Rio Rancho, NM – On October 22, 2019 at about 4:00 p.m., the New Mexico State Police responded to a fatal head-on-crash involving a wrong-way driver on Unser near Mariposa in Rio Rancho.

The initial investigation indicated that New Mexico State Police Sergeant Nathan Searle was traveling north on Unser near Mariposa in his department issued Ford Explorer police vehicle when a south bound green 1999 Ford SUV occupied by driver Dwight David Weir (55) of Bosque Farms  and passenger Mark A. Marquez (52) of Farmington crossed the center line and drove head-on into the Sergeant Searle’s patrol vehicle.

On January 19, 2020 at 9:20 a.m., State Police officers located Wier in an RV on Broadway Boulevard, north of Interstate 25 near Isleta, NM.  Weir was arrested without incident and booked into the Sandoval County Detention Center. 

Crews with Doña Ana County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a fire late Saturday that destroyed a residential and commercial building. 

The incident was reported at approximately 7:10 p.m. in the 200 block of West Hall Street in Hatch. According to Doña Ana County Fire Chief Nick Hempel, the fire was contained to the structure where it first began. There were no injuries reported, but the building is reportedly a total loss. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

A survey conducted by Las Cruces Public Schools found over 70 percent were against a proposal to extend the school year, with 65 percent of staff against the idea as well.  Here is a statement from the district:

On January 7, teachers and staff were asked to watch a video, review a proposed calendar and participate in a survey in order to determine whether or not the proposal should be considered by the calendar committee. 1058 staff members answered the initial survey. The district received an additional 359 responses from staff on the community survey. After evaluating the initial responses, approximately 65 percent of staff who responded to the survey were not in favor of adopting the proposed extended learning calendar for the 2020-2021 academic school year.   

  Illegal border crossings have plummeted after the Trump administration made more asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. The drop has been most striking on Arizona's western border, a pancake-flat desert. Border arrests there fell 94% from May to October. A Border Patrol official says traffic plunged after asylum-seekers learned they couldn't stay in the U.S. while their cases wound through court. More than 55,000 asylum-seekers were returned to Mexico to wait for hearings through November, 10 months after the policy was introduced in San Diego.

  Ivan Aurrecoechea and Jabari Rice each collected double-doubles to help New Mexico State remain undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference with a 75-67 victory over Seattle. The game was tied 59-59 with less than five minutes to play before Aurrecoechea sparked a 5-0 surge as the Aggies pulled away. Aurrecoechea finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Rice scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Terrell Brown scored 25 points to lead Seattle. 

Allen Navarro, Solid Waste heavy equipment operator, has spent 20 years managing trash for our community with Las Cruces Utilities (LCU). He drives a big trash truck picking up commercial trash containers at 130 business locations every day.

The state of New Mexico has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a weekly newspaper in Santa Fe that accused the former governor of discrimination and violating the state's public records law. The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that last year's $360,000 settlement to The Santa Fe Reporter became public last week after a six-month confidentiality period imposed by state law expired. Officials say the agreement comes after the newspaper won a court ruling in 2017 that said Gov. Susana Martinez violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act. Martinez appealed. Officials say the state agreed to drop the appeal after reaching an agreement.

A construction project to improve the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp at the main Northwest entrance at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library (200 E. Picacho Avenue), will begin on January 20. The construction may take until March 21 to complete.

For the public’s convenience, the Library will remain open and will be accessible for the duration of the construction. Building accessibility with ADA accommodations will be provided at the main northwest entrance.

  Silver City, NM – About 400 middle school and high school students from two dozen schools in southwest New Mexico will compete during the Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition at Western New Mexico University on Saturday, January 25, 2020.

The defending champions from Socorro High and Socorro’s Cottonwood Valley Charter [Middle] School will be returning to defend their titles.

The Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in the Fine Arts Center Theatre at 4 p.m.

Gary Nabhan has spent much of his adult life studying and celebrating the deep relationships between regional cultures and the fruits of the land, between biodiversity and cultural diversity, particularly in the arid Southwest region.