New Mexico

It was one of the best places in the western United States to watch the annular solar eclipse, and people drove for days just to get to this dusty stretch west of Albuquerque. Did it matter? Some say no. The game of chasing celestial spectacles like Sunday's eclipse has changed thanks to live webcasting by observatories around the world and social network sites that are being fueled by grainy smartphone photographs and video clips. The National Park Service streamed the eclipse live on its website from Petroglyph National Monument, a remote expanse of prairie and long dormant...

It was one of the best places in the western United States to watch the annular solar eclipse, and people drove for days just to get to this dusty stretch west of Albuquerque. Did it matter? Some say no. The game of chasing celestial spectacles like Sunday's eclipse has changed thanks to live webcasting by observatories around the world and social network sites that are being fueled by grainy smartphone photographs and video clips. The National Park Service streamed the eclipse live on its website from Petroglyph National Monument, a remote expanse of prairie and long dormant...

The state Court of Appeals has ruled a national online retailer must pay more than a half million dollars in taxes on sales of books, music and movies in New Mexico. The court's ruling on Wednesday involved a limited liability company that's a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc. The subsidiary was assessed gross receipts taxes of $534,000 for sales in New Mexico from 1998 to 2005. The company protested and a state agency hearing officer said the online retailer wasn't required to collect the New Mexico tax because it had no presence in the state.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, discussed as a potential Republican vice presidential pick, chided presumptive nominee Mitt Romney when she knocked his immigration strategy in an interview published Monday. "‘Self-deport?' What the heck does that mean?" Martinez said in an interview with The Daily Beast . "I have no doubt Hispanics have been alienated during this campaign. " Martinez referred to a plan Romney outlined during a January debate in Tampa, where the Republican National Convention will be held in August.

On a trip to Colorado, we were happily introduced to natural hot springs. So relaxing! We're planning to go to New Mexico in March and would like to enjoy a couple of good soaks. Do you have any recommendations or resources to find good ones? R.O'B., Boston If you're looking for hot springs, you couldn't have picked a better state to visit. It once had a town named Hot Springs, before a marketing ploy renamed it Truth or Consequences in honor of the old television game show.

TUCSON -- Baylor has a simple plan for when things get tight in the NCAA Tournament: Get the ball to Sophia Young. Young scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half and the defending NCAA champion Lady Bears beat 11th-seeded New Mexico, 87-67, in the second round of the Albuquerque Regional last night. Third-seeded Baylor (26-6) advanced to play the winner of tonight's second-round game between No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 7 seed St. John's in University Park, Pa. The Lady Bears' eighth straight NCAA Tournament victory wasn't easy as they overcame a...

Arnold Schwarzenegger will be making his movie comeback in New Mexico. The Valencia County New-Bulletin ( http://bit.ly/p8kq17) reports the movie "Last Stand" will start filming in Belen, N.M., in October. The movie is a modern day Western about convicts making their way to the Mexican border through New Mexico after escaping from a prison in Las Vegas, Nev. Location manager Paul Roberts said the rest of the casting will be complete in September. It's the first major movie role for the former California governor since 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the...

TAOS, N.M. -- While hardly the oldest structure in this historic town, the Inn on the Rio rates a footnote as one of northern New Mexico's first motor courts . Built around a 200-year-old adobe building , the property opened as the Fiesta Motel in the early 1950s . The owners overcame local resistance to what was seen as frivolous use of water and added a swimming pool to appeal to families hitting the road for their summer vacations. About a mile and a half east of Taos Plaza, the inn remains a good base for exploring the town, Taos Pueblo, and surrounding countryside.

Verizon Wireless announced late Friday that it plans to buy the assets of a service provider in rural New Mexico that will expand its reach in the area. Verizon, based in Basking Ridge, N.J., is buying the wireless operating asset of E.N.M.R Telephone Cooperative, which operates under the name Plateau Wireless. The company didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal. Verizon said the deal will expand its footprint in southeastern New Mexico to the counties of Eddy, Chaves and Lea and a portion of Lincoln county.

ALBUQUERQUE -- Flash flooding carried a teenager on a 5-mile ride down a drainage channel before he was rescued, as the storms blocked roads, inundated homes, and forced evacuations in parts of the Southwest over the weekend. New Mexico and Colorado were hard hit by thunderstorms and heavy rain over the weekend, and an emergency order was issued because of flooding in one Colorado county. A 15-year-old boy fell into a flooded diversion channel in Albuquerque on Saturday evening, and the turbulent current carried him miles, said Albuquerque fire inspector Gabe Serna.

ALBUQUERQUE - A city in the heart of southeast New Mexico has been selected to hum with the latest next-generation technology - but there might as well be digital tumbleweeds rolling down the streets of this scientific ghost town. The $1 billion project to help researchers test everything from intelligent traffic systems and next-generation wireless networks to the latest in automated washing machines and self-flushing toilets will develop in Hobbs and Lea County, officials said Tuesday.

The state Court of Appeals has ruled a national online retailer must pay more than a half million dollars in taxes on sales of books, music and movies in New Mexico. The court's ruling on Wednesday involved a limited liability company that's a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc. The subsidiary was assessed gross receipts taxes of $534,000 for sales in New Mexico from 1998 to 2005. The company protested and a state agency hearing officer said the online retailer wasn't required to collect the New Mexico tax because it had no presence in the state.

ALBUQUERQUE - Searchers worked Sunday to remove the body of renowned long-distance runner Micah True from a remote area of southern New Mexico. The efforts in the rugged Gila Wilderness come after a searcher found True's body Saturday evening. He disappeared Tuesday after leaving a lodge for a 12-mile run, and a search was launched the next day when his friends reported the 58-year-old had not returned. New Mexico state police spokesman Lieutenant Robert McDonald said more than 60 people were involved in Saturday's search.

Raytheon Co., the Waltham-based defense contractor, said it has successfully completed a test in New Mexico of its upgraded Patriot air and missile defense system, which features improved computing power and increased radar processing efficiency. It is better equipped to defeat smaller and faster targets, Raytheon said. The Patriot is the "system of choice" for 12 nations, Raytheon said.

ALBUQUERQUE - Albuquerque police officers involved in a rash of fatal shootings over the past two years were paid up to $500 under a union program that some have likened to a bounty system in a department with a culture that critics have long contended promotes brutality. Mayor Richard Berry called Friday for an immediate halt to the practice, which was first reported in the Albuquerque Journal during a week in which Albuquerque police shot and killed two men. Since 2010, Albuquerque police have shot 23 people, 18 fatally.

Louisville's late regular-season slide has turned into a postseason surge. Russ Smith had 17 points as Louisville held off a late New Mexico rally 59-56 Saturday night for its sixth consecutive win, advancing to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Cardinals lost three of their last four regular season games, then swept through the Big East Tournament with four straight wins. The No. 4 seed then beat Davidson in their opening tournament game before facing the fifth-seeded Lobos.

ALBUQUERQUE — A powerful storm dumped heavy snow across sections of the Southwest and Great Plains yesterday, stranding motorists in New Mexico in whiteout conditions and causing havoc on holiday travel just two days before the start of winter. Blizzard warnings forecasting snowfalls of up to 18 inches stretched across the region as the storm barreled through New Mexico toward the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas and Colorado. In southern Colorado, blizzard conditions were expected to drop between 8 and 16 inches of snow.

One of the world's most famous radio telescopes is seeking a new name. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory announced this week it's accepting ideas for a new name from the public and fellow scientists for the Very Large Array of New Mexico. The Very Large Array is featured in films including "Contact," "Armageddon" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon. " The search for a new handle comes after the radio telescope has undergone an expansion after more than a decade of upgrades.

Casper Ware was largely responsible for getting Long Beach State back to the NCAA tournament and the biggest reason the 49ers were such a popular upset pick. Ware finally wore out on Thursday, unable to provide one final sparkling moment in his 49ers career. Hounded all afternoon by lanky New Mexico guard Kendall Williams, Ware struggled to a 5-of-19 shooting performance and the 12th-seeded 49ers saw their season end with a 75-68 loss to the fifth-seeded Lobos in the West Regional.

Tony Snell made four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 14 points, and Drew Gordon had 12 points and 12 rebounds as New Mexico overpowered top-seeded and No. 18 San Diego State 68-59 to win the Mountain West Conference tournament championship on Saturday night. Coach Steve Alford's Lobos (27-6) are headed to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. This is their first MWC tournament championship since 2005. Kendall Williams also had 14 points for the Lobos, who shared the regular-season title with San Diego State but were the No....