The Savannah River Site in South Carolina will begin shipping highly radioactive, remote-handled waste to New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant after testing confirmed containers posed no flammable-gas risk.
The Trump administration has proposed repealing the 2001 Roadless Rule, potentially opening 1.6 million acres of New Mexico national forests to logging and road construction, including 158,000 acres in Lincoln National Forest. Supporters cite wildfire prevention and local forest management, while environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers warn of industrial development, threats to wildlife and drinking water, and loss of undeveloped public lands.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and Artesia Public Library is encouraging residents to discover its books, magazines, internet, digital resources, local history, programs and more.
A Capitan woman pleaded no contest to six misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after officers found two dead pets and several emaciated animals inside her abandoned home. Shannah Coleman received three years of probation, while felony charges were dropped under a plea agreement. Three rescued dogs were reportedly adopted, and three cats remain in the care of the Humane Society of Lincoln County.
Federal officials have lifted the New World screwworm quarantine around Eunice nearly three months after New Mexico’s only confirmed case was found in a dog. Surveillance found no additional cases, though officials urge residents near active cases in Juárez, Mexico, to remain vigilant, monitor animal wounds and report suspected infestations promptly.
Artesia will begin searching for a new police chief after Kirk Roberts’ July retirement. Interim Chief Pete Quinones, a 21-year department veteran, plans to apply. The city will post the position Sept. 1, with a salary range of $111,363 to $143,748 and new leadership-accreditation requirements. The City Council also denied a zoning change and scheduled a hearing on ROV and golf cart regulations.
Roswell man Sean Michael Caraska, 37, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the July shootings of homeless men Andrew Lujan-Huerta and Karl Affsprung. Police found a white pickup and firearm linked to both cases during a search. The investigation continues, including possible connections to other crimes; no motive has been established.
The first annual Ruidoso Antique Show drew more than 1,600 visitors and 56 vendors to the Convention Center, filling a gap left by the longtime Lions Club event. Organized by Bob and Cindy Dolgener, the show celebrated collecting as a personal pursuit, with vendors and attendees highlighting the value, history and nostalgia found in objects others might dismiss as junk.
Nearly 74 years after Sgt. Willie Estrada died saving his tank crew in Korea, his family continues seeking the Medal of Honor for Alamogordo’s war hero. Already awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously, Estrada’s legacy is preserved by his brother Pete, nephew Mario and the American Armed Forces Museum, which will honor him throughout September.
United Way of Eddy County’s Ninth Annual Day of Caring takes place Sept. 17, bringing more than 250 volunteers together for 19 projects benefiting local nonprofits. Businesses, industry partners and community groups will paint, clean, repair and provide services across Carlsbad, Artesia and Loving, with kickoff events and a simultaneous Facebook broadcast launching the countywide effort.
