News

By KRWG News

Mesilla – Mesilla's Board of Trustees has voted to reduce the work week for 10 employees to save money.

By reducing the work week from 35 hours to 32 hours, the southern New Mexico town expects to save more than $11,000 in salaries and benefits that would have been owed to the employees.

The shorter work week will take effect Jan. 11 and will continue through June.

Mayor Michael Cadena says the reduction could be shortened if Mesilla merchants are able to bring in more gross receipts taxes in the coming months.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Federal agents on the U.S.-Mexico border in and around El Paso were busy during Christmas week, confiscating everything from marijuana to tamales.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 1,682 pounds of marijuana and several prohibited food products.

The largest seizure was on Christmas Eve at the Bridge of the Americas, where more than 600 pounds of pot were found hidden in wooden furniture.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico's jobless rate remained steady at 7.8 percent in November, the same as the previous month but much higher than the 4.6 percent rate in November 2008.

The national unemployment rate in November decreased to 10 percent.

The state's labor department, the Department of Workforce Solutions, says the state lost 25,400 jobs over the past year.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A state-subsidized flight from Albuquerque to Mexico has been canceled after less than a year of service.

Albuquerque International Sunport officials say the Aeromexico flight from Albuquerque to Chihuahua will end its three day a week route.

It was the only flight across the border to Mexico and the only direct international flight from New Mexico's largest airport.

Airport spokesman Daniel Jiron says only 20 percent of the seats on the 50-passenger regional jet were purchased on average.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered the sixth submarine of the Virginia class, New Mexico (SSN 779), to the U.S. Navy, four months ahead
of schedule. New Mexico's 70-month construction period represents the
shortest overall construction time of any Virginia-class submarine.

By Melissa Aguilera

Las Cruces, NM – New Mexico U.S Senator Tom Udall has introduced legislation to help keep roads safe from holiday drunk drivers. KRWG's Melissa Aguilera reports.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – An environmental impact statement for White Sands Missile Range proposes changing land uses to expand testing capabilities for new missions.

The impact statement from the Department of the Army examines various alternatives, and selects expanded testing as the preferred alternative.

Other alternatives include keeping test capabilities at current levels or doing construction on the range to support testing.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Some California artists want immigrants to have more than just a few tuna cans and a water jug for their illegal trek into the U.S.

Faculty at University of California, San Diego are developing a GPS-enabled cell phone that tells dehydrated migrants where to find water. The phone also pipes in poetry from speakers, regaling them on their journey much like Emma Lazarus did a century ago to the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" on Ellis Island.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A New Mexico construction company has been selected by the state Spaceport Authority to work on the flight apron at the Spaceport America site in southern New Mexico.

The Spaceport Authority's board of directors reviewed proposals from several contractors before choosing David Montoya Construction Inc.

The $5.75 million apron project includes all the surfaces around the terminal hangar facility that connect to the runway and other infrastructure at Spaceport America.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Police have charged two men for their involvement in Sunday morning's attempted burglary that resulted in the shooting death of 27-year-old Steve A. Martinez.

Mario Lee Aguilera, 25, of the 2400 block of Moonriver Loop, and Jesus Manuel Vazquez, 27, of the 5800 block of Lassiter Road, were arrested Sunday and both have been charged with one count each of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and conspiracy. Aguilera and Vazquez are being held at the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $50,000 each.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Due to anticipated weather conditions Tuesday, White Sands Missile Range officials have announced a two-hour delayed arrival time.

If conditions warrant a change, area news media will be notified.

White Sands personnel should stay tuned to local
television and radio stations for the latest information.

Information is also available at www.missileranger.com

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Every Monday at 7:51am, Fred Martino speaks with Brook Stockberger, Business Editor at the Las Cruces Sun News.

By KRWG News

Texas – Texans may love their pickups, but a top state transportation official says it's not fair for truck owners to pay lower state registration fees.

State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, wants to overhaul the schedule of registration fees that charges truck owners about $4 less than car owners.

Lawmakers this year took steps to make fees for most vehicles a flat $50.75 a year, but didn't implement the changes until Sept. 1, 2011.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – It's been a decade of growth for the city of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County.

Retirees continued their migration to Las Cruces, capitalizing on the lower cost of living and pursuing quality of life improvements including things that many longtime residents hadn't given much consideration to.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Police are investigating a Sunday morning shooting that has resulted in the death of a man.

Just before 8 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 27, police were called to the Telshor Manor
Apartments at 1410 Telshor Blvd. Las Cruces Police investigators so far have learned that two suspects attempted to break into an apartment. A resident of the apartment was apparently startled awake, grabbed a handgun, and opened fire at the intruders.