpetrators who want easy access to items of value.

Las Cruces Police have learned through their investigations that the vast majority of auto burglaries are committed when windows are left rolled down, doors are unlocked and valuables left in plain sight.

Many residential burglaries are committed by perpetrators who found a door unlocked or window left open.

  WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze honored two BLM employees today at a ceremony held by the Public Lands Foundation.  Bill Childress and Jon Reponen were presented with national awards for their commitment and exceptional dedication to managing America’s public lands.

FORT BLISS, Texas- The Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, and Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, 41st Infantry Regiment, will conduct a memorial for three Soldiers killed in Afghanistan, at 1pm, Wednesday, May 22, at the 1st Armored Division Chapel, East Fort Bliss. (11272 Biggs St.)

The Las Cruces Police Department, in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and law enforcement agencies throughout the state, is participating in a zero-tolerance Click It or Ticket Campaign for two weeks ending June 2.

El Paso, TX – After much anticipation, the time has come to officially break ground on El Paso’s new Ballpark, the ground that will be home to El Paso’s new Triple-A baseball team next season, beginning in April 2014. The downtown site is fully cleared and ready for construction of the state-of-the-art baseball facility.  The official Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m.

Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps identify the three suspects who robbed a couple at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

Las Cruces Police learned that shortly after 12 a.m. Tuesday, May 21, a couple in their early 20s was sitting in a vehicle on the 500 block of east Organ Avenue when they were approached by three Hispanic men. Two of the suspects brandished handguns and stole personal property from the couple.

Fronteras 314: Mental Health Among Latinos

The search committee for Doña Ana Community College’s next president will conduct listening sessions across Doña Ana County to seek input on the search for the next DACC president from supporters.
 

  Las Cruces firefighters extinguished a multi-vehicle fire Monday.  Firefighters were dispatched to the 100 block of Buckhorn Avenue shortly after noon for a residential structure fire.  The first arriving fire crew witnessed heavy black smoke billowing from a fire that fully engulfed an RV.  The fire spread to two nearby pick up trucks due to wind.  The quick response of the initial fire crew allowed the fire to be contained within minutes of arrival and kept the fire from spreading to nearby mobile homes. 

The U.S. Marshals Service in Albuquerque has auctioned seized vehicles and raised more than $200,000.

The agency said the auction over the weekend netted $212,175 for law enforcement and victims of crime groups. Among the items auctioned were a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette that sold for $3,800 and a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette that sold for $20,500.

Officials say the items auctioned once belonged to individuals and companies involved in criminal activity.