LAS CRUCES —Las Cruces Public Schools announced Tuesday that the Board of Education voted unanimously to offer Dr. Karen Trujillo the position of Interim Superintendent beginning September 10, 2019 through the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic school year. 

Tuesday at about 5:40 a.m. New Mexico State Police investigated a crash where a pedestrian walking across I-10 was fatally struck by several vehicles.  The incident occurred on I-10 around mile post 155 south of Las Cruces, NM. 

  U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Xochitl Torres Small announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $750,000 to New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) College of Engineering to create the Innovation and Commercialization for Regional Energy Workforce (I-CREW). The I-CREW program will focus on accelerating clean energy technology and developing a statewide clean energy workforce.  Here is a statement from the office of Senator Tom Udall: 

“This funding will harness New Mexico’s unique strengths as a state to foster innovation, diversify our economy, and create good-paying jobs in clean energy,” said Udall. “The I-CREW program leverages our state-of-the-art national labs, abundance of renewable resources, and strong commitment to fighting the climate crisis toward developing critical clean energy technologies while creating good jobs. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ll keep fighting for the resources we need to build a clean energy economy – and the workforce of the future.” 

For its efforts in aiding and assisting asylum seekers who have come to the U.S., the City of Las Cruces was recognized Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 as one of 13 real-life heroes on World Humanitarian Day.  Here is a statement from the city:

“This is too cool,” exclaimed Mayor Ken Miyagishima. “The whole community was named as a hero. I am honored and so proud of our residents, our City Council and City administration for their compassion and extra efforts to help so many of these people who had no place to turn for help.”

Las Cruces officially began receiving asylum seekers on April 12 and approximately 17,000 had arrived in the City as of Monday. However, some non-governmental organizations, such as churches and faith-based agencies, have been assisting asylum seekers for several years. So far, the Las Cruces City Council has approved $1,075,000 to care for asylum seekers.

The El Paso Chihuahuas announce today El Paso Strong Night, a celebration of the El Paso community and a commemoration of those victims of the August 3rd tragedy. El Paso Strong Night will take place on Saturday, August 24, 2019 when the Chihuahuas take on the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants affiliate).

The Las Cruces Police Department is asking for help in preventing auto burglaries.

The majority of auto burglaries committed in Las Cruces are considered crimes of opportunity and occur when valuables are left in plain sight, and vehicles parked unattended and unlocked. Most auto burglary perpetrators simply cruise neighborhoods and large parking lots checking for unlocked vehicles or peering through windows for items of value.

Once inside a vehicle, a perpetrator needs only seconds to rummage through and steal valuables.

Police are particularly concerned this time of year with thousands of students returning to classes at New Mexico State University.

Upcoming tests scheduled for the morning of Aug. 22 will require the closure of three state highways.

Highway 380 from San Antonio to Carrizozo will be closed from 5:50 am to 7:50 am.

Highway 70 between San Augustine Pass and Alamogordo, and Highway 54 between
the McGregor Range exit and Orogrande, will be blocked twice that day.

The first block will be from 6 am to 7 am, and the second from 8 am to 9 am.

The roads will be blocked by White Sands Missile Range security personnel,
and the closure will include the railways along Highway 54.

Road closures are scheduled based on the testing plan, and are subject to
change without notice.

  KRWG Public Media features interviews with the Las Cruces Mayor's Top Teens in between programs on KRWG-TV.  KRWG is also featuring Top Teens on its website. 

Since her freshman year, Marisol Lozano has been in HOSA, formerly known as Health Occupation Students of America.  She has been a state officer twice.  She was elected as HOSA State President in February of 2018.  The awards she has received with this include Gold medal, Community Awareness- 2016, Bronze medal, Epidemiology- 2016. She even competed at Internationals in Nashville, TN., winning Gold medal, Biomedical Debate- 2017, Silver medal CPR/First Aid- 2017. The next year she competed at Internationals in Orlando FL., winning Gold medal, Community Awareness- 2018 and Gold medal, Researched Persuasive Writing & Speaking- 2018.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is now on track to collect an unprecedented $7.8 billion in the budget year thanks to skyrocketing oil production, according to a new legislative revenue tracking report.

The report says total state revenue collections were roughly $273 million above projected levels through April largely because of oil production in southeastern New Mexico, the Albuquerque Journal reports .