by: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Associated Press

Posted: Jun 22, 2024 / 03:37 AM EDT

Updated: Jun 22, 2024 / 03:37 AM EDT

Heavy rain and flash flood warnings in New Mexico prompted officials to order mandatory evacuations for parts of Las Vegas with shelters set up for displaced residents.

The National Weather Service office announced a flash flood emergency on Friday night through early Saturday. The impacted areas included Las Vegas and communities near Albuquerque.

Up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) had fallen by late Friday with additional rainfall up to 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) expected overnight, the weather service said.

There was flash flooding with multiple road closures on the north and west sides of Las Vegas, the weather service said.

The Las Vegas municipal government announced mandatory evacuations of parts of the city in social media posts, warning residents to prepare for overnight stays. The city said it established shelters for residents on the west and east sides of the city.

The city government asked residents to limit non-essential water use, while also clarifying that online rumors suggesting the city’s water dams had broken were false and that the dams “are currently intact.”

New Mexico also suffered devastating wildfires this week that killed at least two people and forced thousands to flee from the flames. The South Fork and Salt fires in south-central New Mexico destroyed or damaged an estimated 1,400 structures. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham planned to tour the disaster area Saturday.

SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico judge denied a request Friday to use immunity to compel testimony from a movie set armorer in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin who fatally shot a cinematographer during rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust.”

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the shooting of Halyna Hutchins on a movie-set ranch and she was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her statements to investigators and workplace safety regulators will likely feature prominently in Baldwin’s trial, scheduled for July.

Further testimony could be limited by the armorer’s reluctance to testify, and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said Friday that other witnesses can fill in most of the gaps if she doesn’t testify. At a pretrial interview in May, Gutierrez-Reed exercised her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer all questions.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Blue River Productions are bringing together breweries from around the state for The Great New Mexico Beer Festival on Saturday, June 22 at Balloon Fiesta Park.

The event runs from 12 – 6 p.m. and is for ages 21 and over only. The event will features beer from all over the state for guests to sample and purchase. Attendees can participate in brewing classes and check out the variety of local artisans and exhibitors that will be on site. There will be live music, mini golf, lawn games and an outdoor movie theater for people to enjoy. To help guests keep cool during the event there will be 12,000 square feet of shaded seating, free water stations and misting stations.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.