Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Winners for the 26th annual Lighted Christmas Parade in Silver City were recently announced. Winners include the High Desert Humane Society in the Civic/Non-Profit Division, with the Church of the Good Shepard and the Model Railroad Museum tying for second; U.S. Forest Service-Gila National Forest in the Commercial Division with another tie for second being awarded to Wells Fargo Bank and the Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery; and El Grito Head Start in the Schools Division with second and third places going to Guadalupe Montessori School and Aldo Leopold Charter School. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Lighted Christmas Parade.
The Deming MainStreet Program has joined in a nationwide effort to help the homeless stay warm just in time for winter. Communities around the country have begun tying scarves and jackets to light posts and trees to make them available for anyone who may need an extra layer during the cold nights. Donations of old and new jackets and scarves are being accepted at the Luna County Chamber of Commerce during regular business hours, and volunteers will tie the clothing to posts once received.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently announced 18 grants nationwide totaling more than $6.7 million for research to discover how components of the agroecosystem from soil, water and sun to plants, animals and people, interact with and affect food production. New Mexico State University received a grant for over $145,000.
U.S. Senator Tom Udall welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of the first 10 chemicals that the agency will review for possible risks to public health and the environment, as required under Udall’s Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The EPA must now complete risk evaluations for the 10 chemicals within three years, and if a chemical is determined to pose a public health or environmental risk, the EPA must take action to mitigate the risk within two years. The first 10 chemicals to be evaluated are 1,4-Dioxane, 1-Bromopropane, Asbestos, Carbon Tetrachloride, Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD), Methylene Chloride (MC), N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), Pigment Violet 29, Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene or perc), and Tricholorethylene (TCE). In the near future, the EPA will designate additional chemicals for safety evaluation.
