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What happened to Ukraine coverage?

Michael Smith
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What happened to Ukraine coverage?

Cal Thomas

Last weekend, the Wall Street Journal did a rare story on the Ukraine war, though it was buried on page A 10, after a front-page teaser. That has been the pattern until Russia launched a massive drone attack against Ukraine on Sunday which attracted some media attention. Otherwise, media has seemed generally bored with the war.

In recent weeks the media again has been pre-occupied by celebrities, including the ones attending the Bezos-Sanchez wedding in Venice, and the “news” that it took 900 hours to make the bride’s dress. And yet the killing grinds on between Russia and Ukraine with minimal advances on either side and no immediate possibility of a ceasefire or peace deal.

Ivan Bespalov is a Ukrainian Presbyterian pastor in Kiev, who is temporarily in the U.S. to rally support from churches and the public for his country. In a telephone interview from his New York City hotel, I ask him if he has any hope that a peace agreement with Russia can be achieved and the killing on both sides stopped?

“Our concern is whether the Russians can be trusted,” Bespalov said. “When Russians feel they are powerful it is very unlikely they will seek a compromise.” Bespalov says he thinks the killing will continue “until they establish their supremacy, their control. Only when Russia comes to believe Ukraine is strong and they feel they are paying too high a price to continue this war, then they may come to an agreement.”

Bespalov denies reports of persecution against certain segments of Christian churches in Ukraine. He says even the Russian Orthodox Union, which is largely supportive of Vladimir Putin, faces government restrictions only on its political positions, not its faith practices. But he says while the Orthodox “don’t do it openly, they do encourage people to surrender (to Russian soldiers) and not to resist. They support the narrative ‘we are one people’ and there is no harm with them trying to establish Russian influence and Russian power. So naturally when our government hears these kinds of messages, they warn the priests and others who promote this narrative. And if they continue doing this, some of them wind up in jail or are removed from their positions.”

This apparently accounts for where reports that Ukraine is persecuting certain churches have come from.

How is Bespalov trying to break through the multiple news and celebrity stories in the U.S. that have replaced what is taking place in Ukraine?

“We are speaking to various churches and had the opportunity to speak to the General Assembly of the (conservative) Presbyterian Church in America of about four to five thousand people,” Bespalov said. “We are asking people for their prayers and thanking them for the physical help they are sending us through a charity, Crates for Ukraine.”

Bespalov also says people who contribute are helping Ukrainians who have been displaced from their homes. This reminds me of the CARE packages that were delivered to Eastern European nations occupied by Russia beginning in the aftermath of World War II.

How much longer does Bespalov think Ukraine can hold out if Putin doesn’t come to an agreement to stop the war? He said, “I think that Ukraine will be resisting until the very end.”

By that he clearly means the end of Ukraine’s independent status, not the end of Russia. The key, though, as he told me, is to make Putin pay so high a price that he will seek peace. That is not likely to happen without further military and financial support for Ukraine, especially from European nations. Now would also be a good time to get today’s equivalent of CARE packages shipped to Kiev.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).

In the end, everyone hated the Iranian theocracy

Michael Smith
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In the end, everyone hated the Iranian theocracy

Victor Davis Hanson

It is hard even to digest the incredible train of events of the last few days in the Middle East.

Iran had been reduced to an anemic, performance-art missile attack on our base in Qatar — the last Parthian shot from a terrified regime, desperate for an out — and a ceasefire.

Iran would have been better off not launching such a ceremonial but ultimately humiliating proof of impotence.

Even worse for the theocracy, Iran’s temporary reprieve came from the now magnanimous but still hated U.S. President Donald Trump.

So ends the creepy mystique of the supposedly indomitable terror state of Iran, the bane of the last seven American presidents over half a century.

For Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, it was hard to swallow that U.S. bombers got their permission to fly into Iranian airspace from the Israeli air force.

A good simile is that Trump put a pot of water on the stove, told Iran to jump in, put the lid over them, then smiled, turned up the heat — and will now let them stew.

As postbellum realities now simmer in Iran, the theocracy is left explaining the inexplicable to its humiliated military and shocked but soon-to-be-furious populace. All the regime’s blood-curdling rhetoric, apocalyptic threats against Israel, goose-stepping thugs, and shiny new missiles ended in less than nothing.

A trillion dollars and five decades’ worth of missiles and centrifuges are now up in smoke. That money might have otherwise saved Iranians from the impoverishment of the last 50 years.

How about the little Satan Israel, to which Iran for nearly 50 years promised extinction?

Israel had destroyed Iran’s expeditionary terrorists, Iran’s defenses, its nuclear viability, and the absurd mythology of Iranian military competence. And worse, Israel showed it could repeat all that destruction when and if necessary.

So, the most hated regime in the world crawled into the boiling pot because it looked around in vain for someone to void Trump’s ultimatum for a cease and desist.

But there were no last-minute saviors to rescue them.

The dreaded decades-long Iranian nuclear threat?

It is either gone for now, or if it resurfaces, it will be again far easier to vaporize at will than to rebuild a lost trillion-dollar investment.

Russia? Its former Obama-Kerry re-invitation back into the Middle East lasted only a decade.

It will now cut its losses like it did with the vanished Assad kleptocracy in Syria. Putin exits the Middle East not entirely displeased that his lunatic Iranian client did not get a bomb — but did get its just desserts. A tense Middle East tends to prop up Russian export oil prices.

Did China come to the mullahs’ aid?

No, they were not shy about ordering their Iranian lackey to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, through which 50 percent of Chinese-purchased oil passes.

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Iranians are treated as little more than Uyghurs with oil.

The world decided that it was tired of a half-century of crybully terrorism, empty nuke threats, mindless mobs screaming scripted banalities, cowardly murdering, and medieval theocrats threatening the general peace.

So, the world turned its back on Iran. And with a wink and nod, it let Israel and the U.S. do what they must.

As for Iran’s terrorist appendages, Hezbollah’s commanders are either dead, maimed, or in hiding.

Hamas has fled into a subterranean labyrinth.

The last Assad thug fled to Russia.

The crazy Houthis? They are reconsidering the idea of launching their last missile at the cost of their last port or power grid.

The anti-Trump Democrats and loony left?

Their talk of impeaching Trump for the supposedly “illegal” 35-minute, one-off strike will fade.

The Trump mission equaled less than one day of Obama’s predator drone strikes, targeted killings, or his five-year chaotic bombing in Libya.

Is the incoherent left furious that there is no more Iranian nuclear threat?

Mad that no Americans were killed last Saturday night?

Furious America likely killed few if any Iranians.

Or is it raging because Trump ignored Iran’s last-gasp attack and instead orchestrated a cease-fire?

Of course, in the Middle East, there is never a real end to anything.

We may see freelancing terrorists try to fill the vacuum of Iran’s decline. Or Iran itself may try to let loose a terrorist cell. It may later boast it has hidden away some enriched uranium.

But no matter.

The dimensions of this new Middle East will persist.

The new reality is that either Israel or the U.S. — if they keep their earned confidence within proper limits — can now ensure a non-nuclear Iran by easily blowing up its costly nuclear program as often as it is rebuilt.

Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. He is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” from Basic Books. You can reach him by e-mailing authorvdh@gmail.com.

Public land sale has third go around

Michael Smith
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Public land sale has third go around

Sarah Rubinstein
Alamogordo News

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has made yet another attempt to revise his plan to put public land up for sale in the federal reconciliation bill. Lee’s original plan would have had 14 million acres of public land in the West eligible to private buyers. However, the public land sale was removed from the bill earlier this week for violating the congressional Byrd rule.

Now, Lee is determined to get the plan back on the federal budget bill. This time around, about 1.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land across the 11 western states would be eligible for sale, according to The Hill, a top U.S. political web site.

The plan would no longer include land from the National Forest Service. It instead requires that land will only be sold within five miles of a “population center,” Lee said on X, formerly Twitter.

Lee also reiterated he wants the land sold to solely Americans to be used for affordable housing. In response to the public land news, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) hosted a roundtable Wednesday morning comprised of senators from western states, conservationists, hunters and fishers to debunk the validity of Lee’s plans.

“This is not about housing,” Heinrich said. “This is about divesting our children’s birthright.”

Heinrich pointed out there is no specification in the bill text that this land must be used for only affordable housing or a minimum requirement for housing units per acre. He argues billionaires could take advantage of this.

Heinrich also discussed how under this new bill, 85% of the money from the public land sales would go to pay for tax cuts instead of going back into conservation, which the wealthy could take advantage of.

“That’s horseshit,” he said.

Member of the panel Hilary Tompkins, a former Solicitor of the United States Department of Interior and member of the Navajo Nation said the proposal was rushed, and there was no effort made to reach out to tribal nations who may be affected by the bill.

“They have had no notification about this proposal, and they have not been given the opportunity to talk about how this proposal could affect their off-reservation treaty rights,” Tompkins said.

Across the aisle, Republicans have also spoken against the public land sale. On Thursday, five House Republicans joined together: Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Rep. David Valado (R-Calif.), and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) in a letter stating if the public land sale makes it back on the federal budget bill, they will be forced to vote the entire bill down.

“While the Senate Parliamentarian has ruled Senator Lee’s original language out of order due to the Byrd Rule, the Senator is motivated to include the sale of public lands in the bill. This would be a grave mistake, unforced error, and poison pill that will cause the bill to fail should it come to the House Floor,” the Representatives stated in their letter.

Let’s have an honest debate on public lands

Michael Smith
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Let’s have an honest debate on public lands

Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote

During the Great Depression, western ranchers faced crashing commodity prices and the ravages of drought and Dust Bowl. But that wasn’t all. The federal government was creating new national parks and monuments and expanding earlier designated areas. In states like New Mexico many were pleased to have new attractions for their budding tourism trade, but others objected. Unlike national forests, these new carve-outs didn’t allow grazing, mining, drilling or logging.

I came across this information last week while I was researching the Depression and was surprised to learn that we’ve been having pretty much the same arguments over public lands for the better part of a century.

In the latest chapter, Congress has seen a bare-knuckle fight over a provision in the budget reconciliation bill to sell more than 250 million acres of public lands, including 14 million acres in New Mexico. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, claims he wants to expand the nation’s housing supply by using public lands.

The provision died after the Senate parliamentarian ruled against it, but Lee returned with a new provision requiring the federal Bureau of Land Management to sell hundreds of thousands of acres within five miles of population centers.

Two pretty obvious points about the new proposal: Most BLM land is in the middle of nowhere, and housing developers will only build in places where people want to live. Plus, they want some infrastructure. You know, utilities, streets and sewers.

Lee’s approach all along has fallen short of honest debate. When his Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee finally revealed properties on the auction block, the list had the look of selection by dart throwing. Mt. Taylor? Seriously? Some nitwit in Washington D.C. chose a dominant geologic feature in the state – from the top you can see one-third of New Mexico – and a peak sacred to multiple tribes.

In New Mexico the list of 61 properties was loaded with active recreation areas, including busy hiking trails north and east of Los Alamos, the beautiful Grindstone Canyon Loop Trail near Ruidoso, the Zuni Mountain Trail System that Gallup actively markets to tourists, and the famous and historic Dog Canyon Trail near Alamogordo. Seriously?

Lee and his minions had vast tracts to choose from but went out of their way to poke a finger into the eyes of tourism and outdoor advocates. Further, the now-deleted provision would have hurt the outdoor recreation industry, which the state has carefully cultivated and was good for $3.2 billion and 29,000 jobs in 2023.

The latest change deletes Forest Service lands from the bill, but don’t assume they’re gone for good.

In the new provision, Carlsbad’s La Cueva trail system will probably remain a target. The BLM manages 15 miles of trails through 2,200 acres of Guadalupe Mountains foothills and Chihuahuan desert. It’s been popular for biking, hiking and horseback riding since the mid-1990s. On websites for bikers, it draws praise and tips. La Cueva’s sale would do what for housing?

Last week, I suggested half seriously that since Utah was so anxious to cash in its public lands we let them be a test case. I don’t think they’d sell their crown jewels, but I’m curious how far they would go. Mark Allison, of New Mexico Wild, pointed out correctly that “these lands don’t belong to Utah, they belong to all Americans.”

We’ve already had such an experiment, he says. “The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 provided a legal mechanism for sales of public lands in the national areas. There were 68,000 acres of BLM lands authorized in Clark County. After 26 years, almost two-thirds of that land remains unsold. Importantly, only 562 acres have been reserved for affordable housing – and of that only 30 acres have been sold. The experiment has failed.”

That gets me to the other side of the public lands argument. If we stop pretending this is about housing and take a good hard look at public land, we might have to admit that not every inch is a scenic or environmental gem. If we stop throwing darts at a map and actually ask the land agencies, they would tell us which parcels are difficult to manage or don’t really serve the national interest.

If we had an honest debate, we might also look at the fact that the federal government owns 63% of Utah and 80% of Nevada. That drives the agitation to sell coming from these two states. When the government seems to own everything, their restlessness is understandable, but why are they forcing New Mexico, with federal land ownership of around 32%, into land sales it doesn’t want?

Sherry Robinson is a longtime New Mexico reporter and editor. She has worked in Grants, Gallup, the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Business Weekly and Albuquerque Tribune. She is the author of four books. Her columns won first place in 2024 from New Mexico Press Women.

Stay safe out there

Michael Smith
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Stay safe out there

Marshall Mecham
Artesia Daily Press
marshallmecham21@gmail.com

Eddy County stresses fireworks safety ahead of Fourth of July

Manager Manón Arnett of Amy’s Fireworks says safety is crucial for customers looking to celebrate this Fourth of July.

Arnett’s mother, Amy Arnett, started the business in 1981, and the Artesia shop at 1615 N. 1st St. offers a variety of fireworks to Artesia revelers. There are also locations in Roswell and Carlsbad.

With each purchase, Arnett said, the customer receives a list of safety tips that advises users to avoid igniting fireworks indoors, to light just one device at a time, to have water handy in case of fire and to dispose of the materials safely even after they are used.

“We sell really cool fireworks that are legal, tested and meet state standards for safety,” Arnett said. “Nearly every safe product is unsafe if you use it incorrectly, and nobody wants that.”

June was national Fireworks Safety Month, organized to deliver information about fireworks safety ahead of Fourth of July when many Americans use fireworks to celebrate the nation’s 1776 Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.

Fireworks have caused an estimated 9,700 injuries in the U.S. each year since 2019, according to a July 4, 2024, report from usnews.com. Between 2008 and 2023, the U.S. saw an average of 9.9 deaths per year due to fireworks, the report read.

Jarod Zuniga, Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal at Eddy County Fire & Rescue, has 22 years of experience dealing with fireworks and said safety awareness is crucial.

“It is super important, both for safety of people and of property,” Zuniga said. “Every year, we have calls for people being injured.”

“I was in law enforcement … a bomb technician, so I’ve got experience with explosives and trained for safety in that,” Zuniga said. “Every year, we end up with some minor injuries, and I’ve worked several major injuries where people have lost parts of hands.”

In addition to the dangers associated with igniting fireworks, Zuniga said, users should be mindful of the debris that comes back to the ground, which can be flammable.

“The people not understanding is a challenge,” Zuniga said. “Many people believe that when the firework shoot goes up that it is consumed … and don’t think about what’s going to come back down. While a good portion of the powder is consumed, that cardboard and packing still comes down.”

Lt. Andrew Swanson of the Carlsbad Police Department, said fireworks can impact pets as well as people.

“Pets will flee and become lost to their families … what may seem like a celebration to you may be a burden on others,” he said.

Swanson said fireworks pose a special danger to children and Independence Day partiers who might be impaired by alcohol.

“Never allow children to handle fireworks,” Swanson said. “Never handle fireworks under the influence of alcohol or drugs, wear protective eyewear, never reignite a dud, have water nearby and soak any malfunctioned (firework) in water. Light one firework at a time. Obey the law.”

Bass fishers duel for recognition

Michael Smith
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Bass fishers duel for recognition

Mike Smith
Carlsbad Current-Argus
msmith@currentargus.com

New Mexico anglers are being challenged by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to catch four species of bass that swim in lakes and streams across the state.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish spokesperson Melissa Garnett said the New Mexico Bass Challenge is a fishing competition that rewards anglers for catching spotted bass, white bass, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.

Garnett said the challenge is statewide and bass must be caught in public fishing waters, which she defined as “any water the public can freely access. In other words, not a private pond.”

She said the challenge was created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and officials would like to see the competition grow.

Some of the bass challenge rules

“The challenge is open to all anglers,” Garnett said. “But, if you’re 12 and older you need a valid New Mexico fishing license. Kids licenses are not required for resident and non-resident kids 11 years and younger. If you’re a non-resident 12 or older, you still need a fishing license.”

Garnett said a fishing license can be obtained online at onlinesales.wildlife.state.nm.us or by calling 888-248-6866. She said participants also must have a Customer Identification Number (CIN), which is assigned when an applicant for a hunting or fishing license creates an account with the Department of Game and Fish.

Once the challenge is complete, entrants should submit the CIN, fishing license number, the body of water where the fish was caught and a photo of the fish to dgf-fishingchallenges@state.nm.us.

Garnett said winners would receive a challenge coin from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

“That has our bass challenge logo and the (Department’s) bear head on the other side. You’ll also get a certificate of completion,” she said.

Record-setting catches for the challenge, Garnett said, include a 15-pound, 13-ounce largemouth bass landed by Steve Estrada at Bill Evans Lake in 1995. The record smallmouth bass was caught by Cale Sanders at Ute Lake in 2006 – 7 pounds, three ounces.

More information is available at https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/ in the fishing section.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 extension-2361.

Paid in Full

Michael Smith
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Paid in Full

Rick Smith

In the story of the sinful woman Jesus told Simon the Pharisee a parable:  “There was a money lender that had two debtors.  One owed him $500,000 and the other $50,000.  When neither could repay the debt, he forgave both.  Now, which of the two will love him more?”  Simon said, “I assume that the one who owed the most.”  Jesus commended him saying, “You are correct.” In defense of the woman, Jesus said of the woman, “I tell you that her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, because she loves much.  But to him who is forgiven little, loves little.” Paul, a Pharisee himself, was able to say that he was the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).  In Colossians 2:13-15, Paul spoke in a celebratory way of all that Jesus has done for us.  In a few short words Paul said that our debt of sin has been  paid in full by Jesus.  And just like this sinful woman and Paul are forgiven much, therefore, we love the Lord that forgave us and paid our debt in full.

Let’s consider the debt we owed.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a).  Death is the only way that our sin debt can be paid.  Now, we know that we are sinners and our consciences agree with God that we ought to die to pay our for our sin, both that inherited from Adam and those that we have willfully committed ourselves.  When you have a debt there is usually a note that you sign agreeing to pay the debt.  The law of God tells us that we ought to pay for our sins and we agree to it with our conscience.  God confronted Adam, “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”  Now, God confronts us with His Word the Bible and our conscience.  And what is our plea?  Guilty, as charged.  What is our debt?  Death.  We are “…dead in (our) sins and the uncircumcision of (our) flesh (v. 13a).”  We owe the debt of death to God.

Now, consider Who our Creditor is.  The One we owe is God.  If we look back to the parable that Jesus told to the Pharisee God the Father is the money lender.  The debt is real and God ought to be paid, but we cannot pay and live.  And it does not matter whether you are the one owing $500,000 or $50,000, because you can’t pay the debt.  That is the reason Paul, the self-righteous Pharisee could say that he was the chief of sinners.  Paul realized that his sin debt to God was beyond Paul’s ability to pay.  So everybody has to die?  No, because God wants “…all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).”  Thankfully, it is God that we owe the debt, because He is merciful.  God sent His Son to die for sinners.

Let’s look now to our Benefactor.  Someone had to pay the debt of sin which is death (Romans 6:23).  That person is God’s Son Jesus.  God has given us life together with Jesus.  God has “quickened  (us) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses… (v. 13b).”  How did this happen?  The ordinance of baptism illustrates what God has done for us through Jesus.  “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:12; cmp. Romans 6:4).”  The good news of Jesus Christ has been summed up for us in 1  Corinthians 15:1-6 as involving the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  When we trust in Jesus His death becomes our death; so the debt to God is paid by Jesus.  But we are alive, because we are raised with Jesus in His resurrection.

So we now can rejoice and celebrate what Jesus has done for us.  That debt that we owed is paid in full.  The note has been wiped clean like a chalkboard.  More than that, those rules that condemned us are nail to the cross.  Those that accuse us, Satan and his demons, have been put to open shame by the resurrection of Jesus (v. 15).  What we could not do, God did through His Son Jesus for us.  Why?  Because, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Is your debt paid in full?  It can be.  Turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus Who died and rose again to pay your debt in full.

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.

Hadley family sues Otero County for fatal police shooting

Michael Smith
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Hadley family sues Otero County for fatal police shooting

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
ahedden@elritomedia.com

Family members of Elijah Hadley, the 17-year-old Mescalero youth shot and killed by an Otero County Sheriff’s deputy in June 2024, sued the county for wrongful death as the murder case against deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin proceeds in 12th District Court.

Hadley, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in south-central New Mexico, was killed June 25, 2024, when Diaz-Austin, 28, of Las Cruces fired upon the boy after responding to a call for a welfare check at about 10:45 p.m. on U.S. Highway 70. The initial report described a person in a roadway median in an area between Tularosa and Mescalero, according to a news release from the New Mexico State Police.

It was later reported that Hadley was carrying an airsoft gun when he was shot by Diaz-Austin. An airsoft gun is defined as a replica of a real firearm that shoots plastic pellets instead of bullets.

The argument that Hadley was unarmed and defenseless when Diaz-Austin shot him was the basis of the lawsuit filed Wednesday, June 25, against Diaz-Austin and Otero County in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

The sheriff’s office and Otero County did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

According to the suit, Hadley was walking along the roadway and tossed aside the airsoft gun when he was approached by Diaz-Austin. The victim never pointed the gun at the deputy, read the suit, or threatened him.

The deputy fired at Hadley four times, read the suit, injuring him before firing separate bursts of nine and five shots over the course of three minutes. The deputy then reloaded, read the lawsuit, and fired at Hadley four more times.

Diaz-Austin was not injured in the incident. Hadley was pronounced dead at the scene.

The total of 22 shots left gunshot wounds to Hadley’s shoulders, back, arms and feet, read the lawsuit, and an autopsy confirmed the death as a homicide.

“Elijah was a son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, student, artist, and a good person. He should still be here today. Our family will not stop until justice is done,” said Hadley’s mother, Eva Hadley, in a statement issued with the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the family argued the shooting violated Hadley’s Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution against “unreasonable search and seizures” and “excessive use of force.” The fatal shooting also violated the boy’s Fourteenth Amendment right, read the lawsuit, to “due process and equal protection of the law.”

The lawsuit asked that damages be assessed at trial for physical and emotional pain experienced by the family, lost wages, punitive damages, the value of Hadley’s life and attorney’s fees.

“By looking the other way in the death of Elijah, the Otero County Sheriff’s Office sent a terrible message to residents and visitors of the county, but the Hadley family will not be intimidated,” said Christopher Dodd, an attorney for the family.

Diaz-Austin was charged with first-degree murder on Jan. 13, after he was cleared in September 2024 by an internal investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office. The 12th District Attorney’s Office “conflicted out” of the case, according to court records – likely due to the defendant’s association through his job with the local court system.

In March, following a preliminary hearing, the 12th District Court judge ruled there was enough evidence to proceed with the case, prosecuted by the Second District Attorney’s Office but proceeding in 12th District Court.

“We believe the evidence is as overwhelming as it is appalling,” said Tyson Logan, another attorney representing the family. “It’s clear that Elijah’s tragic death was unnecessary and that this kind of callous, reckless use of lethal force by a deputy simply cannot be ignored.”

On June 2, the court denied the prosecution’s motion to move the case to the Third District in Dona Ana County or another court outside of the 12th District. The motion cited friendly behavior observed between Diaz-Austin and security staff from the Otero County Sheriff’s Office – his coworkers – at12th District Court in Alamogordo during the preliminary hearing.

A trial was scheduled for March 20, 2026.

Diaz-Austin was placed on administrative leave from the Otero County Sheriff’s Office pending the outcome of the trial, according to a Jan. 14 news release from the office.

“OCSO affirms its commitment to the rule of law and allowing the criminal justice system to do its work,” read the release. “OCSO further acknowledges that this incident has been traumatic and divisive for the community and is committed to ensuring the judicial process is followed according to law.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Fatal train accident Saturday

Michael Smith
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Fatal train accident Saturday

Sarah Rubinstein
Alamogordo News

This past Saturday morning, a fatal collision involving a Union Pacific Railroad train and a person identified by a railroad spokesperson as a “trespasser” occurred.

The train struck the victim near Eddy Drive and Mesa Verde Ranch Road. They were pronounced dead on the scene, but no train crew were injured. 

The accident did not occur at a crossing, “meaning the person was not trying to cross the tracks where they are supposed to do so,” according to Kristen South, senior director of corporate communications and media relations with Union Pacific Railroad. She also said they are working with the Alamogordo Police Department on the investigation.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, 263 people died by train collision in 2024. The last fatal train collision in Alamogordo was in 2018, according to previous coverage.

Artesia residents react to Iran bombings

Michael Smith
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Artesia residents react to Iran bombings

Marshall Mecham
Artesia Daily Press
marshallmecham21@gmail.com

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, June 21. Trump also announced the Iran-Israel ceasefire on Monday, June 23. Since then, tensions mounted in the Middle East as Israel and Iran were both accused of violating the ceasefire, launching missiles at one another despite U.S. calls for an end to the confrontation.

On Sunday, Trump called for an end to the war, attempting to renegotiate another ceasefire, while Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza before intensified fighting against Hamas.

Throughout the military escalation, Artesia residents shared mixed reactions to the fighting and U.S.’ role in the international conflict.

Here’s what some Artesia residents said about the situation in the days after the attacks, and which political party they identify with.

Dean Howard, 65, Artesia, Republican Party

“I think President Trump is right about bombing the nuclear sites. He was right to bomb Iran because those people are not our friends, they’re our enemy. We need to pray for all nations’ concerns. This is a world effort because it causes distrust. We got to make our voice heard, and we’ve got to step out and vote. I’m not against the protest; I’m against the rioting and the violence but we have to make our voices heard.”

Scott Taylor, 59, Artesia, Republican Party

“I have to commend Trump for doing it. I didn’t think he would do it because of all the downside risks. This was the best possible outcome that anybody could hope for. I was very happy about the ceasefire. I knew if Israel agreed to a ceasefire, that they were convinced that Iran’s nuclear capability was destroyed because that was the whole reason they attacked them.”

Artesia resident Wally Pando, 19, Artesia, Democratic Party

“I think the bombings, and just the wars in general, are completely unnecessary. Our president has failed, and really, flat-out lied when he stated there would be ‘no new wars’ yet goes ahead and bombs nations like Iran, who are repressed through the presidents’ call, over these imaginary nukes.

“I am not for a world where the only way to achieve peace is to bully other nations by wiping them out with bombs. The ceasefire for a conflict that he himself created and resulting in Trump getting a Nobel Peace Prize is outrageous. Conflict does not need to end with the loss of innocent lives and destruction of land. It should end with peaceful negotiations.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

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