Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
In the Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District personnel have reopened two campgrounds. The Iron Creek Campground, located in the Black Range Mountains off NM State Highway 152 had been closed since July 31st due to flooding, and the Railroad Canyon Camp Ground also located in the Black Range Mountains, was being used to store road materials. The New Mexico Department of Transportation completed all road repairs and all flood debris has been cleared from the Iron Creek Camp Ground.
New Mexico Attorney General, Hector Balderas, announced yesterday that he has initiated a lawsuit in behalf of the State of New Mexico against the country’s largest manufacturers and wholesale distributors of opioids, which he believes is a crucial first step toward holding these companies responsible for fueling an opioid epidemic in New Mexico’s communities. The State of New Mexico is filing the law suit against five of the largest manufacturers of prescription opioids and their related companies, in addition to the country’s three largest wholesale drug distributors, for false representation to doctors. The law suit further alleges that the distributors breached their legal duties to monitor, detect, investigate, refuse and report suspicious orders of prescription opioids.
The recent smoky air conditions in Grant County and beyond are being attributed to fires located in the Pacific Northwest, specifically areas near Portland, Oregon. The smoke travels on a transport wind that is part of a large weather pattern associated with a high-pressure ridge. A transport wind is defined as the wind that determines the direction and speed with which smoke is transported away from its source. Smoke debris and carbon particles are expected to remain settling over the area for several more days.
The United Way of Southwest New Mexico awarded $80,000 throughout the Grant County area in support of 12 local organizations yesterday during the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Each funded organization aligns with at least one of United Way’s three focus areas that include, education, financial stability and basic needs. The grants are made possible by individual and corporate donations made during United Way’s 2015-16 campaign within the Grant County community. The 2017 recipients are as follows: Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Bike Works, El Refugio, Inc., Gila Valley Library, Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, Imagination Library, Institute for Rural Social Work, Lion’s Crane, Literacy Link Leamos, Silver Regional Sexual Assault Support Services, and SPIN – Supporting People In Need
