Las Cruces News

LAS CRUCES, N.M. >> New Mexico State University student Savannah Lee was crowned Miss Native American NMSU 2014-2015 during the university's celebration of American Indian Week in April.

Courtesy Photo Father and son team, Michael and Sean McCormick, display one of the many "creatures" they created through the years.

LAS CRUCES >> After a recent soil and water conservation district election marred by long lines and frustrated voters, Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins announced this week he's looking into possible reforms to state laws guiding special district elections.

LAS CRUCES >> La Frontera, an Arizona firm brought in last year to care for the mentally ill and those struggling with addiction across southern New Mexico, laid off or fired 20 employees last week, including 11 in Las Cruces.

The entity will hear about Federal Emergency Management Administration flood insurance rate maps, Rio Grande levee improvement maps, a river management plan for the Rio Grande Canalization Project and Rio Grande sediment removal activities, according to an agenda for the session.

April Schmauder of Massachusetts and Avis Johnson of Wisconsin chat inside the newly refurbished Mesilla plaza bandstand Tuesday afternoon.

LAS CRUCES >> Crispin Fierro, 32, of Deming, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in Las Cruces federal court to a marijuana trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

LOS ALAMOS >> Organizers of the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge say two high school students from Albuquerque have taken the top prize at this year's competition.

Lupe Jimenez holds a photo of her fiance, Tony Rios, who died last year while waiting for a kidney transplant.

Denise Chavez holds a ceramic corn mother bowl at the Border Book Festival headquarters in Las Cruces.

LAS CRUCES >> New Mexico State University's Dancers Unlimited will present "True Life: I'm A D.U. Dancer" at 7 p.m. May 2-3 in the LCPS Performing Arts Center at Onate High School.

An Indian-American doctor in New Mexico has been arrested following his indictment by a federal grand jury alleging unlawfully dispensing of prescription drugs resulting in the deaths of two patients, and health care fraud.

A Las Cruces-based organization says the city needs to catch up with other major cities across the state in terms of how much employees make.

LAS CRUCES >> Dona Ana County commissioners OK'd a measure asking for a "clear policies" that ensure local authorities keep out of the business of enforcing federal immigration law.

A Mesa Middle School student eats lunch in the cafeteria Tuesday. Eleven Mesa students have 25 in unpaid lunch fees, meaning they can't get lunch in the school cafeteria.

The South Central Solid Waste Authority will start collecting glass bottles in the bright yellow recycling trailer at the 2014 Earth Day Celebration, Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Young Park.

LAS CRUCES >> Dolores Connor will be the 2014 honorary degree recipient for the Dona Ana Community College commencement on May 8 at the Pan American Center.

Although fewer than half of the 500 tickets for the new 2014 Prius C2 have been sold, the Southwest Environmental Center announced recently that the drawing for this super fuel-efficient car will still be held during the Las Cruces Earth Day Fair on Sunday at Young Park.

We're disappointed to learn that what we thought was a hard and firm deadline set by Las Cruces city officials for a contract on the proposed downtown plaza turned out to be fairly soft and mushy instead.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. >> The American Southwest Theater Company at NMSU Theater Arts presents "The Misanthrope" at the Center for the Arts on the NMSU campus.