Today's News

A decision to kill time playing a Scratcher game paid off handsomely for Sapello resident Joe Montoya.

Last Tuesday, Montoya purchased two “Super Crossword” Scratcher games to keep him company in an auto mechanic’s waiting room. After revealing 10 words such as “claw,” “epic” and “announce,” the 58-year-old rancher left his appointment with a prize-winning ticket worth $50,000.

“At first, I thought that it couldn’t be true,” he said.

The West Las Vegas School board has been pushing to hire someone to oversee construction at the district after rising costs of change orders during the construction at Valley School and other schools.

Jerry Maestas, a former building inspector for the state Construction Industries Division, was hired to watch over all building projects at West. He is also a trustee at Luna Community College.

Kids were having a lot of fun going from booth to booth Saturday at the Dia de Los Nios event, or “Children’s Day,” at the city’s recreation center. More than 35 businesses and organizations set up booths and provided food, prizes and their time to raise money for children who need homes.

Tanya Gonzales, Victory Home Health marketing director, said the fair was held to raise money for the state Children Youth and Families Department and will go to kids in San Miguel County who need foster care.

New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas has met with Las Vegas Mayor Tony Marquez and has made recommendations for better budgeting and more transparent government, he told the Optic on Monday.

“We recommended a city audit committee and citizen-centric reporting,” Balderas said. “The mayor is supportive.”

The audit committee would be trained to use auditing for city government oversight and would work with the state auditor’s office to explore areas of concern. Balderas said the committee should consist of a portion of the council.