Lawmakers approve senior safety bill

New Mexico lawmakers earlier this month approved $45,000 for The Newman Project, designed to increase safety for senior citizens in the 9th Judicial District, according to a news release from prosecutor Matt Chandler.

Gov. Bill Richardson must still approve the funding, the release said.

Odis and Doris Newman were Portales senior citizens killed in March. Their bodies were discovered bound and burned in the trunk of their car.

The Newman Project seeks to promote safety among seniors through educational and awareness campaigns. Funds would also be used to purchase and maintain a telephone database that would offer periodical timed calls from law enforcement to check on the welfare of an elder, the news release said.

— Staff reports