New Mexico

New Mexico capital outlay: Here’s what your county and city gets

Published

2 years ago

February 27, 2024

New Mexico capital outlay: Here’s what your county and city gets

Funding to update local public infrastructure and other projects throughout New Mexico came this year in the form of the annual Capital Outlay bill passed by the New Mexico House and Senate during the 2024 Legislative Session.

The $1.5 billion bill provided funds for local communities, advocated for by the lawmakers who represent them, to counties and cities throughout the state.

It passed both chambers unanimously and was sent to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham who can sign it into law as is or removed certain projects via “line-item vetoes.”

More: New Mexico Democrats criticized for inaction on fentanyl bills

Here’s are the key projects counties in southeast New Mexico got out of the bill.

Eddy County

Eddy County and its municipalities had $79 million in projects funded this year, compared to about $12 million last year.

$70 million – Improvements on U.S. Highway 180

$1.38 million – Sewer extension project on National Parks Highway

More: ‘Renewable’ geothermal energy boosted by bill passed by New Mexico House

$700,000 – Sheep’s Draw wellfield generators

$600,000 – Eddy County splashpad construction

$500,000 – Eddy County Healthcare Facility renovations

$600,000 – Malaga Domestic Water Consumers Sewage Works Association improvements

$200,000 – Eddy County Sheriff’s Office shooting range

$200,000 – Hope rest area improvements

More: ‘Clean fuels’ bill advances in New Mexico Senate, to make oil companies pay for pollution

Carlsbad

$1 million – Double Eagle waterline replacement

$600,000 – Southeast New Mexico College Vocational Technology Building construction

$500,000 – Carlsbad Riverwalk Recreational Center improvements

$250,000 – Equipment purchases at the National Cave and Karst Research Institute

More: 2024 Legislative session wrap up: Here’s how energy and environment bills fared

Artesia

$500,000 – HVAC construction at Artesia Jr. High School kitchen

$495,000 – Artesia generator purchase

$585,000 – upgrades and equipment at the Artesia Special Hospital District

$125,000 – Truck driving training academy

Loving

$750,000 – South 6^th Street improvements

Hope

$300,000 – Pump house improvements

More: Tax credits, rape kits & highways: Find out what bills your Eddy Co. Senators are sponsoring

Otero County

Otero County and its municipalities received $13 million in projects, compared to about $14.2 million last year

$2.1 million – Purchases and construction for Mescalero Apache tribe facilities

Alamogordo

$1.5 million – New Mexico State University – Alamogordo fine arts theater renovations

$1.1 million – NMSU- Alamogordo facility demolition

$1 million – Museum of Space History improvements

$695,000 – Otero County golf facility improvements

More: Short term state revenue loss for Hobbs passes committee, bills for Carlsbad stalled

Cloudcroft

$750,000 – Water treatment facility improvements

$359,000 – Public restroom expansion

Tularosa

$350,000 – Community Ditch Association repairs

Lincoln County

Lincoln County and its municipalities got about $5.2 million this year, compared with $8.5 million last year.

$1.1 million – Enchanted Forest water system replacement

$450,000 – Ft. Stanton veterans conference center construction

$265,000 – Crime scene vehicle purchases

Ruidoso

$500,000 – Ruidoso forest and watershed improvements

$225,000 – Eastern New Mexico University trades education facility renovations

Capitan

$100,000 – Capital water facility solar system construction

Carrizozo

$750,000 – Lincoln County Detention Center water and sewer upgrade

$350,000 – Water system information technology purchases

Lea County

Lea County and its municipalities had $86.7 million in project funded this year, compared to about $12.7 million last year

$75 million – New Mexico Highway 128 improvements

$2 million – Construction on West County Road and New Mexico Highway 208

$400,000 – Lea County event center amphitheater

$420,000 – New Mexico Junior College improvements

Hobbs

$1.5 million – HAZMAT rescue vehicles

$1.4 million – Hobbs Public Safety Center Construction

$525,000 – Hobbs water well construction

Lovington

$250,000 – Library roof and plumbing repairs

$266,000 – Medical transport vans

Chaves County

Chaves County received $16.7 million this year compared with $23.7 million last year

$500,000 – Macho Draw flood control repair

Roswell

$3 million – Roswell Air Center improvements

$2 million – Youth Challenge Building renovations

$2 million – ENMU Roswell nursing center expansion

$1 million – World Champion Park facility upgrade

Hagerman

$700,000 – Water System improvements

Dexter

$700,000 – Lake Van Drive improvements

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

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New Mexico

Hooks leads New Mexico against New Orleans after 20-point showing

Published

9 hours ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

Hooks leads New Mexico against New Orleans after 20-point showing

New Orleans Privateers (0-2) at New Mexico Lobos (2-1)

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico takes on New Orleans after Destinee Hooks scored 20 points in New Mexico’s 71-64 victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

New Mexico went 12-8 at home a season ago while going 18-14 overall. The Lobos averaged 70.4 points per game last season, 33.9 in the paint, 14.1 off of turnovers and 10.3 on fast breaks.

New Orleans went 5-24 overall with a 3-15 record on the road a season ago. The Privateers shot 35.1% from the field and 26.8% from 3-point range last season.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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New Mexico

Man charged in double homicide told New Mexico deputies a cockroach told him to kill

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Man charged in double homicide told New Mexico deputies a cockroach told him to kill

A man is facing murder charges after allegedly admitting to deputies that he fatally shot two people inside a New Mexico home after receiving “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill,” authorities say.

Alexis Hernandez, 25, was arrested and charged with two open counts of murder in connection with a Friday incident inside a southwest Albuquerque home, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.

Hernandez was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday morning, and it is not immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer.

Authorities have not identified the men killed in the incident or the two young children who were also found inside the house at the time.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, deputies responded to reports of gunfire in southwest Albuquerque just before 10:30 p.m. When deputies arrived, they were met at the front door by Hernandez, who “had a firearm on his waistband and a Marine Corps Sabre on his hip,” the arrest warrant said.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 27-year-old Alexis Najera Hernandez after deputies say he confessed to shooting and killing two men inside a home in Albuquerque, N.M.Crime Stoppers of New Mexico

Hernandez, who was immediately detained, told deputies he was in the Marines and “had to do what he had to do,” the warrant states. He then allegedly stated there were two dead bodies inside the residence.

Once inside the house, the warrant states, deputies found one dead man “with possible gunshot wounds” in the front of the house and a second man with apparent stab wounds in an attached apartment.

The two children who were found inside were safely removed from the residence, the arrest warrant states.

In an interview with deputies after he was taken into custody, Hernandez said that he knew the two slain men, one of whom was the owner of the property, according to the warrant. He then allegedly said he had believed the property owner was a friend who had been stalking him during the days leading up to the incident.

The warrant states Hernandez alleged the friend had placed cameras in the lights. Hernandez also told deputies that he was allegedly “hearing creepy voices coming from the vents” and “had been getting signs” that he had to end the property owner before he ended him.

Hernandez later allegedly told deputies that he also had received “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill” the property owner, the warrant says. He added that the property owner allegedly did not like cockroaches.

The warrant states that Hernandez had previously purchased a Glock handgun, which he said he had for “protection.” Hernandez told deputies that on Friday the two men allegedly took him to the back room of the home and that he “was afraid for his life at this point.”

He said he shot the property owner in the head and the other in the kitchen, the warrant says. At one point, Hernandez allegedly told deputies, he had gone to his Honda Pilot to reload his gun before going back to each victim and shooting him again.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the details of the second man’s cause of death.

The warrant states Hernandez admitted that he did not know what to do after the attack, so he “stayed on scene and walked around.” He allegedly added that he knew about the two children at the house and that they saw him shoot the two men.

He added that “he was not going to take the kids or do anything to them,” the warrant says.

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