Here’s a look at some local news:
Last Saturday, the American Legion Allingham-Golding Post 18 in Silver City, hosted a ceremony to present a Congressional Gold Medal to the nephew of Jeff Arreus “Jay” Wysong, who died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp after surviving the Bataan Death March. The presentation and ceremony occurred 77 years to the day of Wysong’s death on June 22nd, 1942. Major General Kenneth A. Nava, the adjutant general of the New Mexico National Guard made remarks and presented the medal to Jay Wysong, the honoree’s nephew.
The Gila National Forest U.S Forest Service has released information that the first phase of environmental cleanup of the Royal John Mine and Mill is expected to be completed in late July. According to the release, “Past lead and zinc mining activities left an estimated 90,000 cubic yards of tailings and waste rock material along the upper reaches of Cold Springs Creek.” The USDA Forest Service is performing the first phase of a two-part environmental cleanup to remove waste with elevated levels of lead.
According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in May 2019, unchanged from April 2019 and up from 4.8 percent in the previous year. The national unemployment rate in May was 3.6 percent, unchanged from April 2019 and down from 3.8 percent in May 2018. The New Mexico labor force unemployment estimates for preliminary May 2019 for local counties are as follows: Catron County at 5.2% falling 1% from April; Grant County at 4.2% rising 1% from April; Hidalgo County at 3.4% remaining the same from April; and Luna County at 10.9% falling below the April rate of 13.71%.
During the June 13th meeting of the Grant County Commission, Sergeant Manny Maldonado, of the Grant County Sheriff’s Department was honored in a ceremony led by Commissioner Alicia Edwards, for his heroic efforts in saving a women’s life in Las Cruces. Sergeant Maldonado was off duty at the time of the incident and officially received a commendation to recognize his valiant efforts.
