ANTELOPE WELLS, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Border Patrol agents in New Mexico say a group of nearly 250 immigrants are in custody after turning themselves in to authorities at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry.

They say the group was located early Wednesday after being smuggled up to the New Mexico border and many claimed they needed medical care.

Border Patrol officials say a majority of the 247 immigrants are from Central America.

The group includes families with small children and unaccompanied juveniles.

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's quick moves to transform how public schools test students are drawing praise from teachers unions but creating uncertainty among educators.

The new Democratic governor signed an executive order days into office that signaled the state would move away from a test developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.

Las Cruces police remind cashiers and others who accept paper currency to carefully inspect incoming cash and utilize a counterfeit money detector to help identify phony banknotes.

LCPD regularly receives reports of counterfeit money that’s already been accepted as currency. Police hope to help educate the public on what steps can be taken to identify fake bills.

The Federal Reserve prints only seven denominations of paper currency in $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills. Tips to help differentiate between real and fake currency:

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, Jan. 26, 2019.

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.

All of the events are held on campus in the Intramural Gym, Harlan Hall and the Phelps/Dodge-Martinez building.

  Doña Ana County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating more than a dozen complaints from residents who allege that a local pool and landscape contractor defrauded them out of money.

            Approximately 30 people recently took their complaints to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s office, alleging Kolmar Development was contracted to do work that was either never performed or partially completed.  Some incidents date back as far as 2016.

  LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — Researchers have found that Los Alamos National Laboratory has had an average annual economic impact on New Mexico of about $3 billion from 2015 to 2017.

The northern New Mexico lab on Tuesday released preliminary findings from the University of New Mexico's Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

The birthplace of the atomic bomb, Los Alamos lab spent more than $750 million on goods and services last year. More than half of that went to New Mexico businesses.

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More than 1,300 furloughed federal workers in New Mexico have applied for unemployment benefits that would act as a short-term loan.

State Workforce Solutions Department Secretary Bill McCamley on Tuesday said the benefit applicants are among an estimated 7,500 federal workers directly affected in New Mexico by the partial government shutdown. A large portion of those workers are employed by the U.S. Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security departments.

  SANTA FE — The State Human Services Department’s (HSD) Income Support Division (ISD) worked overtime during the past six days to process 12,000 new and 14,000 renewed SNAP applications in order for some 212,563 families to receive their February benefit on January 20, 2019.

LAS CRUCES — Sierra Middle School on Wednesday was placed on lockdown after administrators learned of a possible threat made against the school on social media. The individuals involved were quickly identified, and Las Cruces Police Department were on site.

   As a precaution, the school was placed on lockdown for about 40 minutes while police investigated. Nearby Booker T. Washington Elementary was also briefly placed on “shelter-in-place.”