Today's News

Prosecutors have dismissed drug charges against a woman who says she was growing marijuana to help with her cancer.

District Attorney Richard Flores confirmed Monday that he dismissed the charges last week because of “potential” problems with the search that resulted in the discovery of the marijuana plants at Vicky Harvey’s house in Holman.

He stated in an e-mail that District Judge Gerald Baca had ruled that the search was not valid.

The state hospital has brought down the number of vacancies in its workforce over the last couple of years, officials say.

With 930 employees, the hospital — known formally as the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute — is Las Vegas’ largest employer. The hospital is authorized for 1,025 positions — with a vacancy rate of 9.3 percent. That’s down from 13.2 percent in 2006.

In June, Jerome Block Jr. won with 23 percent of the vote in the six-way Democratic primary race for northern New Mexico’s seat on the Public Regulation Commission, which oversees a host of industries, including utilities and insurance.

He has no Republican opponent, but the Green Party is running Rick Lass. If history is any guide, the odds are that Block will be our next PRC commissioner in this heavily Democratic district.

Las Vegas Mayor Tony Marquez has changed most of the cast of characters at City Hall since taking office nearly four months ago. He immediately hired a new interim city manager and disbanded all city committees. Last month, he brought in a new permanent city manager and dismissed six of the city’s 10 department directors. Citizens voted him in on a change platform, and change they have received.