Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Deming Police received information Friday morning that Robert Tafoya had turned himself in to the U.S. Marshals Service in Las Cruces, without incident. Tafoya, 23, who was wanted on an open count of murder and felon in possession of a firearm, is now in custody. Tafoya is wanted in relation to the death of Richard Perez, 37 of Deming, who died from a fatal gunshot wound at Mimbres Memorial Hospital on July 5th.
Today, as the Senate debates reform of the nation`s controversial No Child Left Behind education law, U.S. Senator Tom Udall highlighted the impact the Senate`s bill — called the Every Child Achieves Act — could have on New Mexico students. In a speech on the Senate floor, Udall urged the Senate to improve the law and ensure it supports New Mexico students and teachers, as well as all students across the country who deserve a fair shot at success. Udall has already worked to include several provisions in the bill, and he highlighted the critical need to provide support and resources for early education, Native American schools, health and STEM education, teen parents and teachers.
Today, Governor Susana Martinez announced that ARCA Space Corporation will build a testing and manufacturing facility at the Las Cruces Airport, creating 100 high-paying jobs over three years with an average annual salary of $52,000. The aerospace company, which originally started in Romania and located its headquarters to Las Cruces in 2014, will produce electric-powered unmanned aerial systems. The Governor also discussed the recent ranking by the U.S. Department of Commerce that shows Las Cruces as the No. 1 metro in the country for export growth.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced S. 1723, the Promoting Renewable Energy with Shared Solar (PRESS) Act, a bill to boost access to renewable energy through community solar projects. “This bill is a great opportunity to put solar energy within the reach of more families in New Mexico and around the country,” said Sen. Heinrich. “Shared solar projects have the potential to allow more Americans who lack sunny roof space or startup capital to truly benefit from solar energy and take personal ownership over their own energy use and carbon footprint. My legislation would require states to look at adopting new standards that allow community solar projects to be connected to the grid and allow electricity produced by shared solar facilities to be credited to consumers, offsetting their electricity bills. Promoting cleaner sources of renewable energy helps families save money, diversifies our economy, and creates high quality jobs at the same time.”
