Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Over the past week, 26 fires have been reported to the Silver City Interagency Dispatch Center. According to fire officials even without areas receiving any appreciable rain the dew point and relative humidity increased to the point that new fires had moderate fire behavior, and in some cases burned themselves out. All fires were ground fires staying below the forest canopy. An aerial reconnaissance flight observed only 4 fires putting up any noticeable smoke. The Burnt Fire near Sheep Mountain burned approximately 20 acres, the Miller Fire 9 miles north of Luna burned approximately 900 acres, and the Maple Fire 14 miles northwest of Glenwood is burning within the Blue Range Primitive Area in Arizona with smoke visible from the Gila National Forest. Statewide, the Blue Hill Fire has been 100% contained and the Turkey Fire has reduced fire activity so there will be no further notifications on these two fires. The Dog Head Fire outside of Albuquerque is 90% contained, and the North Fire in the Cibola National Forest is 69% contained.
In sports news, the WNMU men’s tennis team took home the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Brechler Award for the top team grade point average in their sport in the conference. The Mustangs posted a 3.60 GPA to earn the honor. WNMU recently ended their final season in the RMAC by taking home both the regular season and tournament titles for the seventh straight season.
The Travel Management Rule will go into effect across four districts of the Gila National Forest on July 1st, 2016. The Travel Management Rule is mandated across all national forests and prohibits motor vehicle use off designated routes and roads. The four districts where the Travel Management Rule will begin are Quemado, Reserve, Wilderness, and Black Range Districts. The Rule will not occur on the Glenwood and Silver City Ranger Districts in 2016, as these districts are working to complete resource surveys and obtain concurrence from the State Historic Preservation Office. The motor vehicle use map will be available at Gila National Forest offices.
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission last Wednesday approved a final order authorizing the acquisition proposed by Emera Inc. to acquire TECO Energy and the indirect acquisition of New Mexico Gas Company. The acquisition will reportedly allow New Mexico Gas Company to focus on expansion plans for the transmission and storage side of its business. The deal is expected to close on or around July 1st.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its final opinion in Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt. The 5-3 ruling strikes down a Texas abortion access law that would have ensured greater protection for women’s health and emergency care. The original law required a physician performing an abortion to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the location where the abortion is performed and requires the abortion center to comply with the State’s requirements for outpatient surgical centers. The US Court of Appeals upheld the law, but the Supreme Court yesterday ruled the regulations are medically unnecessary and constitutes an ‘undue burden’ on a woman’s right to seek an abortion.
