Regional

New Mexico State University Regent Mike Cheney was elected to serve as chair of the Board of Regents at a regular meeting of the board Monday, March 12.

Regent Isaac Pino was elected vice chair and Regent Christopher Dulany secretary/treasurer. They will serve in these roles for one year. 

Regent Cheney is the president of the Bank of the Rio Grande. He has worked in the banking industry for more than 25 years.

Pino serves the City of Santa Fe as director of both the Department of Public Works and the Community Services Department. 

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima and Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry have teamed up to encourage all New Mexicans to support the New Mexico State University Aggies and University of New Mexico Lobos as both prepare for second-round NCAA tournament action Thursday in Portland, Ore.

The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department has stepped up patrols along U.S. Highway 70 east of Las Cruces, joining other law enforcement agencies to reduce speed along one of the county’s most traveled roads.

From Feb. 9, 2012 to March 4, 2012, sheriff’s deputies wrote 1,486 citations on Highway 70 east of I-25. Those tickets included infractions for proof of registration and insurance documentation and proper licensing as well as speeding.

In addition, 19 arrests were made.

The county reports that enhanced patrols will continue.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new law will allow New Mexicans to donate a portion of their state income tax refunds to strengthen the finances of a college scholarship program.

The scholarships are financed with lottery proceeds and cover tuition costs for New Mexico high school graduates who attend a public college or university in the state. But the program faces financial problems because scholarship costs are outstripping the growth of lottery revenues.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The soil, water and agriculture testing laboratory at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces will close by the end of June because larger private labs can do the same work more efficiently.

The university says in a news release that the closure will affect nine workers, some of who are retiring.

The lab was started in 1973 when private testing was not as readily available, serving faculty, state agencies and the public.

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Chaco Culture National Historical Park is set to make a debut on the U.S. quarter.

The U.S. Mint recently announced that it will launch a quarter with a flip side that will feature etchings of two elevated kivas that are part of the Chetro Kelt Complex, along with the north wall of the canyon.

The U.S. Mint's website says the Chaco will be unveiled during a special ceremony in the park on April 26. The new quarter is the 12th in the series of the U.S. Mint's "America the Beautiful" program.

The New Mexico State-Indiana second round NCAA Tournament game Thursday, March 15, is scheduled to tip-off at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Mounttain Time).  The Aggies and Hoosiers are the final game of the day in Portland, Ore., with the tip slated for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Wichita State-Virginia Commonwealth game, which begins at 5:15 p.m. (Montain Time).  The game will be broadcast on CBS.

And here's how the Aggies moved to the NCAA Tournament:

LAS VEGAS (AP) — They were the team that gave Louisiana Tech coach Mike White the most fits all season.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The state's Homeland Security Act, written to restrict access to security-related details and prevent terrorist attacks, is being applied broadly to withhold a variety of information.

A review by the Austin-American Statesman found that government lawyers have argued that the law shields diagrams of school classrooms, drawings of underground rock formations and exterior pictures of the Governor's Mansion.

ALAMOGRODO, N.M. (AP) — A former NASA flight director who oversaw Apollo moon missions and helped bring three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 back to earth after the spacecraft was crippled has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame.

Gene Kranz was inducted into the hall during a Saturday ceremony staged at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo.