Regional

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The State Land Office is allowing free woodcutting on part of the land it manages.

Wood permits are available for state trust lands near Datil (DAT-uhl) in southwestern New Mexico and near Villanueva in San Miguel County in northern New Mexico.

Permits and maps are available at the Land Office web site or its offices in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Moriarty and Socorro.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Hundreds of human rights groups are asking the Obama administration to end programs that allow local police to check the immigration status of arrestees.

A letter to the president Wednesday says it encourages racial profiling and calls it a dangerous merger of the federal immigration enforcement system with state criminal justice systems.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – The Returning Veterans Film Employment Project is a group created by New Mexico veterans for veterans to create a clean, green, film and digital media technical training program.

The organization specifically hopes to reach out to disabled and female veterans who are struggling with the readjustment after military duty.

By KRWG News

Mesilla – Mesilla is getting a public library.

The Mesilla Board of Trustees on Monday approved an agreement with the city of Las Cruces, Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and the Las Cruces Public Schools to bring a satellite public library to Mesilla, at the community's San Andres High School.

Mesilla Mayor Nora Barraza says there's no start date yet, but officials hope the branch library can open sometime during the current school year.

The town will contribute up to three computers for residents to use at the library.

By KRWG News

Texas – Fort Hood officials are investigating a rash of suicides in recent days, including the apparent murder-suicide of a soldier and his wife.

The incidents come as the central Texas Army post reports a record number of soldiers taking their own lives. According to figures released Tuesday, 14 suicides and six more suspected suicides have been reported so far this year among soldiers stationed at Fort Hood. Fort Hood reported 11 suicides in all of 2009.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich says he's proud to have had President Barack Obama visit his district.

Obama addressed about 40 people at the Albuquerque home of Andy and Etta Cavalier Tuesday and spoke about the importance of education in ensuring America's economic future. He also took questions from the group on matters ranging from immigration to why he is a Christian.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the identity and arrest of the suspects who physically assaulted an 18-year-old man on Monday evening and stole several of his possessions.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Jeff Steinborn, a Democrat, has held the state representative office for district thirty-seven since 2007. On this year's general election ballot he is up against Republican Terry McMillan.

Steinborn says there are many things he still wants to get done and has several priorities for the district and state.

By KRWG News

Austin, TX – A gunman opened fire today inside a University of Texas at Austin campus library then shot and killed himself -- and police are seeking a possible second suspect.

UT police spokesperson Rhonda Weldon says no one else was injured. Investigators are trying to determine what led to the gunfire.

An emergency alert warning of an "active shooter" and "shelter in place" was listed on the UT website more than an hour after the gunfire happened on the sixth floor of the Perry-Castaneda Library.

The website says:

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – Alamogordo High School officials have called off extracurricular homecoming events after a shooting last week.

Friday night's Alamogordo football game against Hobbs will be played as scheduled, but homecoming festivities have been canceled.

Interim Superintendent Joseph Jaramillo says district officials talked to police about student safety.

He says it's a situation in which the district needs to err on the side of caution.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Mexico's navy says a gunbattle in the Gulf coast border state of Tamaulipas left eight gunmen and one marine dead in the border city of Reynosa.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – President Barack Obama is starting his day in Albuquerque's south valley for a so-called "backyard visit" aimed at helping middle-class families cope with the national economy.

What's missing from the event? A first-term Democratic congressman who faces a tough re-election battle.

Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., isn't attending Tuesday's meeting, which is taking place outside his southern New Mexico congressional district.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The New Mexico Department of Health has received more than $440,000 for public health programs.

The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Health Department will receive more than $380,000. It can be used for the hiring and training of epidemiologists, laboratory scientists and health information specialists who can work on multiple infectious diseases.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – A two-day visioning workshop will allow participants to test various interactive strategies for involving citizens in developing a vision for the corridor and the city's planning process.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will take part in New Mexico State University's first Domenici Institute Forum from 9-10 a.m. Oct. 7 at the PSL Auditorium, located inside Anderson Hall. His talk will focus on national security and will be followed by a question and answer session.