Regional

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Healthy people worried about swine flu and people with mild, flulike illnesses are showing up at emergency rooms and clinics, bogging down New Mexico's health system.

Deputy state epidemiologist Mike Landen says people with no symptoms are asking for antiviral medications when there's no need.

Landen says health officials also don't want well people getting infected at clinics by people who are ill.

By KRWG News

Texas – American Evangelicals have approved a resolution calling for Congress to approve reforms to immigration law.

The resolution by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals passed unanimously on Thursday. The group represents the heads of 40 evangelical denominations, including the Assemblies of God, the Church of the Nazarene and others.

National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson says the system for legally immigrating to the U.S. is antiquated, bureaucratic and needs to change.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Boy Scouts of America is making its debut 'en espanol,' with an advertising campaign and a soon-to-come Spanish-language Scout Handbook.

Scout leaders hope the Spanish-language outreach will draw Latinos to the ranks of the nearly century-old organization.

The campaign includes television, radio and online spots that speak to the nation's largest minority. Leaders say their goal is to keep the scouting movement relevant as the country's cultural and ethnic landscape shifts.

By KRWG News

Palomas – Unidentified assailants kidnapped and killed the top official of the border town of Palomas, across from New Mexico.

Town Mayor Estanislao Garcia Santelis had long complained about the drug traffickers and migrant smugglers active around Palomas.

Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in northern Chihuahua state, said Garcia Santelis' bullet-riddled body was found yesterday near a burned-out pickup truck and bore signs of torture.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Police in Las Cruces have arrested a man for entering a neighbor's home and sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl.

Jose Manual Zubiran, 36, is charged with first-degree felony counts of criminal sexual penetration and kidnapping and a second-degree felony count of aggravated battery.

Zubiran is accused of entering a neighbor's apartment without permission and sexually assaulting the girl. The girl's mother awoke at 4 a.m. Wednesday, found Zubiran in her daughter's room and called police.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico Rail Runner engineers, conductors and ticket clerks have been trained and certified in the use of lifesaving defibrillators that have been installed on the cab cars of each of the commuter trains.

Director Lawrence Rael says it's part of a continued effort to provide safe transportation.

In July, train staffers began weekend classes on how to administer defibrillator procedures to passengers in an emergency situation. This week, the last of 11 defibrillators was installed.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – The Lincoln National Forest Sacramento Ranger District will conduct the Salado Prescribed Burn during the week of October 19, 2009. The burn location is approximately three miles north of High Rolls, NM. Residents of the High Rolls, Mountain Park, Fresnal Canyon, and La Luz Canyon areas may see and smell smoke for the duration of the burn. During the implementation of the burn, smoke is expected to be highly visible from NM Highway 70, La Luz and Tularosa.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's assistance in locating a woman and her four children missing since September 29, 2009.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of SYLVIA M. BARRETT, age 32, of the 3115 block of Camino Real, Las Cruces, charging her with four counts of Unlawful Interference with Custody, each a fourth degree felony. Bond has been set at $50,000.00 cash.

BARRETT lost custody of her four children when she failed to show for a Custody hearing on September 29.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A new exhibit in Las Cruces examines the rich history of rural school houses.

They are unofficial monuments to the beginnings of public education in New Mexico, dotting the rural landscape in our vast state.
They are all shapes and sizes. And while some have found new life as museums or community centers, many others are crumbling.

The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces has created an exhibit that pays tribute to many of these historic structures.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Dona Ana County Sheriff's Investigators have identified the body of a person found deceased under a tree at the intersection of O'Hara Road and New Mexico Highway 478, as that of PEDRO GALVAN ORTIZ, age 61, of the 800 block of Quesenberry Street, Las Cruces.

According to ORTIZ wife, he had been visiting with relatives in Anthony at the time of his death.

Cause of death has yet to be determined, but foul play is not suspected.

By KRWG News

El Paso – The New Mexico Department of Health says a 28-year-old man from Lea County has died from swine flu.

Health officials say the man died Sept. 23 after being hospitalized in El Paso, Texas. The man, whose name was not released, did not have any known chronic medical conditions.

So far this year, health officials say there have been nine deaths related to the swine flu in New Mexico.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – More than 100 veterans from southern New Mexico met with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall at the national World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

The group of veterans who served during World War II, Vietnam and the Korean War traveled in matching yellow jackets as part of a free trip organized by a national organization that aims to bring veterans to see the memorial.

Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, thanked the veterans for their service and posed with them for photographs during Wednesday's visit.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The New Mexico Department of Health has some recommendations for people who have flu symptoms.

Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil says the state is seeing widespread flu activity and it's important to follow the department's recommendations.

The department says people with mild symptoms don't need to visit a clinic or emergency room and should stay home until 24 hours after their fever has subsided. Typical, mild flu symptoms include fever, sore throat and cough.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The Bureau of Land Management plans three hearings on a proposed expansion area for a 460-mile, high capacity 500-kilovolt transmission line across New Mexico and Arizona.

The SunZia Southwest transmission project proposed by SunZia Transmission LLC would consist of two parallel lines taking electricity to western markets.

The BLM will oversee an environmental impact statement that will identify environmental impacts and evaluate alternatives for the project. Hearings will help with that work.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – New Mexico U.S. Senator Tom Udall has called for the senate to pass legislation pointing towards energy independence. As KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports Udall joined other senators to discuss the latest clean energy act.