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.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife rereleased a wolf into Grand County this week after it had traveled into New Mexico, according to a news release.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish captured gray wolf 2403 and returned the animal to Colorado.
Colorado wildlife officials decided to release the wolf in Grand County yesterday because of the proximity to “an unpaired female gray wolf,” nearby prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the release.
“Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts,” said acting director of CPW Laura Clellan, according to the release.
The wolf was once a member of the Copper Creek pack but departed from it this fall.
A memorandum of understanding between Colorado and Arizona, New Mexico and Utah requires that any gray wolves that leave Colorado and enter those states be returned. That was created in part to maintain the integrity of a Mexican wolf recovery program.
“We recognized during the planning process that we would need to have consideration and plans to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program, while also establishing a gray wolf population in Colorado,” said CPW’s Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell, according to the release.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A judge sentenced a New Mexico man to nearly 20 years in prison for distributing meth and having guns in his possession to use while doing so.
Court records indicate 43-year-old David Amaya sold meth from a trailer on his parents’ property in Anthony throughout July and August 2024. Agents executed a search warrant Aug. 22 and found 1.18 kilograms of meth, two firearms and ammunition in the trailer and a makeshift bathroom.
Amaya pleaded guilty to possession of meth with intent to distribute it. A judge sentenced him to 235 months in prison.
Once he is out, Amaya will face five years of supervised release.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted it.
The New Mexico Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 10, 2025, results for each game:
Powerball
10-16-29-33-69, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Day: 8-2-7
Evening: 6-9-2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Lotto America
03-13-37-42-44, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-0-7-8
Day: 3-7-2-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Roadrunner Cash
02-04-06-21-22
Check Roadrunner Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
13-15-51-67-68, Powerball: 08
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Las Cruces Sun-News editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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