Despite the increased traffic, the shortage of housing, the packed restaurants throughout Lea County, only the Hobbs Municipal Schools is showing a significant increase in school population. On the last day of the 2018-19 school year, Hobbs’ total enrollment was 10,341. On the fifth day of school this school year, the enrollment was 10,615 according to the Hobbs Municipal Schools …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Ben Ray Luján on Monday became the highest-ranking Democrat in the House to call for an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, saying it’s time to hold him accountable. The New Mexico congressman, third in line behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a 2020 candidate for Senate, said Trump has not tried to secure American elections …

A furry friend has found a forever home surrounded by firefighters. Station One has welcomed a new rookie on the scene after firefighters adopted a puppy found outside the station. One day, a firefighter went outside to find the puppy sitting outside. “He came up to us and was real playful,” said acting Fire Chief Barry Young. Young said they …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Republican construction contractor Mick Rich is making a second run for the U.S. Senate in New Mexico. The Mick Rich 2020 campaign committee filed paperwork August 1 with the Federal Election Commission, opening the door for the Albuquerque resident to seek the GOP nomination. Rich, who lost to Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich last year, confirmed late …

On Monday morning when the first bell rang at Jal high school, it wasn’t to start the new school year. That bell was signaling the return of the Panthers football team to Panther Stadium. The Panthers are coming off a 5-6, 2-1 season where they finished in seventh place and hosted a first round playoff game in Class 2A. This …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Legalizing recreational marijuana in New Mexico would create needed jobs in one of the poorest states in the nation, but the numbers would pale in comparison with jobs in other industries, an economist told a bipartisan group Wednesday. Kelly O’Donnell, who has analyzed recreational and medical marijuana use, said allowing legal recreational marijuana in the state …

Virgin Galactic reveals futuristic outpost for space tourism BUPHAM, N.M. (AP) — Spaceport America is no longer just a shiny shell of hope that space tourism would one day launch from this remote spot in the New Mexico desert. The once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility has been transformed into a custom-tailored headquarters where Virgin Galactic …

The girlfriend of an inmate at the Lea County Correctional Facility reportedly told police she has trafficked thousands of dollars of drugs into prison for her boyfriend, collecting $5,000 from “grandmas” and other people outside prison walls. Brenda Rae Guerrero, of Las Vegas N.M., was arrested by the Hobbs Police Department earlier this month and charged with bringing contraband into …

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Police in West Texas say an officer and a gunman both were hospitalized after being shot in an exchange of gunfire outside a home. Odessa police say officers were responding early Wednesday to reports of shots being fired when they approached a home and were immediately fired on by a man in the driveway. Three officers …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has denied repeated requests by federal immigration authorities for direct access to an employment-records database, the state’s top labor official said Thursday. State Workforce Solutions Department Secretary Bill McCamley said he twice notified officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement this month that the state won’t provide direct access to an unemployment database with …