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NMPED summer reading boot camp wraps up

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NMPED summer reading boot camp wraps up


Thousands of New Mexico students are returning to the classroom with some extra reading skills under their belt.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Thousands of New Mexico students are returning to the classroom with some extra reading skills under their belt.

The Public Education Department invited students all over the state to take part in a summer reading boot camp this year to help boost literacy rates.

PED leaders say they’re still reviewing the testing data to see just how much children improved.

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They say the feedback from parents and teachers already shows there’s a lot of optimism for New Mexico’s students.

“When we all come together and we focus on, very intentionally, about what we want to do when it comes to instruction, we can see tremendous impact in a very short amount of time,” said NMPED Secretary Arsenio Romero. 

This summer, parents and teachers all over New Mexico focused on the startling number – 38%. That’s how many New Mexico students are considered proficient readers.

“We knew that this was important, because reading is the cornerstone for all learning. If we can create confident, proficient readers, they’re going to be able to be successful in all the other core areas,” said Romero. 

So state lawmakers chipped in $30 million to get more students back on track before the new school year.

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PED leaders say more than 9,500 children participated in structured literacy programs across more than 100 sites this summer. That includes some non-traditional ones like a ranch up in Mora.

“We saw students from the age of 5 years old all the way to about 13, 14 years old, being able to work in very small, structured groups all around the science of reading and structured literacy,” Romero said. 

While the PED is still collecting the hard data, they say all signs point towards a glowing success.

“Talking with instructors, they were so excited and ecstatic with what they saw happening every single day, them telling me that they could see the learning happening right in front of them,” said Romero. “Another family said my student was reading alone at bedtime. They’ve never done that in the past. My child got quicker at reading and participated in the program. My student gained confidence in her reading. So it was just conversations like that, that really reiterated to me that we were doing the right thing, and this was an investment that we needed to make.”

PED leaders say they actually had a surplus of willing instructors this summer, which is a good sign the community wants to help boost those literacy scores.

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Officials say they plan on asking state lawmakers for another $30 million for next year, and there’s already conversations about summer boot camps in other subjects like math.

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New Mexico

Teen agrees to plea deal in death of 13-year-old girl

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Teen agrees to plea deal in death of 13-year-old girl


Then 14-year-old Porfirio Brown is accused of shooting and killing a 13-year-old girl at his dad’s home last year in Questa. A key case in testing Bennie’s Law, it ended with a hung jury.

QUESTA, N.M. — The teen accused of shooting and killing a 13-year-old girl in Questa is expected to take a plea deal Thursday.

Then-14-year-old Porfirio Brown is accused of shooting and killing Amber Archuleta at his father’s home last year.

According to court documents, the shooting happened while Brown was showing a group of friends a collection of guns that his father – William Brown – kept in the home.

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The teen already went on trial for murder earlier this year. However, it ended in a hung jury.

Porfirio Brown was supposed to go back on trial next week. According to his attorney, though, he is taking a plea deal.

Prosecutors have agreed to drop the murder charge against him. He is expected to serve a year of probation for tampering with evidence.

His father, William Brown, was also charged in this case under Bennie’s Law. The law holds people accountable if they don’t properly store their firearms in a safe space away from children. A jury wasn’t able to convict him in June.

The hearing for Porfirio Brown will take place at 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

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New Mexico

Sandia climber speaks out following rescue

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Sandia climber speaks out following rescue


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Earlier this month, KOB 4 told you about a rescue in the Sandia Mountains where a woman fell more than 30 feet during a mountain climb and was rushed to the hospital.

Now, that woman is speaking with us about her experience, the road to recovery and the unique perspective she brings. 

Cassandra Aguirre has been climbing for more than a decade. This climb in particular she does every year, but the mountain wasn’t on her side this time. 

Aguirre has been going on outdoor adventures since college, chasing and climbing waterfalls any chance she gets. Her love for the outdoor community even pushed her to become a mountain rescuer herself. 

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“The reason I do rescue is because it is my community that we go out for. It means a lot to me to be able to give back to that community because they have given so much to me,” said Aguirre. 

This month, however, she found herself on the other side of things, needing to be rescued.

“This is what we call ‘traditional rock climbing’ where there isn’t anything in the rock for protection. You bring your gear with you and as you climb up, you find places to slot protection into, and then you clip your rope that you brought with you into it,” Aguirre said.   

On Saturday, Aug. 3 she reached the top of her climb and was about to anchor her rope to a tree when suddenly: 

“The rock broke, and sometimes you have no control over what the mountain gives and what the mountain takes,” said Aguirre. 

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Aguirre fell more than 30 feet and tore every ligament in her knee.

The New Mexico National Guard and a handful of rescue crews, including her own, rushed her to UNM hospital. 

“To me, seeing them in the sky meant that it would be OK. Without them, we aren’t sure that I would have a leg today,” Aguirre said. 

A teacher by day, Aguirre says it’s her community that’s getting her through this hard time. 

“My Volcano family, we say at Volcano that no hawk stands alone and that is true, I know I am not alone in this journey because of the outpouring of support that is coming to me from Hawk Nation,” said Aguirre. 

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Aguirre is expected to have an extensive surgery in November to replace all four ligaments in her knee. She is also on sabbatical from Volcano Vista while she recovers. 

There is a GoFundMe page to help Aguirre with medical and rehab costs. 



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New Mexico

Drier conditions will give monsoon a break

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Drier conditions will give monsoon a break


Drier days lie ahead across New Mexico. See the latest conditions at KOB.com/Weather.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A high-pressure ridge currently hanging over Texas will move into New Mexico and push in drier air that you’ll feel over the next 10 days.

A NOAA outlook shows below-average precipitation for places like Albuquerque, Silver City, Roswell, Carlsbad, Santa Fe and Tucumcari for August 19-23. Places like Gallup, Farmington, Taos and Raton will see about average precipitation to slightly below-average in that time frame.

What that will do for our temperatures is it will continue to push us closer and closer and closer to 100° with every passing day.

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