Regional

By KRWG News

Texas – Texans frustrated by not being able to get through by phone or online to take part in an April energy-efficient appliance rebate program will have another chance.

State officials have announced a winter 2010 offering using unclaimed rebate funds. The initial offer involved more than $20 million in federal stimulus funds.

Comptroller's spokesman Allen Spelce (spels) says about $10 million was left over from the original program after all rebates were paid.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today reported that the U.S. Department of Education has released $64.9 million to help close New Mexico's budget gap, and keep approximately 1,000 teachers in classrooms around the state.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Gov. Bill Richardson is allocating more than $1 million in federal economic stimulus money to head off furloughs of state and judicial workers.

Richardson announced Wednesday that $925,000 will go to executive branch agencies to protect workers and $450,000 is for courts, including district courts in Bernalillo, Curry and San Juan counties.

Budget cuts of 3.2 percent are being implemented starting Wednesday to close a shortfall in New Mexico's more than $5 billion budget.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – New Mexico has deployed 82 National Guard troops to help secure the border with Mexico after they completed training.

President Barack Obama in May ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the border.

Both California and Arizona announced deployments last week.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says violence along the border has been a major concern.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico proposes to raise fees on medical marijuana producers to bring in money to administer the program.

The Department of Health, which operates the medical cannabis program, plans to increase the application fee for producers from the current $100 to $1,000.

It also wants to establish a new annual fee on the licensed nonprofits that grow medical marijuana.

The fee would be equal to 7 percent of a producer's total gross receipts.

By KRWG News

El Paso – The White House says Gov. Rick Perry was offered but declined to meet with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and a top adviser to President Barack Obama on border issues.

The Democratic president on Tuesday spent more than an hour in El Paso to thank Fort Bliss troops for their service in Iraq, then headed back to Washington.

Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger on Monday said the GOP governor had sought to meet with Obama during the Texas trip, but aides said the president would not be available.

By KRWG News

Texas – A Texas court of appeals has ruled that gay couples legally married in other states cannot get a divorce in Texas, where same-sex marriages are banned.

The 5th Texas Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a Dallas judge did not have jurisdiction to grant a divorce to two Dallas men who wed in Massachusetts.

The Dallas judge had also ruled that Texas can't limit marriage to being between a man and a woman. The appeals court said Texas' laws against same-sex marriage don't violate the Constitution.

By KRWG News

Texas – Gov. Rick Perry says school districts that pool resources to cut some administrative costs will get a state grant equal to 10 percent of their first-year savings.

A news release from the governor's office Tuesday says that districts could cut costs in human resources, accounting, transportation services, technology and facilities through partnerships with districts, counties, cities and the private sector.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the three suspects who assaulted a 79-year-old good Samaritan with a knife and then took his Boston terrier.

Las Cruces Police learned that just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31, the 79-year-old man was near the MMJ pawn shop at 2215 N. Main St. helping another motorist jump-start a vehicle when he was approached by three men, one of whom was armed with a knife.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that the federal government is releasing $265,000 he helped secure in a fiscal year 2010 spending bill for a juvenile prevention and intervention program in Do a Ana County.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A Monday morning arrestee faces additional charges after he escaped custody, physically assaulted an officer and led police on a brief foot pursuit.

Michael Scott, 21, who is believed to be homeless, is charged with one count of breaking and entering, battery on a peace officer and escape from police custody.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Police charged a woman for embezzling close to $6000 worth of merchandise from her employer.

Janet Rodriguez, 24, of the 1000 block of Ash Avenue, was arrested Saturday, Aug. 28, and is charged with one third-degree felony count of embezzlement.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Las Cruces Police detectives learned that Rodriguez, a cashier at the Kohl's department store at 2500 N. Triviz Dr., was captured at least five times on surveillance cameras failing to scan merchandise and then bagging the items for a customer.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Convergys Corporation is hiring 100 full-time employees at its contact center on Del Rey Boulevard in Las Cruces. The company also announced it is closing its Albuquerque call center, resulting in more than 600 layoffs.

New employees will provide customer service support to a client in the telecommunications industry.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – For the first time in its history, the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez is cancelling its traditional Sept. 15 celebration of Mexico's Independence from Spain.

Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes said Monday that authorities hadn't received any specific threat surrounding the event. However, he and they decided it would be too dangerous for large crowds to gather in the city, which has become one of the world's most dangerous amid a turf war between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.

By KRWG News

El Paso – A governor's spokeswoman says Gov. Rick Perry has been denied a meeting with President Barack Obama when the president visits Fort Bliss on Tuesday.

Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger says the Republican governor had asked to meet with the president on Tuesday to discuss border security. Cesinger said Monday that White House aides said the president would not be available for such a meeting.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.