NM - KFOX14/CBS4 — New Mexico State Police responded to a crash early this morning near Mesquite A 2015 Kia was traveling westbound on the eastbound side of Interstate 10 when it struck a 2016 Honda The driver of the Honda was identified as a woman The driver of the vehicle heading in the wrong direction was identified to be a 20-year-old man named Isaiah Lopez Lopez was arrested for driving while under the influence and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center All lanes on I-10 eastbound were closed for over 2 hours This is a developing story; check back for updates Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily to your inbox All four of Las Cruces' high schools — Las Cruces Organ Mountain and Centennial — have received a spot in the 5A state playoffs for both baseball and softball Centennial received the highest seed of any Las Cruces school at No 10-seed Rio Grande at the Field of Dreams Baseball Complex for its opening three-game series and will all travel to play their first-round three-game series 16-seed Eldorado for its opening play-in game at the Field of Dreams Softball Complex 5 seed and will face Sandia at a neutral site Las Cruces and Organ Mountain earned the No and will travel to La Cueva High School in Albuquerque for their play-in games Here is the schedule for the opening round of the playoffs More: 12 standout baseball players from Las Cruces high school teams this season The New Mexico baseball playoffs begin with a three-game series in the first round Friday at the Field of Dreams Baseball Complex Saturday at the Field of Dreams Baseball Complex More: Here are the 2025 high school football schedules for the four Las Cruces teams Friday at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque Friday at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque More: Organ Mountain names track after longtime track and field, cross country coach David Nuñez The New Mexico softball playoffs begin with play-in games to determine a final eight-team field The winners of these play-in games advance to the eight-team championship round Friday at the Field of Dreams Softball Complex Friday at the Field of Dreams Softball Complex in the quarterfinals) Friday at Carlsbad High School in the quarterfinals) More: Mayfield's Jazlene Ruiz signs to play basketball at community college in Kansas Saturday at La Cueva High School in the quarterfinals) This story was updated to include additional information This image taken from video provided by KFOX14 shows former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose Luis “Joel” Cano An undated social media image shows former Doña Ana County Magistrate Joel Cano The image was included in federal court filings seeking to detain Ortega-Lopez through his trial on a weapons charge LAS CRUCES — Kate Walsh was returning to her home from a doctor’s appointment when pandemonium erupted on the street where she has lived for 16 years Las Cruces police units blocked off two ends of N Reymond Street as dozens of federal agents tactical vests and sidearms with no visible identification Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Algernon D’Ammassa is the Albuquerque Journal’s Southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Stay informed with the latest top headlines from your trusted local source the Albuquerque Journal—delivered to your inbox every day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist it provides narrative coverage of local trends going beyond the headlines to keep you informed Stay in the loop with the top stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday Sign up to see what’s trending and get the latest on the stories that matter most to our readers Get breaking news and important alerts sent straight to your inbox as they happen Stay up-to-date with the latest sports headlines and highlights from the Albuquerque Journal Get the latest on local happenings delivered straight to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account The Las Cruces Police Department will team with several local and federal law enforcement agencies throughout Operation Not in Vain, a months-long crime reduction project in memory of fallen Las Cruces Police Officer Jonah Hernandez The initiative is scheduled to begin on April 28 and is expected to conclude in August Hernandez was killed in the line of duty Feb Hernandez served two years with the Las Cruces Police Department “Our first Not in Vain operation was extremely successful and underscored the importance of collaboration among local state and federal law enforcement agencies,” LCPD Chief Jeremy Story said we’re looking to refine those collaborations continue pursuing initiatives that make Las Cruces a safer city and keep the memory of Jonah alive in the city he served.” Crime: Former judge, wife released following allegations of Venezuelan gang affiliation Law enforcement personnel will concentrate on increasing uniformed presence in violent crime hot spots throughout the city with a focus on frequent offenders and those identified as drivers of violent crime in the community a news release from the City of Las Cruces read Operation Not in Vain will utilize law enforcement resources from the Las Cruces Police Department the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office Attorney’s Office and several federal agencies The initial Operation Not in Vain 89 criminal citations and more than 1,200 traffic citations The Las Cruces Sun-News will nominate several athletes for its Athlete of the Week award every week The award highlights the best performances from Las Cruces-area schools from the previous week Everyone is encouraged to submit nominations for the upcoming week to ncoppola@lcsun-news.com Last week's winner was Ryo Rivera of Organ Mountain baseball The poll at the bottom of this page closes at 11 p.m Luke Matherly (Centennial boys' track and field) Matherly earned a 161-1 discus throw to win the boys' discus finals at the John Mirimanian Invitational at Mayfield High School Denzel Kapkirwok (Las Cruces boys' track and field) Kapkirwok won the boys' 100-meter dash finals at the John Mirimanian Invitational with a time of 10.8 seconds Kaselle Davis (Las Cruces girls' track and field) 200- and 400-meter dash finals and the high jump finals at the John Mirimanian Invitational She ran the 100-meter dash in 12.2 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 25 seconds Narvarez drove in the game-winning run that helped the Hawks defeat Las Cruces 2-1 in eight innings a series that earned Centennial a District 3-5A championship Torres struck out 12 batters and allowed only four hits and no runs in 6.1 innings pitched during a 4-0 win against Las Cruces Venegas struck out 8 batters and allowed 0 runs on 3 hits in 6 innings pitched to help the Knights defeat Mayfield 9-0 The series helped the Hawks finish the regular season undefeated LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Today, Head Coach Jason Hooten announced the signing of senior guard Anthony Wrzeszcz who will join the Aggies for the 2025-26 season Wrzeszcz most recently competed for McMaster University in Canada during the 2024-25 season and 2.5 assists per game while showcasing his scoring ability in a 24-point effort against Carleton He also posted a season-high seven assists versus Nipissing and pulled down nine rebounds against Laurentian Wrzeszcz played two seasons at Sam Houston with his freshman year being under the leadership of Hooten he played in 30 of 33 games and helped the Bearkats capture their first-ever Conference USA regular season championship He averaged 13.6 minutes per contest and contributed on both ends of the floor—recording 20 steals and committing just 14 turnovers the fewest among any Sam Houston player with 30 games played and 10+ minutes per game with a season-best 19-point performance coming against Tarleton State where he went a perfect 3-3 from long range Wrzeszcz has also represented his home country on the international stage and 2.3 assists per contest while serving as one of the team's key offensive pieces one of the nation's top high school programs as part of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) He was selected to participate in the BioSteel All-Canadian Game—an elite event featuring the top 24 high school players across Canada a top-tier program on the Under Armour Association circuit QUOTABLE | Head Coach Jason Hooten "Anthony played for me during the 2022–23 season and is now heading into his fourth year of college basketball We're thrilled to welcome him back here at New Mexico State Anthony is a tremendous culture guy who has always put the team first he's shown impressive growth thanks to his relentless work ethic Ant will add another strong shooter to our roster and brings a deep understanding of our defensive philosophy It's always special when a family member comes back home!" Copyright © 2025 New Mexico State University Athletics / All Rights Reserved Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Since 2020, New Mexico State University’s Aggie-One Stop has been a resource designed to help students find answers to a multitude of questions in a single location Aggie-One Stop is intended to provide support to current students families and alumni across the NMSU system “The Aggie One-Stop is an integral part of the NMSU system and provides outstanding support to students associate vice president for Student Affairs “Aggie One-Stop contributes daily to the land-grant mission of NMSU and provides tremendous support in the success of our Aggies and university community.” Common questions are often on topics like admissions bill payment and student records along with university departments such as academic advising International Student and Scholar Services “Our staff are all cross-trained in multiple areas within Student Affairs and Enrollment Management,” said Rafael Delgado “We’ve become a great resource for a lot of our students because instead of them having to go through multiple offices and go from place to place we can get a lot of their stuff done in one location.” Students have many options on how to contact Aggie One-Stop, telephone at 575-646-6678, in person at Educational Services Building, Suite 710, through Navigate appointments, email at onestop@nmsu.edu or website at onestop.nmsu.edu that includes live texting “We have become this melting pot of interesting questions so any student that has any type of question we are encouraging students to contact our Aggie One-Stop because we want to be that connection to resources and answers throughout the NMSU community,” Delgado said “A lot of our questions are just trying to help the student understand the business side of college trying to help them through the process of coming to school getting enrolled and navigating enrollment barriers.” In the five years that Aggie One-Stop has been available the office has grown from two counselors handling 26,223 interactions in the 2021-2022 academic year to six professional staff and 10-15 student workers on track to surpass 40,000 interactions this academic year “So not only are we able to assist more students but we’re able to take on a little bit more than what we used to do,” Delgado said “We first started out with just undergraduate admissions and International Student and Scholar Services but now we’ve broadened our scope of service and we’ve been able to help more students.” Aggie One-Stop staff members not only answer its main phoneline but also the phonelines for University Financial Aid and Scholarship Services NMSU Global Campus and International Student and Scholar Services They also handle front desk services for University Student Records International Student and Scholar Services and Undergraduate Admissions “My staff is advocating for the student by talking to several different departments on the backend so that the student only works with one person and our staff are going through and resolving their issue with all of these other departments,” Delgado said “Students are surprised because they didn’t have to go through the hoops from going to office to office “The goal of Aggie One-Stop is to be a resource for students by resolving smaller issues and to provide a helping hand to partner offices during peak times,” he added To learn more about Aggie One-Stop, visit the office in the Educational Services Building, Suite 710, onestop.nmsu.edu, call 575-646-6678 or email onestop@nmsu.edu CUTLINE: New Mexico State University student Gracie Baca works at Aggie One-Stop a student service center that provide support to current students Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso and Las Cruces will be breezy Sunday with southwest winds and dry air moving in Storm chances stay low in the cities but a few may form over the Sacramento Mountains Gusty winds and dry conditions could raise fire danger Spotty showers are possible north and east of Las Cruces Monday through Wednesday but temperatures will stay cooler than normal until midweek Warmer weather and slight storm chances return by late Friday Olivia Vara is a weather anchor and reporter KVIA ABC 7 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KVIA-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information If you haven't already decided on your Cinco de Mayo plans consider making your way to Mesilla for the town's fiesta this weekend Mesilla will host its annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on the historic plaza May 3 and 4 and ballet folklórico and Aztec dancers will perform all weekend Andele's Restaurant will sponsor piñatas and a greased pole to add to the fun El Patio will sponsor a beer garden throughout the weekend Restaurants and shops will also be open for customers More: What is Cinco de Mayo? Holiday's meaning and origins tied to famous 1862 battle The May 5 celebration is a Mexican holiday that commemorates Mexico’s triumph over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862 during the Franco-Mexican War Many believe it's Mexican Independence Day Cinco de Mayo may not be a major Mexican holiday but it's become a significant commemoration of Mexican culture in the U.S A trial date has been set for the two teens and one adult suspected of killing three teens and wounding 15 others March 21 during a shooting at Young Park Josiah Ontiveros and Tomas Rivas appeared in court on May 1 for a status hearing in a trial that is expected to last three weeks All face three counts each of first-degree murder "We would have preferred an earlier trial setting as I believe the less time victims have to wait for justice the better," Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias said we respect the court’s schedule and will be fully prepared to move forward when the trial date arrives." According to the district attorney's office Organ Mountain baseball's Ryo Rivera has been voted as the Las Cruces Sun-News Athlete of the Week for the week of April 21-26 It's the second time this season Rivera has earned the honor softball and track and field nominees from Las Cruces Fellow nominees included Centennial baseball's Gilberto Torres Centennial softball's Aaliyah Betancourt and Destiny Perez Organ Mountain boys' track and field's Corbin Coombs and Jeron Wisner Las Cruces boys' track and field's Denzel Kapkirwok Mayfield boys' track and field's Peyton Darden and Las Cruces girls' track and field's Kaselle Davis Rivera received a large majority of the vote, making up 83.03% of the final tally to receive the weekly honor. He was previously voted as the Athlete of the Week for the week of March 31-April 5 for earning seven RBIs across a three-game district series against Gadsden Rivera earned 3 RBIs on 4 hits during a 6-2 win over Centennial to earn his nomination Rivera has a .326 batting average with 29 hits The junior has an on-base percentage of .362 and a slugging percentage of .427 10-5 District 3-5A) wrapped up its regular season against Mayfield (15-10-1 winning 9-0 on Monday and dropping both games of a Thursday doubleheader 7-4 and 8-2 The Knights finished third in their district and will now wait to see if they made the playoffs (KFOX14/CBS4) — A former judge and his wife were taken into custody after authorities raided their home in Las Cruces following accusations that they had an alleged Tren de Aragua member living in their home KFOX14/CBS4 were on the scene Thursday afternoon when the home of former Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and a probable cause arrest warrant A spokesperson for ICE confirmed they were both taken into custody as part of an ongoing investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations Cano was charged with tampering with evidence while Nancy was charged with conspiracy to tamper The raid comes after Cano had resigned in March following accusations that he and his wife Investigators believe Nancy hired Lopez to work on the home and then later offered their place for Lopez to stay Documents from the investigation indicate Lopez displayed clear indicators of association with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua KFOX14/CBS4 cameras captured the moment both Cano and his wife RELATED: Former judge linked to alleged gang member's arrest in New Mexico the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that Cano may never hold judicial office in the state KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with neighbors of Cano who were shocked by the raid "You know if he did know that and invited him in "My understanding is there was access to a lot of weapons Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox The Doña Ana County Magistrate Court in Las Cruces is seen on Wednesday LAS CRUCES — Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano has resigned from the bench where he has sat since 2011 did not state his reason for stepping down it followed shortly after a man awaiting deportation proceedings accused by federal law enforcement of being affiliated with a Venezuelan gang LAS CRUCES — Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife were arrested by FBI agents Thursday afternoon on federal … New Mexico State has secured five transfers so far for its men's basketball team next season The current transfer portal window closed on April 22 but that was only the deadline for players to enter their names in it Aggies coach Jason Hooten and his staff are now tasked with bringing new players to Las Cruces and building on their 17-15 finish from the 2024-25 season a 4-win improvement from the previous season Completing NM State's transfer class could be another long process as the Aggies added transfers from April 19 to June 18 of last year Hooten found plenty of contributors during that time including an All-Conference USA selection from this past season in Peter Filipovity and Zawdie Jackson — the only NM State player to start all 32 games in 2024-25 Guard Dionte Bostick and forwards Nate and Emmanuel Tshimanga also contributed after transferring from other schools Who are the new faces in Las Cruces for Aggies basketball Here's a look at the Division I transfers who have committed to Hooten's squad so far: More: New Mexico State men's basketball transfer portal tracker Mims was NM State's first transfer portal acquisition from a Division I school and arrives as a forward from Idaho Mims spent two seasons with the Vandals from 2023-25 and became a reliable defensive presence for coach Alex Pribble's squad He recorded 48 blocks and 34 steals in the 2023-24 season to earn an All-Big Sky Conference Defensive team selection and averaged 1.1 blocks per game last season Mims' averages in points and rebounds per game went down last season but his shooting improved as he recorded a 66.1% mark from the field He also provides the off-court character Hooten is looking for having once earned a spot on the Big Sky's All-Academic Team Having started 62 of his 63 games played for Idaho Mims has the potential to slot right into Hooten's starting five next season Read about NMSU football: Inside the construction of the Aggies' brand-new facilities ranking second-to-last in CUSA with 69.7 and shooting a CUSA-worst 41.5% from the field Jones lit up the scoreboard in his one season at Cal State Bakersfield with a school-record 18.9 points per game a mark which ranked 4th in the Big West Conference and top-50 in the country He also set school records in single-season points (625) and single-season field goals (237) Jones scored double-digit points in all but four of his 33 games played for the Roadrunners and scored 20 or more points 13 times highlighted by a 45-point outing against Cal State Northridge and a 37-point performance against Long Beach State He earned Newcomer of the Year honors from the Big West and was an All-Big West second-team selection Jones' scoring could make him a key player for NM State in the 2025-26 season More: Who funded NMSU's capital outlay projects for athletics? Malonga comes to Las Cruces after two years at East Carolina Malonga attended the Evangel Christian School in Louisville receiving offers from schools such as Texas He didn't play much for the Pirates in his two seasons with coach Michael Schwartz's team starting only 18 of his 46 games and playing only 8.7 minutes per game Malonga's 6-foot-11 frame could intrigue NM State fans nonetheless either in the starting lineup or off the bench Elliott is the latest transfer signed to NM State after the former Southern Illinois guard announced his commitment on Friday afternoon Elliott played five games for the Salukis before his season was cut short due to an ACL injury He averaged 14 points in those games and shot 50.9% from the field scoring more than 20 points twice against Oklahoma State and College of Charleston Elliott's last full season was with UTRGV in 2023-24 where he started 29 of his 30 games played while averaging 16.6 points NM State will be his fourth Division I school after playing at Mount St He also earned Division II experience at Oklahoma Christian in the 2020-21 season and played at the junior college level for Blinn College (Texas) in the 2022-23 season This story has been updated to include more information as NMSU signed an additional transfer after initial publication engineering advisor with Elephant Butte Irrigation District to learn more about efforts to safeguard water resources in a region facing drought a fifth grader in Las Cruces to learn more about her effort to make tortillas New Mexico's State Bread Director of New Mexico's Outdoor Recreation Division to learn more about efforts to connect residents in the state to public lands Catch up on recent local content from KRWG Public Media The April transfer portal window opened on April 15 and numerous New Mexico State players have stated their intentions to enter but that's only the deadline for players to request their names be put into the portal Some players may not officially enter the portal until after the deadline they can take as long as they want to decide on their next school Keep an eye out here for all incoming and departing transfers for the Aggies in the spring window Each class year is what the player was during the 2024 season with the exception of Ziggy Loa More: New OC David Yost giving much-needed boost to NMSU's offense More: See who arrived and departed New Mexico State during the winter transfer portal window Notable information: NM State will be Calloway's third school in three seasons after playing at Old Dominion in 2023. Pro Football Focus clocked Calloway's top speed at 23.1 MPH last season, faster than players like Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy Notable information: Staehler played four seasons at Towson from 2021-24 at offensive tackle He will transfer to NM State as a graduate student Notable information: Smith played at the junior college level with Jones College (Mississippi) last season and played spring football with South Alabama before entering the transfer portal Notable information: Hawk announced his transfer to the Aggies before the spring window opened on March 31 and played all 11 games for the Beacons in 2024 His longest field goal for Valparaiso last season was 51 yards Notable information: McNamara did not appear in any games during the 2024 season after transferring from UTEP Notable information: Marucci entered the 2024 season as NM State's third-string quarterback but was one of three quarterbacks to start a game for the Aggies with his most notable performances coming in a two-touchdown game against New Mexico Marucci spent only one season at NM State after transferring from Wake Forest Notable information: McGowan entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag, meaning teams and coaches can't initiate contact with him. This is McGowan's second time in the portal this offseason after entering it for one day in December 2024 He was a second-team All-Conference USA selection in 2024 Notable information: Watkins entered the 2024 season as the Aggies' No. 3 running back but suffered a season-ending head injury after taking a hard hit on a botched trick play against Jacksonville State Notable information: The former Oklahoma State and Baylor player transferred to the Aggies during the winter window but later left the team due to family issues according to an NM State athletics spokesman Richardson is an Oklahoma City native and transferred to the nearby Golden Hurricane Notable information: Transferred from Jones College (Mississippi) and spent one season with the Aggies He made two of his four catches in 2024 against Fresno State Notable information: Wood did not appear in any games during the 2024 season Notable information: Vaipulu was set to be a returning starter on the Aggies' offensive line with Tony Sanchez telling the Sun-News he would be moved from guard to center in place of the departing Canaan Yarro Vaipulu played in all 12 games for NM State last season making 11 starts at guard and one at center Notable information: Post did not appear in any games during the 2023 or 2024 seasons Notable information: Peleti was one of four captains for the Aggies last season He was NM State's leader in sacks last season and also recorded 4.5 sacks in 2023 Peleti had two games with two sacks against Liberty and Texas A&M recording his other half-sack against Sam Houston Notable information: Beadles played in all 12 games for the Aggies last season and made one start He played one season for NM State after transferring from Houston Notable information: Loa was a part of the Aggies' 2025 signing class as a junior college recruit from Tyler J He officially signed for NM State in February and lasted only two months on its roster Notable information: Played one season with NM State after transferring from UNLV where he played for former Rebels coach Sanchez in 2019 Notable information: Ta'ase's performances in 2024 were recognized with a Conference USA all-freshman team selection. His most notable moment came against Louisiana Tech when he blocked a potential game-tying field goal from the Bulldogs to force overtime. The Aggies would later win 33-30 in double overtime Notable information: Perry played in nine games during the 2024 season and was a standout player in NM State's 2025 spring game recording what would've been a sack if defenders were allowed to make them Notable information: Johnson recorded stats in three games last season Notable information: Crosby was one of NM State's starting safeties last season and was the Aggies' leading tackler Crosby spent one year with the Aggies after transferring from Sam Houston His interception against Western Kentucky broke a four-game streak with no turnovers for NM State and he had 10 or more tackles in three games Notable information: Joya did not appear in any games for the Aggies in 2023 or 2024 and competed with freshman David Barker for the starting kicker job during spring football – Former Las Cruces judge Joel Cano and his wife a federal judge released the couple on bond They had been in the Doña Ana County Detention Center since Friday “We were following the leads from what we’ve learned over the last couple of weeks And so we came back here today with an additional search warrant to be able to recover additional evidence we’ve made two arrests today,” said Jason T special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Stevens said that after last Friday’s raid at the home of Joel and Nancy. Immigration and Custom Enforcement raided that same home and arrested alleged Venezuelan gang member on charges of illegally possessing guns and ammo Two other men allegedly associated with Ortega-Lopez were also arrested someone called Homeland Security and reported Ortega-Lopez was living in New Mexico illegally It also mentioned social media posts allegedly showing him and other Venezuelans migrants with guns at a Las Cruces shooting range The Canos are accused of aiding Ortega-Lopez by destroying evidence in his federal investigation He didn’t mention why he was resigning but he did say he was grateful for the experience the New Mexico Supreme Court decided Cano will never be able to serve on the bench again Former judge Cano isn’t the only judge who’s been arrested recently federal agents arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hanna Dugan She’s accused of helping a migrant leave out another door of the courthouse to avoid FBI agents who were there to arrest him Attorney General Pam Bondi compared that case with the case here in New Mexico “Some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law And we’re sending a very strong message today,” said Bondi on Fox News they were released from jail on bond with some conditions They also can’t have guns or ammo in their house Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KOB via our online formor call 505-243-4411 (KFOX14/CBS4) — A trial date has been set for three suspects accused of the Las Cruces mass shooting at Young Park that happened in March and Tomas Rivas appeared in court on Thursday and will be tried together with Gustavo Dominguez The judge scheduled their trial to begin on February 9 All four suspects face first-degree murder charges for the shooting that occurred last month at an unsanctioned car meet which resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to 15 others "I personally believe that we could have gone to trial much sooner because some of the issues are very basic however the state has listed 147 witnesses but of course we would never use that amount at trial but nevertheless we have to be as thorough as possible." "What I hope the outcome is that my client all the defendants get fair trials based on the evidence that's presented in the courtroom not a trial of public opinion." Gustavo Dominguez was not scheduled to be in court RECOMMENDED: Bodycam: Las Cruces teen denies involvement in Young Park mass shooting RECOMMENDED: 4 Young Park shooting suspects plead not guilty, face adult court proceedings Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox LAS CRUCES — A federal judge released a former magistrate judge and his wife on $10,000 secured bonds Tuesday but barred them from renting to non-citizens as their cases progress a former police officer and Doña Ana County magistrate judge are charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence and tampering with evidence after federal agents accused them of interfering with a federal investigation Justin Garcia can be reached at jgarcia@abqjournal.com LAS CRUCES — Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano is accused of smashing a phone with a hammer and his wife Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Osteen Publishing Company: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails For information about our privacy practices We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices (KFOX14/CBS4) — Las Cruces police arrested a mother after they allegedly found her drugged out on the sidewalk and her toddler playing on the side of the road 36-year-old Jessica Lynn Galenski was arrested after officers claimed they found her passed out and on drugs at a bus stop near W leaving her six-year-old son unattended and only a few feet from running traffic the Las Cruces Police received a 911 call saying an "unsupervised young child" was playing on the side of the road RECOMMENDED: East El Paso man arrested, accused of dragging, kicking dog on leash Officers who responded to the call claim they found the six-year-old on the sidewalk and Galenski and another man passed out near a bus stop Officers then say Galenski and the man were unaware of their presence and officers had to snap them out of their stupor the man spoke with officers and identified himself as Galenski's boyfriend reportedly telling them that Galenski is a "marijuana smoker," however he told officers he had not seen Galenski smoke that day RECOMMENDED: Son arrested after gruesome discovery of father's body in East El Paso home The 911 call was made by a witness who reportedly told police she saw a man and woman slumped over on the sidewalk adding that she was scared the kid would stumble onto the street and get hit by a car New Mexico court records show Galenski had her first hearing on Tuesday and will have another hearing on Friday to review the conditions of her release after she secured a "bond of $10,000 cash at 10%." Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox. Wind gusts of 30+ mph along with afternoon and evening blowing dust, could reduce visibility. Weather Maps RadarFormer judge and wife remain jailed in Las Cruces amid alleged Tren de Aragua tiesby Harrison Parker (KFOX14/CBS4) — Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano will remain in custody following their arrest by Homeland Security Investigations at their Las Cruces home The couple has drawn national attention after investigators alleged they hosted suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua Joel Cano faces charges of tampering with evidence while Nancy Cano is charged with agreeing to tamper with evidence in an interview done after Thursday's raid Joel Cano admitted to destroying Ortega-Lopez's cellphone with a hammer believing it contained incriminating photos and videos of Ortega-Lopez with firearms The couple appeared in court for their first hearing with Nancy in a brown jumpsuit and Joel in a green one Authorities raided the Cano residence first in February taking Ortega-Lopez into custody for allegedly being in the country illegally Court documents reveal that Nancy Cano had hired Ortega-Lopez to work on their home and later offered him a place to stay The documents also indicate clear signs of his association with Tren de Aragua In a letter to the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission Joel Cano has refuted claims of allowing access to firearms and denied knowledge of any connection to the gang Joel Cano resigned in March without explanation and the New Mexico Supreme Court has since barred him from serving as a judge in the state KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with Joel Cano on Wednesday before the second raid Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox — A former Las Cruces judge and his wife appeared in court on the other side of the law This all started with accusations the judge was sharing his home with suspected Venezuelan gang members At least two of the alleged gang members even posted photos of themselves with Judge Cano and his family They’re now facing tampering with evidence charges The state Supreme Court also barred the judge from ever sitting on the bench in New Mexico again An ICE spokesperson sent the following statement: Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and probable cause arrest warrants at a residence in the 1200 block of North Reymond Street in Las Cruces Homeland Security Investigations special agents working with federal law enforcement partners took Nancy Cano and Joel Cano into custody as part of an ongoing HSI-led criminal investigation.” (KFOX14/CBS4) — Court documents highlight photos and text messages that Homeland Security Investigations claims prove the undocumented Venezuelan living in the Las Cruces home of a former Dona Ana County Magistrate judge is a Tren de Aragua gang member HSI has evidence that Cristhian Ortega-Lopez who was arrested after being found living in the home of Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano Ortega-Lopez was charged with being in the country illegally and possessing a firearm Court documents state that Ortega-Lopez gave law enforcement consent to search his cell phones The documents then describe social media posts showing Ortega-Lopez holding guns and bullets at a shooting range in Las Cruces as well as photos where Ortega-Lopez allegedly displays tattoos which authorities believe paint the picture of Ortega-Lopez being a TdA member Text messages appear to show Ortega-Lopez speaking with an unknown person talking about how he knows his "AK47" tattoo on his ribs will raise eyebrows as he admits its a tattoo associated with TdA The text exchange also seems to imply Ortega-Lopez is worried about Nancy Cano seeing as how she and her husband are helping him out Other text messages appear to show Ortega-Lopez texting another man who appears to warn him to be careful and not incriminate himself by sharing photos and then appears to ask if they can get a grenade or two "38." Ortega-Lopez appears to receive a series of photos showing what looks like a crime scene with a decapitated body laying on the ground somewhere and the sender saying "vasilate" which could be interpreted as "have fun." The watermark embedded on those gruesome pictures appears to be from the social media account DavidGlockVzla which looks like routinely posts photos from crime stories in Venezuela Court documents show authorities believe Ortega-Lopez entered the U.S Ortega-Lopez was then reportedly invited to live with the Joel and Nancy Cano after he did some work on their home Ortega-Lopez filed a request for immigration relief on April 24 listing the Judge's residence at the 1200 block of N after law enforcement had received a tip the month before saying that there was a suspected criminal gang member living illegally at the former judge's home when a second raid was conducted with agents now looking for Nancy Cano's cellphone and what was believed another of Ortega-Lopez's cellphones that was not recovered during the first raid Agents took Joel and Nancy Cano into custody Joel admitted to agents that he had destroyed Ortega-Lopez's cellphone with a hammer and threw away the pieces believing that the device held photographs of Ortega-Lopez holding guns was charged with tampering with evidence after law enforcement alleged he asked Ortega-Lopez to delete one of his social media accounts Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. 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Weather Maps RadarEx-judge wife accused of hosting suspected Tren de Aragua gang free on bail in Las Crucesby David Ibave facing accusations of hosting alleged Tren de Aragua gang members in their Las Cruces home former Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano bonded out and have been released from custody the Canos cannot leave Dona Ana County and must ask for proof of citizenship or legal residency in the US when hosting anyone at any of their homes or properties the couple appeared in federal court Tuesday where a judge set their bail at $10,000 each The two are facing charges regarding evidence tampering after federal authorities allege that they hosted suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in their home who was arrested at their residence in February Ortega-Lopez is accused of being in the country illegally Nancy Cano is accused of discussing the deletion of Ortega-Lopez's Facebook account which investigators said he used to share incriminating content Authorities said Joel Cano admitted to destroying Ortega-Lopez's cellphone by smashing it with a hammer believing it contained incriminating photos and videos RELATED:Expert discusses case of former judge and wife hosting alleged Tren de Aragua members and each Las Cruces team is relying on standout players for one last push Here's a list of players turning heads this season Parra leads the Bulldawgs with 51 strikeouts and holds a 5-1 pitching record with a 2.90 ERA He's also pitched the most innings of any Las Cruces pitcher this season at 48.1 Parra has also shown off his power at the plate He ranks third among Bulldawgs with a .364 batting average and has hit Las Cruces' only two home runs this season Parra has recorded team-highs in hits (24) and RBIs (14) while hitting 9 doubles Urenda has been a lethal presence at the plate for the Bulldawgs this season He leads Las Cruces with 10 extra-base hits and holds a .316 batting average with a team-high 24 hits tied for second among Bulldawgs with Nick Rojas a mark tied with Isaac Gomez and Isaiah Borunda Pfeiffer has been one of the Bulldawgs' top pitchers this season He's struck out 26 batters and has allowed only 10 earned runs in 34 innings pitched Pfeiffer holds a 2.06 ERA and has a 4-2 pitching record and he's also produced 6 RBIs at the plate Matejcek has been Mayfield's primary two-way player this season Matejcek has a .352 batting average with a .606 slugging percentage He's also recorded a .472 on-base percentage Matejcek has been just as effective on the mound with a 2.25 ERA and 58 strikeouts He currently holds a 4-1 pitching record in 42 innings pitched Chavez has been a reliable presence at third base this season for the Trojans Chavez is crushing the ball in 2025 with a slugging percentage of .625 and a batting average of .464 His on-base percentage is also impressive at .615 Chavez has been a mainstay in Mayfield's lineup in 2025 and has been a consistent fielder at the hot corner every game Vega is a utility player with the ability to play centerfield He's done most of his work at centerfield for the Trojans this season Vega has been a handy presence in the outfield for Mayfield and has been impressive at the plate as well He has a batting average of .417 and a slugging percentage of .611 this season Garces has been a key player for the Knights this season on both ends he has a .366 batting average with 26 hits 16 RBIs and has hit the lone home run for Organ Mountain this season Garces also has 6 extra-base hits with 3 doubles and 3 triples He's also struck out 19 batters in 24 innings The young Garces has made a strong impression in his first full season of varsity competition Gomez has been one of Las Cruces' most consistent batters this season and is one of the Knights' best hitters He leads Organ Mountain in both batting average (.447) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.505) Gomez's 19 RBIs and 38 hits also lead the Knights He has gone hitless in only three games and has recorded at least one hit in every district game this season De Leon is another impressive sophomore for the Knights He leads Organ Mountain in both doubles (8) and slugging percentage (.577) and his .423 batting average ranks second among Knights Alons has been one of Las Cruces' best power hitters in 2025 with an impressive 7 home runs and he's also shown off his speed with 8 triples Alons also leads Centennial in batting average (.446) and RBIs (37) and has also recorded 3 doubles and 33 hits most recently on April 10 in a 10-2 win against Mayfield Alons has proven to be a tough matchup for pitchers this season Every Las Cruces team has a standout two-way player this season Torres has struck out a team-high 64 batters on the mound and has allowed only 9 earned runs in 41.2 innings good enough for a 1.51 ERA and a 6-2 pitching record he's registered a .385 batting average with 30 hits Molina is another impressive hitter for the Hawks with a batting average of .438 this season He leads the Hawks with 39 hits and has crushed two home runs in 2025 Molina has also tallied 21 RBIs and 9 extra-base hits and has struck out 37 batters with a 1.25 ERA A New Mexico judge denied the release of three teenagers charged in the fatal mass shooting at a Las Cruces park. Duran denied the release of Gustavo Dominguez at the Doña Ana County District Court in Las Cruces The teens are each charged with three open counts of murder More: From gunfire to arrests: Timeline of Las Cruces mass shooting Earlier in the week, Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias said the 3rd Judicial District Court is proceeding with first-degree murder charges and potentially conspiracy charges for the four individuals in custody for a mass shooting at Young Park Tomas Rivas, 20, is also facing three murder charges The defendants are charged in the Friday, March 21, fatal mass shooting at Young Park in Las Cruces. The shooting resulted in the death of three people and the injury of at least 15 others The Las Cruces Police Department has identified the deceased victims as Andrew "AJ" Madrid The teens appeared separately for each of their detention hearings that were held back-to-back Each walked into the courtroom wearing brown jailhouse jumpsuits with handcuffs around their wrists The teens showed no emotion as they sat next to their attorneys They glanced at their family members who sat within 10 feet of them The victims' families sat quietly in the courtroom's gallery behind the teens saying they were a danger to the community She also expressed concern that victims’ family members or friends could retaliate against the teens and their families “I have a duty to protect this community and the community is crying for justice,” Duran said during one of the hearings More: Las Cruces police confirm 3 dead, 15 wounded in Las Cruces park mass shooting “I cannot ignore the loss of lives and the 15 more fighting for their lives It is clear everyone is scared and so am I so maybe the safest place is to remain detained.” The evidence in the cases against the teens shows they present "a serious risk of harm to themselves and the community," Macias said in a statement “Today’s outcome solidifies my commitment to ensuring that anyone who endangers the safety of our community will face appropriate consequences," he said "Our office recognizes the severity of this incident and will do everything in its power to ensure accountability for those responsible and ensure the safety of our community.” All of the suspects and their families have received threats since the shooting Duran and the teens’ attorneys said during the hearings The suspects will remain at the Doña Ana County Detention Center as their cases remain pending in district court the Rivas brothers and Ontiveros approached another group at an unsanctioned car event at Young Park attended by more 150 people Dominguez began arguing with Estrada when Ruben Morales allegedly placed Dominguez in a bear hug followed by a chokehold Las Cruces Police Department Detective Andrew Contreras testified Dominguez pulled out a gun and fired several shots Dominguez allegedly walked up to Estrada and fired again as he laid on the ground Estrada was shot four times and died at the scene He remains in critical condition at a hospital The rest of the suspects started firing their guns at the other group A person attempting to render aid to Estrada was shot six times Police determined through witness statements that Dominguez was the "primary shooter," Contreras testified More: What do we know about the victims of the Las Cruces park mass shooting in New Mexico? argued no evidence shows Dominguez was the shooter or even participated in it "He didn't shoot anybody," Ortiz said in his closing arguments It is clear to me the shooting started after my client was in a headlock fled to El PasoWitnesses identified Nathan Rivas as one of the shooters Cellphone records obtained by officers showed Nathan Rivas was at the park at the time of the shooting The phone records show Nathan Rivas drove to El Paso and took photos on Transmountain Road Nathan Rivas took the photos to create an alibi to hide the fact he was one of the shooters Once Nathan Rivas was identified as a suspect The officers saw Nathan Rivas throw a bag with a gun and a "drum magazine" inside a dumpster They also found another bag Nathan Rivas threw away with his ID and bank card Witnesses told police Nathan Rivas pulled out a gun as they confronted the other group at the park More: Centennial High teen killed in Young Park mass shooting in Las Cruces Macias argued in his closing arguments that evidence showed Nathan Rivas was a shooter and a known weapon trafficker Rivas is part of a group trafficking weapons," Macias said People who use weapons whose sole purpose is to kill cannot be released He is responsible for the deaths of three people and injuries to 15 other people He is too grave of a threat to be released from detention." Nathan Rivas' attorney argued police had no evidence showing his client was a shooter stating Ontiveros and his family had been receiving threats and was worried there would be retaliation against him if he was released "The safest place for Josiah is to remain in detention," Miller told the judge Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT President Trump issued an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease all federal funding for NPR and PBS by June 30 PBS and NPR have stated that they will consider legal action to protect their ability to provide essential news and educational programming to the public which is expected to disperse $535 million in taxpayer funds annually is emphasizing its independence from federal control as it challenges the legality of the order and the actions taken against its board members The order mandates CPB to minimize or eliminate indirect funding to NPR and PBS with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F tasked to investigate these organizations for possible employment discrimination While Trump's previous budget proposals attempted to cut funding entirely Congress consistently allocated resources to the CPB reflecting the strong local support for public broadcasters despite national Republican opposition While federal funds constitute a smaller percentage of their overall budgets the cuts are expected to impact local stations significantly known as KCOS and operated by Texas Tech University owned by the Regents of New Mexico State University rely on CPB support for educational programming and community outreach The most eastern towns of Malaga province's Axarquía area (Torrox Frigiliana and Nerja) celebrated the “Día de las Cruces” on 3 May a tradition that is also still popular in the Granada and Cordoba provinces of the Andalucía region “El Día de las Cruces” sees large decorated crosses installed in local squares surrounded by items related to Andalusian culture and agriculture: copper and ceramic ware; flamenco dresses shawls or guitars and local fruits and vegetables This year 13 crosses were displayed across the town in the hope of a bountiful harvest for the local farmers Apcun Nerja (association of presidents of communities/residential developments of Nerja) brought together more than 100 members and guests at the town’s Algarrobo estate Apcun represents 62 of the many developments in Nerja and works with the town hall to improve infrastructures and services for these local residents introduced foreign residents to this quintessential Nerja festivity and with his team offered attendees an enormous paella a bar and barbecue and a selection of local sweet delicacies including loquats marcochas (popcorn dipped in sugarcane honey) as well as a bouncy castle for the children Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Thanks for visiting That means Las Cruces families can expect community egg hunts family friendly events and plenty of spring themed opportunities for fun Check out what the Las Cruces has to offer this Easter holiday Springfest is scheduled for 10 a.m The Easter Bunny will be available for photos from 9:30 a.m Children should bring their baskets to participate in the egg hunt This event will be held in conjunction with an Earth Day celebration April 19 families are invited to participate in a free Eater Picnic event at Frank O'Brian Park located at 304 Bell Ave More information can be found at truthandfireministries.com April 20 Little Toad Creek is hosting an egg hunt for adults All are invited to hunt for the Golden Egg which contains a "big prize." April 19 a free Easter Basket drive is being held at the VFW Post 10124 An egg hunt is offered to the community for free at 9 a.m April 20 at First Evangelical Free Church of Las Cruces The egg hunt will be held between brunch and worship services Paul's United Methodist Church offers an egg hunt at 10 a.m Religious servicesLas Cruces First offers Easter Sunday services at 8:30 a.m. FBC Las Cruces offers Eater Sunday services at 8:30 a.m. Paul's offers Easter Sunday services at 6:30 a.m. Did we miss an event? Email the details to news@lcsun-news.com for inclusion in this list (KFOX14/CBS4) — Las Cruces police arrested a mother in connection with the repeated physical abuse of her son 32-year-old Lauren Pierce was arrested and charged with three counts of abuse of a child as police believe she repeatedly beat her 12-year-old son The abuse was first reported on Sunday by the boy's father who is an active military member stationed overseas The father called Las Cruces police to tell them his son had hidden himself in a closet and called him to tell him he had been beaten by Pierce Officers with LCPD then visited the boy's home Officers also said they found numerous empty cans of White Claw strewn all over the house and Pierce appearing drunk The boy was then taken to the hospital to evaluate his injuries who recounted three instances when Pierce allegedly beat him RECOMMENDED: El Paso man arrested in connection with father's death; city's 8th murder of 2025 the boy told police Pierce had gotten upset with him because he didn't put away a box in the pantry and so she dumped the contents of a box on the garage floor and then ordered him to pick it up and when he got down on the ground Pierce reportedly grabbed him by his hair and kicked him several times hitting the boy's face and leading him to believe she had broken his jaw the boy told police Pierce yanked up by his hair and slapped him several times across his face the boy told police Pierce grabbed him by his hair again she slammed his head into the corner of a nightstand until he passed out Investigators noted the injuries on the boy's face saying she has no idea who hit the boy and/or how he got those injuries Weather Maps RadarWind-driven fire destroys mobile home in Las Crucesby Erika Esquivel (KFOX14) — Las Cruces firefighters assisted Doña Ana County on Sunday with a wind-driven fire that destroyed a mobile home on Glass Road Firefighters were dispatched to the report of a structure fire on the 2800 block of Glass Road about 3:45 p.m Because of the strong winds at the time and the numerous exposures presented by the fire Las Cruces firefighters were called to assist The exposures and threats caused by the fire included a large propane tank live power lines and at least one nearby home Sunday's strong winds spread flames more than 300 yards from where the structure fire initiated Firefighters tackled the fire on various fronts and had it under control within 30 minutes Dona Ana County fire units remained on scene for several hours RECOMMENDED: Wind and dust challenge La Viña Wine Festival attendees and vendors Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Funeral Services are scheduled for 10 o’clock in the morning on Thursday The family will receive friends from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday at Morrison Memorial Chapel in Dumas A Private Burial will be in Brown Memorial Cemetery Arrangements are under the direction of Beeson Morrison Funeral Directors Braxton Nikolas Amador-Lozano was born May 18 He was wide eyed and curious and ready to take on this world He knew what he wanted and went for it with all he had Braxton split his younger years growing up in Sunray soccer and basketball held his heart as a kid Braxton was never meant to sit behind a desk so when he had the opportunity to take a drilling job Braxton loved his job and his co-workers and tried to soak in every bit of advice he could He talked non stop of all he was learning and he wasn't stopping there There was always a bigger and better goal to set and reach both recording it and learning to play his guitar But his most happiest place was with his brothers and his cousins It's said that your cousins are your first best friends know that a few paragraphs could never describe him his work ethic or his love for his mom & dad Braxton's journey on earth was completed on April 26 "So with you: Now is your time of grief but I will see you again and you will rejoice Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors The Las Cruces International Festival that began with about 3,000 people in the audience 10 years ago is now expected to attract more than 12,000 movie fans this year the festival will present 162 films and videos from 40 countries “The festival has probably grown eight times in terms of the revenue we’re now generating The same would be true of the economic impact for the city,” said Ross Marks New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute professor and festival executive director The festival runs April 9-13 at the Allen Theatres Cineport 10. The LCIFF is presented by NMSU and Visit Las Cruces. The number of sponsors for the event continues to grow each year. VIP passes are $200, All-Access Passes are $100, Day Passes are $35 and admission to celebrity screenings is $35. Tickets are available now at www.lascrucesfilmfest.com The LCIFF is now the largest student-run film festival in the country Approximately 80 to 100 NMSU students in the Creative Media Institute and the Creative Media Technology program at Doña Ana Community College will work together putting on the festival under Marks’ guidance The festival also will include 10 different panels and workshops screenwriting and creating sound among others for CMI students and members of the community to attend Marks teaches two courses on how to produce a film festival students select the films and prepare for the festival while the spring course gives them the hands-on experience of producing the festival “The most rewarding thing is to see all these students who worked on the festival in year one and now 10 years later they're all in the industry working and succeeding four of the students in that first film festival class are now people that we've hired to run certain departments for the film festival to work with the new students.” The LCIFF includes five days of feature-length films short films and animation from filmmakers across the U.S Las Cruces Public Schools will bring in about 400 to 500 students for field trips Several celebrity guests will be on hand along with Academy Award-winning actress Helen Hunt who will receive the festival’s “Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment” award on April 10 and have a question-and-answer session with a screening of the film “As Good As It Gets.” “The festival is always so rewarding for me,” Marks said but when I go to the theater and I see all the students running around getting that real world experience The complete schedule of films, workshops and special VIP parties is available along with tickets at lascrucesfilmfest.com CUTLINE: The 10th annual Las Cruces International Film Festival gets underway April 9-13 at the Allen Theatres Cineport 10 This year’s LCIFF poster was created by local artist Virginia Romero