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.

NMSU to host NM TransCon April 12-14

New Mexico State University will host the 2023 New Mexico Transportation and Construction Conference, “Transforming Business as Usual into a Better Tomorrow,” April 12-14 at the Las Cruces Convention Center.  

The annual New Mexico Transportation and Construction Conference, NM TransCon, includes a technical program with four plenary sessions and 13 concurrent sessions, organized by leaders of the industry for industry professionals to stay up-to-date with trends and cutting-edge technologies in civil infrastructure. NM TransCon organizers anticipate 500 attendees and 37 sponsorships and vendors will participate.

New Mexico Lt. Gov. Howie Morales is the tentative opening speaker at 1:30 p.m. April 12, followed by New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of Transportation Ricky Serna.

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NMSU goes in depth with Chicana/Latina Journal podcast, MALCS Radio!

When New Mexico State University welcomed the “Chicana/Latina Studies Journal: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social” (MALCS) to campus last year, a complementary tool for disseminating research also reached out to the community – a podcast on MALCS Radio!.

The podcast began in 2018 and was led by Daimys Ester García for five years. Over the past few months, she has trained NMSU counseling psychology doctoral student Sophia Daley to take over the podcast. The podcast invites each issue’s contributors to pláticas to speak about the work they created.

“So, we just had our fall 2022 issue come out in January,” Daley said. “For the podcast, we invite every contributor to talk about their writing experience, what it was like to submit to our journal, how the process went and what the piece has meant to them. So, it's a chance to hear more about them and the significance of their scholarship to C/LS Studies and their intentions behind the piece.”

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NMSU, AIBE part of $12 million grant to support Native American farmers, ranchers

The American Indian Business Enterprise at New Mexico State University is among the recipients of a $12 million grant from the Native American Agricultural Fund to support Native American farmers and ranchers across 15 states.

The fund is a private, charitable trust created to serve and support projects for Native American farmers and ranchers, encompassing a variety of services and products. The objective of the fund is to enhance Native Americans’ contribution in the agricultural sector.

The American Indian Business Enterprise, or AIBE, Center is part of Arrowhead Center at NMSU, and is among 49 recipients of the grant to support more than 160,000 Native American farmers, ranchers and producers. The AIBE Center will provide multiple services, including agricultural education, business training and access to capital, in addition to freeze-drying and supply chain services to enhance supply chain resiliency.

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Fita Witte featured in ‘Her Land’ exhibit

LAS CRUCES -- The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces pays tribute to women making a difference in New Mexico agriculture with a current, rotating wall display in the central corridor of the Museum’s main building. 

The exhibit is called “Her Land: Women in Agriculture” and the new, featured exemplar is Fita Witte of Las Cruces. 

“Museums typically focus on the stories of our ancestors and their incredible accomplishments,” said Heather Reed, executive director of NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. “We often forget to look around to see that history is unfolding right in front of us within our communities and our state. Her Land spotlights the amazing feats and contributions of modern-day women and showcases the young women working on the future of agriculture. This ongoing project will rotate every few months and will allow us to record history in real time for generations to come.” 

The Museum created the exhibit space in 2021. Previous honorees in the exhibit were Felicia Thal of northeastern New Mexico and Sophia Moreno of La Union, N.M. 

Cain receives Cattle Growers’ honor, Annual Heritage showcase is back

By: Gracie Hooten, NMCGA

New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (NMCGA) announced Macklee Cain of Mountainair as the 2022 recipient of NMCGA Statewide Heritage Contest during the Joint Stockmen’s Convention held December 2022. Honored for her reflection and commitment to her roots in New Mexico’s ranching industry, Macklee received a commemorative Torrance County Heritage belt buckle, a one year junior membership to NMCGA and a $1,000 scholarship funded by the NMCGA Promotions and Marketing Committee.

Macklee is a fifth grade Mountainair Mustang who is active in 4-H and loves everything about ranching, except building fence. A portion of her winning essay reads, “As a fifth generation rancher, I plan to build on the legacy of agriculture in New Mexico by becoming an Ambassador for the ranching industry. Only 2% of the U.S. population are involved in agriculture."

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Astronomy League Meeting Features “Angel of Darkness” Guest Speaker March 9

What: The monthly of the New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League welcomes astronomers of all ages and skill levels.

When: Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 pm.

Who: William “Bill” Wren picked up the nickname “Angel of Darkness” during his tenure at the McDonald Observatory where he worked for more 30 years as an astronomy educator and tireless advocate for dark skies. Now retired, Wren has moved to Cloudcroft, NM, where he plans to stay active with the dark skies community. Wren will be giving his presentation on the HETDEX - the Hobby-Eberly Dark Energy Experiment - at the University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory. Wren was the Commissioning TO for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope.

Where: Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Building on the campus of the Museum of Space History, front classroom.

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Monastery Lake reopens for fishing March 9

SANTA FE – After a winter closure, the Benedictine Monastery Lake, near the village of Pecos, will be freshly stocked with trout and reopen for fishing at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 9. The Benedictine Monastery Lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

If you are planning a fishing trip this spring, the Department has several tools to help you. The Weekly Fishing Report provides up-to-date information on fishing conditions at numerous water bodies throughout the state. The Fishing Conditions and Trip Planner is full of figures depicting fishing conditions for several species and water bodies throughout the year. Additionally, the interactive Fishing Waters Map contains a wealth of information on fishing locations in New Mexico, displaying hundreds of fishing access points with information on fish species available, facilities, accessibility, boat ramps and general regulations.

Anglers are reminded that their 2022-2023 fishing licenses will expire on March 31, 2023. Fishing licenses for the 2023-2024 season will go on sale starting March 27, 2023, and will be valid from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

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