New Mexico – New Mexico has finished switching traffic lights in 33 communities to energy-saving LEDs.
Officials say the change will save about 4 million kilowatt-hours of energy over a year, or enough electricity for more than 500 average homes for a year.
They say the thousands of new LED traffic signal lamps installed at 330 intersections throughout New Mexico will save up to 80 percent of the energy used by conventional incandescent lights that operate all the time.
New Mexico – New Mexico has three new license plates honoring New Mexico Highlands University, adoption and the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts.
Motor Vehicle Division Director Michael Sanchez says the Highlands University plate is the sixth collegiate license plate available to New Mexico residents.
He says such collegiate plates have proved popular with students and alumni.
The Highlands license plate will cost $37, with $25 going to the Las Vegas school.
Texas – Officials say the Texas food stamp program is digging out of trouble after it was swamped by hurricanes, a failed privatization effort and a cuts to the work force that handles claims.
The most recent federal figures show that Texas processed 69 percent of applications within the required 30 days in the year ending Sept. 30. That's 15 percent below the national average.
Las Cruces – Las Cruces is still operating two red-light cameras at intersections under state control, despite last month's vote by the state Transportation Commission to prohibit such cameras on state or federal roads over which it has jurisdiction.
The commission's March 18 vote gave cities 60 days to remove any red-light cameras operating on roads under New Mexico's jurisdiction.
New Mexico – Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and some of their colleagues from the West want to name the U.S. Department of Interior building in Washington after Stewart Udall, a former Interior secretary.
Udall, who was Interior secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, died last month at age 90.
He is the father of New Mexico Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and uncle of Colorado Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.
Las Cruces – New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Secretary Rick Homans is returning to his former role as chairman of the Spaceport Authority.
Homans, who served as the first spaceport chairman from 2005-07, will continue overseeing the Taxation & Revenue Department. Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday that Homans helped recruit Virgin Galactic as the spaceport's anchor tenant.
Steve Landeene quit as spaceport executive director last week. His resignation takes effect May 15.
El Paso – The University of Texas System is recalling all students, faculty and staff in seven northern Mexico states.
UT System officials said escalating violence in Mexico made necessary the recall from Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Baja California and Durango.
Texas – With his Republican primary victory safely behind him, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is still working hard to court conservative voters.
Perry, who is running for a third full term in office, is scheduled to speak Saturday night at conservative radio and television talk show host Glenn Beck's "Taking Back America" town hall event in Tyler.
Although he has denied it, speculation is swirling that Perry may consider a run for president in 2012 and experts say appearing with Beck keeps him in the minds of conservative voters.
New Mexico – Candidates for governor in New Mexico are flooding the television airwaves with advertising as early voting nears in the June primary election.
But the campaigns also are using online videos to attract supporters and show a lighter side of the candidates from changing tires to cooking.
In a five-way race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, candidates look for a way to set themselves apart.
Silver City – The Gila National Forest has spent $2.4 million to purchase 1,293 acres of private land along Bear Creek north of Silver City.
Forest officials say the property offers a wide range of recreational uses, including hiking, camping and horseback riding.
The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land for people as parks and other natural places, assisted the Gila National Forest in negotiating the purchase of the tract.
Ruidoso – The Village of Ruidoso has been awarded $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the purchase of equipment for the new regional wastewater treatment system. The regional wastewater treatment system includes the Village of Ruidoso, the city of Ruidoso Downs and the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
The present wastewater plant is in the Rio Ruidoso flood plan and, like other public and private property, was damaged in the flash flooding caused by Hurricane Dolly in 2008.
Las Cruces – Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the murders of three people at a residence on Mesilla Hills Drive.
The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department is seeking information regarding the triple homicide at 2617 Mesilla Hills Dr. On the morning of Thursday, April 15, the bodies of Gilles L. and Helga Harries deLisle, and Peter J. Weith, were discovered deceased inside the residence.
Las Cruces – Earlier this morning at approximately 11:45 a.m. Dona Ana County Sheriff's Deputies and fire personnel responded to the 570 block of Thorpe Road, after a Senior Services Meals on Wheels worker noticed an elderly man lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor.
When Sheriff's Deputies and Investigators entered the residence, they discovered JERRY PARRA, age 78, dead from what appeared to be third degree burns covering his entire body and his clothing completely burned away.
Las Cruces – Third Judicial District Court Chief Judge Jerald A. Valentine of Las Cruces has ruled in favor of a request by Las Cruces Public Schools for a preliminary injunction against the school district's bus contractor, First Student, Inc. The ruling prevents the bus company from terminating its fleet service contract "except upon 60 days' notice to the (school district)."
