Regional

  The City of Las Cruces Traffic Operations will be replacing damaged delineators in the northbound lanes of Telshor Boulevard approaching Lohman Avenue. There will be a temporary lane closure to allow workers to perform the work. The work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, and is expected to be completed in one day.

Access to the surrounding businesses will be maintained by leaving driveways accessible. RoadRUNNER Transit routes will not be affected. Motorists are asked to use caution through the area or use an alternate route to avoid possible delays as the work could affect traffic along northbound Telshor Boulevard in the area.

The City has verified that no conflicting public or private construction projects will take place in the immediate area during this time.

LAS CRUCES – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday announced her support for a public safety proposal in the upcoming legislative session.  Here is a statement from the Governor’s office:

The proposal authorizes extreme-risk protection orders, an important, proven-effective and proactive step toward minimizing the risk of gun violence in New Mexico communities.

Legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes, Rep. Daymon Ely and Rep. Joy Garratt will be pre-filed Wednesday. The governor announced her support for the initiative – and her intention to include the legislation in the 30-day “call” – at a news conference alongside Sen. Cervantes, Rep. Ely and public safety advocates at the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP)-New Mexico authorities continue the search for a boy and his father after his mother was found dead in a southeast Roswell home. 

Authorities say the boy is believed to be with his 32-year-old father Jorge Rico-Ruvira and possibly headed to Mexico. 

Authorities say the death of 27-year-old Isela Mauricio-Sanchez Tuesday was ruled a homicide.

New Mexico State Police officers say the boy is missing and believed to be in danger. 

Authorities say the pair are believed to be traveling in a 2003 maroon GMC Yukon SUV.

SANTA FE, N.M. - New Mexico state Sen. Richard Martinez was sentenced to serve five days in jail on drunken and reckless driving convictions in connection with a June wreck in which he rear-ended a car that was stopped at a red light.

State District Court Judge Francis Mathew told Martinez that by driving while intoxicated the senator had violated the trust of political constituents whom he was supposed to protect.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A television meteorologist in Albuquerque is joining the race for U.S. Senate in New Mexico.

Republican Mark Ronchetti announced Tuesday he is entering the contest for the GOP nomination after stepping down from his job as chief meteorologist for Albuquerque's CBS affiliate.

Ronchetti calls himself a “proud conservative New Mexican” who opposes abortion and supports gun rights. Ronchetti says he doesn't support some of President Donald Trump's tweets and comments but endorses his economic and energy policies.

ROSWELL, N.M. - The Roswell Police Department is asking the public’s assistance in locating Osiel Ernesto Rico, a three-year-old Hispanic male, two-feet-six inches tall, weighing approximately forty pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. 

Osiel was last seen on Sunday, January 5, 2020 at 602 East Forest in Roswell, NM.  It is unknown what Osiel was last seen wearing. Osiel Ernesto Rico is MISSING and is believed to be in DANGER if not located.

It is believed he is in the company of Jorge Rico-Ruvira a thirty-two-year-old male. He is five-foot-eight inches tall, 150 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. 

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps identify two young men suspected of using bank cards that were stolen during an auto burglary.

Las Cruces police learned that a vehicle parked at the Telshor 12 movie theater was broken into on Saturday, Oct. 26. Among items stolen were credit and debit cards.

The New Mexico Legislature's lead budget-writing committee has recommended a 6.5% increase in state general fund spending that stashes away some oil and natural gas revenue in trust funds to ensure future financial stability.

The Legislative Finance Committee recommended a $464 million increase in sustained spending to about $7.5 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Another $325 million would be set aside for endowments to underwrite early childhood schooling.

  A Las Cruces man who pleaded guilty to fatally running over two people with a vehicle in 2017 has been sentenced to 31 ½ years in prison. Dona Ana County prosecutors say 52-year-old Carlos Garcia was sentenced Monday in Third Judicial District Court. Garcia originally was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the May 2017 deaths of 29-year-old Denise Chavez and 36-year-old Arturo Cordova following a party in Las Cruces. Authorities say Garcia was injured in the crash and spent a month in the hospital. Prosecutors say Garcia pleaded guilty last month to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

  The Dona Ana Arts Council (DAAC) Board of Directors announces they have hired Gregory Z. Smith, former District 2 City Councilor, as DAAC’s new Executive Director effective January 6, 2020. Here is a statement from DAAC: The Board accepted the resignation of Steve Ruwoldt in early December. Ruwoldt served as Executive Director of the Council from October 1 until December 10, 2019.

According to DAAC Board President Dan Lere, “We are thrilled that Greg Smith has agreed to take on the challenging position of Executive Director of the Dona Ana Arts Council. He not only brings great leadership skills to the organization, but he also has demonstrated a real interest and support for the arts in this area for many years. As we make this transition we also want to thank Steven Ruwoldt for his time and work with the council. We respect his decision to explore other opportunities.”

  SANTA FE – Ahead of the 2020 legislative session scheduled to begin later this month, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday released her second state budget proposal as New Mexico governor.  Here is a statement from the Governor's office:

The fiscal year 2021 executive recommendation underscores the governor’s commitment to the next step in growth for the state of New Mexico, centering fiscal responsibility while making bold investments in education, economic development, public safety, and the care and wellbeing of New Mexicans.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Louie Sanchez, a health care businessman and a shooting range owner, is jumping in the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico.

Sanchez announced Monday he will seek the Republican nomination for a spot currently held by retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall.

Sanchez, a South Valley native, says he is running because others have refused to “take action” to tighten immigration and drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Workers will begin constructing a bridge pier today as part of the Interstate 25/University Avenue project. The work will last through Feb. 3. During this time, northbound I-25 will have the left lane closed and will be reduced to one lane from about 500 feet north of I-25/University bridge to about 1,000 feet south of the bridge.

Crews will continue their work, reconstructing the shoulder of southbound I-25 through about Jan. 16. During this work, southbound I-25 is reduced to one lane from south of University Ave. to south of Wells Street/Geothermal Drive.

The I-25 northbound loop ramp, which was scheduled to be closed in mid-January, will remain open for now.

Regular work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All work is scheduled weather permitting, and is subject to change. For more information, visit http://www.i25-university.com or https://www.nmroads.com/mapIndex.html.

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)-The Navajo Nation says it is working with Congress to fund the tribe's proposed Department of Medical Examiners. 

The Gallup Independent reports Navajo Law and Order Committee Chairwoman Eugenia Charles-Newton says the panel is seeking full funding amid overworked criminal investigators.

Navajo criminal investigators have been handling deaths on the sprawling Navajo Nation that is located in three states and investigators have been devoting about 40% of their time to serve as coroners.

  Ivan Aurrecoechea had a season-high 20 points as New Mexico State got past California Baptist 86-71. Johnny McCants had 17 points and seven rebounds for New Mexico State (10-6, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference), which won its fourth consecutive game. Trevelin Queen added 16 points. Terrell Brown had 11 points for the visitors. New Mexico State entered halftime trailing narrowly, 37-36, but the Aggies were able to outscore the Lancers 50-34 in the second half to roll to the victory. The Aggies' 50 points in the second half marked a season best for the team. Milan Acquaah had 24 points and eight assists for the Lancers (10-5, 1-1).

  Officials at a New Mexico event venue have agreed to settle a lawsuit with a medical cannabis producer over what type of products could be displayed at the state fair. The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that Expo New Mexico officials agreed to drop a pending appeal and pay $69,600 to Ultra Health LLC to avoid further legal expenses. Officials say the legal dispute began after Expo New Mexico told Ultra Health it could not display any paraphernalia related to cannabis use or cultivation in its 2017 State Fair booth. Court officials say Expo New Mexico violated the medical cannabis producer's First Amendment rights.

  An advocacy group for utility customers urged the New Mexico Supreme Court  to allow state utility regulators more time to vet a proposal to close a major coal-fired power plant and divvy up shutdown costs. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and leading state legislators have urged the state's top court to intervene quickly in utility proceedings to ensure implementation of the so-called Energy Transition Act that puts New Mexico on a mandated path toward zero-carbon electricity by 2045. Mariel Nanasi of the New Energy Economy consumer group wants utility regulators to determine how to fairly divide roughly $360 million in coal-plant shutdown costs between utility investors and consumers.

You might only picture an “underground city” beneath the streets of big cities like New York City or San Francisco, but most cities have plenty of passageways running under underground. Las Cruces alone has more than 500 miles of sewer lines running beneath city streets! That’s equal to the distance from our city to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

  Santa Fe, NM----Attorney General Balderas has filed a lawsuit in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico against four corporations that manufactured, advertised, and sold talcum powder products, including baby powder, which contained hazardous and carcinogenic asbestos to New Mexicans. The defendants named in the lawsuit are Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Corporation; and Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC.

The following is Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce's statement on the U.S. airstrike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani:

"The airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Soleimani is another indicator that President Trump and his Administration will not stand idly by when Americans are at risk. The President will protect Americans and American interests. Iran is the world's largest state sponsor of terror. Last weekend an American contractor was killed in a rocket attack carried out by Iranian-backed militia. America’s response was fast and decisive. General Soleimani promoted terrorism and has been responsible for American deaths; his death sends Iran a strong message.”