Regional

By KRWG News

Texas – It was a record year for the State Fair of Texas.

Fair officials say fairgoers spent $37 million on food and amusement rides during the run of the fair, which started Sept. 24 and ended Sunday.

That beats the previous record of $29.2 million spent in 2007.

Sue Gooding, a fair spokeswoman, tells The Dallas Morning News, "We've just had incredibly beautiful weather. We had great exhibits, and all the interest in the food was just huge."

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Mexican officials say gunmen in the border city of Ciudad Juarez have killed a local official and his son.

Rito Grado Serrano was regional president of the community of El Porvenir outside Ciudad Juarez but lived with his family in Ciudad Juarez one of the cities hardest hit by Mexico's drug war.

Authorities say Grado and his son Rigoberto were slain by unidentified gunmen Saturday night at their house in the city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Mexican officials say gunmen in the border city of Ciudad Juarez have killed a local official and his son.

Rito Grado Serrano was regional president of the community of El Porvenir outside Ciudad Juarez but lived with his family in Ciudad Juarez one of the cities hardest hit by Mexico's drug war.

Authorities say Grado and his son Rigoberto were slain by unidentified gunmen Saturday night at their house in the city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – With just over two weeks left until Election Day, New Mexico's gubernatorial candidates are using their first televised debate to woo any voters who have yet to make up their minds.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Republican Susana Martinez appeared Sunday night on Albuquerque television station KOAT. They talked about government spending, the sputtering economy and education.

Denish went on the offensive early, calling Martinez a liar and accusing her of siding with big corporations

By KRWG News

Chaparral – Investigators say a Chaparral man who was cleaning his handgun Saturday morning accidentally shot his mother and 4-year-old son.

Dona Ana Sheriff's Department investigator Bo Nevarez says the two are in critical condition but that their wounds aren't believed to be life-threatening.

The bullet that struck the 4-year-old in his stomach continued through the boy's grandmother and went into her abdomen.

The investigator declined to identify the man who fired the gun.

By KRWG News

Otero County – A federal appellate court has upheld the conviction of a white supremacist who plotted to murder a New Mexico sheriff's deputy.

Samuel Zachary Arrington had appealed after being sentenced in June 2009 to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to kill Otero County deputy Billy Anders and 11 years for a methamphetamine conspiracy conviction. Terms were to be served concurrently.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The All Indian Pueblo Council is endorsing Democrat Diane Denish in New Mexico's race for governor.

The group of pueblo governors announced the endorsement on Friday.

Denish is running against Republican Susana Martinez.

The council is backing the re-election of New Mexico's three incumbent Democratic congressmen: Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague and Ben Ray Lujan.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Property taxes will increase an average of more than $11 a year if voters approve state general obligation bond issues in the general election.

The tax estimate by the Board of Finance and Department of Finance and Administration is based on property valued at $100,000 and 10-year bonds.

Taxes will increase nearly $10 a year if voters approve $155 million for projects at colleges, universities and special schools.

An $8 million bond issue for senior citizen centers will increase taxes 50 cents a year.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexicans can go to early voting sites across the state to cast their ballots for governor as well as other state and local races.

Early in-person voting starts on Saturday and continues through Oct. 30.

Mail-in absentee balloting began earlier this month, and voters have been able to go to their county clerk's office, obtain an absentee ballot and cast it immediately.

Voters can find a list of early voting locations on the secretary of state's website, www.sos.state.nm.us

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – In the past couple of weeks Las Cruces Police have received a handful of reports of fraud or deceit that were initiated by classified ads on the Internet, specifically on Craigslist.

At least two Las Cruces residents have been victims of scams after responding to ads seeking babysitting services. Another victim was duped into a "romantic relationship" on Facebook and sent hundreds of dollars to the perpetrator using Western Union services.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The driver of the minivan involved in Wednesday's fatal hit-and-run crash has been located and interviewed by police, and traffic investigators are continuing their investigation.

Police have learned that a Chevy Venture minivan, driven by a 21-year-old woman, struck bicyclist Ricardo Duarte on Valley Drive sometime before 11 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13. Duarte, 58, died Thursday morning at University Medical Center of El Paso.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Police are hoping that video of a white minivan may lead to the identity of the driver who was involved in Wednesday's fatal hit-and-run crash on Valley Drive.

The video is from the RedFlex camera that faces southbound on Valley Drive at Avenida de Mesilla. Police believe the white minivan, captured on video at 10:42 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, may be the same vehicle involved in the fatal crash.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Former President Bill Clinton used the specter of water disputes with Texas to rally New Mexico voters Thursday for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Diane Denish.

At an outdoor rally that drew several thousand people, Clinton reminded the cheering partisans of the Texas roots of the Republican candidate for governor, Susana Martinez. She was born in El Paso but has lived in New Mexico for nearly 25 years, serving as a district attorney in Las Cruces since 1997.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The latest voter registration figures show that more than 1.1 million New Mexicans are eligible to cast votes in the November general election.

The number of qualified voters has increased about 6 percent since 2006, which was the last gubernatorial election.

The secretary of state's office has posted the latest registration figures on its website, www.sos.state.nm.us.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico has received nearly $17 million in federal grants to continue efforts to improve services for people with mental illness and substance abuse issues.

The funding was awarded to the state's Behavioral Health Services Division by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

State officials say the grants will focus on recovery initiatives and permanent supportive housing.