News Staff

A $10 million federal investment is funding repairs to U.S. Highway 285 near New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The New Mexico Department of Transportation and Department of Energy began work Oct. 1, with the state given one year to spend the funds. Officials say annual support is needed to maintain WIPP’s aging transportation routes.

A 13-year-old Highland Middle School student accused of shooting and stabbing special education teacher Kelly Matthews will remain in custody, following a Fifth Judicial District Court ruling. RT faces charges including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, weapons violations, evidence tampering and resisting arrest. Matthews survived and continues recovering in a Lubbock hospital as investigators work to determine a motive.

This Heavenly Strawberry Shortcake layers golden homemade biscuits with strawberries macerated in sugar, vanilla, and lemon, plus billowy whipped cream. Bruce Lesman’s nostalgic summer dessert serves six and comes together with simple ingredients and careful technique. Assemble the shortcakes while warm so the fragrant berry syrup soaks into the biscuits, then serve immediately with a whole strawberry garnish.

About 2,000 people attended Artesia’s 11th annual Red Dirt Black Gold Festival despite September temperatures in the 90s. The two-night downtown event featured live music, food, drinks and vendors, with Downshift Brewing serving more than 1,800 beers. Organizers called the festival a success after moving it to Quay Avenue to improve safety and downtown foot traffic.

New Mexico Republican U.S. Senate candidate Larry Marker is urging voters in conservative southeastern counties to turn out in November, saying strong support in Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties could offset Democratic advantages in the north. Despite long odds, limited fundraising and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan’s strong position, Marker cites shifting registration and coordinated GOP campaigning.

Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary and U.S. representative for New Mexico, rejected the claim that she declined to debate Hull, former mayor of Rio Rancho. At a Sept. 18 campaign stop in Carlsbad, she said her team proposed eight dates for debates to Hull's campaign, which rejected all of them.

New Mexico’s Amendment 4 would give legislators nearly $68,000 in annual pay, alongside existing per diem and generous pension benefits. The Rio Grande Foundation argues the proposal would reward career politicians without improving governance, calling instead for pension elimination, term limits, and restrictions on public employees serving in the Legislature.

Noah Hoffman won the New Mexico Bass Nation Kayak Anglers’ year-end tournament at Ute and Conchas Lakes, catching 19 fish measuring 164 inches. The Clovis angler’s fourth victory of the season also secured Angler of the Year honors. Robert Williams placed second, while challenging weather tested competitors during the season finale.

Former New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner Valerie Espinoza argues that the Public Regulation Commission must preserve robust public participation in utility cases. She warns that new rules limiting intervention, discovery, testimony and cross-examination could weaken oversight of monopoly utilities, affecting rates and long-term energy decisions. Espinoza calls for fairness, justice and broader community access over administrative convenience.

The police blotter for Sept. 12–17 lists arrests involving weapons, stalking, probation violations, arson, DWI and assault on healthcare personnel. Officers also responded to numerous motor vehicle accidents, suspicious activity, welfare checks, larceny reports, domestic disturbances, wanted and unwanted subjects, harassment, fraud, battery, threats, fireworks, shots fired and an overdose.

A Pecos, Texas, woman faces felony charges after police say she became intoxicated and violent at the Artesia Aquatic Center. Veronica Sue Barron, 39, allegedly argued with lifeguards, struck her husband and scratched two officers during her Aug. 8 arrest. Her case was bound over to district court, where she was scheduled for arraignment.

New Mexico should consider joining states seeking an Article V convention to propose congressional term limits, argues this opinion. Congressional dysfunction and decades-long incumbency have concentrated power, while limits could encourage turnover and accountability. Though concerns about lost experience and greater lobbyist influence remain, the process would require a proposed amendment to be ratified by three-fourths of states.