- EDDY COUNTY-JAIL FENCE
Eddy County jail in Carlsbad to be ringed by security fenceCARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — The Eddy County jail will get a security fence to provide an additional layer of separation between inmates in the facility in downtown Carlsbad and the public.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that the county Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $40,000 contract with Roswell-based Waide Construction Co. for an 8-foot (2.4-meter) chain link fence around the jail's main building.
Warden Billy Massingill said the fence will enhance security at the jail's front entrance and provide a barrier for people trying to get the attention of inmates by throwing objects on the building's roof.
Sheriff Mark Cage said adding the security fence is a good move because the detention center is in the heart of Carlsbad and will "provide another necessary layer of security" for the public and correctional workers.
- ALBUQUERQUE-FATAL SHOOTINGS
3 killed in Albuquerque in separate shootings Friday nightALBQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say three people are dead following separate shootings Friday night.
Police say the shootings say the shootings include an apparently accidental one in which several people were detained. According to police, a 911 caller said several people had been drinking and that one person accidentally shot another.
Another involved a man being fatally wounded in a parking lot and witnesses telling police they saw two people running away. No suspects were immediately identified.
Police said detectives were conducting interviews regarding the third fatal shooting and no additional information was immediately released.
- NEW MEXICO BOWL-NMSU
New Mexico Bowl among options for NMSU under new dealALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University has inked an agreement that opens the possibility of the Aggies making an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl or other postseason games owned by ESPN Events.
NMSU athletics director Mario Moccia announced the six-year deal during a news conference Friday in Albuquerque. It gives officials with the New Mexico Bowl the opportunity to select the Aggies should the team be eligible for postseason play.
The New Mexico Bowl has traditionally pulled teams from the Mountain West or Conference USA. As an independent, New Mexico State had an agreement with the Arizona Bowl but that concludes at the end of this season.
Under the new agreement, NMSU also has the option to play in other bowl games if not selected for any of the ESPN bowls.
- JOB TRAINING FUNDS
Hemp company among those awarded job training fundsSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Santa Rosa-based hemp company is among those to benefit from over $2 million in state funds.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department announced the latest round of job training funds this week, saying it will cover 123 workers at 10 different businesses.
New Mexico Hemp Services will receive nearly $250,000 for 17 trainees at an average wage of $19.41 an hour. The company plans to have its operation running by the end of the year. It is hiring lab technicians, extraction chemists, storage clerks and an electrician.
As part of the Job Training Incentive Program, or JTIP, the state reimburses 50% to 75% of employee wages for classroom and on-the-job training.
The economic development agency has $10 million in JTIP money to award in fiscal year 2020.
- HIGHER EDUCATION-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico wants more students to apply for federal aidALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico education officials want to encourage more high school students to apply for federal financial aid to help pay for college.
The initiative was announced Thursday, a day after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham proposed a scholarship program to bridge the gap between federal aid and state lottery-funded scholarships so more people can afford college.
If more students are awarded federal aid, that would lessen what the state would have to pick up through the proposed scholarship program.
Officials want to increase the annual statewide rate for federal financial aid applications to 80%. Currently, about 65% of New Mexico high school students apply.
New Mexico has been struggling for years to address the cost of higher education. The lottery scholarship covered full tuition for nearly two decades until demand and costs began to outpace revenues.
- NEW MEXICO UNEMPLOYMENT
New Mexico unemployment ready steady at 4.9%ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August remains at 4.9%, unchanged from July.
The Department of Workforce Solutions says that rate compares with 4.8 percent in August 2018 and that nonagricultural payroll employment grew by 15,500 jobs, or nearly 2%, in the past year.
Both the public and private sectors saw employment gains, with the private sector accounting for about three-quarters of the increase and including increases in both service-providing and goods-producing industries.
Mining and construction reported the largest employment increase with a gain of 5,200 jobs, or 7.2%.
- FRIENDS-YOUNG FANS
25 years later, a new generation gets immersed in 'Friends'LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Friends" marks its 25th anniversary this week, and the quintessential 1990s sitcom has attracted a new fanbase barely half that age.
Tween and teen girls in particular have embraced the show with huge enthusiasm, taking a series that belonged to Generation X and making it their own.
They binge all 10 seasons on Netflix through their laptops and phones, and push it on their classmates and social media followers.
Ten-year-old Lucia Mozingo says she spreads "Friends" ''like a disease" among her own friends.
Many girls say they like it because it depicts a life they aspire to.
Twelve-year-old Imogen Schwartz says when she watches it she wishes she lived across the hall from her best friends and had a Rachel, a Chandler and a Phoebe in her life.
"Friends" premiered on Sept. 22, 1994 on NBC.
- LAWMAKER-MEMORIAL SERVICE
Memorial service set for New Mexico lawmakerSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A memorial service for Sen. Carlos Cisneros is scheduled for Sept. 27 at the New Mexico State Capitol.
The Questa Democrat died Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 71.
The memorial at the capitol will be followed by a service Sept. 28 at The Light at Mission Viejo Church in Santa Fe.
Cisneros first won election to the Senate in 1984 and went on to play a leading role in annual budget negotiations and legislation on tax policy. He was credited with drafting legislation earlier this year that will increase state investments in small businesses.
Cisneros had recently announced his bid for re-election to represent a vast district that stretches from the state line with Colorado to the outskirts of Los Alamos, including Taos, Peñasco, Truchas and Pojoaque Pueblo.