Regional

By KRWG News

Santa Fe – The nonprofit group charged with organizing and promoting Santa Fe's 400th anniversary celebration is laying off its executive director and canceling a public relations and fundraising contract as revenue falls short.

The changes were approved this week by the Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Inc. board. Two full-time staff members were also laid off.

Board president Maurice Bonal says the group couldn't attract the funding for the 2010 commemoration that it needed.

By KRWG News

Grants – Sheriff's officials in Cibola County says two men are dead and one other in custody after a shooting south of Grants.

Sheriff Johnny Valdez says a land dispute may have led to the deaths of Sony Jim and Wayne Johnson. Deputies found them lying next to a pickup truck in the San Rafael area late Friday afternoon. Both men were in their 70s.

Valdez says a suspect was arrested and deputies were interviewing a witness.

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Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com

By KRWG News

Austin – Death penalty opponents, convinced an innocent man was executed in 2004, are rallying at the Texas Capitol to call for a moratorium on capital punishment and to highlight the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham.

Willingham was convicted of capital murder for the 1991 deaths of his three children. Forensic scientists have called into question arson evidence used to convict Willingham, who maintained his innocence until his death by lethal injection.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico spaceport officials will begin offering paid public tours of the construction site north of Las Cruces. The so-called "hard-hat tours" will begin in December.

The tours at Spaceport America will highlight New Mexico history in the Upham area, spanning from Spanish conquistadors and pioneer rocket research to the new commercial space industry.

Tour participants get a look at the construction site, including the runway and vertical launch facility.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Lt. Governor Diane Denish has established of a government efficiency hot line.

Callers can leave a message suggesting ways to improve New Mexico government. It's not necessary to leave a name and phone number unless you'd like your call returned.

Denish says in the service industry, the best ideas often come from customers.

She says the same is true in state government, and taxpayers can offer insights into ways to make New Mexico agencies run better because they interact with state employees every day.

By KRWG News

Texas – Fifty years after the Legislature passed the Open Beaches Act, Texans will get a chance to enshrine public access to the coast in the state constitution.

Voters will consider Proposition 9 in the Nov. 3 constitutional amendment election.

Supporters say the plan would help protect beach access from the threat of lawsuits and legislative meddling.

Opponents fear the amendment could erode private property rights along the Texas coast.

Early voting ends Oct. 30.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Gov. Bill Richardson has criticized the deficit reduction package New Mexico lawmakers sent him Friday to repair a $650 million shortfall in the budget.

The governor says the cuts to state agencies are excessive and could result in layoffs and reduced services.

He said he will get input from the public and state workers in deciding whether to veto any part of it.

Lawmakers approved the deficit reduction plan before they ended their seven-day special legislative session.

By KRWG News

Alamogordo – The Holloman Air Force Base Open House and Airshow takes place Saturday from 9:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is free. Fred Martino spoke with Lt.Col. John Klatt, one of the aerobatic pilots in the event, who just returned from his third mission in Iraq.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico's unemployment rate climbed to 7.7 percent in September, up from 7.4 percent in August and 4.4 percent in September 2008.

The national unemployment rate in September was 9.8 percent.

The state Department of Workforce Solutions said New Mexico has lost 30,900 jobs this year. Every state has reported declining employment.

The agency said New Mexico's job growth is at a 65-year low.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – A former investment officer for a state educational pension fund says a politically connected Santa Fe broker and his father are dodging a whistleblower lawsuit alleging improper political pressures on investment decisions.

Marc Correra, and his father, Anthony Correra, are defendants in a lawsuit brought by Frank Foy earlier this year seeking to recover money on behalf of the state for losses on pension fund investments.

By KRWG News

El Paso – Supporters of a Mexican human rights investigator recently released from federal immigration custody want Congress to look into what led to his arrest on the Texas border.

Carlos Spector, a lawyer for Chihuahua state human rights investigator Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson, said at a Thursday news conference in El Paso that he wants to know who decided de la Rosa should be detained and why.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – New Mexico health officials say a calf from Socorro County and a Grant County fox have tested positive for rabies.

The state Health Department is encouraging pet and livestock owners to vaccinate their animals to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Public health veterinarian Paul Ettestad says the confirmation of rabies in a calf shows the disease can spread into other animal species and be a threat to people, their pets and livestock.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Low-income households in New Mexico will be getting help with their heating bills this winter thanks to $15 million in grants from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the funds Thursday.

Sebelius says that by releasing the funds now, the government can provide the needed assistance to those in New Mexico who otherwise might not be able to afford heat this winter.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – Lawmakers in recession-wracked New Mexico who are trying to wrap up a special legislative session gave final approval to several deficit reduction bills and moved closer to deciding how much to cut schools and state agencies.

They're trying to fill a $650 million hole in this year's $5.5 billion state budget.

The House late Thursday voted 37-31 for a bill that cuts $257 million from state agencies and public schools and colleges. The cuts ranged from 2 percent to 7.6 percent.

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that recognizes former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall for his contributions as secretary and for advancing the work of the Morris K. Udall Foundation.

The measure, introduced by New Mexico Democrat Sen. Jeff Bingaman, now heads to the White House for signature.

Bingaman says New Mexicans know the important role Stewart Udall has played to protect the environment and public land.

Udall, a former Arizona Congressman, lives in Santa Fe and will turn 90 in the coming year.