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Eddy County Fair Rabbit Show in pictures

Michael Smith
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Eddy County Fair Rabbit Show in pictures

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Torrance Hughes, a 10-year-old from Artesia and a member of the Artesia 4-H, took grand champion in the baker and fryer categories Wednesday at the Eddy County Fair.

Trevor Pope of the Loving Future Farmers America won reserve grand champion in the baker rabbit show.

Torrance Hughes was entered in two classes at this year’s fair.

Meagan McKibben of the Loving Future Farmers of America.

Teresa DeSautell of Sudan, Texas was the judge in this year’s rabbit show.

Noah Mireles of the Kountry Klovers 4-H with his New Zealand Doe.

New Mexico energy companies lead climate progress

Michael Smith
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New Mexico energy companies lead climate progress

Missi Currier

Throughout New Mexico’s oil and gas basins, a transition continues—one that is reshaping the narrative around energy production and environmental stewardship.

Late last year, analysis from S&P Global Commodity Insights revealed that methane emissions in the Permian Basin have declined so significantly that the reduction is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions avoided by every electric vehicle in the United States. This is not just a milestone—it’s transformation and innovation.

Just last month, the Center for Western Priorities published a report showing that the number of spills in the Permian Basin dropped by 10% between 2023 and 2024, even as oil and gas production surged. This means we are producing more energy with fewer emissions—a testament to the innovation, investment, and commitment of our industry.

This achievement is the result of years of hard work, investment, and innovation by the men and women of New Mexico’s oil and gas industry to meet and exceed environmental standards and regulations. Our companies are creating and embracing cutting-edge technologies, from satellite monitoring and infrared cameras to advanced leak detection and repair systems. They’ve modernized infrastructure, improved operational practices, and collaborated with regulators and environmental experts to ensure that emissions are minimized at every stage of production.

These efforts are not simply good for the environment—they’re good for New Mexico. The oil and gas industry contributes more than $13billion annually to the state budget, funding public education, healthcare, and infrastructure. In fact, nearly one-third of New Mexico’s General Fund comes from oil and gas revenues, meaning every New Mexican benefits from the industry. That means every student in a public school, every patient in a state-funded clinic, and every family driving on a paved road is benefiting from the responsible development of our natural resources.

Critics often frame the energy industry as part of the climate problem. But the data tells a different story: we are increasingly part of the solution. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and reducing its emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow the pace of global warming. The progress made here is not just good for New Mexico—it’s good for the planet.

By continuing to lead in both energy production and environmental performance, we are ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for all New Mexicans for generations to come.

We still have work to do. But let’s recognize the strides we’ve made. Let’s celebrate that New Mexico is proving that energy development and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. And let’s continue to lead the way—because the world needs us, and we are proud to produce responsible energy for all

Missi Currier President and CEO New Mexico Oil & Gas Association.

From rodeo to ribeye

Michael Smith
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From rodeo to ribeye

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
For the Daily Press

Artesia native sees success in Santa Fe culinary scene

Growing up on a ranch in Artesia, Kathleen Crook didn’t dream of being a chef, or even doing any serious cooking.

She was a self-described farm kid, showing steers at 4H and Future Farmers of America events, before she started rodeoing, using it to get a scholarship for college and becoming a world champion in breakaway roping in the late ’90s.

“Rodeo was my life,” she said. “I went home after college and took over running my mom’s ranch, and I was happy for a few years, but it wasn’t feeding my soul.”

A few decades later, Crook’s Santa Fe restaurant Market Steer Steakhouse earned her a position as one of Taste America’s 20 chefs to watch for 2025-2026, a recognition run by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.

The recognition is the foundation’s annual selection of “’ones to watch’ in the industry” according to its website.

“Each chef of the TasteTwenty cohort is chosen not only for their exceptional culinary talent but also for their meaningful contributions beyond the kitchen,” according to the website. “They’re champions of positive change – from supporting sustainable agriculture, investing in their teams, elevating quality ingredients, advocating for a more resilient food system and more.”

At the end of July, Crook will go to Los Angeles to be officially recognized and in November the foundation will host a ticketed event at Market Steer Steakhouse, where she will show off her skills.

How to become a French chef

How did Crook go from being a roping world champion working on her mom’s farm in Artesia to a nationally recognized chef with a high-end steakhouse in a building she owns and built out for the restaurant?

It started with the French cooking school Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-Scottsdale in Arizona. Crook decided that the ranch wasn’t giving her fulfillment, and that cooking was what she needed to do next. Her grandmother ran a catering business when Kathleen was growing up and was always cooking around her. The school closed in 2017.

“I never thought to make it,” she said. “When I told my mom I wanted to go to culinary school, I had not done much more than cook spaghetti or make a sandwich. She said, ‘OK, you’ll go, but let’s get your grandmother up here.’”

For the next few months, she learned how to cook from her grandmother and an Emeril Lagasse cookbook that she tried to cook from, cover to cover.

“I sold my horses, my trailer, my tack, everything, to be in school,” she said.

Crook had no idea what to expect. What she did know was she needed a change.

“Man, I got a change,” she said. “It was something really special. The first six weeks were hard, but they just filled my soul and I never looked back. I worked for some really great chefs along the way and I’m thankful for that, thankful for them letting me ask questions along the way.”

Culinary school taught her how to cook, while growing up on the ranch taught her the other side of the business, cuts of meat, how animals are raised. Her restaurant only serves prime beef that has not been fed or injected with drugs such as antibiotics or hormones.

Learning Texas cooking

Her first job out of culinary school was at a Grapevine, Texas, restaurant called Old Hickory, with chef Tom Fleming who became a mentor. They still talk once a month on the phone.

“He took me in, it was my first job, and he hired me over the phone and said he’d never hired anyone over the phone before,” she said. “It was my externship, I cut my teeth there, cooked there for a while,” Crook said.

“She was everything a chef is looking for in an apprentice,” Fleming said. “Clean station, knife skills, everything right on – that’s so rare to find. I was so grateful to have such a great young apprentice in my kitchen. Anything I said I needed, she was on it from day one.”

After that stint, she went back to the family ranch. While the cooking job was great experience, it didn’t pay well, and student debt was beginning to pile up.

A year later, Fleming opened a new restaurant and called and asked if Crook wanted to come along. She did, helping him open the Central 214 in Dallas.

Fleming said he had kept in touch with Crook after she left Old Hickory and when he was hired as an executive chef at Central 214, she was the first call he made, followed by his sous chef.

“I knew she was going to be perfect for the job, and she excelled beyond belief,” Fleming said.

She stayed there for three years.

“I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to get into fast casual, so I opened a big space in Las Colinas (Texas). That place was big, called Cadillac Ranch at the time, and that taught me a lot about being organized, being a systematic chef,” she said.

The cooking line was 75 feet long and her executive chef was “organized to a T.”

From there, she went to a Dallas restaurant before moving to Aspen, Colorado, for seven years, working for other restaurant groups.

Fleming visited her while she was working in Aspen.

“She put out the best rack of lamb I’ve ever eaten in my life in front of me, with a side of risotto. It was incredible,” he said. “I still remember that meal.”

Fleming said he’s excited to see Crook getting recognition that is “well deserved and overdue.”

“She’s a great person and an outstanding chef,” he said.

Leaving Aspen

Crook and her wife and business partner, Kristina Goode, are self-described serial entrepreneurs.

“We kind of burnt out working for someone else,” she said.

They left Aspen and knew they wanted to do something on their own. They checked out Dallas and realized “it was not the space for us.” They moved to Artesia briefly for a consulting job.

“We were stalking places in New Mexico, because we’d kind of settled and decided we were going to open a space in New Mexico,” Crook said.

They opened a food truck in Santa Fe for four months, which bought them some time. Then, a space in the St. Francis Hotel came up for lease. They prowled the streets of Santa Fe, asking locals and tourists what was missing from the culinary scene.

“We pitched our vision to the ownership of St. Francis and they approved and we got the lease,” she said.

They signed on July 1, 2018, and opened on Aug. 25 of the same year. It happened so fast, they didn’t even have a place to live in Santa Fe when they signed.

“We kind of knew we wanted to pay a little homage to my heritage, my upbringing,” Crook said. “My grandparents on both sides are farmers and ranchers and I knew we wanted to be locally sourced.”

Crook was into farm to table before it was the hip new thing. From there, it was clear that a steakhouse, with her background in ranching, was the perfect fit.

The restaurant was successful until the 2020 pandemic, which forced the restaurant and hotel to shut down. The hotel didn’t make them pay rent while everything was closed, which saved them. But they soon outgrew the space, as Goode wasn’t able to change the décor or aesthetic.

When another restaurant that closed during the pandemic came on the market, it was the right place and right time. They negotiated a deal and started construction on what is now the Market Steer Steakhouse. The process took 14 months and saw everything replaced except for the walk-in cooler and the studs.

‘Modern twists on classics’

A steakhouse has to be a known quantity, but there is still room to innovate. Market Steer Steakhouse is “pretty traditional, with modern twists on classics,” Crook said.

The wedge salad is made for a more artisanal-sized wedge of lettuce and bone marrow makes its way onto the menu, along with some foie gras.

The most recent dish Crook has been making for media appearances is Tex-Mex mussels, made with Shiner Bock beer and green chiles.

It’s not just the food that’s getting Crook recognized, it’s the hospitality, the work environment and the consistency.

“It’s the whole package,” she said.

The service is upscale, but not stuffy. In the words of Goode, “it’s where fine dining meets fun dining.”

Waitstaff keep notes on each patron, to know what they like and dislike for the next time they come back.

“It’s personal recognition and when you call someone by their name, that takes it to a different level of personal touch. It really helps,” Crook said.

Are You Walking in the Light?

Michael Smith
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Are You Walking in the Light?

Rick Smith

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5).  God is light and everything that is true and righteous is found in Him.  When a person trusts in Jesus he begins a personal relationship with the Lord.  Many people claim to have a relationship with God, but show no evidence that they even know Him.  If you are saved, then it should show, because God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  In 1 John chapter one there are three negative “if we” statements about walking in the light.  And there are also two “if we” statements that show that we are walking in the light.  Are you walking in the light?

The first statement says this: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth…” (1:6).  Even sinners know that this is true.  If a person has a relationship with God, Who is light, then they would not be living in sin – living in darkness.  You cannot walk in the light and also walk in darkness.  Such a person is a hypocrite.  They are fakes and they are liars. What is one of the evidences that they are walking in darkness?  “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” (1 John 2:9).  Are you walking in the light?

But a true Christians life proves that he knows and has fellowship with Jesus.  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1:7).  He is walking, living in the light – living in the truth of God’s holiness.  And, even if he commits sin, he has the assurance of forgiveness, because the blood of Jesus cleanses him and is in fellowship with God in Christ.  One of the proofs of our fellowship with God is our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Are you walking in the light?

Every so often I run into people that claim that they do not sin.  They believe that they have reached a state of sinless perfection. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1:8).  No person can be saved until he understands that he is a sinner in need of salvation.  But, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? ” (Proverbs 20:6).  How can you repent of your sins if you don’t have any?  This is utterly foolish, because we are told that all have sinned (Romans 3:23).  Pharisees to this day proclaim their own righteousness and reject the righteousness that in found by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Are you walking in the light?

What a wonderful blessing it is to have our sins forgiven.  When we walk in the light God reveals our sins.  But, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1:9).  “Confess” means to agree with God about our sins and implies that we are turning from them.  We have a faithful Father Who is just to forgive us our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13).  Those that walk in the light recognize and confess their sins and are cleansed from all unrighteousness.   Are you walking in the light?

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1:10).  This verse is like verse eight, but, in this case, this person claims to have never sinned.  He never sinned before, nor since, he became a Christian.  This is an insult to God Who says that we have sinned.  In verse six they are liars.  In verse eight they are deceived.  But in verse ten they make God a liar and they have nothing of the word of God in them.  Like the Pharisees they are self-righteous and self-deluded.  Their only hope is to be confronted by the Light of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.  They must examine themselves to see if they are in the faith of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5).  Are you walking in the light?

In the first two verses of chapter two John brings all of this to a conclusion: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2).  We have no license to sin, instead, we should strive to live pure and holy lives that are acceptable to God.  But when we sin, Jesus stands before God for us, His blood covering our sins, and making us acceptable before God to walk in His Light.

If you have any questions, we invite you to visit with us this Sunday.   Worship at 10:50 A.M.  We are located at 711 West Washington Ave.  Check our sermon videos on Youtube @ricksmith2541.  Send comments and prayer requests to prayerlinecmbc@gmail.com.

Last Chance tournament still a draw

Michael Smith
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Last Chance tournament still a draw

Todd Fuqua
Artesia Daily Press
tfuqua@elritomedia.com

RUIDOSO – Despite catastrophic flooding in Ruidoso in the last two weeks, 26 teams from around New Mexico and the Ruidoso area came to the Eagle Creek Sports Complex July 19-20 for the Last Chance Qualifier softball tournament.

The name of the tournament is somewhat misleading. Organizers say it dates back to a time when teams needed to play in a certain number of qualified tournaments to get to the state finals. Now, teams must register with their regional director in the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).

But the Last Chance name stuck, so that’s how the event is known to all the teams that sign up.

The turnout far exceeded the field of 11 teams that entered the Last Chance event a year ago following the South Fork and Salt Fires and subsequent flooding, but fell short of the 64 teams that played in last month’s Cool Pines Classic.

While flooding did not directly impact the Eagle Creek Complex, participation may have been affected by the recent devastation, according to tournament directors Billy and Patsy Page.

“We expected a bit more this year. Usually we get around 40 teams,” Patsy Page said.

“The flooding had some teams concerned,” said Billy Page. “We’re not heartless. We feel for those that lost everything in the flood, and it was devastating to all of us. We’re all a part of this community.”

Due to the limited field this year, the tournament was transitioned from a double-elimination affair – with every team guaranteed at least two games – to one in which every team was guaranteed at least three games.

Division champions were CT of Las Cruces in the Men’s C division; El Paso Latinos in Men’s D; Grizzlies/Schondell-APM of Anthony in Men’s E; and El Paso AK in the Women’s C division.

The two-day tournament attracted teams from across the state and region, including nine teams from Ruidoso, Alamogordo, Artesia and Carlsbad. One successful area entry was Artesia’s Masturemates in Men’s Class D – the team reached the championship but fell to El Paso Latinos 17-14.

Masturemates beat Ruidoso’s Quien Quiere? 15-14 to reach the title game, avenging a 16-15 loss earlier in the tournament. Quien Quiere? also beat Alamogordo entrant Holloman 14-13 en route to the championship final.

Holloman defeated Carlsbad’s Sucios in the opening round, 21-6.

In Men’s Class E, Mescalero’s Hostiles fought their way through the consolation bracket before falling to Missing Links out of Santa Fe, the same team that defeated Hostiles in the first round of the consolation bracket. Missing Links took a 17-10 a victory.

Hostiles opened the tournament with a 9-7 loss to Leones of Ruidoso. Leones later fell to Hit Squad of Roswell and Socorro’s O.T.F.

In Women’s C, Mescalero’s Kamikaze lost all three of its games, while Carlsbad’s Disturbed08 did the same in Men’s C.

The next tournament scheduled for the Eagle Creek Complex is the Mountain Double Up coed tournament, starting Aug. 15. The Pages said they’re hoping for a bigger field in that one, mirroring the slight rebound they saw in last year’s Mountain Double Up.

“Hopefully the word will go out that this (Last Chance Qualifier) was a great tournament, and more will sign up for next month,” Billy Page said.

Todd Fuqua is Assistant Editor for the Alamogordo News and can be reached on Instagram at @toadfox1.

Eddy County Fair Parade in pictures

Michael Smith
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Eddy County Fair Parade in pictures

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

The 2025 Eddy County Fair Parade kicked off this year’s fair festivities Tuesday morning through downtown Artesia.

Antique farm tractors were part of the Eddy County Fair Parade.

PVT had a float in the Eddy County Fair Parade.

Central Valley Electric’s heavy machinery was part of the parade.

This Cup

Michael Smith
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This Cup

Pastor Ty Houghtaling, First Baptist Church

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

Is there a more profound prayer of Jesus than this one? And for us, what does it mean to ask God to take a “cup” from us?

It makes sense to me that if we know what our “cup” is in our daily walk with the Lord, we can ask God to take it from us. Maybe the cup is a difficult co-worker who makes everything about your job challenging. Maybe your cup is a health issue that doctors can’t resolve. Whatever your cup may be, I believe it’s okay to ask your Heavenly Father to remove it.

Of course, the second half of the prayer matters: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Sometimes we don’t know exactly how to pray for relief, but simply identifying what’s weighing us down and humbly asking God to take it away can be enough to expose our struggle and help us realign our hearts and minds.

Sometimes, just bringing it before God—honestly, and in accordance with His will—is a relief in itself. Jesus asked for a reprieve, but He also surrendered to His Father’s will. You and I can pray that way, too.

Never forget; “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, f Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

Police blotter

Michael Smith
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Police blotter

Arrest

Joe Manuel Salinas arrested for battery.

Abel Linares Verdoza arrested for criminal trespass.

Alexia Fernandez Fierro arrested for battery against a household member.

Thomas Alden Anderson arrested for municipal failure to appear.

Jesus M. Flores arrested for Concealing identity, possession, delivery, manufacture, of drug paraphernalia.

Caelyn Breanne Hurley arrested for DWI of intoxication liquor or drugs, careless driving.

July 12

UNWANTED

9:56 am – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

SUSPICIOUS

2:56 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 5th St. and W. Bush Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

4:30 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

DISTURBANCE

6:27 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to disturbance.

7:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to disturbance.

LOUD

8:26 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 6th St. in reference to loud music.

WELFARE

9:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

9:24 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to disturbance.

9:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to disturbance.

SHOTS FIRED

9:40 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

July 13

LOUD

12:17 am – Officer dispatched to 200 block of Hermosa Dr. in reference to loud music.

12:20 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of Richey Ave. in reference to loud music.

12:40 am – Officer dispatched to W. Sears Ave. and S. 11th St. in reference to a loud noise.

DISTURBANCE

2:52 am – Officer dispatched to 2600 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to disturbance.

LARCENY

3:30 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Main St. in reference to larceny.

LOUD

3:31 am – Officer dispatched to 2200 block of W. Main St. in reference to a loud noise.

ALARM

7:42 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Main St. in reference to an alarm.

7:56 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 4th St. in reference to an alarm.

SUSPICIOUS

9:58 am – Officer dispatched to W. JJ Clark Dr. and W Yucca Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

RECKLESS

12:07 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Quay Ave. and S. 7th St. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

THREATS

12:08 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to threats.

DOMESTIC

3:20 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to verbal domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

8:44 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Runyan Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

9:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of N 13th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

LOUD

8:49 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to loud music.

DISTURBANCE

10:05 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Logan Ave. in reference to disturbance.

SHOTS FIRED

10:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

WELFARE

10:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. 1st St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

10:26 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Park Ave. and S. 1st St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

10:54 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of W. Cottonwood Rd. in reference to disturbance.

DOMESTIC

11:39 pm – Officer dispatched to 1600 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to domestic.

July 14

SUSPICIOUS

4:33 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

7:20 am – Officer dispatched to N. 7th St. and W. Mahone Dr. in reference to a suspicious person.

WANTED

1:19 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. Chisum Ave. in reference to a wanted subject.

LARCENY

1:50 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to larceny.

ACCIDENT

3:56 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Memorial Dr. and N. 13th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

UNWANTED

4:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of W. Kemp Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

FRAUD

4:43 pm – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to fraud.

WELFARE

4:44 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Booker Ave. in reference to the welfare of adult.

LARCENY

5:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of Cannon Pl in reference to larceny.

UNWANTED

5:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of W. Centre Ave in reference to an unwanted subject.

WELFARE

7:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Logan Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

DOMESTIC

8:35 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of N. 13th St. in reference to physical domestic.

ARMED

9:39 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 1st St. and W. Chisum Ave. in reference to an armed subject.

RECKLESS

9:48 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 13th St. and W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

VANDAL

10:56 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of S. 17th St. in reference to vandal.

July 15

Arrest

Dalton Eugene Truog arrested for failure to appear.

Fabian Joanthony Duran Munoz arrested for disorderly conduct.

WANTED

6:36 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. for a wanted subject.

FRAUD

7:45 am – Officer dispatched to 300 block of S. 8th St. in reference to fraud.

LARCENY

9:23 am – Officer dispatched to 2000 block of W. Main St. in reference to shoplifting.

BURGLARY

9:52 am – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of S. Permian Pavilion Loop in reference to burglary.

VANDAL

10:04 am – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Richardson Ave. in reference to structure vandalism.

UNWANTED

12:09 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

WELFARE

1:21 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 13th St. and W. Richey Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

LARCENY

3:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to shoplifting.

3:55 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to larceny.

DOMESTIC

5:58 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 11th St. in reference to verbal domestic.

RECKLESS

7:37 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 17th St. and W. Washington Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

9:05 pm – Officer dispatched to Bulldog Blvd. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

SUSPICIOUS

9:46 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

LOUD

10:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to loud music.

July 16

Arrest

David Fuentes Aguirre arrested for failure to appear.

WELFARE

12:20 am – Officer dispatched to 500 block of S. 20th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

UNWANTED

7:51 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

FRAUD

11:09 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to fraud.

SUSPICIOUS

11:15 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of N. 13th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

WANTED

1:01 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Texas Ave. in reference to a wanted subject.

2:43 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to a wanted subject.

ACCIDENT

2:28 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Chisum Ave. and N. 5th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

SHOTS FIRED

4:52 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

LARCENY

7:43 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to larceny.

SUSPICIOUS

8:02 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 8th St. and W. Bates Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

July 17

ALARM

1:29 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Main St. in reference to a burglary alarm.

DISTURBANCE

11:29 am – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to disturbance.

WELFARE

12:23 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of N. 13th St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

SUSPICIOUS

12:49 pm – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a suspicious person.

DOMESTIC

2:26 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Lolita Ave. in reference to domestic.

FRAUD

2:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to fraud.

WELFARE

3:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

VANDAL

4:42 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Kemp Ave. in reference to vandal.

7:37 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of N. 4th St. in reference to vandal.

SHOTS FIRED

6:48 pm – Officer dispatched to 2300 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

SUSPICIOUS

8:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Kemp Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

9:09 pm – Officer dispatched to 1700 block of S. 17th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DOMESTIC

10:48 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Ray Ave. in reference to domestic.

SHOTS FIRED

11:38 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. 20th St. in reference to shots fired in the area.

July 18

Arrest

Israel Ornelas Duran arrested on Failure to appear.

UNWANTED

1:30 am – Officer dispatched to 1700 block of S. 17th St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

SUSPICIOUS

3:04 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

ALARM

7:23 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Main St. in reference to a burglary alarm.

VANDAL

7:44 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a vandal.

SUSPICIOUS

9:06 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

LARCENY

10:47 am – Officer dispatched to 2000 block of W. Main St. in reference to larceny.

ALARM

11:07 am – Officer dispatched to 2100 block of W. Main St. in reference to a burglary alarm.

WANTED

11:27 am – Officer dispatched to W. JJ Clarke DR. and Bowman Dr. in reference to a wanted subject.

WELFARE

12:36 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ACCIDENT

3:36 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Main St. and S. 20th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

6:39 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 1st St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

DISTURBANCE

5:08 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of S. 4th St. in reference to disturbance.

THREATS

8:14 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of N. 26th St. in reference to threats.

ARMED

8:43 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 4th St. and W. Bullock Ave. in reference to an armed subject.

FIGHT

8:46 pm – Officer dispatched to 2600 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a fight.

BATTERY

9:00 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of Cannon Ct. in reference to battery.

DISTURBANCE

9:06 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 8th St. in reference to disturbance.

DOMESTIC

10:31 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

11:05 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 37th St. and W. Quay Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

LOUD

11:10 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to loud noise.

DOMESTIC

11:26 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of N. Osborn Ave. in reference to domestic.

UNWANTED

11:29 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. James Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

Artesia boys’ soccer holds Kids Camp 

Michael Smith
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Artesia boys’ soccer holds Kids Camp 

JT Keith 

Artesia Daily Press

jtkeith@elritomedia.com

The Artesia boys’ soccer team held its ninth annual Bulldogs Kids Soccer Camp from Monday through Wednesday, July 7-9. The event had 150 participants over three days.

The sessions included 4-year-olds through kindergarteners from 8-9 a.m., first- and second-graders from 9:15-10:30 a.m. and third- through fifth-graders from 4-5:15 p.m. at Robert Chase Field.

For sixth- through eighth-graders, Artesia ran a Development Camp from 5:30- 7 p.m. The goal of the camp is to develop future Bulldog soccer players and introduce them to formations and phases of play used by the boys’ soccer team.

Phillip Jowers, the Bulldogs’ head coach since 2015, said the purpose of the camp is to give back to the community and to say thank you for their support.

“This has been an excellent experience,” Jowers said. “Some of these kids on the Artesia varsity soccer team have gone through this camp.”

Jowers said he formulated the idea to begin a kids camp after noticing that no one was offering a soccer camp in Artesia. He thought that a kids camp would help the soccer program and grow the game.

Jowers said assistant coach John Baca helped at the camp as a high school player.

The camp has evolved over the years from having Eastern New Mexico University soccer players come in and help to having former Bulldog players, such as Jacob Martinez (who played at University of the Southwest), Ethan Bunt, Tomas Gonzales and Baca, come back in 2025.

Jowers has also brought in former girls’ soccer player Vivian Vasquez to help at camp.

“Ultimately,” Jowers said, “this is a fundraiser for our boys’ season, but this is a way that we get to give back to our community, and it has been an outstanding experience.”

Assistant Billie Delgado, who is the goalie coach, said the soccer camp is a time he looks forward to. The camp is about building relationships with the kids and teaching them about soccer.

“Coach Delgado is the heartbeat of this camp,” Jowers said. “His passion is giving back to the kids. Delgado is the guy.”

Delgado said his passion for soccer and giving back to kids started with him helping the youth at his church, Harvest Fellowship in Artesia.

“I love it,” Delgado said. “I have a passion for giving back to the community and kids. This brings me so much joy. I have a good, caring heart for the kids, and it makes me happy.”

Artesia leaves for its team camp on July 24 at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Bulldogs open the 2025 season at 6 p.m. Aug. 19 at Hobbs.

jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1.

Artesia freshman Braxton Norman is a jiu-jitsu champion 

Michael Smith
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Artesia freshman Braxton Norman is a jiu-jitsu champion 

JT Keith  

Artesia Daily Press

jtkeith@elritomedia.com

Braxton Norman, who competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a submission grappling sport adapted from judo/Japanese jiu-jitsu, said he credits his parents, Billy and Mandy Norman, for winning two American Grappling Federation titles.

On June 14, he won the American Grappling Federation (AGF) Kids World Tournament in his 160-pound weight class and the challenger division.

Becoming a champion

On June 21, he competed at the USA Grappling (USAG) Team Trials to earn a spot on Team USA Teen Division, which will represent the United States at the World Tournament in Greece in the fall of 2025.

The team that Norman wrestles for competes in USA Grappling—grappling, all styles of wrestling and jiu-jitsu in the United States.

“We’re ecstatic,” said his dad, Billy Norman. “He likes to do this.”

Braxton Norman, an orange belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, said his parents urged him to practice when he did not want to.

“My parents made me stick with jiu-jitsu,” Braxton said. “I kept going and then I fell in love with it.”

Wrestling a girl

Norman defeated his opponent on June 21 with a straight ankle lock to win the title. Norman said that the move involves grabbing an opponent’s leg, putting it in his armpit and extending the lock, applying pressure to the tendons in his opponent’s ankle.

Norman, 14, has been practicing jiu-jitsu since he was 5 years old. His first match did not start well. He lost to a girl as she put him in an arm bar.

Norman said he had never wrestled a girl before and did not know what to expect. He said wrestling girls are different because they are faster than boy wrestlers. Norman said his female opponent was on top of him and put him in an arm bar that made him tap out (quit).

He lost to the same opponent twice on the same move, forcing him to learn the arm bar and devise a counter move.

Learning the triangle choke hold

Braxton said he learned the triangle choke hold (in which he folds his legs in a triangle and grabs the opponent’s head and arm between his legs and chokes them).

Norman said that before he enters the mat to wrestle, he is nervous, and when he steps on the mat, the world freezes.

Playing football

Norman has sponsors in L&R Well Service and Hocker & Sons.

Norman will be a freshman at Artesia Junior High School. He plays offensive line and said that jiu-jitsu helps him push the defensive lineman back as an offensive lineman. Also, it helps him with leverage and builds stamina and upper-body strength.

“When I am done with college, I want to join the United States Marine Corps,” Norman said. “Being a Marine is always something I have been drawn to.”

Norman said he would like to get a college scholarship to study jiu-jitsu.

“Carlos Gracie (Brazilian martial artist) used to say, ‘There is no losing in jiu-jitsu,’’ Norman said, ‘You either win or you learn.’ What I took deeply to heart was that every time I would lose a match, I would learn how I lost. And learn how to get out of that move and do it to others.”

jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1.

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