(Right) Mark Crook, a former exhaulted ruler and trustee of the Artesia Elks Lodge 1717, and (left) Andy Davis of the Artesia Masonic Lodge No. 28 present (left center) Christi Champion, a reading and language arts teacher at Artesia Intermediate School, with a joint-sponsored check to cover tuition and expenses associated with her participation in a dyslexia training program to be held at the Scottish Rite Learning Center in Las Cruces. Champion will incorporate knowledge gained through the training program at AIS during the 2010/2011 school year. Also pictured (right center) is AIS Principal John Ross Null. For more information contact the Artesia Masonic Lodge at 575-746-2431.

By EMIL WHITIS
Daily Press Staff Writer
Artesia Mayor Pro Tem George Holmes tendered his resignation Tuesday night during an executive session of the Artesia City Council.
In a letter Holmes read to the council during a closed session, he cited a desire to retire as the reason behind his decision.
“(My wife and I) are lucky and have been able to make retirement work and are very fortunate to be able to travel and do things while we are physically able,” said Holmes.
He stated it was in the best interest of the city and his private life to step aside. Holmes reasoned were he to maintain the position, he would be holding the city and himself from accomplishing their divergent goals.

By TYLER GREEN
Daily Press Staff Writer
Peñasco Valley Telecommun-
ications (PVT) recently received $9.5 million in federal funds to expand their broadband services to customers living in rural areas.
The funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).
On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law, providing funds to the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to expand broadband access to rural and unserved areas of the country.
The Recovery Act authorized the USDA with budget authority of $2.5 billion, which it is using flexibly to provide loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to expand broadband access in rural America. The USDA expects to use approximately $2 billion to provide grants, while the remaining funds will finance loans, for a potential total investment in rural broadband of $3-4 billion.
The Recovery Act establishes the rapid disbursement of the funds as an important priority for the BIP program to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The program also must be administered judiciously to ensure responsible use of public funds.
According to a program outline, to balance these objectives, RUS will favor projects that can commence construction promptly and demonstrate technical and financial feasibility, organizational capacity and the furtherance of other administration priorities. A commitment to transparency in the award process and rigorous reporting requirements will help ensure accountability.
The Recovery Act requires that at least 75 percent of a BIP-funded area be rural and “without sufficient access to high speed broadband service to facilitate rural economic development.”
During a ceremony held Tuesday, PVT was honored by USDA officials and statements from U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and U.S. Rep. Harry Teague (NM-2) were read. …

Mariah Villegas (front) and Jessie Stevens of the Artesia Clean and Beautiful (AC&B) Task Force unload computers, printers and other electronic devices from an industrial-sized waste bin this morning in the southeast parking lot at the intersection of Fifth Street and Texas Avenue. Linda Stevens, director of AC&B, said the electronic devices were dredged up from the depths of Abo School Monday. Pointing at the industrial waste bin, which was filled to capacity, she said, “This is just from one room.” National Evolution, an electronics recycling company based in Tulsa, Okla., collects the waste once it has been sorted and packed. Stevens said from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday a dumpster will be placed in the southeast parking lot at the intersection of Fifth Street and Texas Avenue where electronic waste will be collected from the public. For more information, contact Stevens at 748-3192.

By BRIAN CLAYTON
Daily Press Staff Writer
Employees say from the day L&R Well Service was established, the company has always been very family-oriented.
L&R was established by Robert “Bobby” Loyd and Victor Rodriguez in 1988.
Although Bobby has since passed, employees do not hesitate to explain he still has a very strong presence in the business.
Bobby’s daughter and L&R employee, Cathy Hawkins, says Bobby’s name can be heard in their conversations nearly every day around the office.
Cathy and other employees enjoy sharing amusing stories of things her father said or laughing about his entertaining pranks.
Cathy says her father, along with her mother, Georgia, had a major impact on her everyday life as well as her professional career.
She explains the two worked well as a team not only in business but also in raising her and sisters, Debbie Tolle and Patty Talley.

Subscribe to the Daily Press e-edition online or visit your local newsstand for a copy of the Daily Press to read the full story.

By BRIAN CLAYTON
Daily Press Staff Writer
Employees say from the day L&R Well Service was established, the company has always been very family-oriented.
L&R was established by Robert “Bobby” Loyd and Victor Rodriguez in 1988.
Although Bobby has since passed, employees do not hesitate to explain he still has a very strong presence in the business.
Bobby’s daughter and L&R employee, Cathy Hawkins, says Bobby’s name can be heard in their conversations nearly every day around the office.
Cathy and other employees enjoy sharing amusing stories of things her father said or laughing about his entertaining pranks.
Cathy says her father, along with her mother, Georgia, had a major impact on her everyday life as well as her professional career.
She explains the two worked well as a team not only in business but also in raising her and sisters, Debbie Tolle and Patty Talley.

Subscribe to the Daily Press e-edition online or visit your local newsstand for a copy of the Daily Press to read the full story.

ARTESIA – Today at 8 p.m. David Bradley will be performing at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the box office or at artesiaartscouncil.com.
According to a press release, Bradley hails from Northern England and grew up on American country music. He has lived in Siberia and worked on oil rigs, all while honing his skills as a country performer and songwriter.
Following in his father’s footsteps, he made a life for himself as an oil engineer, uncovering places beyond the reach of common imagination, the release states. Stationed for months in the forests of Siberia and on an oil rig in the middle of the Caspian Sea, he developed a deep empathy for others who also found themselves far from the comforts and familiarities of home. Bradley found himself writing about the hopes and fears that a man must confront on his journey through life.
His new hit song is titled “Soak It Up” and is featured on his CD “Moving’ On.”
According to the release, the summertime element of “Soak It Up” is a breath of fresh air. “It makes you want to put the top down on the car or open up the window and let the wind blow through,” the release states. “You can practically smell the beach when you listen to it. The mid-tempo, perfect-for-a-roadtrip “Soak It Up” is available on Amazon and iTunes.”


In honor of Flag Day, American flags were placed in and around downtown Artesia Monday. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. The flag of the United States is one of the nation’s most widely recognized symbols. The current 50-star flag was created by 17-year old Robert G. Heft for a school project in 1958. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union.

By WHITLEY LEDBETTER
Daily Press Staff Writer
The United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host a wild horse and burro adoption today through Saturday. This event will be held at the Artesia Horse Council Arena. This year’s horse adoption will feature more than 60 mustangs and 10 burros.
According to Paul McGuire, public affairs specialist for the BLM Oklahoma office, the BLM monitors horse and burro populations to ensure they do not exceed manageable numbers. The goal of the adoption program is to reduce the herds and give people the opportunity to be involved in the conservation and preservation efforts of the BLM.
Jerry Blakely, a petroleum engineering technician from Carlsbad states, “The horses are in good shape, and in good health. I’ve adopted two of them myself, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m amazed by how intelligent they are. It’s been fun and enjoyable.”
“There really is no finer breed of horse one could own than an American mustang,” said McGuire.
To qualify to adopt, one must be at least 18 years of age and have no record of animal abuse. Applications can be completed on the BLM website at www.blm.gov. The adoption fee is $125. If there are any questions, BLM workers will be present during the event for further assistance.
There will be a new adoption incentive program this year. If one adopts a horse 4 years or older, the BLM will pay $500 for the horses’s care and necessities. Younger or trained horses are not eligible for the incentive. After a full year, adopters will receive a certificate of ownership from the BLM.
The adoption will begin at approximately 2 p.m. today, on a “first-come-first served” basis, and will end at 6 p.m. On Friday, adoption will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. The last day of adoption will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 12.

A U.S. Border Patrol Color Guard observes the U.S. Border Patrol’s First Annual Law Enforcement Memorial this morning at Jaycee Park. Pictured from left are Jorge Dominguez, Jude Patterson, Cully Knowlton and Rebecca Barron. City police, county sheriff’s deputies, state police officers and U.S. Border Patrol officers killed in the line of duty were honored and remembered at the ceremony, along with those who currently make sacrifices in their lives to ensure U.S. citizens are safe and their liberty secure. Speakers at the event included Mayor Phillip Burch, New Mexico Attorney General Gary King and Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Michael Fisher. Fisher said the common bond between all law enforcement agencies is the oath each individual within has taken to “support and defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies both foreign and domestic.” King commented, “These officers are not so much heroes because of the way they died, but because of the way they lived …”