WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on Monday confirmed the deployment of the National Guard to the Southwest border to fight transnational criminal activity.

Starting on August 1, troops will be located at different areas of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the administration’s unprecedented efforts to combat the transnational criminal organizations that smuggle weapons, cash and people across our Southwest border.

In May, President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of up to an additional 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to provide support for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and counternarcotics enforcement — providing support for one year as part of the administration’s unprecedented efforts to crack down on transnational smuggling and cartel violence, as CBP continues to recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the Southwest border.

In California, 224 soldiers will be deployed, while Arizona will be receiving the most, 524. Texas and New Mexico will be aided by 250 and 72 soldiers, respectively, as another 130 will be serving as command and control and other support.

“Over the past year and a half, this administration has pursued a new border security strategy with an unprecedented sense of urgency, making historic investments in personnel, technology and infrastructure,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “These troops will provide direct support to federal law enforcement officers and agents working in high-risk areas to disrupt criminal organizations seeking to move people and goods illegally across the Southwest border.”

“In agreement with DHS, beginning August 1, selected National Guard Members from Southwest border states will begin the necessary training and integration planning to knit them into our nation’s border security operating structure,” said Gen. Craig McKinley, Chief of the National Guard Bureau. “The National Guard is deploying in response to DHS’ request for assistance,” he added, “and will serve in law enforcement support roles consistent with the Administration’s view that border security is a law enforcement challenge.”

The President has also requested $600 million in supplemental funds for enhanced border protection and law enforcement activities.

Last week, Secretary Napolitano announced more than $47 million in fiscal year 2010 Operation Stonegarden grants for the Southwest border states to support law enforcement personnel, overtime, and other related costs to enhance the capabilities of state, local and tribal law enforcement to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

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(Eds: Schultz corrected to three dead, officers miscounted at scene)

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — At least three people were killed and four injured on Monday after a shooting at a Albuquerque manufacturing company, local media reported.

The shooting occurred at Emcore Company, a solar photovoltaic and fiber optics manufacturer in the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights.The incident is believed to be a domestic violence workplace incident, according to Chris Ramirez, director of communications for the Mayor of Albuquerque.

“It appears it was some sort of domestic violence situation, but the information is still sketchy,” Ramirez said. “Police are still collecting information from eyewitnesses.” Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said during a press conference that the death toll includes the gunman, who was former employee and was married to a worker at the company.

Of the four injured victims, only two are in stable condition. The other two are in the operating room, as of Shultz’s news conference at noon local time. All employees have been evacuated, but 85 were on site when the shooting began.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — At least six people were killed and four injured on Monday after a shooting at a Albuquerque manufacturing company, local media reported.

The shooting occurred at Emcore Company, a solar photovoltaic and fiber optics manufacturer in the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights. It took place at around 9 a.m., and four victims were found dead at the scene, and in addition to two dying at the hospital, there were six dead as a result of the shooting. The incident is believed to be a domestic violence workplace incident, according to Chris Ramirez, director of communications for the Mayor of Albuquerque.

“It appears it was some sort of domestic violence situation, but the information is still sketchy,” Ramirez said. “Police are still collecting information from eyewitnesses.” Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said during a press conference that the death toll includes the gunman, who was former employee and was married to a worker at the company.

Of the four injured victims, only two are in stable condition. The other two are in the operating room, as of Shultz’s news conference at noon local time. All employees have been evacuated, but 85 were on site when the shooting began.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — At least six people were killed and four injured on Monday after a workplace shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said.

The shooting occurred at Emcore Company, a solar company located in Eubank Boulevard & Research Road.

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said during a press conference that the death toll includes the gunman, who was former employee and was married to a worker at the company.

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SIERRA BLANCA, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — Five people were killed and two others were seriously injured when a small plane carrying seven people crashed at an airport in south-central New Mexico on Thursday, federal officials said.

The crash happened just before 10 a.m. local time (12 p.m. EDT) at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, an airport located approximately 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Albuquerque.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the Cessna 310 – which was believed to be carrying 7 people aboard – crashed just off the end of the runway as it was landing at the airport “Five [are] confirmed fatal,” Lunsford said.

Two survivors – both teenagers – were airlifted to a local hospital in a critical condition. “The victims appear to be members of a family,” Lunsford said. A state police spokesman said rescue crews are searching through the wreckage to see if anyone else was on board.

Lunsford said it had no flight plan information for the aircraft, which was registered to Rod Aviation, LLC in Granbury, Texas. “The pilot requested a briefing yesterday for a flight between Cleburne, TX, and Ruidosa,” Lunsford said. “It’s still unclear whether he actually made the flight.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are en-route to the crash site.

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SIERRA BLANCA, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — At least five people were killed and two others were seriously injured when a small plane carrying at least seven people crashed at an airport in south-central New Mexico on Thursday, federal officials said.

The crash happened just before 10 a.m. local time (12 p.m. EDT) at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, an airport located approximately 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Albuquerque.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the crash involved a Cessna 310, which was carrying 7 people aboard. “Five [are] confirmed fatal,” Lunsford said.

A state police spokesman said two survivors were airlifted to a local hospital in a critical condition, and said rescue crews were searching through the wreckage to see if anyone else was on board.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are en-route to the crash site.

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CLIFTON, ARIZONA (BNO NEWS) — A minor earthquake rattled eastern Arizona on early Monday, seismologists said. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

The 3.7-magnitude earthquake at 12.27 a.m. local time (0727 GMT) was centered about 25 miles (41 kilometers) north-northeast of Clifton, the county seat of Greenlee County along the San Francisco River – close to the state border with New Mexico. It struck about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of damage or casualties from the minor tremor.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) – The city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania honored solar researchers from Sandia National Laboratories for training city staff to install and maintain solar panels on local facilities, Sandia Corporation announced on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed the formal proclamation where he recognized the solar researchers “who braved sleet, snow, ice, and frigid temperatures to assess buildings and provide solar energy education.”

The Department of Energy (DOE) selected Pittsburgh and 24 other cities for the Solar America Cities (SAC) program which aims to remove the barriers to the growth of solar energy technologies across the country. The DOE assigned Sandia researchers, part of the department’s Tiger Teams, to Pittsburgh in order to provide technical assistance and solve specific problems.

The three-year project will come to an end in May. Both Sandia and Pittsburgh have shared a $550,000 investment. The Sandia Tiger Team staff and the Pittsburgh staff first collaborated on a regional conference named “Solar in Cold, Cloudy Climates.” The conference educated city planners and engineers on solar approaches to the local region.

Later in the project, Pittsburgh facilities staff were trained in installation techniques for solar hot water technologies, installing one on a local fire station and expecting to install three more in the near future as well as a 3-megawatt solar farm. Finally, Pittsburgh is also planning the construction of a solar mapping website that will share solar information and remark solar achievements.

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ALBURQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — A domestic Delga flight from Los Angeles to Tampa, Florida was diverted on Friday to Albuquerque following a security incident, local media reported.

The Delta flight 2148 was diverted when a passenger damaged a bathroom and attempted to enter the flight deck. A report said that seven passengers restrained him.

The passenger was treated for minor injuries that he sustained during the struggle and has been taken into law enforcement custody.

The FBI said terrorism is not suspected, the report added.

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SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — Federal regulators on Friday closed the Charter Bank in Santa Fe, New Mexico, marking the seventh U.S. bank failure of 2010 following an economic turbulent year that saw more than one hundred U.S. banks fail.

The Charter Bank was closed by the state’s Office of Thrift Supervision after its regular closing time on Friday. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was appointed as receiver following its closure, who immediately entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with the Albuquerque-based Charter Bank, a newly-chartered national institution and a subsidiary of Beal Financial Corporation, to assume all of the failed bank’s deposits.

Charter Bank had eight branches in the area.

Most, if not all customers, should see no or little service disruptions despite the closure of the institution. On Monday, the eight branches of the Charter Bank will reopen during their normal business hours as a branch of Beal Financial Corp.’s Charter Bank.

All of the failed bank’s services, including checks, ATM and debit cards, will remain active. “Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed,” the FDIC said in a statement. “Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.”

As of September of last year, the Charter Bank had approximately $1.2 billion in total assets and $851.5 million in total deposits. Beal Financial Corp.’s Charter Bank did not pay the FDIC a premium to assume the deposits of Charter Bank, the FDIC said. “In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Charter Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.”

The FDIC and Beal Financial Corp.’s Charter Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on approximately $805.5 million of Charter Bank’s assets. Beal Financial Corp.’s Charter Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers.

The FDIC said it estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $201.9 million. It said Beal Financial Corp.’s acquisition of the deposits was the “least costly” resolution.

Friday’s closure was not only the seventh U.S. bank failure of 2010 but was also New Mexico’s first bank failure in more than a decade. Regulators closed Zia New Mexico, based in Tucumcari, on April 23, 1999.

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