Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

No property damage of injuries were reported by officials in the earthquake that shook Carlsbad and Artesia this week, but it rattled area residents who felt it.

Reports began pouring into the U.S. Geological Survey’s website within minutes after the quake, which occurred about 2 p.m. Monday in northern Eddy County. The Survey logged 135 responses from as far east as Eunice and as far west as Cloudcroft.

The epicenter, or focus point, of the magnitude 4.3 tremblor, the Geological Survey reported, was about 9 miles south of Atoka, a rural community of 1,200 residents 30 miles north of Carlsbad and 5 miles south of Artesia along U.S. Highway 285.

Magnitude 4.3 seismic events are considered moderate earthquakes, often felt at the earth’s surface and known to cause minor damage, according to a report from Michigan Technological University. There are about 500,000 quakes ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 5.4 in the U.S. each year, the report read, with quakes in the lower range rarely felt at the surface while those of magnitude 5.5 or higher can cause serious structural damage and pose danger of injury to people in the affected area.

No reports of injuries or damage were received by Eddy County Emergency Management following Monday’s earthquake.

Damage or not, the quake was the largest of the 158 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher reported in the Permian Basin so far this year, according to the Geological Survey, and those who felt it quickly spread the word on social media.

“Just felt another earthquake over in the Hidalgo area. This shook my house and furniture,” wrote Facebook user Tracey Barwick in the page Neighborhood Watch And 411 Of Eddy County And Surrounding Areas.

“That was a big one,” commented user Gregg Davidson on the page What’s the 411 Carlsbad.

“Did everyone felt that earthquake?” Edgar Pinky Ray asked in the Facebook group Everything Artesia, prompting 15 comments in 52 minutes with commenters noting the shaking could be felt in Roswell.

Earthquakes in the Permian Basin region of New Mexico have declined the past few years following a significant increase in 2022 that geologists attributed to activities associated with oil and gas production, specifically the disposal of oilfield wastewater via injection wells.

The Permian Basin reached an all-time high of 5.51 million barrels of oil production per day in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration, and 2,436 earthquakes of M 2 or higher were recorded by the Geological Survey that year between New Mexico and West Texas, which share the Permian Basin – the nation’s busiest oilfield.

That’s compared to 1,805 quakes M 2 or higher quakes the year before in the same region, and 2,348 events in 2023, 1,860 in 2024 and 1,608 in 2025.

The gradual decline in quakes followed the enactment of a series of state regulations by New Mexico’s Oil Conservation Division in 2021, calling for curtailing wastewater injection based on the proximity to and magnitude of a seismic event.

Whenever two M 2.5 quakes occur within 30 days, the OCD required weekly reporting of injection volumes at sites within 10 miles of the events.

After an M 3 event, injection rates must reduce by 50% within 0 to 3 miles of the epicenter, and by 25% within 3 to 6 miles.

If an M 3.5 event occurs, wells up to 3 miles away are shut down, and volumes are curbed by 50% within 3 to 6 miles and 25% percent within 6 to 10 miles from the epicenter.

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

Photos and story by Moriah Lovato
For the Artesia Daily Press

Fiscal responsibility, education and public involvement could provide a path to better representation for southeast New Mexico in Santa Fe, said three Republican candidates for New Mexico House District 66.

LeAnne Gandy, Dan Lewis and Trinidad Malone each seek to fill the District 66 New Mexico House seat set to be vacated by Rep. Jimmy Mason who opted not to seek another term.

Mason’s current term ends on Jan. 1, 2027, and his replacement will be chose in this year’s June 2 Republican Primary Election.

No Democrat announced a bid for the seat. District 66 represents portions of Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, including the northern part of Eddy County at the city of Artesia.

The three candidates took part in a public forum hosted Thursday, April 2 at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce to discuss how they would serve the seat if elected.

‘Better outcomes’

Each candidate said they approached the dilemma of representing constituents as the minority party using tools built from backgrounds in education, accounting, and military service, respectively.

Gandy, first to the podium, called education her “life’s work.” Through 36 years of experience to date in roles ranging from an entry- level secretary position to an 11-year stint as superintendent, Gandy said she built a well-rounded understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of education in New Mexico as well as a planned path to solving the state’s chronically poor nationwide ranking.

In her current capacity as Leadership Director for Cooperative Educational Services, Gandy has presented to various state committees advocating for “days not hours” of teacher collaboration and development.

“You want better outcomes for kids, lets help our teachers understand more effective methods,” she said.

She added that she “believes Southeastern New Mexico needs a strong voice in Santa Fe and I believe I am that voice. I’m made from tough stuff and I can do hard things. I will not be the loudest voice but I will be the most persuasive and strategic.”

Economics of governing

Lewis highlighted his ability to stand for fiscal responsibility as a career accountant in the oil and gas and agricultural industries, reaching a CFO position for Yates Petroleum and navigating deals as large as the merger of the Artesia-based company with national corporation EOG.

Lewis said he works with a variety of people at his job “from investment bankers to ranch hands,” and said he is skilled in ensuring all parties receive the tools and resources necessary while following a responsible budget.

Lewis passionately thanked experience as a football referee for bolstering his ability to “make good decisions and remain calm when others are amped up” sharing anecdotes from officiating high-stakes Division 1 college football games.

He said “he can explain economic benefits and detriments” to Santa Fe lawmakers and effectively stand up for the needs of District 66 constituents with respect for positive economic outcomes across the state.

‘Willing to step up’

Trinidad Malone spoke of campaigning as an opportunity to lead his generation by example, stating “if we want to be effective and have our voices heard we need to be willing to step up.”

Malone said he was shaped by his years as a veteran who deployed to Afghanistan, and a national guardsman volunteer appointed to hurricane relief work.

He’s also been a businessman with 14 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and said he is “striving to do something great” in his run for office.

Malone currently serves on the Artesia Planning and Zoning Committee and is involved with two non-profit organizations, including the Pena Project, a “New Mexico based, non-profit dedicated to helping families ease the burden of unforeseen end-of-life expenses.”

Mason said all three candidates were worthy successors.

“I am proud to have three citizens of this district willing to step up to the plate,” Mason said. “When you get elected you are no longer a Republican candidate, but a representative of all constituents of the district.”

He advised candidates to “stand firm at the beginning. On most issues- you pick your battles. On moral issues, you stand your ground.”

Moriah Lovato
For the Artesia Daily Press

Jeff Youtsey said he planned to keep Artesia “moving forward” as its new mayor.

Youtsey was elected to post in the March 3 election, defeating Terry Todd in a slim 798-778 margin.

He and the elected city councilors were sworn into office in a ceremony on April 1 at the Artesia Senior Center.

At the event, Youtsey and the councilors swore to uphold the constitution before Artesia Municipal Judge Sarah Gallegos.

Youtsey solemnly repeated the pledge with his left hand placed on a Bible held by his daughter, Chelsea Bilberry.

Directly following the ceremony, Youtsey thanked those in attendance and conveyed a hope that under his guidance the City of Artesia might flourish. Youtsey said the campaign process was “an arduous means to an end, after which the real work can now begin.”

In reflecting on his family’s long history in Artesia, Youtsey said said his great grandpa came to Artesia on horseback in 1913.

“My family in one way or another truly has helped lay the foundation for this town from a very early time. Not just the bricks and mortar but the morals that we have, the traditions that we share,” Youtsey said. “A lot of you could say the same about your families. There’s value in that. This mayor and this council will work to preserve those traditions, keep Artesia moving forward in a way that makes us all proud.”

Youtsey ask the crowd of local residents to keep him and his councilmen accountable stating his goal is to “look back in four years and the things I told you I was gonna do – I wanna say that I did those things.”

Also sworn in were Also sworn in were returning District 1 City Councilor Raul Rodriguez and District 4 Councilor Michael Blunt, who both ran unopposed.

Joseph Wright was also sworn in as District 2 City Councilor to replace George Mullen, who opted not to run for reelection. Wright defeated Nathan Ryno, 144 to 50 votes.

District 3 City Councilor Allen Kent Bratcher, 68, retook his seat after being reelected over write-in candidate Matteo Doporto, 372 to 99.

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
Special to the Artesia Daily Press

A convicted murderer, accused of stalking his soon-to-be ex-wife, was released on house arrest in Roswell, after he agreed to waive a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutor Kent Wahlquist withdrew his motion on March 24, to have Javier Alonzo, 46, of Santa Cruz, held without bail pending trial after Alonso waived a preliminary hearing in exchange for prosecutors agreeing to house arrest.

Alonzo agreed to the deal the same day the case was set for a pre-trial detention and preliminary hearing on charges of aggravated stalking, battery, felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Those are slightly different charges than those that New Mexico State Police Officer Noberto Medrano-Tapia sought an arrest warrant for on Feb. 5. That arrest warrant charged Alonzo with aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, violation of a protection order and harassment. He arrested Alonzo on Feb. 11, six days later.

Wahlquist initially sought to have Alonzo held without bail on Feb. 12, citing a previous murder conviction.

Alonzo allegedly repeatedly violated a no contact order by contacting his wife, who filed for divorce in October 2025. He allegedly emailed her, sent her communications through CashApp, tried to get her phone number from her landlord, called her children’s phones and had his mother go to her house, Medrano-Tapia wrote.

The woman told police that Alonzo brandished a gun inside a car, cocked it, placed it to her head and threatened to kill her. Police cruisers were nearby so he threatened to kill her before she could reach safety, he wrote.

In another incident in a Walmart parking lot, Alonzo allegedly punched out a vehicle windshield and restrained her while she tried to call for police. Bystanders intervened, Medrano-Tapia wrote.

She provided videos to the officer, showing Alonzo holding a gun and threatening her, he wrote.

Murder Conviction

Court dockets show Alonzo pleaded guilty to second degree murder in 2004 for an incident in Roswell, and received the maximum sentence, 15 years, followed by two years of probation.

His ex-wife told State Police officers that he killed a man while in prison, Medrano-Tapia wrote.

While Alonzo is not on probation in New Mexico, he is being supervised following his release in a federal case where he pleaded guilty to “violent crimes in aid of racketeering (murder).” He was sentenced to four years and three months, starting on Sept. 30, 2022, followed by supervised release for five years.

When federal prosecutors charged him in late 2015, the United States Attorney’s Office in New Mexico wrote in a press release, that he was one of 25 alleged gang members charged in connection with four killings under an initiative to prosecute the “worst of the worst,” who are members of the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico, a New Mexican prison gang. The charge he pleaded guilty to was for his involvement in the killing of a person in 2007, “in aid of the Gang’s racketeering affairs,” according to 2015 the press release.

Denise Marquez
Hobbs News-Sun

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has directed a new committee to study the secession of New Mexico counties to Texas, following a move by Rep. Randy Pettigrew, R-Lovington, who reintroduced a constitutional amendment to the New Mexico Legislature allowing New Mexico counties to secede.

Burrows, R-Lubbock, released his interim committee charges on Thursday, March 26, and established three new committees, including a new governmental oversight committee tasked to study the secession of New Mexico Counties, according to a press release and a report from the Texas Tribune.

The interim committee charges are an outline of priorities to guide legislative work ahead of the 90th Texas Legislature in 2027.

According to the 53-page catalog, the committee is tasked to study the following: “the constitutional, statutory, fiscal and economic implications of adding to Texas one or more contiguous counties of New Mexico; provide a detailed analysis of pertinent provisions of the United States Constitution, the Texas Constitution, the New Mexico Constitution, relevant federal and state statutes and applicable judicial precedent; identify and outline all procedural steps required at both the state and federal level necessary to admit territory currently part of New Mexico into Texas; and recommend drafts of any requisite legislation or resolutions to initiate the process.”

Pettigrew, who said he was seeking to send a message to Santa Fe, in partnership with Rep. Jimmy Mason, R-Artesia, introduced House Joint Resolution 10 (HJR 10) on Jan. 29 in Santa Fe during the 30-day New Mexico Legislative session. HJR 10 proposed to amend Article 1 of the Constitution of New Mexico by adding a new section, to read: “The state of New Mexico consents to the secession of three or more contiguous counties if no less than 15 percent of voters in those counties sign a petition requesting the county to hold a special election on the question of whether the counties should secede to be admitted to the union as a new state or join an adjoining state.”

The amendment states two-thirds of the population’s support of secession would be required, and then the county commissioners, U.S. Congress and the president would all have to sign off. HJR 10 was referred to the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee (HGEIC) and House Judiciary Committee (HJC), and no further action was taken.

“It was filed to send the State of New Mexico a message,” Pettigrew told the News-Sun. “Lea and Eddy Counties are two of five revenue-positive counties in this state … We are the backbone of New Mexico’s financial structure.”

The local response to Pettigrew’s message was mixed. Pettigrew said conversations with municipal and country leadership are crucial for an annexation to happen.

“To be clear, this joint resolution was introduced with no conversation occurring with municipal or county leadership,” he said. “Those conversations would be critical. My intention with HJR 10 was to create conversation. Lea and Eddy counties provide over 50 percent of the general fund revenue and receive little to no recognition for our contribution.”

Elaine Sena Cortez, R-Hobbs, agreed with Pettigrew on the disconnect between Santa Fe policymakers and Lea County residents.

“Many in our community feel silenced by decisions made in the state capitol, overlooked by its political priorities and underappreciated for the contributions we make to New Mexico,” she said. “Santa Fe politicians should treat southeastern New Mexico as a region they cannot afford to lose. Our oil and gas industry and hardworking families are vital to the state’s economy and future.”

Sen. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs, said Texas annexing southeastern New Mexico counties is a longshot.

“That would be a real feather in the hat of Texas if they could acquire Lea and Eddy counties from New Mexico,” he said. “Particularly for the revenue stream that it brings into the state. New Mexico will not let Lea and Eddy go; in spite of the fact they don’t appear to hold us in high regard. They wouldn’t let go of $5 billion of revenue.

“That’s why I believe any talk of annexation, or New Mexico relinquishing the southeast part of the state, would be a very long shot,” Scott added. “I think we would be more appropriately appreciated in Texas but I just don’t see it happening.”

Pettigrew said Burrow’s office reached out to him in the past but he said he has not spoken with Burrow or his office representatives.

Denise Marquez’s email is reporter@hobbsnews.com.