Here’s a look at today’s headlines:

In June and July 2015, excavations were conducted at Elk Ridge, a Mimbres pueblo of over 200 rooms located on the Wilderness Ranger District of the Gila National Forest.  Elk Ridge Pueblo is located along an arroyo. During the current excavations, three rooms which were eroding into the arroyo were exposed.  These rooms had been disturbed by flooding and were in danger of being completely destroyed during future flood events.  The rooms that were excavated showed clear indications of remodeling through time.  Researchers hope that data collected will help build a better understanding of how people lived 1,000 years ago.

Cobre school board held its meeting at the District Office on August 11, shortly after 7:00 p. m. Board president Toy Sepulveda said the closed session had started at 6:00 and they had discussed limited personnel and student identifiable information, but no decisions had been made. The other members attending were Frank Gomez, Robert Montoya and Frank Cordova. Frances Kelly was absent.  Superintendent Robert Montoya informed the board of a number of student fundraisers in progress in his Superintendent’s Report.

For more than 20 years, Faye McCalmont has been a mover and shaker for the arts and culture scene in New Mexico, and now she plans to bring her successful track record to Western New Mexico University.  McCalmont is the new Assistant to the President for Cultural Affairs, a position dedicated to raising the education and awareness among the university community for art and entertainment. WNMU President Joseph Shepard created the position in an effort to bring culture to the forefront at a time that many institutions are downgrading or eliminating such programs.

Chile growers in New Mexico say they need a guest worker program to survive and reverse the decline of the famed crop. New Mexico Chile Commission chairman Rick Ledbetter says growers want new temporary immigrant labor because U.S.-born workers are opting not to work in the fields. That’s creating a shortage of green chile pickers

In the last 15 years Every state in the country has seen a decline in the middle class. That’s according to a Pew Charitable trust study based on Census Bureau. New Mexico and a number of other states saw about a five percent decline in middle class households. Only Wisconsin did worse with a decline of about six percent.