Here’s a look at today’s headlines:

Area children attending Growing Tree, a program of the Early Childhood Programs at Western New Mexico University, will soon benefit from a grant awarded by the Brindle Foundation.  The $15,000 grant will support the Growing Tree program, a 5 star, nationally accredited infant and toddler program, located at Silver Opportunity High School. Growing Tree serves children of teen parents as they pursue continued educational opportunities at both the Silver High School and at WNMU.

After 28 years with the U.S. Forest Service – nine and a half of those serving as the Black Range District Ranger – Larry Cosper said farewell to the agency and hello to more time with his family when he retired Dec. 31, 2015. He started with the Forest Service on the Black Range as a seasonal employee. His first permanent job was Timber Biologist on the Mt. Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. Besides his stint as District Ranger, Cosper held a regional position and other jobs such as District Wildlife Staff, Forest Biologist, and Resources Staff during his career.

Gila National Forest offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and will resume regular business hours Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 8:00 a.m.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation with Interstate Highway Construction will be holding a public involvement meeting to discuss the NM 90 Hudson Street Bridge Reconstruction Project from 6 to 7:30 pm on January 20th at the Grant County Administration Building.  The NMDOT and the contractor will provide detailed information regarding the project specifications, and will answer questions regarding the timeline of the project.  The public is encouraged to attend in order to address any concerns they may have as it relates to this project.

Influenza continues to be a major cause of illness and death in New Mexico because the influenza virus changes from year to year. For this reason, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has created a strong system for tracking influenza across the state in order to detect changes in the disease as they occur. The influenza surveillance system in New Mexico involves partners across the state in clinics, hospitals, laboratories, at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and within NMDOH.