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Today's News

  • Judge looking at state police building

    For years, the Las Vegas Municipal Court has been seeking a new building because the current one is not handicapped-accessible.

    Municipal Judge Eddie Trujillo may have found a solution.

    This week, the judge told the City Council that state Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, recently informed him that the state police were looking to build a new facility and that the court could possibly use the state agency’s building on Mills Avenue.

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  • HU, Luna to hold graduations

    Gov. Bill Richardson will be the commencement speaker for Highlands University’s graduation on Saturday. His last public appearance in Las Vegas was in 2006, before his run for president.

    The graduation is set for 2 p.m. in the school’s Wilson Complex. More than 300 students are expected to graduate.

    At Luna Community College’s graduation, state Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil will speak at the event, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in a large tent on campus.

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  • District expects strains on budget

    West Las Vegas is facing a number of strains on its budget, but a top official doesn’t expect any layoffs in the coming year.

    Jim Abreu, the school district’s superintendent, said West Las Vegas will do what it takes to avoid layoffs, which he called a “last resort.” He noted that last year, the district cut the days of employment contracts to save money as a way of preventing layoffs.

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  • DA says sex offender not exiled

    A Mora County man convicted of inappropriately touching a number of underage victims left the area this week, but District Attorney Richard Flores maintains that authorities aren’t “exiling” him.

    Flores took exception to comments in the media from Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack that his office is dumping a sex offender in those communities.

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  • Forums slated for next week

    Elections forums are planned next week for District 70 state representative and County Commission Districts 2 and 5.

    The District 70 forum is set for Tuesday and the commissioners forum for Wednesday. Both are at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial Middle School’s auditorium.

    Democrats running for state representative are incumbent Richard Vigil, Naomi Montoya and Travis Regensberg. On the Republican side is Mel Root.

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  • Campos explains his work situation

    Las Vegas City Schools Superintendent Pete Campos took an extra step last week to clear up what he considers confusion over his use of annual and sick leave.

    He also emphasized that his commitment to the City Schools won’t waiver in his final months on the job.

    Campos, who is becoming the president of Luna Community College in July, stated in a memo to other district officials that he has 128 sick days and 22 vacation days remaining.

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  • East second-in-command leaving

    The second-in-command at the Las Vegas City Schools announced Wednesday that her last day at work would be today.

    Associate Superintendent Barbara Perea Casey’s departure will come three days after the school board passed over her for the superintendent’s job.

    A 3-2 school board majority picked Questa schools Superintendent Richard Romero over Casey and three other finalists.

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  • Mora County residents warned about oil, gas drilling

    MORA — Most speakers during a public meeting this week on possible oil and gas drilling in Mora County had a similar message — beware.

    A new group, Drilling Mora County, which opposes drilling, invited a number of people from environmental groups and government agencies to speak about the effects of energy development. Missing were any voices from the oil and gas industry itself.

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  • Cuban expatriate calls Vegas home

    Every weekend, Angel Benidez can usually be found entertaining shoppers next to the entrance of Walgreens at Seventh Street and Mills Avenue.

    You can’t miss him. He is wearing a brightly colored outfit quilted in red, white and blue squares, a white cowboy hat, twirling two canes and dancing to disco music. A plastic container for collecting donations sits next to his boom box cranking out one of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits.

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  • Leader had tough time in Lordsburg

    Richard Romero, who will be the next superintendent for the Las Vegas City Schools, got his first such leadership job four years ago — in Lordsburg.

    And by one former Lordsburg school board member’s account, Romero’s reign as superintendent there wasn’t smooth. But the ex-official said the board was as much to blame for the situation.

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The Las Vegas Optic is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in San Miguel County and Las Vegas, NM, and the surrounding area.