Regional

By KRWG News

Albuquerque – A Brazilian man has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony after being accused of trying to get driver's licenses for two other men.

KRQE television in Albuquerque reports that state police allege Cristian Sobral was paid $3,000 by two other Brazilian men to fly them to New Mexico from New Jersey.

State police say Sobral was trying to get driver's licenses for the men Friday afternoon at a state Motor Vehicle Division office in Albuquerque, using a city address.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – Police say a 72-year-old Alamogordo woman stabbed her 51-year-old son in the arms and shoulders during a drunken argument.

Department of Public Safety Lt. Gary Smith said Saturday that Ernestine Krzyzyk is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after she stabbed her son Friday night.

He says officers arrived at the woman's home and found her son in the driveway with stab wounds.

The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

Krzyzyk was arrested at the home.

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By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Nearly 100 people from 12 counties became U.S. citizens in Las Cruces on Friday morning.

Accompanied by family and friends, the 97 immigrants took the oath of allegiance to the U.S. before District Judge Robert Brack.

They came from Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran and Germany, among others.

Forty-year-old Lydia Lopez, a school health instructor in Anthony, N.M., says she tried to make things work back in Mexico, but that the violence was too extreme.

By KRWG News

Roswell – A wild hog in southern New Mexico has tested positive for a disease that can infect cattle and wildlife.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a feral hog from Eddy County tested positive for pseudorabies, a viral disease.

According to the USDA, infected cattle and sheep can first show signs of pseudorabies by scratching and biting themselves, and it can cause sudden death in dogs and cats.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The Las Cruces Association of Realtors will donate 24 digital cameras to the City of Las Cruces for use in the City's "Picturing El Paseo" project.

Las Cruces is one of four cities nationwide selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program (SGIA).

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish has given to charity the campaign contributions she received from the former chairman of a New Mexico educational pension fund.

Denish campaign spokesman Chris Cervini (SUR-vee-nee) says $4,100 in contributions from Bruce Malott (MAH-lot) was donated Thursday to a nonprofit that provides scholarships to early childhood educators.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Eastern New Mexico University and the town of Taos will share nearly a quarter of a million dollars in state funds to bolster film and digital media programs.

Gov. Bill Richardson says the funding will help pay for badly needed equipment.

The funding $225,000 is being allocated through the governor's media fund.

Eastern New Mexico University will use the money to expand its digital cinema arts program. Currently, more than 40 students are enrolled in the program.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Federal prosecutors in El Paso have charged 11 people as part of a years-old public corruption case.

All pleaded not guilty and are free on bond after surrendering yesterday in El Paso.

Nine people, including El Paso County District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez, are charged with violations under the federal anti-racketeering law. Also charged with racketeering violations are Francisco Apodaca Jr., former head of now-defunct Access Healthsource Inc., and Access consultant Marc Schwartz.

By KRWG News

Texas – Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips and his wife have been sued over the 2009 death of a teen in a traffic accident.

The wrongful death lawsuit alleges Phillips and his wife, Lyn, let minors drink alcohol at their home.

The Austin American-Statesman reports the suit was filed Tuesday in Bastrop by Cheryl and Bobby King, whose 17-year-old daughter Audrey died in the single-vehicle wreck. They seek unspecified damages.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A bicyclist haphazardly carrying his 2-year-old daughter as he pedaled in and out of traffic lanes has been charged with negligent child abuse.

Peter Leon Rodriguez, 21, was spotted at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, by a Las Cruces Police Department detective who was on-duty and driving north on Mesquite Street.

By KRWG News

Silver City – Western New Mexico University is hosting El Futuro Del Mariachi, a concert celebrating the youth in mariachi on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Two concerts are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center Theatre.

At least five groups and three solo acts are scheduled for the two performances with a special appearance by Mariachi Tierra Bella at the 2:00 p.m. showing.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Several people, including a West Texas mayor and the El Paso County district clerk, have surrendered after being indicted in an ongoing widespread public corruption case.

Socorro Mayor Willie Gandara Sr. and District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez on Thursday morning turned themselves in at the El Paso FBI office.

Federal authorities say several other people, including former El Paso County Judge Luther Jones, also turned themselves.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – A recently resigned Las Cruces judge has been suspended without pay.

The New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission filed an emergency petition Tuesday to temporarily suspend Magistrate Court Judge Joseph Guillory retroactively on Aug. 13.

Guillory has announced his resignation.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The chairman of New Mexico's educational pension fund has resigned after it was disclosed he borrowed $350,000 from a man whose son shared in millions of dollars in finder's fees from the fund's investments.

Bruce Malott's resignation was reported Thursday by the Albuquerque Journal. The newspaper says he stepped down after an interview concerning the loan.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White has released his plan to secure the U.S.-Mexico border with 1,000 new local law enforcement officers and 250 state troopers.

White, speaking to reporters Thursday, says Republican incumbent Rick Perry has been a failure on the issue over his 10 years in office.