News

Authorities say sparks from a grinder being used by a resident in his garage started a fire that burned 160 acres of brush and grass near Silver City before being contained.

Officials say the fire threatened three structures but didn't burn any.

Officials say the fire started when sparks from the grinder flew from the garage into nearby tall grass.

With 100 percent containment Wednesday, crews continue to mop up the burn area and partrol for hot spots.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Several pueblos in central New Mexico will impose fire restrictions Friday.

Officials with the Southern Pueblos Agency say that despite recent scattered rain showers, persistent drought conditions and high fire danger prompted the decision to impose restrictions.

The restrictions will apply to the pueblos of Cochiti, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Sandia, Zia, Jemez, Isleta and Acoma.

A retired Rio Rancho police officer has been appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to a board that regulates gambling in New Mexico.

The governor named Salvatore Maniaci to the state Gaming Control Board. He replaces former Attorney General David Norvell, whose term expired at the start of the month.

Maniaci has been an investigations sergeant for the board and is retired from the Rio Rancho Police Department. His term will run until 2018, and his appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

Memorial Day weekend marks the kickoff and 84th anniversary of Carlsbad Caverns' summer bat watching program.

Park rangers have presented summertime bat flight programs since 1929, making Carlsbad Caverns National Park one of the best-known bat colonies in the world.

During the nightly programs, rangers dispel myths and extol the virtues of bats as the nocturnal creatures spiral out of the cavern on their nightly forage for insects.

The nightly number of bats fluctuates depending on weather and temperature.

More than 34,000 active duty troops live at Fort Bliss in El Paso. But a lot of civilians pass through the base as well. That’s – in part – because of its commanding general, Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard, who leaves his post Thursday.

Pittard has served in the military for over three decades, but coming to Fort Bliss about three years ago was coming home. His turned his personal connection into a connection for Fort Bliss.

More than 34,000 active duty troops live at Fort Bliss in El Paso. But a lot of civilians pass through the base as well. That’s – in part – because of its commanding general, Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard, who leaves his post Thursday.

Pittard has served in the military for over three decades, but coming to Fort Bliss about three years ago was coming home. His turned his personal connection into a connection for Fort Bliss.

  Five African spurred tortoises are sitting patiently at the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley awaiting either their owner or someone willing to adopt them.

   The tortoises, native to the Saharan desert of North Africa, are not the first of their kind to arrive at the shelter. According to Executive Director Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, a 40-pound African spurred tortoise was brought to the shelter in 2011.

  Chemists, biologists and engineers at The University of Texas at El Paso are developing a treatment to remove endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in reclaimed water and drinking water.

EDCs are chemicals commonly found in household and industrial products, including BPA in plastics and nonylphenols found in detergents and pesticides, that are capable of disrupting hormonal balance within humans and wildlife and leading to reproductive disturbances.

Santa Fe, NM - As part of the national Blue Star Museums Program, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs’ 15 state-run museums and historic sites will once again offer free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013.

           Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies are interviewing witnesses and gathering additional information after a weekend homicide in Berino.    This is Doña Ana County’s first homicide of 2013.

   Investigators say 41-year-old Juan Perez was unresponsive when they arrived at a residential area off Saltbush Road on the afternoon of May 18, 2013. According to witnesses, Perez had been consuming alcohol with several other people throughout the day before he allegedly got into a fight.

  Silver City, NM--Work is progressing at the Wastewater Treatment Facility six acre Solar Array, and on schedule to be operational in June.  An impressive spread of 3,949 photovoltaic panels is mounted on the site and the wiring is buried in conduit beneath them.  Pat Casey, owner of C-5 Construction in Silver City, has been under contract for the trenching work for the extensive underground electrical conduit runs. C-5 has also been involved in other earth work and will be building protective structures on the facility.

  The City of Las Cruces is netting results in the Bags to Benches recycling program.  Las Cruces Parks & Recreation challenged residents to collect 30,000 plastic bags, or 600 lbs of plastic, in a six month span in order to be awarded a new park bench made of recycled materials.  In half that time, city residents had helped to collect 1000 lbs.  The first bench has arrived and is waiting at city hall for a permanent location.

  WASHINGTON – To mark National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced legislation that seeks to protect youth athletes from the dangers of sports-related traumatic brain injuries by improving equipment safety standards and curbing false advertising claims. The Youth Sports Concussion Act will help ensure that safety standards for sports equipment are up to date and informed by the latest science.

  About 60 people showed up today to mark the one-year anniversary of the newly expanded Kitty Condo at the Doña Ana County Government Center.

  CARLSBAD – Memorial Day weekend kicks off the 84th anniversary of Carlsbad Caverns National Park’s summer Bat Watch Program. Park rangers have presented summertime bat flight programs since 1929 and as a result, Carlsbad Caverns National Park has one of the best-known bat colonies in the world.

 Nightly, half hour programs begin at sunset as rangers dispel myths and extol the virtues of bats. Thousands of visitors have learned about these nocturnal creatures as they watch them spiral out of the cavern on their nightly forage for insects.