High school teams prep to host summer camps

ARTESIA -- Summer is here, and that means a chance for future Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs to work on their skills with high school athletes and coaches through summer programs and camps. BASKETBALL Lady Bulldog Recreational Basketball Also on Monday, June 3, the Lady Bulldog basketball program will begin hosting open recreational basketball, continuing four days a week through the end of the month at Bulldog Pit.

Roswell man sentenced for sexual exploitation of minors

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.

Hobbs Baby Box saves second infant

HOBBS -- A second infant was safely surrendered to Hobbs’ Safe Haven Baby Box late last month. The City of Hobbs reported that, during the week of May 20, a healthy newborn boy was placed in the Baby Box at Hobbs Fire Department’s Station 1.

Parents warned of dangers of leaving children in hot vehicles

ROSWELL -- With temperatures already reaching triple-digits in Southeast New Mexico, the Roswell Police Department and Roswell Fire Department are urging parents and caregivers to be aware of the dangers hot vehicles pose to young children.

All She Wrote

Let’s start with the good news: New Mexico is number one on an important ranking. We have the nation’s lowest property taxes, and they’ve been the lowest for a long time.

Vacationing on the cheap

I’m a big fan of vacations on the cheap, which is good, since I’ve seldom been able to afford anything first-class. Besides, top-dollar travel often overlooks the best stuff to see. Several years ago, when my family was younger and we were fairly new to the Land of Enchantment, we decided to take a New Mexico-centric vacation. My wife and I, along with our two daughters, got into our four-door sedan early one summer morning and left our northern New Mexico home in search of wonderment, which we found at just about every stop.

New Mexico betting on losers

Left, right, or center, economists tend to agree that “corporate welfare” is not good public policy or good economics. A recent Rasmussen poll found that approximately 65% of Americans (regardless or political philosophy or affiliation) oppose corporate welfare. Definitions of what constitutes such “welfare” vary, but generally relate to policies that involve politicians picking winners and losers in the economy.

County still mulling fate of historic Otis Gym

A decision on the future of the Otis Gym was tabled at the June 4 Eddy County Commission meeting. The Otis Gym, located at 2513 Smedley Road, about three miles south of Carlsbad, was slated for demolition, but that decision was tabled at the April commission meeting after residents expressed concerns.