New Mexico
New Mexico teen to compete on 'American Ninja Warrior'
A local teen is representing New Mexico on a national stage – she is competing on season 16 of “American Ninja Warrior.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A local teen is representing New Mexico on a national stage – she is competing on season 16 of “American Ninja Warrior.”
Out of a pool of 75,000 people who applied to be on the show, 19-year-old Ixchel Valentino was one of over 100 selected to actually compete.
Valentino calls herself “the Nerdy Ninja.” When she’s not hanging, flying, or doing flips while training at Ninja Force Gym, she spends time with robots.
“I’ve been competing in robotics since I was five years old,” she said. “Doing anything and everything from programming to building to promoting our teams.”
Valentino says competing in both events are pretty similar.
“Competing in both athletics and academics, I’ve found that the mindset for both aspects of, I guess nerdy and athletic is very, very common. You have to find that middle ground for your mindset to be able to get in the game mode, you have to block out all the distractions and stay super focused,” she said.
For Valentino, the sky is the limit – even when you have a fear of heights.
“I have like this fight or flight kind of reflex. And I’m so scared. I just, I want to, like, crawl back down,” she said.
She uses that fear as fuel.
“I can use that fight or flight as fuel. I can use it as more energy to compete. And it kind of pushes me to do things that I wouldn’t normally be comfortable doing if it wasn’t in a competition setting,” Valentino said.
She’s hoping to beat the odds, no matter how stacked they are.
“Trying to get on from that 75,000 pool, I guess you get a 0.26% chance of getting on. That is like crazy,” Valentino said.
Regional gas prices rose for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $3.60 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week’s price of $3.41 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Gas prices are jumping around because traders are trying to price in how long the Iran war will disrupt oil flows from the Middle East, on top of the usual spring run‑up in demand as driving season approaches. Markets are baking in higher risk and “additional volatility” but not a long-term shutdown, and prices could retreat if it becomes clear the tensions are short-lived, petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said.
Analysts say another 20 to 30 cents a gallon is still likely in the weeks ahead.
The average fuel price in the Gulf Coast region rose about 107 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the region in the last year have been as low as $2.37 on Jan. 5, 2026, and as high as $3.60 on March 23, 2026.
A year ago, the average gas price in the Gulf Coast region was 31% lower at $2.74 per gallon.
>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at data.lcsun-news.com.
The average gas price in the United States last week was $3.96, making prices in the Gulf Coast region about 9.0% lower than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is higher than last week’s average of $3.72 per gallon.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s tally of prices in the Gulf Coast states includes Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.
USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu.
QUAY COUNTY, N.M. – A grass fire has burned an estimated 1,000-2,000 acres near San Jon in Quay County.
Emergency crews say the Old 66 Fire is threatening structures, and remains 0% contained.
The New Mexico Forestry Division said crews discovered the fire at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 27 east of San Jon, north of Interstate 40 in Quay County.
Smoke is visible from Interstate 40 and surrounding areas.
The fire is on private land and the cause remains under investigation.
State Road 469 is closed at Main Avenue. Officials said local residents should use caution and avoid the area.
Structures threatened include a wind farm to the southwest.
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