Regional

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico does not require people diagnosed with mental illness to register with a national gun registry when they purchase guns.

A state police spokesman tells The Santa Fe New Mexican there's no law requiring the state to do so. Lt. Eric Garcia says New Mexico doesn't have criteria for determining if a person should be disqualified from owning a gun due to mental illness.

By KRWG News

El Paso – An immigration judge has delayed for 15 months the second round of asylum hearings for a Mexican journalist who says he fled across the U.S. border because of death threats due to his coverage of the drug war.

Emilio Gutierrez Soto last month spent hours before Judge Robert Hough in El Paso. He was to resume his hearing Friday.

But his attorney, Carlos Spector, asked it to be rescheduled since he had to appear in a separate court case.

The new date is May 9, 2012, Spector's staff said.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico Natural Gas Co. officials say they don't anticipate any more disruptions in gas service after bitterly cold weather hit the state.

Temperatures are rising after some communities reported overnight temperatures as low as 36 below zero earlier this week.

But authorities, like Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, are urging residents to turn down thermostats to save energy.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Former State Police Chief Faron Segotta says Gov. Susana Martinez's directive for immigration checks of criminal suspects shouldn't mean much change for the state's law enforcement agency.

Segotta, who retired last year, told The Associated Press on Friday that it was state police policy during Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's administration to ask about the immigration status of those arrested for crimes and in some instances of people being investigated for possible crimes, such as drug trafficking.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – In addition to the resumption of RoadRUNNER Transit, Dial-a-Ride and residential and commercial solid waste service, Branigan Library, 200 E. Picacho, and the Museum of Natural History in Mesilla Valley Mall next to JC Penney, will be open this weekend. Library hours will be 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 - 5 p.m. Sunday. Museum hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Facilities that will be closed this weekend include:

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A proposal to require voter identification is back before the Legislature.

Rep. Dianne Hamilton, a Silver City Republican, introduced a bill on Wednesday to require New Mexico voters to show a government identification card with a photograph, such as a driver's license. Native Americans could use a tribally issued document as identification.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman says it's clear to him that President Barack Obama expects energy policy to have a major place on Congress' agenda.

The New Mexico Democrat met with the president at the White House on Wednesday to talk about the nation's energy policy. Bingaman is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The senator says he's impressed by Obama's commitment to clean energy.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Democratic legislators are vowing to fight a directive by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez requiring state law enforcement to ask about the immigration status of criminal suspects.

More than a dozen lawmakers criticized the governor's executive order at a news conference Thursday in the Capitol. They say the policy will lead to racial profiling of Hispanics and they likened it to a controversial immigration enforcement law in Arizona.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Gov. Susana Martinez has declared a state of emergency as thousands of New Mexico residents lost natural gas service due to the bitter cold.

Martinez sent all nonessential state workers home for the day Thursday, and urged all residents to turn down their thermostats, bundle up and shut off appliances they don't need for the next 24 hours.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce says Americans face a bleak economic future unless the federal government stops running deficits.

Pearce told a joint session of the Legislature on Thursday that it will take a bipartisan effort to bring spending in line with revenues. He also said the nation must focus on creating jobs to reinvigorate the economy.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Former astronaut and New Mexico energy secretary-designate Harrison "Jack" Schmitt has made his pitch to state lawmakers.

He's asking that they help the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department fill critical vacancies that threaten to keep the agency from meeting mandates and competing for federal funding. He made the request Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – City of Las Cruces offices, facilities, and Roadrunner transit will be closed Thursday. There will be no trash pickup. Service will resume Friday and extend through Saturday. Residents with Wednesday and Thursday trash days are asked to leave their containers out. Juvenile Citation Offices will be closed and classes canceled.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – El Paso Electric Company has notified the Dona Ana County Emergency Operations Center that the local power grid is stable, however with much colder temperatures expected overnight, additional planned, rolling blackouts are likely to occur. El Paso Electric will have crews activated 24/7 to keep power flowing to as many customers as possible at any given time.

Residents and businesses are strongly encouraged to conserve power in all possible ways until the weather warms up again.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – RoadRunner Transit will not operate Wednesday and will operate on a two hour delay Thursday, beginning service at 8:30 a.m.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Utilities is asking customers to limit water usage today to help conserve electricity. Water wells are electrically powered and reduced water consumption will save power. El Paso Electric continues to conduct rolling blackouts to help reduce power consumption.