Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

New Mexico officials reacted with shock and condemnations of political violence in the wake of the fatal shooting of conservative online influencer Charlie Kirk, 31, who was killed by an apparent sniper Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.

The shooting occurred during an event titled “Prove Me Wrong” at which Kirk addressed and also exchanged views with those in attendance.

Federal authorities said Thursday the rifle they believed to be used in the shooting was recovered, but the shooter remained at large.

On Wednesday, two men thought connected to the incident were detained by police but later released after investigators determined they were not involved in the shooting, according to a Utah Public Safety Department news release.

Kirk founded political advocacy nonprofit Turning Point USA in 2012 and was largely credited with galvanizing support for conservative political views and social values among young voters.

Videos of Kirk’s shooting apparently taken by attendees at the event were quickly posted on social media, where they went viral and generated near-constant posts on multiple platforms.

Republican leaders in New Mexico expressed sorrow for the loss of one of their party’s most visible spokespeople and questioned the state of political discourse that led to the act of violence.

“On behalf of the New Mexico Senate Republican Caucus, our deepest thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family at this time” said New Mexico Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer (R-1). “We totally condemn political violence in every form. Our country is founded on the principle of free speech, today’s disgusting actions undermine the very foundation of our democratic republic.”

New Mexico House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong (R-49) blamed “divisive rhetoric” for “poisoning our political climate” and leading to violence such as Kirk’s killing.

“The shooter must be held fully accountable, and all of us, regardless of party, have a responsibility to condemn violence and work to bring down the temperature in our public discourse,” Armstrong said.

State Democratic leaders also condemned the attack, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham calling the shooting “un-American” in a Wednesday night post on X.

“The abhorrent shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah today is tragic and grossly un-American. We can disagree deeply, but violence is never the answer. I urge all Americans to choose respect and dialogue over hate and violence,” read the post.

Democrat Raul Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, said Kirk’s killer must be brought to justice.

“Our democracy demands that we unite against our nation’s rising tide of political violence,” Torrez said in a statement. “We hope that his assailant will be brought to justice very soon, and we extend our sincere sympathies to Mr. Kirk’s family and friends.”

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

Sarah Rubinstein
Alamogordo News

New Mexico will offer free universal child care to all residents starting Nov. 1, becoming the first state in the nation to do so. This will remove any past income eligibility requirements for no-cost childcare.Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the news during a press conference Monday.

Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Legislature have been working towards this goal in 2019 after they approved expanding access to no-cost child care to families with incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. Now, it is estimated that with universal child care, the average family will save $12,000 per child annually, according to a press release from the governor.

“Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation, and New Mexico’s future prosperity,” said Lujan Grisham in a press release. “By investing in universal child care, we are giving families financial relief, supporting our economy, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive.”

In addition to the new rule, New Mexico plans to expand child care access by establishing a $12.7 million low-interest loan fund to construct and renovate child care facilities. The state will also partner with employers and school districts to expand child care options and launch a statewide campaign to recruit licensed and registered home providers, the press release states. Childhood programs that commit to paying entry-level staff a minimum of $18 per hour and offer 10 hours of care per day, five days a week, will receive an incentive rate.

New Mexico House Republicans spoke against the news on Facebook, calling it “nannies for millionaires.”

“New Mexico already provides free child care for families up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Now, Democrats want taxpayers to subsidize childcare for the wealthy, while ignoring real emergencies like our doctor shortage, failing CYFD and rising crime,” it wrote.

Photo Mike Smith Artesia Daily Press

Stage hands spent Wednesday afternoon setting up for the Red Dirt Black Gold Festival, set to start Thursday in downtown Artesia. The music and fun wraps up Saturday.

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

A police bodycam video allegedly showing an Artesia teenager confessing to suffocating her newborn son was at the center of a New Mexico Supreme Court argument regarding the admissibility of comments made by the defendant while under medical care.

The video in question, taken in 21-year-old Alexee Trevizo’s hospital room at Artesia General Hospital while she was being questioned by police in January 2023, formed the basis for charges against Trevizo of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Now-retired Fifth Judicial District Judge Jane Shuler Gray ruled in May 2024 – about a year after Trevizo, then-19, was arrested – that the alleged confession was inadmissible. Shuler Gray said using the footage as evidence would violate Trevizo’s rights against self-incrimination and also doctor-patient confidentiality.

That ruling was subsequently appealed by prosecutors to the New Mexico Supreme Court, which held oral arguments on the matter Sept. 4. A verdict had not been rendered as of Monday, Sept. 8.

Michael Thomas, deputy district attorney for the New Mexico Department of Justice, argued before the five justices of the State Supreme Court that Shuler Gray “erroneously” ordered the evidence suppressed and that the decision should be thrown out, allowing the criminal case to proceed with the video as evidence.

“A careful review of the video is critical to a proper understanding of the issues as it undercuts a myriad of defense assertions and glaringly fails to support and outright contradicts the district court’s findings,” Thomas argued.

Justice C. Shannon Bacon said her concern with admitting the video of the alleged confession was that it could be taken out of context with what “police were told prior to entering the room.”

“There’s been a report, they’ve heard from the nurse, probably things the nurse shouldn’t have told them, then they’re invited into the room,” she said. “That’s action before going in. They didn’t just pop their head in.”

Initially, a jury trial on the murder charge was scheduled for Aug. 26, 2024, but was delayed after Shuler Gray’s sealed opinion ordered suppression of the statements made by Trevizo to medical staff and police at the hospital.

That ruling, in response to a defense motion to exclude the video and confession, did not exclude medical records obtained by investigators, read the prosecution’s appeal filed July 8, 2024.

The defense motion also argued the case should be dismissed, contending Trevizo’s doctor-patient privilege was violated when statements she made to a physician were used as evidence in the criminal prosecution, and that she was not properly advised of her rights to avoid self-incrimination when speaking with police officers at the scene.

According to the state’s appeal, Trevizo told a doctor, “I’m sorry … it came out of me … I didn’t know what to do,” when she was told by medical staff that her son was found in a bathroom trash can, thus allegedly admitting her role in the infant’s death while not under arrest or restraint.

Prosecutors also argued Trevizo’s mother was present during the conversation as a third party, thus removing doctor-patient confidentiality.

Justice Julie Vargas questioned why police were brought into the room by medical staff after Vargas said it appeared staff intended to discuss Trevizo’s medical treatment with her.

“Why did they feel like it was appropriate for them to go into the room with the doctor to discuss treatment?” Vargas asked.

Thomas argued that police had “reasonable suspicion” that a crime was committed by Trevizo after being told the baby’s body was found in a bathroom they knew had only been entered by the defendant.

“The medical staff clearly knew that the only person who had been in that bathroom was the defendant,” Thomas said. “This was not going to be a whodunit.”

Amber Fayerberg, attorney for the defendant, said the legal matters were “simple” in the case but that the potential impacts of a verdict would be “extraordinary for every vulnerable patient in New Mexico.”

“Physicians and medical personnel take on the role of caregiver. Police take on the role of investigator,” she said. “If we accept the state’s position in this case, that line completely disappears and it’s to the detriment of New Mexico patients at their most vulnerable moment.”

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

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Eddy County taxpayers will see mostly minor decreases in municipal property tax rates for the 2025 tax year, running from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, after county commissioners voted unanimously to approve the tax rates Sept. 4.

The vote was taken during a special meeting at the Eddy County Administration Building in Carlsbad. Only three of the five commissioners were present for the meeting: District 3 Commissioner Philip Troost, District 4 Commissioner Bo Bowen, and District 1 Commissioner Ernie Carlson.

The vote to accept the rates devised by the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) followed a presentation on the rates by County Assessor Rhonda Hatch.

She noted some minor increases in non-residential property taxes but said rates for most tax districts in the county declined or stayed the same.

“Most of our residential rates, they went down,” Hatch said. “In our non-residential, we are seeing some slight increases; nothing really substantial.”

A lower tax rate does not guarantee a lower tax bill, Hatch said. Taxes are based on the value of property and if the assessed valuation of the property rises, the increase could offset any reduction in the tax rate.

Commissioner Carlson emphasized that the county does not set tax rates but approves or rejects them every year after they are calculated by the Department of Finance and Administration, based on local budgets and shifting property values.

The rates encompass all taxing jurisdictions, including the state, county, municipality, local school board and special entities such as Artesia General Hospital and Southeast New Mexico College.

“We as a county have not raised the rates. I just want to make that clear,” Carlson said before voting to accept the 2025 tax rates. “The county commission had no control over those rates that did go up.”

Commissioners voted to accept a 23.8 mill rate ($1 per $1,000 property valuation) for Carlsbad residents, a decline of 0.283 from the 2024 rate of 24.164. Property taxes are assessed by dividing the mill rate by 1,000, then multiplying the result by one third of the property’s value, which is the amount New Mexico uses as the basis for tax assessments.

In the case of a $300,000 home in Carlsbad, that would mean a $100,000 taxable value would be multiplied by about 0.0238 for a tax of $2,380 on the property for the year. Carlsbad’s non-residential rate was set at 28.7, a slight increase from the 2024 rate of 28.4.

Artesia was approved for a mill rate of 15.8, down 2.82 from 2024 for residential properties, while the non-residential rate declined by about 2.5 from 21.6 in 2024 to 19.1 this year. The declines in Artesia were attributed to the defeat of a mill levy that partially funded Artesia General Hospital.

The levy had provided between $4 million and $7 million a year to the hospital since it was put into effect in 1979 and was reauthorized by voters every four years until it was voted down in a mail-in election last spring.

Eddy County Clerk Cara Cooke said the tax would be put before voters again in the Nov. 4 general election, meaning the tax rate could go back up for Artesia residents, based on a hospital levy of about $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

Now that tax rates have been set, property owners can expect to receive bills for 2025 property taxes in early November. Payment is due in two installments.

The first payment is due Nov. 10, although taxpayers have until Dec. 10 to make the payment without accruing interest. The second installment is due April 10, 2026.

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