News

A troubled New Mexico border town rocked by a recent election extortion case and allegations of voter fraud now faces water problems.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office warned Sunland Park residents Monday that a well in the city was out of service and the problem could spark system-wide water outages.

The office said that Camino Real Regional Utility Authority users are advised to immediately implement and maintain a strict conservation schedule until the well repairs have been confirmed and the system is once again fully pressurized.

The number of people in New Mexico receiving disability payments through the Social Security system has exceeded even the increasing national trend.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that a review of data from the Social Security Administration showed that the number of former workers in New Mexico getting Social Security Disability Insurance grew by nearly 66 percent from 2002 to 2011.

During the same period, the growth nationally was nearly 55 percent.

Three state biologists are being honored for their work rescuing threatened and endangered species.

Department of Game and Fish herpetologist Charlie Painter, fisheries manager Kirk Patten and recently retired Gila Trout Recovery Coordinator David Propst received the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Recovery Champions awards for their work rescuing threatened and endangered species.

Water users within the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority should immediately begin conserving water. A well within the City of Sunland Park has gone out of service, which could mean system-wide water outages. 

The well could be repaired as early as Tuesday.  However, utility users are advised to immediately implement and maintain a strict conservation schedule until the well repairs have been confirmed and the system is once again fully pressurized.

     Fire investigators with the Doña Ana County Fire and Emergency Services Department have determined a fire last week that destroyed a mobile home and displaced the owner and several dogs on the property was caused by an electrical accident.

   According to Deputy Fire Marshal Eric Crespin, the homeowner left for a doctor’s appointment Thursday, June 13, and plugged in a fan using an extension cord to keep her pets cool inside the home on the 9100 block of Berry Patch Lane in Butterfield. The extension cord malfunctioned and caught fire, said Crespin.

There are 16 fertilizer plants in Texas like the one that exploded in West, but authorities say they aren't clear if any are near schools or residential centers.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told lawmakers Monday that he wasn't aware if the state had looked at other fertilizer plants for proximity to things like schools.

The April 17 explosion killed 15 people in West, a rural farming community. A school, nursing home and apartment complex nearby were all damaged.

The Texas House of Representatives is back in Austin, and Democrats are angry about Gov. Rick Perry vetoing key ethics legislation.

Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston took to the House floor on Monday and questioned what will happen to 400 ethics investigations the Public Integrity Unit is currently working on.

The governor used his line item veto to cut $7.5 million for the unit on Friday. He said no taxpayer money should go to it because Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg refused to resign following a drunk driving conviction.

More than 30,000 state and local government workers face a 15 percent increase for their health care insurance starting next month, but it could be only the beginning of higher costs as New Mexico's self-insurance program digs out of a financial hole.

There have been no premium increases for workers for the past five years when government budgets were squeezed. Yet, the fund covering health benefits was projected to be almost $70 million in the red in the upcoming budget year if the state did nothing to the insurance program to deal with rising health care costs.

A former campaign manager for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has pleaded not guilty on federal charges of hacking her campaign's email system and obtaining correspondence by the governor, her staff and supporters.

Jamie Estrada, of Los Lunas, entered his plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque and was released on his own recognizance.

Estrada briefly served as campaign manager in 2009 but was fired by Martinez as she was starting her bid for governor.

Santa Fe city councilors are set to consider a proposal that would impose strict regulations on the number of bullets in gun magazines allowed in the city limits.

Councilors are scheduled next week to vote on a plan that would prohibit possession and sales of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and other gun accessories in Santa Fe.

But a city attorney believes the proposed ordinance might put the local government at risk of lawsuits.

City of Las Cruces Water Utilities will be putting Well 28 back on line on Wed., June 19 beginning at 10 p.m.  The action could create discolored water for residents in the areas from Triviz Dr. and Solano Dr. and N. Main St. and Griggs Ave.  Based on this well going on line the discolored water might extend into Thursday and Friday. 

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  The weather is transitioning from a mild moist air mass that has been over the area for several days to hot dry air, strong winds and low humidity.  Sunday's favorable weather conditions allowed firefighters to make progress on construction of 3 miles of containment line.  The 23,200 acre fire remains at five percent contained.

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.  BAER teams are staffed by specially trained professionals and scientists who rapidly evaluate the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization treatments.