ALCALDE, N.M. (AP) - Researchers are studying if strawberries could be a new cash crop for farmers in northern New Mexico.
    
The New Mexico State University scientists currently are testing whether the sweet red fruit could survive the area's early spring freezes.
    
Fruit specialist Shengrui Yao says late frosts won't kill all of the flowers or buds in a cluster so the fruit may be a good alternative for growers.
    
The study also is designed to determine which treatment will help strawberry plants adapt to high pH soil.
    
The move comes two years after a late freeze destroyed the state's peach crop.

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ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) - Students at Northern New Mexico College are set to see their tuition go up 14 percent.

The Board of Regents on Monday adopted last minute changes to the school's budget that included the hike, but set aside plans to increase faculty salaries. The increase means tuition will stand at nearly $1,400 for a student taking 12 credits. Students also can expect about a $35 increase in fees.

The Albuquerque Journal reports board president Michael Branch said he couldn't justify the salary increase in light of the tuition hike.

The board also opted to keep a daycare center and a community kitchen, which were on the chopping block as cost-cutting measures. The panel did approve 2.5 percent budget cuts across all departments as it deals with cash reserves that one school executive described as "dangerously low."