ROSWELL -- A Roswell man was arrested on charges of murder Friday following a shooting at an apartment complex in the southwest part of the city. Paul Ybarra-Romero, 40, stands charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault upon a household member, and three counts of child abuse in connection with the shooting death of 26-year-old Christopher Bargas. Roswell Police Department (RPD) officers were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. Friday to the Valle Encantada Apartments in the 2000 block of South Sunset Avenue in response to the shooting. There, they found Bargas unresponsive inside an apartment with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was transported by EMS to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
SANTA FE – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico State Office recently held a competitive oil and gas lease sale, offering 19 parcels covering 3,128 acres in New Mexico and Kansas. In total, 451 bids were received, with 14 parcels covering 2,768 acres leased, roughly 88.5% of the total acreage available.
ARTESIA POLICE DEPARTMENT June 21 DOMESTIC 2:58 a.m. - Officer dispatched to the 600 block of North 14th Street in reference to a verbal domestic dispute.
The Artesia Arts & Cultural District recently finished the 11th mural in our Downtown Mural Program! “Dancing Downtown” is also the third mural in our Student Mural Program and was designed by recent Artesia High School graduate Savana Watts. Project leaders/art instructors/ artists Brandi Cox and Juli Newton worked with art students Watts, Andrea Alvarado and Alison Greene to install the mural on the west wall of The Derrick Floor sculpture park's pump house.
ARTESIA -- Paws & Claws, in coordination with the City of Artesia, will hold a Fetch with a Friend animal adoption event Friday at Jaycee Park. Come watch as Artesia Animal Shelter dogs become the first to test out the equipment at the new Big Dawg Park at Jaycee Park, located just east of the original dog park.
RUIDOSO -- As residents of the Ruidoso and Alto area watched from afar Tuesday, the South Fork and Salt Fires continued to blaze with no immediate end in sight. The U.S.
ARTESIA -- Artesia is joining the rest of Southern New Mexico in offering support to residents of Ruidoso and Alto as evacuation orders continue due to the ongoing South Fork and Salt Fires. On Monday, the Eddy County Fair Board announced that it was opening the Eddy County Fairgrounds on South 13th Street to anyone fleeing the fires.
-- The Artesia Arts Council will host an Intro to Dance “Friendship Fusion” Camp June 26 - July 31. Cost is $60 per student; save 10% if you sign up with a friend by using code FRIENDSHIP at checkout. Ages 4-7 will attend from 10-10:45 a.m. and ages 8 and up from 11-11:45 a.m. Choose from tap, jazz, hip-hop and contemporary styles. To register, visit www.artesiaartscouncil.com/ education. ----------------- ART IN SCIENCE -- The Artesia Arts Council will hold an Art in Science event at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center. Come make rainbow cyanotypes (sun prints). Cost is $10. To register, visit www.artesiaartscouncil.com/education. ----------------- PAINT PARTY -- Ages 18 and up are invited to a paint party with instructor Kirsten Mauritsen on Thursday, June 27, at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center. All skill levels are welcome. Cost is $35 per student. To register, visit www.artesiaartscouncil.com/ education. ----------------- OUR LADY OF GRACE RAFFLE -- Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church is holding a Christmas in July raffle. A total of 10 prizes are available, each valued at $1,000. Tickets are $10 each. Prizes will begin to be drawn July 1. To purchase tickets, call the church office at 575-748-1356. ----------------- ARTISTIC VOYAGES -- The Artesia Arts Council will host Artistic Voyages classes at 11:30 a.m. July 2 and 30 at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center. Cost is $35 per student; limit 12. Classes are open to ages 8 and up. To register, visit www.artesiaartscouncil.com/ education. ----------------- GARDEN CLUB WORKSHOPS -- Those interested in entering the Eddy County Fair Flower Show are invited to obtain helpful information from 1-2:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, at CVE. For more information, contact Bunny Mason at 575-365-7391. ----------------- FUSED GLASS JEWELRY WORKSHOP -- The Artesia Arts Council will host a fused glass jewelry workshop on Saturday, July 27. For more information and to register, visit www.artesiaartscou
-- Artesia Clean & Beautiful is sponsoring its Yard of the Week contest now through September. Colorful, attractive, wellgroomed lawns with curb appeal meet the qualifications. To nominate a yard worthy of the title, contact Linda at 575-513-0143 or the AC&B office at 575748-3192. -----------------
About 15 years ago, any family with children in Artesia likely routinely visited the Splash Pad in the Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Recreation Complex.
Looking back 40, 30 and 20 years ago, the following are excerpts from the Artesia Daily Press. 40 years ago June 16-22, 1984 New Mexico’s public school teachers will be paid a salary that averages $22,444 statewide when they return to the classrooms in the fall.