Las Cruces Court Cuts Hours

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Magistrate court in Las Cruces has shortened its hours on Wednesdays, and blames a statewide budget shortage.

Court manager Bernice Ramos calls the situation "pretty dire."

The court now is open to the public on Wednesdays only until noon.

Ramos says court dates that already have been set will not be affected.

She says that to save money last year, the state told courts to delay 120 days before posting any job opening.

This year, she says, courts have been told not to fill vacancies if they are 80 percent staffed. The Las Cruces court is 84 percent staffed.

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.