Today's News

West Las Vegas' softball team learned its fate on Sunday afternoon: the Lady Dons are going to the state tournament as the No. 14 seed and will play No. 3 Portales in a first-round game Friday in Las Cruces.

First pitch is noon at Maag Field No. 1. The winner advances to a 6 p.m. 6 p.m. quarterfinal, playing the winner between No. 6 Miyamura and No. 11 St. Michael’s.

Quarterfinals, semifinals (11 a.m. Saturday) and the championship game (3:30 p.m. Saturday) are all set for Las Cruces’ Field of Dreams complex.

The city is hiring an interim Municipal Court judge to deal with a case involving an animal control issue.

Last week, the City Council voted unanimously for Santa Fe-area attorney Santiago Juarez, a former Las Vegas resident, to preside over the case.

Mayor Alfonso Ortiz said the city wanted a person not familiar with the community and who wouldn’t bring any pre-conceived notions to the case.

The case involves Carlos Sandoval, who was cited for not restraining his dog during an alleged attack. He was also cited for not licensing his canine.

State Rep. Thomas Garcia, D-Ocate, is the only candidate who has met all the requirements in his application to become superintendent of the Mora schools.

Nine people applied for the position, but only Garcia submitted all the required items for his application packet, said Katherine Valdez, an employee in the district’s central office.

The school board was expected to interview Garcia at its meeting Tuesday night. The board wasn’t slated to make a decision at that time.

As NMHU’s baseball team prepares to make a four-hour drive west to Farmington, site of the NCAA Division II Central Regional that lists Highlands as host, some curious fans are asking:

“Why Farmington? Why not Brandt Park, the Cowboys’ actual home field?”

It’s a fair question, and as one fan who contacted the Optic pointed out, league rival Mesa State (in Grand Junction, Colo.) may have a shorter trip than NMHU.