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Some New Mexico farms apply for pilot project to save water Susan Montoya Bryan View Comments ALBUQUERQUE - More than two dozen farms in southern New Mexico have applied for a program that will pay them not to plant their fields as water managers look for new ways to stretch resources in the drought-stricken state. It's the first phase of a multiyear pilot project being managed by the Office of the State Engineer. State Engineer John D'Antonio has described the program as essential for ensuring the aquifers in the lower Rio Grande remain at sustainable levels in the future. The Legislature ap...

The water crisis along the California-Oregon border went from dire to catastrophic this week as federal regulators shut off irrigation water to farmers from a critical reservoir.

Vaccination perk: No more masks Zeke Miller and The Associated Press WASHINGTON — In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and inside in most situations. “Today is a great day for America,” President Joe Biden said during a Rose Garden address heralding the new guidance. “If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask,” he said, summarizing the new guidance and encouraging more ...

California is getting $27 billion in federal coronavirus relief, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he wants to give some of that money to small-business owners that were forced to temporarily close during the pandemic. The Democratic governor said he will ask state lawmakers to add $1.5 billion to a program that gives up to $25,000 grants to small businesses that they do not have to pay back. That program already has $2.5 billion to give away, meaning the proposal — if approved — would put the fund at $4 billion. Newsom said it would be the largest relief program in the country for...

Ummad Rushdi, 30, of Windsor Township, is charged with first-, second- and third-degree murder in the death of 7-month-old Hamza Ali.