This category will feature news releases from out-of-area government agencies and representatives, as well as events that are not taking place in the four-county area of Grant, Catron, Hidalgo or Luna. For local events please visit Local News Releases.

Eagle Nest Lake and Fenton Lake State Parks open to ice fishing

Eagle Nest, NM – Experience the unique sport of ice fishing now at Eagle Nest Lake and Fenton Lake State Parks! The State Parks Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) announces that walk-in ice fishing is currently allowed on the lakes. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the ice.

State Parks officials remind visitors to consider the following safety precautions before going ice fishing:

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Spaceport America Inks MOU with Globally-Recognized Economic Development

Spaceport America Inks MOU with Globally-Recognized Economic Development Engine The Borderplex Alliance

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Thursday, January 4, 2024) – The Borderplex Alliance and Spaceport America today signed a Memorandum of Understanding, formalizing a new collaboration between the two organizations. This partnership will open up thrilling opportunities to propel the Borderplex region’s economy to new heights.

"We are thrilled about teaming up with Spaceport America," said Jon Barela, CEO of The Borderplex Alliance. "Together, we will initiate new programs that stimulate job creation and capital investment in our region. The commercial space industry is expanding rapidly, and this alliance ensures the Borderplex will be at the forefront of this 21st-century industry."

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Gov. Lujan Grisham releases FY25 executive budget recommendation

 Recommendation continues bold investments while maintaining fiscal responsibility  

SANTA FE –
Today, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham released the
FY25 executive budget recommendation. The budget totals $10.5 billion in recurring spending, a 9.9% increase from the last fiscal year. The executive recommendation will maintain reserves at 34.2%. The budget directs meaningful investments in key areas including housing, education, child wellbeing, public safety, health care, economic development, and water and natural resources.  

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PRC nixes some customer costs for Four Corners Power Plant

On January 3, the Public Regulation Commission adopted the hearing examiners’ finding that PNM acted imprudently in extending its participation in Four Corners Power Plant beyond 2016. As a result, the commission disallowed roughly $84 million from the amount PNM can recover from customer rates. This comes as part of the Commission’s final order in PNM’s pending rate case.    

PNM had asked the Commission to approve rates that would have included more than $200 million in costs associated with operating the Four Corners coal plant after 2016. Those are costs that PNM incurred after it decided to renew its stake in the coal-fired Four Corners plant beyond 2016, when the prior coal-supply agreement expired. This issue was first litigated in PNM’s 2016 rate case, in which the hearing examiners found the expenditures to be imprudent, but the commission ultimately deferred a decision on prudence until the next rate case and approved a settlement that allowed PNM to recover a reduced amount in rates. 

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Winter Weather Driving Tips for Southern New Mexico

DEMING -The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will be monitoring roadway conditions with law enforcement as a winter weather advisory have been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) on Jan. 3, 2024, see attached Situational Awareness Briefing.

The NMDOT has prepared their personnel and equipment in efforts to support the need of law enforcement and emergency responders. The NMDOT will work in conjunction with emergency response as we coordinate our efforts with any possible traffic interferences that we may encounter.

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Second Public Meeting for Spaceport America Master Plan

RS&H invites the public to provide input on the future of Spaceport America.

(Albuquerque, NM) RS&H hosts the upcoming Spaceport America Master Plan Public Meeting. The project was initiated by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) to determine growth opportunities in New Mexico’s aerospace industry. The second public meeting for the Spaceport America Master Plan project takes place on January 10, 2024, at NewSpace Launchpad, 2420 Alamo Ave SE #104, Albuquerque, New Mexico from 6 – 8 p.m. Doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m.

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NMSU College of Business alum, grad student celebrate recent Aggie Shark Tank wins

Adriana Garcia is a graduate student entrepreneur and innovator from New Mexico State University’s College of Business who took the chance and reaped the benefits as one of the winners of the 2023 Aggie Shark Tank.  


 
Garcia is currently pursuing her master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance. She recently won first place in the “Shark Favorite” category with a grand prize of $5,000 and shared her idea for BAClog, a data-driven consumer insights platform for alcohol sales, stemmed from her love of baseball.  

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ICYMI: Heinrich Op-Ed: Commission will deliver for Southern NM

WASHINGTON – In an op-ed published by the Las Cruces Bulletin, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, details his years-long work to fully fund the operations of the Southwest Border Regional Commission.  

The Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) is one of eight authorized federal regional commissions and authorities, which are congressionally-chartered, federal-state partnerships created to promote economic development in their respective regions. 

Last month, Heinrich introduced the Southwest Border Regional Commission Reauthorization Act to reauthorize and fully fund the SBRC, which is working to grow thriving economies in the southern border communities in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas. 

Las Cruces Bulletin: Commission will deliver for Southern New Mexico, 12/29/2023 

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