News

ALBUQUERQUE -- A Roswell man who used the messaging app Snapchat to groom and eventually sexually exploit two young girls has been sentenced to 235 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of criminal sexual acts against minors.

On a warm, sunny morning in farm country, a group of 40 preschoolers and their parents fanned out across several rows of crops to pluck strawberries from beneath crowns of green leaves. Later, the children sliced the berries they had gathered and added bananas, kale and yogurt to blend into smoothies before heading out to feed chickens and goats.

RUIDOSO -- The U.S. Forest Service reported Saturday afternoon that the Blue 2 Fire burning near Ruidoso was at 14% containment.

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING -- Artesia Clean & Beautiful will host its annual eWaste Event from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday, June 21, and 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Eddy County Fairgrounds food court. Items to be accepted for recycling include all office-related equipment, fax machines, copiers, typewriters, CPUs, and consumer electronics including DVD and VCR players and video game consoles, radios, telephones and cell phones, server and telecom equipment, cameras and stereo equipment. There will be a $5 charge for large CRT monitors. Televisions and home appliances will not be accepted. For more information, call AC&B at 575-748-3192. ----------------- DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION -- CARC Document Destruction will be at Artesia Clean & Beautiful’s eWaste Event from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 21, at the Eddy County Fairgrounds food court to accept any residential documents in need of disposal, up to 100 pounds. No commercial documents will be accepted. For more information, call AC&B at 575-7483192. ----------------- YARD OF THE WEEK -- Artesia Clean & Beautiful will sponsor its Yard of the Week contest beginning Monday, June 3, and continuing through September. Colorful, attractive, wellgroomed lawns with curb appeal meet the qualifications. To nominate a yard worthy of the title, contact Linda at 575-5130143 or the AC&B office at 575-748-3192.

ARTESIA POLICE DEPARTMENT May 31 SHOTS FIRED 2:38 a.m. - Officer dispatched to the Abo Apartments in reference to shots fired in the area.

MESCALERO -- The Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) and the Mescalero Apache Tribe will host a veterans' benefits event this week in Mescalero. VA and Tribal Veterans' Service Officers, along with other knowledgeable advocates, will be on hand to assist veterans with the completion of VA claims paperwork from 9 a.m.

CARLSBAD -- The Eddy County Commission will have one public hearing on its docket during a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday in Carlsbad. Following a period for public comment, the board will host the public hearing to consider an ordinance granting a non-exclusive franchise to New Mexico Gas Co.

CARLSBAD — In early May, swabs collected from cave Myotis bats in the Left Hand Tunnel area of Carlsbad Cavern and near the Rattlesnake Springs day-use area tested positive for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS).