Regional

By KRWG News

Juarez, Mexico – Prosecutors say gunmen killed 13 people in a single day in the violence-plagued Mexican border city if Ciudad Juarez. Two of the dead are police officers.

The Chihuahua state Attorney General's Office issued a news release that says Monday's string of killings may be tied to organized crime, but they have not arrested anyone.

The shootings occurred in eight different locations throughout the city.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – An Alamogordo man has pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the shooting death of his neighbor after an argument a year and a half ago.

District Attorney Diana Martwick says the plea agreement for 52-year-old Timothy Wayne Hardegree was based on a psychological evaluation.

She says he could receive the same sentence as if he pleaded guilty, but the Department of Corrections has to provide mental health treatment for him.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect believed to be responsible for two armed robberies that occurred early in the morning of Dec. 31, 2009.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Las Cruces Police arrested a burglary suspect responsible for Monday evening's break-in at an apartment on Majestic Ridge.

Jared Perez, 20, of the 4700 block of Quail Run Avenue, is charged with one count of burglary of a dwelling. Perez was transported to the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $10,000.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Gov. Bill Richardson is proposing an unspecified $200 million tax increase to shore up state finances and balance next year's budget.

Richardson on Tuesday released budget recommendations to the Legislature for 3 percent cuts in spending in the fiscal year that starts next July. The cuts will save $158 million.

The governor proposed spending more than $5 billion next year on public education and general government programs.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A legislative panel proposes cutting salaries of state workers and educators by 2 percent next year to help balance the budget.

The Legislative Finance Committee on Monday released budget recommendations for spending more than $5 billion on public education and government programs.

The proposals represent a cut of almost 5 percent, or $278 million, from the state and federal money being spent in the current fiscal year.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is being sued over an earlier decision not to add to the federal endangered species list a rare butterfly found only in southern New Mexico.

The lawsuit over the Sacramento Mountains Checkerspot butterfly was filed Monday in federal court by WildEarth Guardians. The action is part of a campaign started last week to persuade the Obama administration to make endangered species a priority.

By KRWG News

Deming – Two hunters have discovered human remains in an arroyo at Rockhound State Park.

The state Office of the Medical Investigator collected an undisclosed number of bones after Thursday's discovery and stored them for later examination.

Luna County Sheriff's Capt. Arturo Baeza says there have been no reports of missing persons in the Deming area. He suggested the bones may have been at the location for some time and could have been the remains of an undocumented immigrant.

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By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Every Monday on Morning Edition at 7:51am, Fred Martino speaks with Las Cruces Sun News Business Editor Brook Stockberger.

By Melissa Aguilera

Las Cruces, NM – Residents of Las Cruces have a few thoughts for the New Year. KRWG's Melissa Aguilera reports.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is renewing more than $7 million in grant funding needed to keep 34 New Mexico homeless assistance programs operating.

The funding is part of nearly $1.4 billion that will help thousands of existing programs nationwide to continue offering housing and services to homeless people and families.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Gov. Bill Richardson will support a temporary tax increase to help balance next year's state budget, but he opposes raising personal income or capital gains taxes and rolling back business tax incentives.

Richardson made the comments in a statement released Saturday to The Associated Press in previewing budget proposals that his administration will release on Tuesday. Richardson said he'd only support a package that automatically expires after the economy recovers.

By KRWG News

Las Cruces – Pecan farmers in southern New Mexico are behind schedule when it comes to harvesting this year's crop, and Mother Nature is to blame.

Wet weather had muddied fields, keeping the heavy, nut harvesting machinery from moving through orchards.

Don Archer farms about 150 acres of pecans in the Hatch area. He has finished about half of his harvesting, but he acknowledges the weather has cost him about three weeks of work.

By KRWG News

Anthony, NM – Residents are ready to cast their votes on Tuesday to settle the question of whether Anthony will become an official city, complete with a governing council and a clerk.

Anthony is divided over the matter, but some residents believe the community's best hope at solving its problems lies in the outcome of the election.

Proponents contend the community has languished over the years under the jurisdiction of Dona Ana County government and that forming a city will give residents direct control over their fate.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – For the second time in three years, New Mexico's float entry in the Tournament of Roses Parade in California has won the coveted Grand Marshal's Trophy.

The trophy is given for excellence in creative concept and design and is one of the top three awards given each year.

New Mexico's "Enchantment is in the Air" float featured the state's picturesque landscapes depicted in animation art form in more than 50,000 roses.