Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
There will be repaving projects happening at the Grant County Airport from 4 pm on September 26th through October 1st that will impact Boutique Air passengers and Grant County citizens. During the repaving and construction, all flights will be diverted to Deming Municipal Airport during the scheduled week-long project.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern New Mexico stopped three smuggling attempts in Deming and Santa Teresa. In one instance on Thursday, Deming agents were patrolling NM Hwy 9 when they stopped a suspicious truck. The 27 year-old driver, a Mexican National, was arrested, and agents found 210 pounds of marijuana and 20 other people hiding inside the cab and bed of the pickup. Also on Thursday, agents stopped a dark sedan and arrested a 31 year-old Mexican National after finding 156 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the car. At the Santa Teresa Station, agents stopped an SUV containing six illegal occupants and arrested the driver, a U.S. citizen who tried to flee on foot.
The Luna County Skatepark Committee met last week to discuss fundraising events and other opportunities to make repairs to the existing park. During the meeting, members agreed new trash receptacles and repair of the park’s water fountain would be the easiest and most cost-effective fixes. The committee also agreed to begin a rudimentary fundraising campaign by asking businesses to allow donation jars at their counters.
The Luna County Board of Commissioners met Friday in a special session to discuss the certificate of property tax rates as well as to authorize the County Manager to persue litigation against the Public Labor Relations Board. The Board voted unanimously to grant County Manager Ira Pearson the authority to pursue litigation against the Public Labor Regulations Board regarding a union dispute which arose in the county after the Luna County Sheriff’s Office and Luna County Detention Center made a move to unionize.
In sports news, WNMU Senior quarterback Javia Hall earned the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the week honors. Hall threw four touchdowns and ran for two more, accounting for all of the touchdowns scored by WNMU during Saturday’s win against Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Hall also had zero turnovers in the 44-21 victory.
Today, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that nearly two-thirds of New Mexico counties saw a decline in overdose deaths last year. The department released county-by-county data, which shows overdose deaths decreased in 20 of 33 counties. Earlier this year, the Department of Health reported a 9 percent decrease in statewide overdose deaths. Rio Arriba County has the highest drug overdose death rate in the state. Other counties with high overdose death rates included Quay at 63.1 deaths per 100,000, Grant at 46.1 per 100,000, and Taos at 43.6 per 100,000.
