Here’s a look at some local news:
Officials from Deming and Luna County announced yesterday that nearly 700 persons, mostly from Central America, are currently housed in Deming awaiting transportation to host families across the U.S. The individuals have been processed, granted temporary asylum, and are staying in temporary shelters located at the Southwestern New Mexico State Fairgrounds and a hangar at the Deming airport.
Cliff Schools has been chosen along with eleven other schools in the state to receive a year-round garden kit awarded by the New Mexico Natural Resource Conservation Service and New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom. The kits, awarded through a “New Mexico Grow Project” grant, supply all the necessary components of creating a garden. The school will receive a 4X8 cedar raised bed garden that includes everything from soil, seeds, and a tool shed, to hoop house attachments and an irrigation system. The grant also includes a classroom hydroponic system that allows for unique opportunities to explore the science of growing plants without soil.
Tu Casa, a federally qualified facility assisting patients with behavioral health issues and operated by Hidalgo Medical Services, has received its license to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tu Casa will be providing on demand services for Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, and Catron counties in addition to helping inmates at the Grant County Detention Center. Some of the services provided to patients include 24/7 social detox and assisted withdrawal from physically addicting substances.
The Grant County Commission voted to join a 15-year solar power agreement with PNM by approving a notice of intent to purchase renewable solar energy from Rio Arriba County. The measure has been discussed to be a cost saving action for the county. Other locations that have approved a notice of intent to join the project include: Silver City, Deming, Deming Public Schools, and Western New Mexico University. The Rio Arriba renewable solar facility is set to be online in March 2021.
