Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
The nationally accredited Early Childhood Programs at Western New Mexico University continues its successful track record of securing grants with a new award by the Thornburg Foundation for $75,000. The grant is funding the second phase of a program helping prepare classroom teachers through reflective supervision. Current teachers will be given stipends to participate in professional development trainings and apply techniques using reflective practices while mentoring students.
The Deming Police Department recently retired and donated two 2003 Chevrolet Impala patrol units to WNMU for training use at the Law Enforcement Academy. All decals and technical equipment have been removed from the retired units. The Deming Police Department recently received a new fleet of SUV patrol units that are up-to-date with new technology.
The Gila Forest Plan Revision Draft Assessment Report is now available at http://www.fs.usda.gov/internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd518769.pdf. The document identifies ecological, social and economic conditions, trends and any risks to sustainability of the Gila National Forest resources. Feedback on the Draft Assessment Report is highly encouraged for the process going forward. The next steps of the revision include a draft needs-for-change document that will be released in October and more community meetings to discuss assessment key findings and collaborate to determine needs-for-change to the current plan. The Forest will continue to update information on the plan revision process on the Forest’s website at http://go.usa.gov/h88k.
The Deming City Council approved a runway resurfacing bid to a Utah company and Deming residents could see a commercial and passenger airline service operating out of the Deming Municipal Airport on a temporary basis. Maxwell Asphalt Inc. will also be re-surfacing the Silver City Airport, during which time Boutique Air will maintain its scheduled flights to Albuquerque and Phoenix using the Deming Municipal Airport.
The Kmart store in Deming is one of 64 stores across 28 states that will be closing soon. The Deming store is expected to be closed by mid-December. The closing is the latest round of cuts by the retailer. Its parent company, Sears Holdings, said in April that it would close 68 Kmart stores this summer. Both Sears and Kmart have had a difficult time remaining profitable and competitive in a retail environment increasingly dominated by other mass market chains and e-commerce sites like Amazon.
In sports news, the Western New Mexico University women’s golf team ended up 13th after the second and final round of the WNMU Fall Intercollegiate took place Tuesday at the par 72 Golf Club of Estrella course. WNMU Sophomore Shelby Turner remained the front runner for the Lady Mustangs as she followed up her even par 72 Monday, with a three-over 75 Tuesday for a 147 to tie for seventh.
A proposal was made today to help close the “homework gap” by installing Wi-Fi on school busses. The proposal would allow the Federal Communications Commission to expand its E-Rate program, which ensures schools across the country can provide broadband internet in classrooms, to school buses to that students can access the internet to do their homework while on the bus ride home or to and from athletic events. Across the country, teachers are increasingly assigning homework that requires internet access, but students in highly rural or low-income communities — including thousands of schoolchildren in New Mexico — are at a disadvantage because they don’t have internet access at home, either because they can’t afford it or because it isn’t available.
