Here’s a look at today’s news:

The Grant County Commission approved a general obligation bond that will be placed on the November general election ballot. The bond will raise $8 million for various county road improvements and county buildings and facilities. Some of the possible projects include: work on the Gila Community Center; a new well at the Grant County Fairgrounds; a new roof for the Grant County Courthouse; various county road improvements; and some planned solar projects. If the bond is approved by voters, residents will not see a raise on their tax bill.

Lordsburg and Hidalgo County officials will be applying for a racino license from the New Mexico Racing Commission. The current proposal identifies plans to build a racetrack in addition to a state of the art rodeo facility, hotel, waterpark and a 600- machine casino. This will be the third time that the group has applied for the license. A decision by the NMRC is expected by the end of this year.

A graduate of Western New Mexico University’s Elementary Education program, Laurie Ware, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and traveled to Central Asia this summer with other professors and secondary teachers from New Mexico and Arizona. Ware has been researching that Navajo people may have originated from a mountain region in Mongolia and that many native people look similar to the Navajo people. Her plan is to have her students write narratives based on these comparisons. The Fulbright program was established in 1946 under legislation presented by Senator William J. Fulbright of Arkansas. Approximately 1,600 U.S. students are awarded grants annually from the Fulbright Program that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.