News Flash

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library Presents Book Bundles for Checkout

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is pleased to offer Book Bundles for patrons of all ages for check out beginning Tuesday, January 19.Branigan Library knows that our patrons miss getting to browse the shelves as much as our library staff misses making boo...

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library Call for Community Stories

In February and March 2021, the Las Cruces community will come together to explore When the Emperor was Divine, by Julie Otsuka, for the Big Read.

This award-winning title shares the experiences of a Japanese American family incarcerated by the U.S. govern...

State Reiterates COVID-19 Vaccine Phase Criteria

New Mexico Launches Statewide Vaccine Dashboard

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library Introduces New Healing Library Box

The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is pleased to offer a new Healing Library Box for families, which will be available for check out on Friday, January 15th.

In November, The Branigan Library partnered with The Healing Library to bring materials designe...

Spots Still Available for Out-of-School Time Tutoring Services

The City of Las Cruces Parks & Recreation Youth Services Section still has spots available for tutoring services beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, through the Out-of-School Time Program.

The locations and sessions will provide students in grades Kinder...

JIC Notes January 13, 2021

Media contact: Catherine Zaharko, Doña Ana County 

575-525-5801 • catherinez@donaanacounty.org  

OBJECTIVE: To streamline communication between local government agencies during the COVID-19 response. Partner o...

City Council to Meet on January 19

The Las Cruces City Council will meet via video conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.

The Council will consider adoption of a Resolution urging the New Mexico Legislature to establish a state public bank, owned by and for New Mexico residents. The 2...

Virtual “Tombaugh Day” Events at the Museum of Nature & Science

The Las Cruces Museum of Nature & Science invites astronomers of all ages to join us for three days of virtual events comprising this year’s “Tombaugh Day” event.Virtual programs will take place on Zoom and Facebook live ...

Utilities Water/Wastewater Fees

Residents have until January 29, 2021, to provide input on the Las Cruces Utilities Water and Wastewater Development Impact Fee allocation options to either continue the current allocation in place or change the related resolution to allow for a different...

Governor, State Officials to Give COVID-19 Update

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state officials will host a fully remote news conference Thursday afternoon to provide an update on COVID-19 in New Mexico.

WHAT: Remote news conference with state officials

WHEN: Thursday, January 14, 3:00 P.M.

The news confe...

Department of Health County Map Update Jan. 13

The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the updated statewide COVID-19 map for the two-week period beginning Jan. 13, with 30 counties at the Red Level. Twenty counties saw a higher average daily per-capita rate of new cases in the last...

Lions Tennis Courts Reopening

The City of Las Cruces Parks & Recreation Lions Tennis Courts, 701 W. Picacho Ave., will reopen today, Jan. 13, 2021 with New Mexico State Public Health Order restrictions (https://cv.nmhealth.org/public-health-orders-and-executive-orders/) still in p...

Red Hawk Golf Road Lane Closure

The north end of Red Hawk Golf Road will be closed to traffic starting January 18. Access to the Red Hawk Golf Club will be maintained via a short ...

Great Courses: Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking

Were your holiday meals a little underwhelming? Branigan Library can help!

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library invites you to participate in our discussion of The Great Courses Program, Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking. This program cov...

Motel Boulevard Reduced to One Lane

As part of the Active Transportation Plan Sidewalk Gap Project, north bound traffic on Motel Boulevard between Tashiro Drive and Bruins Lane will be reduced to one lane. The lane closure will begin on Thursday, January 14, and will last approximately two ...

New Mexico Identifies First Case of B117 Coronavirus Variant

The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the state’s first case of the B117 coronavirus variant. A male in his 60’s has the variant; he is associated with travel to the UK in December. He is currently recovering from ...

Water Outage Planned on Armijo Street and Reymond Street

Residents along Reymond Street, from Picacho Avenue to Brownlee Avenue, and Armijo Street, from Picacho Avenue to Mountain Avenue, will experience a water outage between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Crews with DuCross Constru...

City Council Recap for January 11

City Council discussed the City of Las Cruces’ proposed Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) for the period of 2021 to 2025.

Las Crucens were reminded that a community survey for the Consolidated Plan is still underway. Residents can take the online surv...

Water Line Cleaning Notice for San Elena Water System

Las Cruces Utilities will be cleaning water lines using the Neutral Output Discharge Elimination System (NO-DES) in the San Elena Subdivision Water System from January 12 - 15, to remove accumulated iron and manganese in the water lines. NO-DES cleans wat...

East Hadley Avenue Road Closure Extended

East Hadley Avenue, between Sheryl Way and Cindy Place, will have a road closure between 7 a.m. and noon on January 12, for the Griggs-Walnut Ground Water Plume Superfund Site FLUTe Well Replacement Project. The Contractor will be working on a monitoring ...

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Schedule

City Hall and most other City of Las Cruces offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Emergency services such as fire and police will not be affected.

The following is a list of closures for January 18:

• Frank O&rsqu...

East Hadley, East Griggs Lane Closures for January 11

East Hadley Avenue, between Sheryl Way and Cindy Place, as well as East Griggs Avenue, between Butler Street and Walton Boulevard, will be reduced to a single lane on Monday, January 11, for the Griggs-Walnut Ground Water Plume Superfund Site FLUTe Well R...

State health Secretary to Give COVID-19 Vaccine Update January 11

Dr. Tracie Collins, Secretary-Designate of the New Mexico Department of Health, will host a remote news conference this afternoon to provide an update on New Mexico’s vaccine distribution effort. 

WHAT: Remote n...

Regional Aquatic Center Pool Closed for Repairs and Maintenance

The pool area at Regional Aquatic Center, 1401 E. Hadley Avenue, will be closed for repairs and maintenance until further notice.  

The fitness area will remain open during this time.

For information regarding the Regio...

New Mexico Issues Vaccine Distribution Plan

The New Mexico Department of Health today released its distribution plan for Phases 1B, 1C, and 2 for the COVID-19 vaccine. That plan is available here: https://cv.nmhealth.org/covid-vaccine/ 

The Department also announced that New Mexico...

JIC Notes January 8, 2021

Media contact: Catherine Zaharko, Doña Ana County575-525-5801 • catherinez@donaanacounty.org  

OBJECTIVE: To streamline communication between local government agencies during the COVID-19 response. Partner organizations include city and county rep...

Conway Avenue Work

Public Works will have a contractor doing maintenance work with tree removal along the south portion of Conway Avenue, between Lucerne Way to Canterbury Arc, beginning Monday, January 11. This work is expected to be completed Friday, January 15. This sche...

City Council to Conduct a Work Session on January 11

The Las Cruces City Council will meet via video conference at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 for a work session.

City Council will discuss the City of Las Cruces’ proposed Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) for the period of 2021 to 2025. The City, as an...

Las Cruces Airport Earns Improved Compliance Report

The Las Cruces International Airport received the close-out letter stating all deficiencies identified during Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 139 inspection have been successfully addressed. Andy Hume, airport administrator, described the repor...

State Offers Call Center Support for Vaccine Registration

The New Mexico Department of Health today announced that the DOH hotline now offers support for questions surrounding vaccine registration.

Nearly 300,000 New Mexicans have registered for vaccine at the state’s website: https://cvvaccine...

Utility Online Payment Function Will be Down for Upgrades

Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, January 8, 2021, City Utilities customers will be unable to access the online payment function due to system upgrades. During the upgrade, customers may make their payments by telephone at 1-866-426-9757 and follow the payment ...

January Activities from the Branigan Cultural Center

Enjoy online museum programs courtesy of the Branigan Cultural Center.

“History Notes: The Amador Hotel with Deb Dennis, Ph.D.”

Thursday, January 14, 1-2 p.m.

Discover history and culture through a monthly informal discussion series on t...

Branigan Library Hosts Author Mary Morris

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library invites you to a discussion with author Mary Morris at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 21 via Zoom.  

Award winning novelist Mary Morris will discuss her novel, Gateway to the Moon. Gateway to the Moon is a 20th century story of t...

Great Courses: The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library invites you to participate in our discussion of The Great Courses program The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy.

This program covers the history of the American West from colonial times to the “closing of t...

City Council Approves Formation of COVID Vaccine Task Force

The Las Cruces City Council unanimously adopted a Resolution supporting the creation of a COVID-19 vaccination task force in Las Cruces. The Council’s action came at its Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 meeting.

The task force will include: Assistant City Ma...

City to Host Virtual Public Meeting for McFie Avenue Reconstruction, More

The City Public Works Department is hosting a virtual public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 for its projects on McFie Avenue, the First Street Waterline, and the Village Plaza Utility replacement.The reconstruction project is on McFie Avenue b...

City Councilor Yvonne Flores to Host Virtual District 6 Meeting

Community members have a great opportunity to engage with the City of Las Cruces on the East Lohman Avenue Development Plan at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 6 by way of a virtual meeting.Consultants for the project will present information that has been de...

Masks Distributed to Las Cruces Utilities Residential Customers

Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) is doing its part to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 by distributing disposable masks to its residential customers.Residential Customers will be receiving two masks per property through the same company LCU uses to distrib...

State Announces Enhanced Vaccine Registration Website

The New Mexico Department of Health announced today that New Mexico’s vaccination website - vaccinenm.org - now enables users to complete comprehensive personal profiles. These profiles - which include personal medical conditio...

City Council to Meet on January 4

The Las Cruces City Council will meet via video conference at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 for a regularly scheduled meeting.

City Council will consider the adoption of a Resolution to build a new park within a one-mile radius of Mesa Grande Road and Centra...

LCFD Responds to Simultaneous Fires and Hazardous Materials Aid Request

The Las Cruces Fire Department (LCFD) responded to simultaneous fires and a Hazardous Materials Mutual Aid request on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2020. Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, City firefighters responded to a commercial fire ...

Las Cruces Minimum Wage to Increase to $10.50 an Hour on January 1

The City of Las Cruces Minimum Wage Ordinance will increase on Jan. 1, 2021, to $10.50 an hour. The hourly wage for tipped employees will be $4.20 an hour, plus any reported tipped wages. 

The City’s minimum wage will follow the state of...

City of Las Cruces Audit Report Released

The Office of the New Mexico State Auditor (OSA) has released a report involving a fraud examination and investigation initiated by the City of Las Cruces. The report identified serious conflicts of interest and revealed over $1.8 million in mishandled or...

GO Bond Desert Trails Community Park Erosion Control Project to Begin

The General Obligation (GO) Bond rehabilitation of Desert Trails Community Park, 3492 Sonora Springs, is anticipated to start on December 28. Park visitors may see some pre-construction activity but will still have access to the park. Closures may occur ...

Local Businesses Receive Support Through Business Retention and Expansion Efforts

Business consultation and connection to resources are the tools the City of Las Cruces’ Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program is using to invigorate local businesses, boost their staying power, and enhance their opportunities for growth...

Anonymous Donor Gifts Musical Instruments to Weed and Seed Program

The Holiday spirit is alive and well in Las Cruces this year. The City's Weed and Seed program participants have been gifted with musical instruments this year.  An anonymous donor purchased twelve acoustic guitars which were delivered t...

City of Las Cruces Flood Insurance Outreach

The City of Las Cruces Community Development Department would like to invite residents to a Flood Insurance Outreach Webinar at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 13. Register Here for Webinar The Community Development Department is hosting Floodproofing.co...

Local Artists Win Holiday Window Designs

Local artists have been recognized for their creations on many of the windows in downtown Las Cruces. In promoting the spirit of the holidays, the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership (DLCP) and the Las Cruces Arts and Cultural District Coordinating Council (A...

City Council Adopts Two GO Bond Resolutions

The Las Cruces City Council unanimously adopted separate Resolutions at its Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 meeting regarding the construction of two General Obligation Bond projects approved by Las Cruces voters in 2018. One Resolution approved a contract with J...

Roll-off Containers Available for Mask Up to Clean Up

The City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department will station two roll-off containers, provided by Las Cruces Utilities Solid Waste, at Frenger Park, 800 Parkview Dr. and at Gomez Park, 2283 S. Espina St. on December 19 – 20 as part of the...

Larry Nichols Named to Region XI International Code Council

City of Las Cruces Community Development Director, Larry Nichols, was recently appointed to the Executive Board of Directors for the Region XI International Code Council (ICC). 

The Four Corners Chapter of Region XI includes the states Arizona, Ut...

City of Las Cruces Selects Ikani Taumoepeau as Assistant City Manager

The City of Las Cruces has selected Ikani Taumoepeau to serve as the City's new Assistant City Manager.

Taumoepeau has previously served as City Manager in Clayton, CA; Assistant City Manager in Santa Paula, CA; Deputy City Manager in Morro Bay, C...

City Business Registration Fees to be Reduced in 2021

In a move to help Las Cruces businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Las Cruces City Council on Monday (Dec. 7) approved a 12-month moratorium on collecting the full amount of the city’s business registration fees. The Council adopted a Res...

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library Call for Poets

In February and March of 2021, the Las Cruces community will come together and read When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka for the Big Read. When the Emperor was Divine follows the experiences of a Japanese American family as they are incarcerated by...

Daines Appointed Deputy Chief

Kiri Daines, appointed in September as the Las Cruces Police Department’s acting Deputy Chief in charge of Investigations and Support Services, has now been named to the permanent position.

Daines’ announcement comes two weeks...

Saturation Patrols Planned for December

Las Cruces police will conduct at least two saturation patrols within city limits during the month of December.

Saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints held by LCPD are intended to reduce and eliminate the number of motorists who drive while ...

Youth Services Program Provides Meal Service for Families

Youth Services program families received a special delivery of complete Thanksgiving meal baskets on November 22 by Youth Services staff as part of an annual holiday event now in its 15th year. Besides spreading holiday cheer, Youth Services provides yout...

Additional Funds Available for City of Las Cruces Small Business Continuity Grant Program

The City of Las Cruces has launched a second round of the Las Cruces Small Business Continuity Grant Program to assist Las Cruces businesses and nonprofits who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The one-time grants of as much as $20,000 for quali...

City of Las Cruces Names Miguel Dominguez as Police Chief

The City of Las Cruces administration has announced it has selected Miguel Dominguez as the next Chief of Police. 

Dominguez has resided in Las Cruces since 1985. He graduated in 2003 from LCPD’s 34th Academy and has most recently held t...

City of Las Cruces Selects Eric Enriquez as Assistant City Manager

The City of Las Cruces has named a new Assistant City Manager this week as the City's Administration has selected current Fire Chief Eric Enriquez to the position.  

Enriquez was born and raised in Las Cruces. He attended Las Cruces Publi...

Financial Services Department Receives Achievement for Excellence Award

The City of Las Cruces has met the requirements to be awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition ...

City Council Updated on East Lohman Avenue Development Plan

The Las Cruces City Council was updated on the East Lohman Avenue Development Plan during its Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, Work Session. The City has contracted with Sites Southwest to prepare a development plan for City-owned property generally located south of...

Las Cruces Utilities Customer May See Trash Collection Day Change

Due to city growth and analysis, Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) will be changing the regular solid waste and recycling pick up day for nearly a quarter of Las Cruces residents starting on January 2021. For those affected by the change in their trash day, a no...

New Fees for City Building Permits Go into Effect on November 5

A new fee schedule for all building and inspection permits issued by the City of Las Cruces Community Development Department will go into effect on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020.

New fees will apply to:

1. Administrative fees, including the Technolo...

City Council Adopts Ordinance for LEDA project for LaSen, Inc.

The Las Cruces City Council unanimously adopted an Ordinance during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, that approved a Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) project for LaSen, Inc., of Las Cruces. The action from the seven-member Cou...

Las Cruces Utilities Warns of Possible Scam Regarding Water Sample Collection

Las Cruces Utilities (LCU), which provides gas, water, wastewater, and solid waste service to the Las Cruces area, is advising that an unknown person may be approaching citizens stating they need to collect a water sample to test for contaminatio...

Tashiro Drive Road Closure Notice

Tashiro Drive, from north Valley Drive to 3,100 feet west, is scheduled to undergo utilities and roadway reconstruction by Morrow Enterprises, Inc., as part of the City of Las Cruces Tashiro Drive Widening Project.Work will begin Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, an...

Avoid Being Victim of Vehicle Warm-up Theft

Las Cruces Police remind drivers who warm up their vehicles to refrain from leaving them unattended as they can be stolen within seconds.

Surveillance video from an Oct. 6 incident on Sombrero Court shows that it took less than 15 seconds for the...

"Through a Different Lens: One Woman's Experience in Vietnam, 1967-1968"

Join us at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., from Oct. 23, 2020 through Feb. 6, 2021 for Through a Different Lens: One Woman’s Experience in Vietnam, 1967-1968, an exhibit that examines the life of Las Cruces resident Frances Willia...

Fall / Winter Water Restrictions

Citywide spring/summer daytime outdoor watering (from April 1 to September 30) restricted customers from watering during the daytime hours of 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. October 1 to March 31 allows customers to water during these hours on their designated...

Arte Cubano at the Las Cruces Museum of Art

Arte Cubano opens Oct. 13, 2020, at Las Cruces Museum of Art, 491 N. Main St.

Arte Cubano highlights a universally agreed-upon characteristic of the island’s art: an incredible diversity. Cuban art is so rich in large part because of its diverse ...

Take the Las Cruces Safe Promise and Support Our Community

Get ready to take the Las Cruces Safe Promise and commit to keeping the community as safe as possible from the COVID-19 virus, because your promise can support the success of our local businesses. 

 The Las Cruces Safe Promise is a good-f...

Parks & Recreation Aquatic Facility - Fall/Winter Hours

The Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center, 1401 E. Hadley Ave. and Frenger Pool, 800 Parkview Dr. will implement fall/winter hours of operation beginning Tuesday, September 8, in accordance with the Governor’s Emergency Public Health Order still in...