Regional

The League of United Latin American Citizens says two recent cases of Spanish being banned at New Mexico high school games are examples of a "disturbing" pattern.

Ralph Arellanes, New Mexico LULAC state director, said Monday that the group has heard of a least five cases of high school players being ordered this school year not to speaking Spanish. Arellanes says LULAC will begin an aggressive effort to monitor future cases, and if necessary, will file lawsuits.

A classroom curriculum system used by hundreds of Texas school districts will stop offering lesson plans after some tea party groups claimed it was promoting anti-American values.

State Sen. Dan Patrick said Monday that officials who created the system known as CSOPE will vote to scrap thousands of lesson plans this week, effectively killing the entire system.

CSCOPE had helped teachers adhere to complicated state educational requirements with Web-based lesson plans and exams.

A member of the Texas House is killing bills authored by a Houston senator in retaliation for her opposition to an exoneration bill.

San Antonio Democrat Ruth McClendon filibustered two bills on Friday authored by Houston Republican Sen. Joan Huffman. She killed another bill last week.

McClendon is angry that Huffman is blocking a vote on the Timothy Cole Exoneration Review Commission. The panel would investigate cases where possibly innocent people have been falsely convicted.

         Doña Ana County and the City of Las Cruces will host a public meeting on Thursday, June 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Butterfield Community Center, 9350 Berry Patch Ln.

   The purpose of the meeting is to provide background to the public regarding the ongoing Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) for Fort Bliss, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands Missile Range and surrounding communities, as well as to share findings to date and gather input from residents on local issues, opportunities and priorities.

City Hall and most other City of Las Cruces offices will be closed Monday, May 27 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Police and fire services will not be affected.

The following is a list of closures:

Thousands of people in New Mexico are still looking for work or at least better jobs even as the state's unemployment rate is down.

The Department of Workforce Solutions reports that New Mexico's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in April, down from 6.9 percent in March and 7 percent in April 2012.

The department says New Mexico gained about 7,900 jobs during the past 12 months, for a 1 percent growth rate.

However, approximately 6,400 people showed up at a jobs fair at Marriott Pyramid North last week in Albuquerque.

The New Mexico Arts Commission says seven artists and supporters of the arts are recipients of this year's Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts.

An awards ceremony is scheduled Sept. 27 in Santa Fe at the New Mexico Museum of Arts and there will be a reception in the state Capitol.

The recipients are Rio Rancho painter and printmaker Edward Gonzales, Santa Fe painter Darren Vigil Gray, Taos musician Jenny Vincent, Taos painter and furniture maker Jim Wagner and Santa Fe potter Frank Willett.