LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Trevelin Queen scored 19 points off the bench on three 3-pointers and New Mexico State beat California Baptist 75-63 on Saturday night.

C.J. Bobbitt added 14 points and Eli Chuha had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Aggies (27-4, 15-1 Western Athletic Conference) who lead in the conference standings and will face Chicago State in the WAC Tourney on March 14.

The Aggies took a 48-22 lead into the break. A Queen 3-pointer late in the second half made it 67-44 with 7:17 to go.

A huge silver-colored piece of equipment weighing more than eight tons and called a “heating water jacket” is poised outside one of the primary digesters at the Jacob Hands Wastewater Treatment Facility (JHWWTF), ready to be installed. After more than 35 years of service, it’s time to replace the old jacket.

For Las Cruces Utilities (LCU), replacing parts for the JHWWTF infrastructure is a little more difficult than you taking your car to a mechanic, because this is going to involve a crane.

 SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Some former New Mexico lawmakers and public officials are lobbying the Legislature even though they've been out of office less than a few months.

And there is no state law to prevent it.

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a couple suspected of shoplifting an estimated $5,000 worth of cell phones from a local Walmart store in December.

Las Cruces police learned the couple was at the Walmart Supercenter, 1550 S. Valley Dr., about 3 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. Investigators believe they stole six cell phones by placing them in a larger box and then leaving the store without paying for the items. The value of the stolen cell phones was estimated at $5,000.

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Southwest Airlines is expanding service between New Mexico's largest city and Austin, Texas.

The airline has announced that flights between Albuquerque and Austin will be offered daily starting Aug. 6. Currently, only weekend options are available.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said daily, non-stop service between the two cities will open new doors for economic development and tourism with what he called the live music capital of the world.

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state Senate endorsed Friday an increase to the statewide minimum wage from $7.50 an hour to $11 over the next three years without additional raises.

The bill from Democratic Sen. Clemente Sanchez of Grants advanced on a 27-15 vote to the House for consideration and a possible showdown. It would be the first increase in roughly a decade.

The House has approved a larger increase to $12 an hour — with automated future increases tied to inflation — that was shunned by the Senate.

  SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — Police in a New Mexico border city are being accused of discrimination after stopping an immigrant and searching his vehicle for drugs.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed a lawsuit Friday in state district court against the city of Sunland Park. The group alleges a police officer unlawfully detained Oscar Gutierrez Sanchez and his young son during a March 2018 traffic stop.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday signed Senate Bill 8.  Here is a statement from the Governor's office:

The new law improves public safety by expanding required background checks on firearm purchases to include private gun sales, closing loopholes for certain sales like those made online or at gun shows. 

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — U.S. Air Force Secretary and former Congresswoman Heather Wilson has been named the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted Friday to select Wilson as the only finalist for the job.

The 58-year-old Wilson served as a U.S. Congresswoman from 1998 to 2009 and represented a central New Mexico district that included Albuquerque. The Republican was appointed Air Force Secretary in 2017.