Regional

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – The City of Las Cruces plans reduce use of bottled water. AS KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports, the Council approved a resolution encouraging water supply use.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall have introduced Senate legislation aimed at expanding efforts to collect DNA from serious criminal offenders.

The measure is called Katie's Law, named for a New Mexico State University student from Carlsbad, Katie Sepich, who was raped and murdered in 2003. Her killer was caught after submitting a DNA sample when he was convicted of a later burglary.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A 73-year-old state senator from southern New Mexico is recovering from a broken leg suffered in a purse-snatching.

Democratic state Sen. Mary Jane Garcia of Dona Ana suffered a broken tibia and bruising on her legs and arms during the incident Thursday night in Albuquerque.

She says doctors told her she won't require surgery, but she will be out of commission for about a month.

Garcia says it was frightening to become the victim of a crime.

By KRWG News

Texas – State-paid security officers who protect Gov. Rick Perry on out-of-state trips generated more than $129,000 in expenses for his weeklong trip to Asia in June.

The governor's office has been fighting in court to keep details of security costs secret for his travel. But The Associated Press obtained totals for the trip to China, Taiwan and Korea on Monday following requests under the state's open records laws.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Immigration activists say they have generated 50,000 calls and 70,000 faxes to members of Congress in support of legislation allowing some young people in the country illegally to become U.S. legal residents.

The activists have racheted up their protests and calls to members of Congress as a vote nears on a defense bill that could later include the so-called DREAM Act. The defense bill vote is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and Democrats need 60 votes to move forward on the bill.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Animal-rights groups are praising a decision by the City of Las Cruces to spend up to $120,000 overhauling an air circulation system that exposed animals to disease-filled air.

Three staff members from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visited the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley shelter in early July.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board is considering a proposal by the state Environment Department for a new regulation to cap and trade greenhouse gas emissions.

A hearing began Monday in Santa Fe and will continue into next week.

Under the proposal, the state would be able to participate in a regional cap-and-trade program. However, the state would not implement the program unless there were sufficient greenhouse gas allowances to make trading efficient and cost-effective.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says he's hopeful that a comprehensive immigration reform bill will be considered early next year by Congress.

Richardson made the comments Monday at the closing of a meeting in Santa Fe of U.S. and Mexican border state governors.

Richardson co-hosted the meeting and was the only U.S. governor to participate along with the governors of six Mexican states. California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado filled in for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was unable to attend because of illness.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) has awarded two construction contracts for rehabilitation of the Rio Grande Flood Control Project in El Paso, Texas and Dona Ana County, New Mexico funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Recovery Act includes $220 million for USIBWC levee projects.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Fred Martino speaks with the candidates in New Mexico's Second District Congressional race, Rep. Harry Teague-D and challenger Steve Pearce-R.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Every Monday, Fred Martino speaks with Las Cruces Sun News Business Editor Brook Stockberger.

By KRWG News

El Paso – The FBI has identified the gunman who opened fired at a Fort Bliss convenience store before being killed by responding officers as a retired Army sergeant. The agency also says one of the two women wounded in the shooting has died.

The FBI issued a Tuesday statement identifying the gunman as 63-year-old Steven Kropf of El Paso. Authorities say they don't know if Kropf had any relationship with either victim. But they called Monday's shooting an isolated incident.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – The largest newspaper in Ciudad Juarez is asking the border city's warring drug cartels for a truce after the killing of its second journalist in two years.

El Diario asks the cartels in a front-page editorial what they want so the newspaper can continue its work without losing more colleagues.

Sunday's editorial calls drug gangs in the city across from El Paso, Texas, the de-facto authorities.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The skull of a mastodon-like animal has been unearthed in a mining pit in southern New Mexico.

It crumbled after researchers tried to excavate it from the site near Mesquite, and it will now have to be painstakingly reassembled.

New Mexico State University biologist and Paleozoic museum curator Peter Houde says it will be a big job.

The fossil belonged to a tusked animal that resembled an elephant. Before crumbling, the fossil was 8 feet long.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Dona Ana County Sheriff's Investigators arrested and charged JEREMIAH LYNN COCHRAN, age 39, of the 9600 block of Longhorn, Las Cruces, with one count of Non-Residential Burglary, a fourth degree felony.

According to Sheriff's Investigators, the owner of a building located at 1705 A Mountain Road at approximately 2:45 p.m. arrived at the building; when his wife noticed what she believed to be the light of a flashlight coming from inside the dark building, hearing what she described as a "rummaging" noise.