WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Tom Udall’s measure to solidify Southern New Mexico’s position as a leading testing center for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, commonly referred to as “drones”) was signed into law July 15 as part of the bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration.

New Mexico State University’s UAS Flight Test Center was the FAA’s original UAS test center; it served as a model for six sites across the country that were authorized by Congress in 2012. Udall’s language adds NMSU, creating a group of test ranges that can equally compete for federal projects — a move that will give NMSU parity with the sites authorized in 2012 and help attract business...

Aug. 2 closed session could yield selection

Six people have applied for the vacant McKinley County Manager job, officials confirmed this week. The job, which in the past has paid upwards of $90,000, was last held by Bill Lee. Lee vacated the job in May to return to the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce as chief executive officer. Lee also won the McKinley County Board of Commissioners District 3 seat, vacated by Tony Tanner.

McKinley County Attorney Doug Decker said a closed session meeting that the McKinley County Board of Commissioners could move the matter further along.

“If there is a closed session at the next meeting, then the job of county manager will probably be...

Official: Complaints coming in about ‘hangers on’

There have been intoxicated people hanging around the Gallup Express bus stop on Aztec Avenue near Camille’s Sidewalk Café, and downtown property owners don’t like it. Moreover, bus riders who frequently take the bus downtown believe safety is important.

This was the topic of a July 21 meeting between the Business Improvement District and Tommy Mims, the executive director at Gallup Express, which operates under the auspices of the Gallup Community Pantry. Mims and BID agreed to meet at a later date to iron out either a relocated bus stop or increased safety measures.

“We don’t have a problem moving the actual bus...

Reports indicate that Gov. Susana Martinez is considering calling the Legislature into a special session to deal with what looks like a large shortfall in the state’s budget.

The news comes nearly a week after Senate Finance Committee Chair John Arthur Smith said a special session would be needed. Smith made the comments during a legislative interim committee.

The Associated Press reported [July 26] that Martinez has been “working for weeks with executive agencies and a key legislative committee” on how to deal with the shortfall.

Smith, a Democrat from Deming, said he spoke to Martinez’s staff about the need for a special session.

The Santa Fe New Mexican was at the State...