News

New Mexico State Police are investigating the fatal officer-involved shooting of 50-year-old Keith Charles Cowgill in Alamogordo. Officers responded to a 911 call about a suicidal man armed with a rifle, attempted to deescalate the situation, and shot Cowgill after he exited his home. He died at a hospital; involved officers were placed on administrative leave.

The Artesia City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office covering mutual aid for emergency responses, investigative support and traffic enforcement.

For eight years, 2001 W. Bullock has been home to Micah and Kas Howard, who transformed the property by painting the red brick white, adding black eaves, a driveway, Bermuda grass and a front-porch sitting area. Rose bushes, zinnias and sunflowers—named for cherished loved ones—add color and personal meaning to their Yard of the Week.

Nuclear waste shipments from Washington’s Hanford Site to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad will resume after a 15-year pause. Hanford cleanup workers are preparing about 11,000 containers of transuranic waste for certification and transport.

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.

The owners of the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino have announced that Triple Crown races and other operations will be moving to Grand...

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.

First National Bank celebrated 70 years of service with an Aug. 28 anniversary event in Artesia. Founded in 1956, the Alamogordo-based bank now serves Alamogordo, Artesia, Cloudcroft, Tularosa and Ruidoso. Regional market president Richie Hood highlighted the bank’s strong Artesia presence since 2005 and its commitment to community, family and local involvement.