The Hurley Town Council approved resolutions to seek funding from the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and Water Trust Board to cover the remaining 40 percent of design costs for the Grant County Regional Water Project. The project aims to improve long-term water reliability through regional infrastructure connecting Mining District communities, including future connections involving Hurley, Bayard and Santa Clara. Funding is being sought through the New Mexico Unit Fund, which has about $138 million available for water projects in Grant, Catron, Hidalgo and Luna counties.
Concerns over groundwater use near the southern New Mexico border continue to draw attention in Luna County after U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered contractors working on border wall construction to halt new well drilling. State officials identified several wells that were reportedly drilled without required state authorization, while area ranchers raised questions about the potential impact of high-volume groundwater pumping on existing water supplies. Federal officials plan to work with New Mexico and agricultural officials on a groundwater strategy.
Deming Public Schools is expanding free after-school opportunities for students from kindergarten through 12th grade through programs supported by New Mexico State University and 21st Century funding. Activities are offered Monday through Thursday and include STEM, stop-motion animation, literacy, sports, music, Folklórico, carpentry and driver’s education, with five programs already underway and additional offerings planned.
Last in our news: The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that it will not move forward with the proposed Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor or two other potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors. The Southwestern proposal advanced to additional federal review in December 2024 and included portions of Colorado, New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle. It was a geographic designation under consideration—not approval of a specific transmission line or final route. DOE had said the designation could support grid reliability, reduce transmission congestion and improve connections between the Eastern and Western electric systems, while making certain federal financing and siting tools available. Ranchers, landowners and agricultural organizations raised concerns about private property, the potential use of eminent domain and effects on agricultural operations. DOE said public feedback and stakeholder input informed its decision. The announcement ends consideration of this corridor designation, but does not by itself cancel separate transmission projects proposed or under development in the region.
