Here’s a look at today’s news:
The Luna County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating April Marie Elizondo. April Marie Elizondo is a sixteen-year-old Hispanic female, 5’1” inches tall, weighing 100 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair that is dyed black and red. She was last seen on February 1, 2019 wearing black Adidas sweat pants with a white stripe, white shirt and black shoes. She was last seen on the 4200 block of 8th Street SW in Deming, NM. She is possibly traveling to an unknown location in El Paso, TX or Juarez, Mexico. It is unknown who she might be with, but she is known to associate with members of criminal activity organizations. For information on this Missing Endangered Advisory please contact the Luna County Sheriff’s Office at (575) 546-2655.
Local Congressional District 2 Representative, Xochitl Torres Small, has been appointed to the House Committee in Homeland Security and in addition will serve a chair of the subcommittee on oversight, accountability and management. During a recent trip to the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in Hidalgo County, Representative Torres Small noted issues that included: shortage of EMT’s; insufficient Board Patrol staffing and retention; and the need for grants to assist local law enforcement. Torres Small has held community meetings in Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties.
The Reserve Ranger District is planning two prescribed burns that include 6,000 acres near Collins Park the surrounding area. Collins Park is located on the Reserve Ranger District within the Gila National Forest, approximately 25 miles east of Apache Creek following Forest Road 94 to the junction of Forest Road 28. The prescribed burns are tentatively scheduled for this spring March or April as desired weather and fire conditions permit. The project should be completed within an eight to ten-day period. A small portion of the Continental Divide Trail is also within the burn unit and will be impacted, approximately three miles of the CDT trail. Hikers will be re-routed along nearby adjacent roads using personnel on each end and posting signs throughout. The prescribed burns are a wildlife and fuels reduction treatment project to help prevent future catastrophic wildfires and improve wildlife habitat.
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Troop #54370 have been working on “Financial Literacy” badges that had them counting and managing money. In addition, the girls practiced being a savvy shopper by using coupons, and the older scouts mentored younger girls with a group project, planning a meal for their families using the sale papers to see what they might pay for a meal. At the end of the meeting girls were all given new t-shirts provided with funding from PNM’s Innovation Grant.
