Here’s a look at today’s headlines:

Quemado Ranger District fire managers are planning to conduct various prescribed fires beginning in mid-December and continuing through May as weather conditions allow. These projects include both broadcast burning and pile burning.  Pile burns will be conducted at the following locations: Luna Work Center administrative piles; Baca Pit, about 2 miles northeast of Quemado Lake, off FR1; Armijo Springs Campground along FR 4009. This project is approximately 934 acres of machine piles.

The Red Barn Steakhouse and Watering Hole Lounge closed its doors Monday, December 14th after 37 years.  The Red Barn will be open from 10 am to 2 pm tomorrow for a sale of all items: ovens, stoves, tables, chairs, glassware, photos and more.  If you are an employer looking for a good employee, contact Denise Yeilding at 415-310-5890.  The Red Barn wishes everyone Happy Holidays and wishes to thank everyone for years of patronage.

In an effort to celebrate Luna County as a leader in chile production, the county’s Community and Economic Development Department is planning a Salsa Festival slated for July 2016, but help is needed to help lay the groundwork for what will be an international event.  The Salsa Festival will be held Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24 around Luna County Courthouse, 700 S. Silver Avenue. Currently, volunteers are needed to help run various planning committees for the festival. A committee kickoff meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at the office of Border Pest Control, 3100 E. Pine St.

Forest officials are delaying the implementation of the Travel Management Rule (TMR) on the Gila National Forest, originally projected to begin in January 2016.  This will allow officials to complete pre-implementation coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office as well as the workload associated with the signage plan.  Once resource issues are resolved with SHPO and the signage plan completed, the public will be notified and the TMR will be implemented.

Yesterday, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency violated federal law in promoting the agency’s so-called “Waters of the United States” rule (WOTUS). The decision found that the EPA engaged in covert propaganda and grassroots lobbying to support the WOTUS regulations. Congressman Pearce issued the following statement in response: “The American people deserve a federal government that is effective, efficient and accountable and these actions by the EPA threaten the integrity of the government and violate those principles. This report clearly shows this Administration will stop at nothing to expand its power, even if that means breaking the law,” said Pearce. “The GAO’s findings reiterate the Obama Administration’s desire to force politically motivated regulations on the American people, regardless of the devastating impact they may have.”