Regional

By KRWG News

Shiprock, NM – The Navajo Nation's first treatment center for people with behavioral health issues is set to open to patients this spring.

The plan for the 72-bed Navajo Department of Behavioral Health Services was set in motion years ago; the building was dedicated on Tuesday and will admit the first 14 male patients by April.

Alvin Warren, cabinet secretary of the state Department of Indian Affairs, says the center could not be opening at a better time.

By KRWG News

Chaparral – New Mexico authorities are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a Chaparral man as he walked down the street.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department said Saturday that 36-year-old Abdel Rivera-Torres was hit at about 1:30 a.m. at a high rate of speed while he was walking in the middle of a roadway in Chaparral, about 30 miles south of Las Cruces.

Rivera died instantly of massive injuries.

The vehicle fled, and witnesses called 911.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The thought of reinstating the food tax in New Mexico is not winning any popularity contests.

The tax was tossed in 2004. The state said bringing it back could raise up to $228 million in badly needed revenue.

Those opposed to a sales tax on food say it would burden a family of four with an average $250 more in grocery expenses annually.

Think New Mexico think tank Executive Director Fred Nathan said a food tax disproportionately hurts working, low- and middle-income families.

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – A west Texas high school student and his mother are dead after being violently beaten in Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso.

State police officials in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Thursday confirmed the deaths of 17-year-old Juan Ramon Gonzalez Rivera and his mother, 40-year-old Marisela Rivera Venzor.

Officials say Juan Ramon Gonzalez Rivera is from Canutillo, Texas, a small town near the New Mexico border. He arrived in Juarez on Tuesday to spend the holidays with his mother.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs has distributed the first installment of a three-year, $1.6 million grant to the New Mexico Veterans' Integration Center.

The center currently is leasing 31 rooms in an Albuquerque hotel and will use the funds to expand to a planned 50-room capacity.

State Veterans' Services Secretary John Garcia calls the grant a Christmas gift for veterans in need.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico's student assessment program has earned full approval from the U.S. Department of Education.

State education officials say New Mexico was one of only 23 states to receive approval in all content areas.

The assessments measure students' knowledge of the standards that educators, local business leaders and the public determined are important for success in college, career and life.

By Melissa Aguilera

Las Cruces, NM – Senator Tom Udall is standing behind efforts to pass health reform. KRWG's Melissa Aguilera reports.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The New Mexico Health Department says three more people have died from swine flu, bringing the statewide total this year to 50 deaths.

The latest deaths include a 34-year-old woman from San Juan County and a 56-year-old man and 28-year-old man, both from Bernalillo County. All three had had chronic medical conditions that put them at higher risk for flu complications.

By KRWG News

Texas – Texas is the nation's fastest-growing state by the numbers with a population of about 24.8 million.

New Census Bureau figures show California remains the most populous state, with 37 million, followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.

Texas gained more people than any other state between July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2009, adding about 478,000. The Texas increase for the period is comparable to the population of Omaha, Neb.

Census figures show the U.S. population, as of Thursday, topped 308 million.

By KRWG News

Texas – Texas will audit the state's beleaguered food stamp program in an effort to improve accuracy and efficiency in processing applications.

Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs requested the audit in an effort to "fix our system so that it works for everyone."

State Auditor John Keel on Wednesday said the review will include an examination of food stamp operations in other parts of the country in an effort to improve the Texas system.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The Farm Service Agency says it will issue nearly $3 million in payments to dairy farmers in New Mexico.

The payments will be made through the Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Program.

Eligible producers will receive a one-time direct payment based on the amount of milk both produced and commercially marketed by their operation during the months of February through July 2009.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The first of five furlough days for state workers will be Thursday, meaning most state offices will be closed on Christmas Eve.

Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered five furlough days giving state workers time off without pay to try to save the state $8.1 million and address a budget shortfall.

The State Personnel Board last week approved furlough dates. The others will be taken on Jan. 15, March 5, April 2 and May 28, all Fridays.

By KRWG News

Lordsburg – Border Patrol agents and Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies have seized more than a ton of marijuana from a horse trailer.

Lorsdburg-area Border Patrol agents responded to deputies pursuing a truck pulling a horse trailer that tried to elude deputies Saturday by driving off the road and through several fences.

The Border Patrol says the driver ran off on foot once law enforcement officers found the truck in the desert. He was captured less than a quarter of a mile away.

By Melissa Aguilera

Las Cruces, NM – The city of Las Cruces will annex some land in order to gain additional tax revenue. KRWG's Melissa Aguilera reports.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – The parent corporation of First Community Bank is losing its CEO, but gaining a Chairman of the Board from Las Cruces.

First State Bancorporation has announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Michael R. Stanford is resigning effective December 31. Stanford will continue to be available to the company in an advisory capacity throughout 2010.