Local News

Cinco de Mayo dance at Recreation Center
A Cinco de Mayo Youth Dance at the Abe Montoya Recreation Center is set for 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday. Cost is $3. A DJ wll provide musical entertainment. The dance will also be supervised by center staff, and a concession stand will be available.

A story in the April 24 edition of the Optic reported that District Judge Eugenio Mathis was forced off the bench in late February for misconduct. In fact, Mathis resigned his position after being accused of misconduct as part of an agreement that was approved by the state Supreme Court. Mathis retained his retirement benefits, but he is not allowed to hold judicial office in New Mexico again.

New Mexico Highlands University regents approved steep increases for tuition and fees on Friday, accepting President Jim Fries’ recommendation that Highlands tuition needs to be more in line with what Western New Mexico University and Eastern New Mexico University are charging.

Luna Community College’s Board of Trustees, meanwhile, has decided that there will be no tuition increases at their school next year.

The city’s plans to begin selling beer at the Henry Martinez Field during professional baseball games ran into opposition last week, prompting the City Council to postpone action on awarding a request for proposal to a local company that wants to sell beer at the ball games.

The opposition came from Ray Collins, who lost five members of his family in a drunk driving crash in November 2006, and from several other community members who attended last week’s Council meeting.