Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Three wildfires are currently being reported on across the state. The Brown Fire is a grass fire southeast of Socorro that has burned an estimated 175 acres, most of which has been on private land. The Moon Mountain Fire near Ruidoso is reportedly 60% contained and resources will be released over the next few days. Unless there are significant changes in fire behavior, this will be the final notification on the Brown Fire southeast of Socorro and the Moon Mountain Fire near Ruidoso. The Dump Fire near Santa Clara was contained last night. Approximately 13 acres of grassland burned. This is the final notification for the Dump Fire that burned 500 yards east of old Fort Bayard.
The Literacy Link Leamos Let’s Read project annually gives nine to twelve new, age-appropriate books to over 2,100 children in the nine elementary schools in Grant County. During the 2014-15 school year, LLL gave a total of 23,609 books to elementary school children. Let’s Read books are grants from First Book National Book Bank, a non-profit charitable organization that receives donated books from more than 90 publishing partners. Over the past fourteen years, First Book has granted Let’s Read a total of 209,723 books. The retail cost of these books is well over $2 million.
New Mexico State University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in the College of Health and Social Services has been recognized as one of the top 100 programs in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools 2017. The DNP program, which is tied for 92, offers four specialties – psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontological nurse practitioner and community/public health nurse practitioner.
A new fishing season begins April 1 in New Mexico and anglers are reminded to buy a new license before venturing out to their favorite waters.
Senator Howie Morales recently called on the New Mexico Attorney General to clarify whether parents legally may opt out their children from taking the controversial state-wide PARCC exam. A growing number of parents have expressed concern about the intensity and amount of standardized testing-taking required of students in New Mexico’s public schools. Sen. Morales sent a letter to Attorney General Hector Balderas requesting a formal legal opinion on the question before the PARCC exam is administered, starting shortly.
