Regional

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Two former colleagues are on the election ballot for Dona Ana County Sheriff and as KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports, incumbent Todd Garrison says he would like to finish what he started.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Las Cruces Police Department Investigator, Democrat Juan "J.R" Stewart is running against Incumbent Sheriff Republican Todd Garrison.

Stewart, who leads the city police officer's union, says if he is elected he has plans to find and utilize state and federal grants for new programs.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Police have arrested a Las Cruces woman who is believed to have committed multiple counts of credit card fraud, forgery and identity theft against her former employer.

Cynthia M. Barela, 31, of the 2600 block of El Camino Real, was arrested on a warrant Monday evening and is charged with three counts of fraudulently using a credit card, 14 counts of forgery and five counts of identity theft.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The NMSU Police Department is investigating the death of a person in student family housing on the Las Cruces campus. At this time, there are no obvious indications of foul play, but the case is being handled as a possible crime until proven otherwise.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – "One Nation, One Dream " is the theme for this year's Annual Conference of The New Mexico State Conference NAACP, in which 11 statewide chapters will meet and conduct activities together in Las Cruces, Oct. 29.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Students, faculty and staff of Onate High School were briefly evacuated today after smoke was seen in the corridors of the building.

The evacuation began shortly before noon today and lasted only around half an hour as Las Cruces Firefighters and school maintenance personnel attempted to locate the source of the smoke.

Officials believe the smoke originated in a boiler room near the school's Performing Arts Center. No injuries were reported and there did not appear to be any structural damage as a result of the smoke.

By KRWG News

Albuquerque – Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry is recommending the City Council make changes in the city's red light camera program, including not using cameras to ticket motorists for speeding.

Berry also wants to eliminate cameras at six intersections where safety did not increase.

He made the announcement Monday after receiving a study he commissioned from the University of New Mexico's Institute for Social Research.

By KRWG News

Texas – A memorial service is set for tomorrow in Dallas for the slain son of former Texas Gov. Bill Clements.

The body of 69-year-old B. Gill Clements was discovered, in a shallow grave, at the Athens-area ranch of neighbor Howard Granger.

Officers returned fire and killed Granger last Friday as he confronted them as they tried to search his property for Clements, who was reported missing the day before.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Although the fine for each red-light camera violation is capped by New Mexico law at $100, the city of Las Cruces has released figures showing that more than $3.37 million has been collected since the program began in March 2009.

Of that, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports the city's share is more than $844,000 in the past 19 months and a little more than $365,000 since Jan. 1.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – A 32-year-old Alamogordo woman has been jailed on $100,000 bond after she was charged with criminal sexual penetration involving a 15-year-old boy.

Investigators say Margaret J. King faces five counts of felony criminal sexual penetration of a minor and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – A video posted online shows the kidnapped brother of a former Mexican state attorney general claiming at gunpoint that he and his sister worked for a drug gang.

The video posted on YouTube shows Mario Gonzalez sitting in a chair, handcuffed and surrounded by five masked men pointing guns at him.

Gonzalez is the brother of Patricia Gonzalez, who stepped down Oct. 3 as attorney general of the border state of Chihuahua. Mario Gonzalez was kidnapped Thursday.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The private fundraising arms of New Mexico colleges and universities have contributed more than $270,000 to a political committee pushing for voter approval of property tax-backed bonds to finance higher education capital improvements.

Taxes will increase nearly $10 a year for each $100,000 in assessed property value if voters approve $155 million for projects at colleges, universities and special schools such as the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Handicapped.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A 73-year-old state senator from southern New Mexico is still on leave from her legislative assignments but slowly recovering from major injuries she suffered during a September purse-snatching outside an Albuquerque hotel.

Sen. Mary Jane Garcia of Dona Ana remains upbeat and tells the Las Cruces Sun-News that she expects a complete recovery from a fractured right leg and bruises to her arms and legs.

Garcia says she's now using a walker and started physical therapy last week.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Republican Debra White, who is a twenty-year U.S Air Force retiree, is up against four-term State Representative, Democrat Andy Nunez.

One of White's top priorities is education in the state. She says schools are in need of an overhaul in the system.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – New Mexico State University is more than 120 years old and covers more than 900 acres, so naturally the school is awash in history. Now an effort is under way to make sure that history is preserved and protected, and the public is being asked to participate in the process.