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 those events please visit Local News Releases.

February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month

New Mexico Department of Agriculture reminds the public to read the label

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“Pesticides aren’t limited to insecticides and herbicides. They also include disinfectants, insect repellent, swimming pool treatments and many other products,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte. “NMDA wants to ensure that New Mexicans are educated when it comes to pesticide use and are staying safe. The first step to safety is reading the label.”

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NMSU students offers free tax filing assistance to campus, Las Cruces community

As tax season ramps up, New Mexico State University is offering a program that will help underserved individuals in the community get free tax filing assistance from NMSU accounting students.

The free tax filing services are open from 9 a.m. to noon Fridays during tax season in the Business Complex building, room 108. Services will be closed on Mar. 1, 15, and 29.  

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) is an IRS-backed program that recruits volunteers, trains them in tax law and tax software, and prepares them to assist taxpayers with filing their tax returns. It’s primarily led by the Coalition for Family Economic Progress in our region, which is headed by GECU Community Development.  

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Finalists in NMSU presidential search to visit campus beginning Feb. 26

Five finalists for president of the New Mexico State University system will visit the Las Cruces campus later this month, the Board of Regents announced Friday in a message to faculty, staff and students. The visits will feature public forums designed to allow members of the campus community and the public to hear from candidates directly about what they would bring to NMSU.

The public forums, held by the board in partnership with NMSU’s Faculty Senate and Associated Students of NMSU, will begin Monday, Feb. 26, at NMSU’s Las Cruces campus. While morning sessions will focus more on faculty, staff and community issues and afternoon sessions will focus more on student issues, anyone is welcome at either forum and questions are not limited to those topics. Participants can also livestream and participate in the forums remotely via Zoom.

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Otero County Resident Receives ‘making Democracy Work Award’

Mayla BlanchardLAS CRUCES--- Kayla Blanchard of Alamogordo has been selected for the 2024 Making Democracy Work Award (MDWA) given annually by the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico.  Blanchard was presented a Certificate of Recognition and a cash award for $250 at the February 10 meeting of the LWVSNM in Las Cruces, said League Co-President Jo Galván Nash.

Blanchard is the health equity specialist and coordinator for the Otero County Community Health Council (OCCHC) in Alamogordo.  As a healthcare and public health official, she participated in a fellowship program that provided seven months of training in the nonpartisan initiative Vot-ER.

Vot-ER is a national initiative which integrates voter access into healthcare institutions.

“Kayla’s work exemplifies what this award is all about — recognizing individuals who are strengthening democracy in southern New Mexico,” Nash said.  “Her work with the Vot-ER project is engaging others to be active in activities that advance voter registration and participation.”

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Traffic Report for the week of February 18 to 25, 2024

In all construction zones, motorists are asked to reduce speed, obey posted signs, and use extreme caution, as well as continue to be cautious of heavy equipment and construction personnel in the area. PLEASE NOTE: Conditions are subject to change without notice. Double fines for speeding in work zones may be in effect.

White Sands Missile Range Notification

For information regarding closures, you may call WSMR at 678-1178 or 678-2222 for updates.

Interstates:

Date St. Business Loop Roundabout Project, T or C CN1101231/32

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NMSU School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management to host dining events

Students from the school of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management in New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Environmental and Consumer Sciences are getting a taste of real-world experience in the hospitality industry by hosting several food and beverage events this spring.  

The students working these meals and events come from a wide variety of experiential learning classes and student clubs. They are future managers and leaders of all aspects of the hospitality industry.  

“By participating in these meals and events through classes and volunteering, HRTM students gain the hands-on experience in all areas of guest service, production, and event planning that our hospitality industry partners and employers seek,” said Jean Hertzman, director of NMSU’s School of HRTM. “The students value the opportunities to hone their skills and the interaction with their classmates, faculty, and HRTM guests.”  

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Houston-based poet to give public reading at NMSU Feb. 23

As part of the Nelson-Boswell Reading Series, La Sociedad para Las Artes the Department of Art are co-hosting a public reading event for poet Anthony Sutton.

Sutton, Inprint C. Glenn Cambor fellow in the University of Houston Literature and Creative Writing Ph. D. program, is the author of “Particles of a Stranger Light” published by Veliz Books in 2023. He will read from his work at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23 at New Mexico State University in the Creative Media Institute Theater in Milton Hall, Room 171.

Master of Fine Arts candidate in fiction, Kathy Key-Tello, also will be reading from thesis works. The event is free and open to the public and includes a reception following the reading.

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Heinrich Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation

Heinrich Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Children Online, Hold Big Tech Accountable 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Founder and Co-Chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, announced that he is cosponsoring the Kids Online Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online, hold Big Tech accountable, and provide transparency into black box algorithms. The legislation is led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and cosponsored by a total of 62 senators.  

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