Regional

New Mexico State University is hosting a campus wide conference aimed at discussing diversity issues in higher education using cutting-edge research and best practices. Originally slotted to hold 75 participants, organizers were forced to close registration recently after an overwhelming 205 people signed up for the event. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A $1.5 billion effort to link the United States' three major electricity grids has caught the attention one of the country's largest American Indian tribes.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly has met with developers of the Tres Amigas Superstation and sees the project as an opportunity for electricity generated on the vast reservation to reach other markets.

With Tres Amigas, Shelly says Navajos have a chance to be a major energy partner and find a new, permanent stream of revenue.

DEMING, N.M. (AP) — Border Patrol agents working in the Deming area seized 19 bundles of marijuana weighing nearly 400 pounds and arrested a Mexican national suspected of being a drug smuggler.

Agents stopped a truck driven by a 38-year-old man last Friday and found the bundles of pot in the front seat of the truck.

A Border Patrol news release says the pot has an estimated street value of $310,000.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some 52 percent of young people in Texas' six youth prison facilities have moderate or high mental health treatment needs, the head of the state juvenile justice department says.

Texas Juvenile Justice Department executive director Cherie Townsend said Tuesday that that figure "greatly concerns us."

She said early intervention programs designed to rehabilitate problem children before they enter the juvenile justice system are especially crucial for youngsters with mental health problems.

Fire crews from the Fairacres and Doña Ana Volunteer Fire Districts, joined by personnel and equipment from the City of Las Cruces, battled a large fire west of the Rio Grandé and south of U.S. 70 on Tuesday.

Firefighters were called at 12:10 p.m. to a mobile home at 3530 W. Picacho. Upon arrival, the mobile home was 25 percent involved and rapidly spreading. The residents of the mobile home arrived on scene and confirmed no one was inside at the time of the fire.

No civilian or firefighter injuries or casualties were reported as of Tuesday.

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – When the family dog or cat becomes sick, injured or needs a vaccination, they are usually taken to the local veterinary clinic. The 49th Medical Group Veterinary Clinic does the same, for a slightly different clientele.

The clinic not only provides care for the family pet, but also for Holloman’s military working dogs.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New University of New Mexico President Bob Frank says he faced what he described as tough questions for a rookie during his first student forum.

Frank tells the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/zSNEqV ) the hour-long forum Monday night at the Student Union Building proved students are engaged at UNM.

Students fired questions at Frank about diversity on campus, which Frank said was a priority, and about retention and graduation rates.

DALLAS (AP) — The number of mass layoffs by Texas employers is at a four-year low as the sluggish economy shows signs of improvement.

The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Texas companies in 2011 made fewer big cuts to payrolls for the second straight year. Texas employers announced 650 mass layoffs in 2011 that cost 68,500 workers their jobs.

The worst was 2009, when companies statewide announced more than 1,000 mass layoffs in which 50 employees or more were shed during a five-week period.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A law enforcement agency in Texas has raised safety concerns and advised students on spring break to avoid Mexico.

The Department of Public Safety on Tuesday issued the advisory, citing continued violence throughout Mexico.

The U.S. State Department last month recommended that Americans avoid travel to all or parts of 14 of 31 Mexican states. It's the widest travel advisory issued by the U.S. since Mexico stepped up its drug war in 2006.

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer blasted the federal government for failing to secure the U.S.-Mexico border while invoking the names of a slain rancher and Border Patrol agent.

Brewer spoke Tuesday to a room of law enforcement and those in the border technology industry at a major border-security expo being held in downtown Phoenix.

Brewer told them that the immigration issue it's about prejudice, but that it's about securing the border and keeping Americans safe.

The 8th Annual J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium promises another opportunity for members of New Mexico State University and surrounding communities to address issues that are important to this region. This year, the two-day event aims to engage community members in establishing a shared understanding of what quality of life means for southern New Mexicans. 

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Experts say a small earthquake has shaken parts of far West Texas.

The U.S. Geological Survey says Monday night's 2.5 magnitude earthquake was centered about 11 miles east of El Paso.

Law enforcement officials in El Paso say nobody has been hurt.

Authorities had no immediate reports of damage following the quake, which was recorded at 8:11 p.m. MST Monday.

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Online:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usb0008bzq.php

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.