Lea County set another oil and gas record, this time in actual dollars to the coffers. “In oil and gas production, we’re 260 percent of the budget because, when you go back to July, we were under $1 million, now we’re just under $6 million,” county finance director Chip Low told county commissioners on Thursday. “(Oil and gas revenue in) …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers on Wednesday proposed federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, saying its habitat across five states is in danger of becoming more fragmented and the effects of climate change and drought are expected to take a further toll on the species in the future. Once listed as a threatened species, the chicken’s habitat …