Regional

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Due to the dedication ceremony for the new federal building in Las Cruces on Friday, July 9th, the outside lane of Church Street from Amador Avenue to Las Cruces Avenue will be closed to traffic. The inside lane will remain open.

Also, Griggs Avenue from Main Street to Church Street will be closed to traffic.

The closures will be in effect from 3 to 8 p.m.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Mexican authorities say a suspect is in custody in the June 30 killing of a top prosecutor for the northern state of Chihuahua.

Prosecutor Sandra Salas had been responsible for evaluating the work of public prosecutors and special investigatory units in Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – People with active arrest warrants against them are being given a chance to surrender to law enforcement officers in southern New Mexico.

Las Cruces police are participating in the New Mexico Fugitive Safe Surrender program, which will let fugitives surrender at the city's Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral between July 28 and July 31.

Anyone with an active warrant can surrender at the church from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. any of those days.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexicans from across the state can now tune into live audio streaming of proceedings of the Legislature's interim committees.

The Legislative Council voted last week to begin webcasting audio from the interim committee meetings. With this year's meetings being held in Santa Fe, the meeting rooms were already wired and ready to go for webcasting to begin in July.

A link for the webcasts is available at the Legislature's Web site.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – DWI arrests over the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend increased slightly from 2009 while the police and fire departments kept busy responding to several fireworks-related calls.

This past holiday weekend, from Friday through Monday, the Las Cruces police arrested seven motorists on charges of driving while intoxicated. In 2009, LCPD recorded six such arrests over the same four day period surrounding July 4.

Independence Day was on a Sunday this year and on a Saturday in 2009.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A former Qwest accountant is seeking sanctions against the Securities and Exchange Commission for a civil lawsuit it filed against him, former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio and others.

The pending lawsuit alleges James Kozlowski and others misrepresented Qwest's revenues between 1999 and 2002. Kozlowski argues he was a mid-level accountant who isn't to blame.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Bacteria, electric fish and cancer may not sound like they have a lot in common, but students in the New Mexico State University Minority Access to Research Careers program may one day change the biomedical field through their research in these areas.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Famed film historian, writer, actor, producer and director Peter Bogdanovich will join the growing list of special guests at this year's Plaza Classic Film Festival, event organizers announced today. The Plaza Classic, now in its 3rd year, premiers August 5, 2010 in El Paso and will run through August 15, 2010 at the Plaza Theatre. The event is sponsored by the El Paso Community Foundation.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Some $1 million in federal stimulus money has been released to support early childhood programs across New Mexico.

Some $234,000 will go to programs for homeless children and their families, while $766,000 will be spent on home visiting services for infants and their families.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – An organization in Truth or Consequences has received a rural development grant.

Bountiful Alliance is receiving $98,942 to establish a commercial kitchen to prepare products for sale locally and regionally.

A second New Mexico organization, Tierra del Sol Housing Corp. in Anthony, has been awarded a $138,058 grant to provide technical assistance and revolving loan funds to small businesses.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The Department of Veterans Affairs says more female veterans in New Mexico are taking advantage of a program designed to provide primary health care for women within the VA's system.

The VA says it offers a full range of services through the Women's Comprehensive Care Clinic at the VA hospital in Albuquerque and care at 11 clinics across the state.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A developer has put plans for a 60-unit affordable housing project in Las Cruces on hold.

The developers, Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico, notified officials in the southern New Mexico city that they were unable to secure money needed to build the $6.5 million project.

City neighborhood development coordinator David Dollahon says the partnership did not receive federal low income housing tax credits this year for the proposed project.

He says the partnership intends to pursue the funding next year.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico counties will share in more than $32 million in payment-in-lieu of taxes funds, which compensate them for federal lands such as national parks and military bases that local governments cannot tax.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman who announced the funding says it's an extremely important revenue source, especially in these difficult economic times.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – State agencies are inspecting boats at major New Mexico lakes over the Fourth of July holiday, looking for invasive mussels.

State Department of Game and Fish and State Parks Division officials are conducting mandatory inspections, while the Army Corps of Engineers is doing courtesy boat inspections.

Members of the public are advised to arrive at the boat ramp with a clean, dry boat and be ready to answer questions about where they were boating most recently.

By KRWG News

Texas – The Texas Supreme Court will let the Green Party put its candidates on the November statewide ballot for now.

In a ruling issued Friday, the court still wants to consider arguments by state Democrats that the Green Party took improper corporate contributions to fund their petition drive, but the Green Party lawyer says the ruling lets the party file its four statewide candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller and railroad commission with the secretary of state.

Friday was the deadline for the filing.