Regional

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico public safety officials will coordinate an increased law enforcement presence along the state's border with Mexico while police in Arizona investigate the shooting death of a rancher in the remote region.

Gov. Bill Richardson's office said the New Mexico State Police and county sheriff's departments have increased patrols along the border, and the U.S. Border Patrol has also boosted its presence.

By KRWG News

Texas – The Texas Department of Public Safety director says drug-related violence along the Mexico border is much worse than the drug wars in Colombia 20 years ago.

Members of the state House Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness told DPS Director Steve McCraw to recommend an action plan for Texas lawmakers to consider when they meet next year.

McCraw said Tuesday that drug cartels use gangs to operate as hit squads along both sides of the border.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces police say they have arrested a woman allegedly involved in a robbery at a Wells Fargo Bank branch last summer.

Police say 23-year-old Kimberly Gonzales was taken into custody on a warrant Monday evening. She is being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center and is facing one federal count of bank robbery.

Police say its Gang Task Force identified Gonzales as the primary suspect in the June 20 robbery.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Law enforcement officers from throughout Dona Ana County will become food servers for a good cause this Friday. KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – New Mexico State University Regents could make a big decision tomorrow (Thursday).
As KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports they're meeting to decide on a tuition hike.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Richard Scott Zikmanis now faces an open count of murder after his sister, Denise Zikmanis, died Monday afternoon at University Medical Center of El Paso.

Richard Scott Zikmanis, 40, of the 3700 block of Agate Street in Las Cruces, was originally charged with one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. With his sister's death, he now is charged with an open count of murder.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will review the status of more than a dozen Southwestern plants and animals that are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.

The agency said Monday it is doing a five-year status review on the species to ensure their classification as threatened or endangered is accurate. The review will result in a recommendation, and any changes must undergo a full rulemaking process.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Authorities say a former Fort Bliss soldier is facing charges after a weekend drive-by shooting that damaged two cars in a military-run neighborhood just outside the gates of the Army post.

FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said Monday that 20-year-old Christopher Stafford Peaden of El Paso was arrested Saturday after allegedly firing at a house and hitting two cars. No one was injured.

By KRWG News

Juarez – Chihuahua state police say soldiers have arrested a suspect in the killings of three people linked to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez.

Police spokesman Enrique Torres says the Mexican army arrested the suspect on Friday.

Consulate employee Lesley A. Enriquez and her husband, Arthur H. Redelfs, were killed March 13 when gunmen attacked their car after they left a birthday party. The husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate was killed in a separate attack.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Fred Martino speaks with Joe Campos, Democratic Candidate For Lt. Governor. The primary election takes place on Tuesday, June 1.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Fred Martino speaks with Doug Turner, GOP Candidate For Governor. The primary election takes place Tuesday, June 1.

By Vanessa Dabovich

Las Cruces, NM – Researchers at New Mexico State University are studying ways to get rid of a harmful weed in the area. KRWG's Vanessa Dabovich reports...

By KRWG News

New Mexico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Friday stopped a New Mexico police officer at the San Ysidro port of entry when he attempted to enter the United States with an illegal alien.

At about 10 a.m. March 26, Ronald Lewis Haley, a 41-year old U.S. citizen and member of the Bosque Farms Police Department near Albuquerque, New Mexico, drove up to the San Ysidro port of entry in a Chevy Tahoe with New Mexico plates. He was driving with a female passenger.

By KRWG News

Lordsburg – Border Patrol agents encountered "booby traps" in southern New Mexico and foiled 14 attempts to smuggle approximately 2,900 pounds of narcotics in separate seizures.

The busy weekend was ominous as Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Lordsburg Station made 10 different seizures, including the significant seizure of 477 pounds of marijuana. Agents in Lordsburg utilized the latest enforcement technology to watch a group of drug smugglers as they walked north near Rodeo, NM.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, along with Representative Harry Teague, today pressed the Department of Homeland Security to step-up the Border Patrol's presence in New Mexico's boot heel. The area is about 10 miles from an Arizona ranch where a rancher was killed over the weekend.