Today's News

ALAMOGORDO (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez says a police officer in Alamogordo has been killed in what marks the second on-duty death of an officer in the state in less than a month.

In a statement, the governor says she was saddened by the officer's death and that violence against law enforcement in the state must end.

The Alamogordo Daily News reports state and local authorities were investigating the shooting in Alamogordo on Friday that happened near a residential area around 8:30 a.m.

Authorities have not identified the officer or a suspect, or released other details of their investigation.

The officer's death comes three weeks after authorities say an Ohio fugitive gunned down Officer Jose Chavez during a traffic stop in the village of Hatch.

The Los Alamos volleyball team put itself in position to steal a couple sets from St. Pius on Tuesday.
But, the Hilltoppers (1-1) were unable to overcome power hitting and stout defense in the Sartans’ 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 victory at Griffith Gym.
“We were excited because I thought they played very well,” Hilltoppers coach Diana Stokes said. “We know that there are things we need to work on but they were all ecstatic about how good they played against them.”
Los Alamos matched the St. Pius (1-0) attack early, as both teams were knotted-up 12-12 in the first set. The Hilltoppers took a brief lead at 13-12 but the Sartans began to execute their potent offense and eventually took a 23-19 lead in the opening set.
St. Pius got off to a quick start in set two and led 15-7. The Sartans’ setters began getting their stellar hitters Julianna Zamora and Nicole Perry involved on the attack. That attacking prowess helped St. Pius take a 20-12 lead. Los Alamos strung together some points to cut the St. Pius lead to 24-20. But that was as close as the Hilltoppers got in the second set.
“They were all just excited to know that they could play with this group,” Stokes said.

The Los Alamos boy’s soccer team picked-up a significant win Tuesday, defeating St. Pius 1-0 at Sullivan Field.
The Hilltoppers improved to 3-1 on the season.
Los Alamos Junior midfielder Andreas Runde attempted a 30-yard free kick and found the top-right corner of the St. Pius goal to score the game’s only goal in the first half.           
Tuesday was the Hilltoppers third game in five days, while it was the Sartans’ season opener. But, fatigue didn’t appear to be a factor as Los Alamos, like usual, relied on its midfield to provide several goal-scoring opportunities.
Runde’s eventual game-winner was made possible by Junior midfielder/forward Tristen Semelsberg, who was making his way to the attacking third before being tripped-up by a St. Pius defender.
Before the season started, Los Alamos coach Ron Blue said his team was going to be difficult to score on. So far, that statement has been proved to be true.  
The Hilltoppers relied on its experienced back line to claim their second shutout of the season. The Los Alamos defense and senior goalkeeper Seth Hailey have only allowed two goals in the team’s first four games.

We may think of animal hoarders as wacky people like the Cat Lady with six felines. But in New Mexico, police have entered dwellings with upwards of 50 cats and dogs. An Otero County man had 208 dogs.
The scene is uncomfortably familiar: Dozens of sick or starving animals with no food or water, a “home” with floors covered in filth, stacked cages of animals, and scattered carcasses.
Local authorities pick up the animals and haul them to the local shelter, where many must be euthanized; others may be rehabilitated and adopted.
Invariably, the owner of the horror show claims to be an animal lover who rescues unwanted pets. The man with 208 dogs started out as Mission Desert Hills Sanctuary for Dogs, and descended into animal hoarding.
It’s a nationwide problem – so much so that it even has its own organizations and websites. One is the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) at Tufts University, which spent 10 years studying the problem. They learned that anybody can be a hoarder.
Veterinarian Debra Clopton, of Edgewood, insisted she loved her 49 dogs; last week, a jury convicted her of 22 counts of animal cruelty in Santa Fe District Court. Clopton testified that her doublewide trailer was a place for dogs with nowhere else to go. She said she was treating them successfully.