Regional

CARRIZOZO – The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District Two will begin a $21 million road construction investment along the U.S. 54 corridor later this month.  The construction work will take place in two phases north and south of Carrizozo to address pavement conditions along the route, provide a smoother surface and implement safety improvements.      

“This is not a small patch job. It’s a major makeover on a very important corridor for Southeast New Mexico that supports economic development with freight traveling along the route daily,” said Department of Transportation Secretary Michael Sandoval.  “More importantly, the project will also improve safety along this section of highway.” 

LAS CRUCES, NM – Pursuant to changes enacted by the New Mexico State Legislature during the 2020 special session, the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office will begin sending absentee ballot applications to more than 90,000 eligible voters on Monday, September 14.

The mailing will include voters who have voted, registered to vote or updated their voter registration since December 31, 2015. It will not include voters who already successfully applied for an absentee ballot for the 2020 general election before August 31.

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas health officials on Sunday reported 1,840 new cases of the coronavirus and 47 additional deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services said the total number of COVID-19 cases so far in the state is now at 659,434, while the death toll is now at 14,190. The true number of cases in Texas is likely higher though because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. Health officials estimate that about 67,000 cases in the state are currently active.

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Playing defense on his handling of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is letting the falsehoods fly.

Over the weekend, he railed against cases of voting fraud that didn’t exist, asserted that COVID-19 was “rounding a corner” despite what his top health advisers say and blasted Joe Biden for supposed positions on energy and health care that his Democratic rival doesn’t hold.

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing a state judge's decision to allow the Harris County clerk to send mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters in the county. Paxton announced Saturday that he'd filed an appeal with the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston. Paxton is asking the court to prevent Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins from sending applications to all 2.4 million Houston-area voters. A state judge ruled Friday the county can move forward with its plan. Paxton argues the plan violates the state constitution and Texas election law.

  SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Sunday announced 103 additional COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths.

As of today, there are 59 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico. This number does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.

  RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — A new film is examining the effects of the construction boom in the American Southwest on Latino workers.  The VOCES/PBS documentary “Building the American Dream," which airs Tuesday at 9pm on KRWG-TV, dives into the lives of one Mexican immigrant family in Texas after their construction worker son dies while on the job. Salvadorian electrician couple is cheated out of wages and tries to force a contractor to pay. Meanwhile, advocates work to try to convince lawmakers to require companies to give workers water breaks. Director Chelsea Hernandez says she'd been working on the film since 2009 and it's a microcosm of the exploitation Latino construction workers face in the U.S.

  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Renovations to a historic home in Las Cruces will soon be complete, and some hope the century-old property becomes the first addition to the city’s new historic register. The home is significant because it once belonged to Hiram Hadley, the first president of what's now New Mexico State University. Dr. Robert McBride, who established one of the first hospitals in Las Cruces, also lived there and it was once used as a dairy. Under the historic preservation ordinance approved in in December, property owners can apply for designation and be put on the city's historic register. Members of the Historic Preservation Commission have visited the home.

  PHOENIX (AP) — Navajo Nation officials say they will participate in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trials amid a steady decline in coronavirus cases. The American Indian territory once had the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, but has since seen a substantial decrease in community spread. Navajo officials reported zero new confirmed cases on Sept. 8 for the first time since the pandemic began. As of Friday, there have been 9,952 confirmed cases and 530 deaths from the coronavirus in the Navajo Nation. The vaccine trials will be conducted at health care centers across the Navajo Nation. Participation is entirely voluntary.

  On Saturday at about 9:30 a.m. a New Mexico State Police officer on patrol on Interstate 40 at milepost 130 near Laguna initiated a traffic stop on a GMC pickup.  The pickup was occupied by one male later identified as Robert Benjamin Nelson (28) of Scottsdale, AZ.

As the officer made her initial approach to the vehicle, Nelson appeared to fire multiple rounds at her head. After being struck, the officer was able to recover and return fire at the suspect.  Nelson was able to flee the scene and continue eastbound on I-40.  Despite having multiple injuries, the officer returned to her vehicle, gave chase and a pursuit ensued. After a short pursuit, Nelson stopped on Interstate 40 near milepost 135 and exited his vehicle.  Laguna officers arrived to assist the state police officer, and Nelson was taken into custody a short time later without further incident. 

Dr. Jorge A. Garcia, P.E., may not have known it at the time, that when he drove down from Utah to start work at Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) in 1989 as a utilities design engineer, he was in it for the long haul. However, after 31 dedicated years, the Las Cruces City Council bid Dr. Garcia a fond farewell by cementing his continued legacy and recognition of his service, with his name on the City of Las Cruces’ (City) new water quality laboratory at 2845 West Amador.

At the September 8, 2020, City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager David Dollahon introduced Resolution 21-043 and saluted Dr. Garcia’s service, and his family – wife Rhonda Skaggs and children Jorge and Sonia – along with Dr. Garcia’s love of cycling and older cars.

  SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Saturday announced 100 additional COVID-19 cases and 3 deaths.

As of today, there are 67 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico. This number does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.

  A Las Cruces Public Schools employee at Mayfield High School reported to administration that they tested positive for COVID-19. According to district officials, the employee has not been inside any building on the Mayfield campus since Aug. 28.  

Eric Fraass, principal at Mayfield, notified his staff about the test result on Friday afternoon. If contact tracing determines that anyone has been in meaningful contact with that employee, they will be contacted directly.  

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Explaining his deceptive assurances about the pandemic, President Donald Trump suggested he was doing what Winston Churchill had done, soothing the public in a time of danger. That's not how it went down in World War II.

Churchill did not tell Britons that Nazi Germany was “under control ” or that, "like a miracle, it will disappear,” to cite Trump's words on the virus.

The British prime minister spread fear, as well as resolve, as he summoned Britons to national purpose against the “hideous apparatus of aggression” enslaving swaths of Europe and soon to be “turned upon us.”

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — About 8,800 unaccompanied children have been quickly expelled from the United States along the Mexico border under a pandemic-related measure that effectively ended asylum. The disclosure came Friday in the government's appeal of an order to stop using hotels for long-term detention of children. The Trump administration has also expelled more than 7,600 people who came in families since the public health emergency order took effect in March. The administration has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling that found use of hotels skirted fundamental humanitarian protections.

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico labor officials says they have started paying out supplemental federal unemployment benefits of $300 a week. The Workforce Solutions Department announced Friday that it has begun processing supplemental benefits for the five-week period starting on July 26. That is when a larger $600 weekly federal supplement expired. Recipients for the new payments must already qualify for state unemployment benefits of at least $100 a week. They could receive up to $1,500 in a separate payment from their standard benefits.

Las Cruces police have arrested a man suspected of creating a fictitious identity and using it to fraudulently purchase a brand-new vehicle – and nearly a second one before his arrest.

Richard Padilla, 32, who claimed an address of 999 W. Amador Ave., is charged with one second-degree felony count of fraud more than $20,000, two third-degree felony counts of attempted fraud of more than $20,000, two fourth-degree felony counts of forgery, a fourth-degree felony count of identity theft and a fourth-degree felony count of possession of methamphetamine.

  The University of Texas at El Paso is reporting a Fall 2020 enrollment of 24,879 students, bolstered by increased retention.

“We were pleased to see record-high retention and an increase in semester credit hours,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “The growth in these areas demonstrates that our students are working hard to earn their degrees. We’re proud of these talented, resilient Miners.”

The institution’s overall semester credit hour production increased slightly by 0.4%, from 263,739 in Fall 2019 to 265,924 for Fall 2020. UTEP reported a 15% increase in enrollment for the summer term just completed.

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Friday announced 137 additional COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths.

As of today, there are 73 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico. This number does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.

KRWG-TV will broadcast a variety of state and federal candidate forums and debates through October.

After the LCPS district’s decision to begin fully online learning in July, Student Advisory Council members, Stephen Ewing and Adelaide Olberding, came up with an online service to connect struggling elementary students with high school tutors. Student Tutors are volunteers from Oñate, Centennial, Las Cruces High, Mayfield and Arrowhead Park Early College High School. Currently, LCPS has 94 students signed up as volunteers to tutor students K-5. Of those 94 qualified student tutors, at least 12 of the tutors are bilingual in English and Spanish.  

  As part of its next phase of reopening, the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is excited to announce it will begin offering limited lobby service starting Monday, September 14, 2020.  This is in addition to curbside pick-up and the public computer lab services.  

Limited lobby service will be available from 1 - 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Patrons will be allowed in the building to return materials, pick up holds and browse new books and selected collections from the Children’s, Young Adult, Media and Periodicals sections. Patrons will also be able to request items from the closed off areas and staff will retrieve them, or they can place a hold on those items from home and pick them up later.  

ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) today released its recommendations to voters on 65 judges, one New Mexico Supreme Court justice and 64 District Court judges, who are standing for retention in the upcoming election. To remain on the bench, these judges must receive at least 57 percent voter approval under state law.

“This was a very extensive evaluation process for us and included a number of difficult decisions because we did make three ‘do not retain’ recommendations,” said Denise Torres, chair of JPEC. She continued, "The Commission takes its responsibility very seriously and does not make a ‘do not retain’ recommendation unless the judge does not improve from his or her interim evaluation to the final evaluation, if his or her scores continue to drop, and/or if he or she does not express a desire or commitment to improve."

Converge Las Cruces Fine Art’s latest online exhibition Craig Varjabedian; The Light of Days Gone By is now on display at www.ConvergeLasCruces.com in our new 3D walk-through Organ Mountains Gallery. This 30 image exhibition is a celebration of Craig’s 45 years in photography and being held in conjunction the release of his new book by the same title.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) has awarded a total of $1,246,218 to the New Mexico Pipeline Safety Bureau, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and New Mexico State Public Regulation Commission. As a major energy producer, New Mexico is home to a large network of pipelines, along with other modes of energy transportation, and this funding will support public safety in New Mexico by investing in the state’s pipeline, road, and rail safety programs and prevent leaks and accidents.