Regional

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Every Monday, Fred Martino speaks with Las Cruces Sun News Business Editor Brook Stockberger.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The two Las Cruces Police Department officers who were the first to respond to a July 13 call of a man carrying a long sword at an apartment complex - a case that turned into the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Lance G. Hummell - have completed interviews, received counseling and are back on active duty.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – Recreation Fees will be waived August 14 and 15 on the Lincoln National Forest.

Officials say it is a great time for everyone to get outdoors and hike, bike and enjoy the adventure and mystery of the mountains and caves.

Fee-free sites on the Smokey Bear Ranger District are: Cedar Creek Picnic/Pavilion, Schoolhouse Picnic Area, Monjeau Campground, Skyline Campground, Baca Dispersed Campground, and Three Rivers Campground located on Highway 54 north of Tularosa.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico advocacy groups are urging Gov. Bill Richardson to support what they call strong, federal regulations for disposal of coal combustion waste.

Thirteen groups sent the governor a letter late last week, asking him to protect New Mexicans from coal ash.

The letter comes as the federal Environmental Protection Agency considers regulating disposal of the toxic leftovers from burning coal for electricity.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A handful of people armed with surveying gear have marked off what will become this year's Mesilla Valley Maze.

Cut into the 9-acre corn field will be the silhouette of a man, a telescope and the familiar form of Disney dog Pluto.

It was an image designed by maze owner Anna Lyles, who thought it would be a fitting tribute to the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto, an event that will mark its 80th anniversary this year. Pluto was discovered by astronomer and longtime Las Cruces resident Clyde Tombaugh.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The widow of a California man who was killed along with a New Mexico couple in their home last April is suing a man who was involved in a legal battle with the victims over an estimated $1.3 million debt.

Helga Harries DeLisle, her husband Gilles L. DeLisle and San Diego resident Peter J. Weith were shot and killed April 14 in the DeLisles' secluded home near Mesilla.

The bodies were found the following morning when they did not show up for a court hearing on the money they were owed.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico now has a set of rules aimed at conserving the state's open spaces.

The Natural Heritage Conservation Act was approved by legislators and signed into by Gov. Bill Richardson earlier this year to see to it that the state's natural heritage and customs will be protected through conservation and agricultural easements and projects aimed at land and water restoration.

The state just last week adopted the rules to administer the act.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Four federal police commanders have been suspended from their posts in Juarez following allegations from subordinates that they have links to drug traffickers.

The action by the Public Safety Department comes just hours after 200 federal police officers in the violent Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez detained one of their superiors at gunpoint. They accused the supervisor of having connections to drug cartels and having participated in kidnappings, killings and extortion.

By KRWG News

Texas – A recent study says at least 16 percent of Texas inmates are mentally ill, a problem that could grow worse as the state considers reducing beds at psychiatric hospitals.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Saturday that some counties in Texas don't follow a state law passed last year requiring a swift evaluation of every inmate thought to be mentally ill.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The family of a Las Cruces man fatally shot by police after they say he threatened them with a 4-foot Samurai sword has taken the first step to filing a lawsuit against the city.

The family of 23-year-old Lance Hummell filed a tort claim notice, the precursor to a lawsuit.

Hummell, whose nickname was "Lizard Man" because he was an exotic reptile enthusiast, was shot July 13 after Las Cruces police say he called them to report that there was a man waving a sword.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Authorities say the inmates who escaped from Arizona prison last month have been linked to the investigation of the killing of a couple in New Mexico.

The Arizona Department of Corrections has said the three men escaped by cutting a hole in a northwestern Arizona prison's perimeter fence. A nationwide search has been was under way for the men.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A retired executive with the Border Patrol was in Las Cruces Thursday to talk about wilderness legislation that would protect the Organ Mountains. Fred Martino spoke with Ron Colburn, former National Deputy Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The 76-year-old woman involved in Friday morning's traffic crash on Solano Drive has died as a result of her injuries.

Stacey Williams was driving southbound on Solano when her 2009 Yamaha motorcycle collided with a 1996 Nissan pickup that was in a northbound lane and turning west onto Madrid Avenue. The crash occurred at around 9:40 a.m. Friday, Aug. 6.

Williams was not wearing a helmet. She was transported to Mountain View Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Shoppers in New Mexico can save money this weekend because no tax will be levied on purchases of some clothing, school supplies and computers.

The state's tax holiday starts Friday and runs through Sunday.

Buyers saved more than $4 million by not paying state and local taxes on their purchases during last year's three-day tax holiday, according to the Taxation and Revenue Department.

By KRWG News

El Paso – School districts in the state's five largest cities failed to meet federal education standards amid discrepancies in how the state and federal government count tests taken by special education students.

Districts that failed to meet standards are required to create plans to improve.

Preliminary records released by the Texas Education Agency showed for the third consecutive year Dallas, Houston and San Antonio fell short of the standards. Austin failed last year, and this is the first year for El Paso.