Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Josh Byers got his first reporting gig in fifth grade, starting the “JJ Times” with his neighborhood pal Jay Murphy in Byers’ hometown of Syracuse, New York.

He remembers that summer fondly, recalling how he and Murphy ended up turning a profit, selling papers and ads door to door, and even making the Channel 9 news in Syracuse for their effort.

“I just got the journalism bug. We made money on them, selling to the neighbors. It made it to the 6 o’clock news, so that was pretty cool,” Byers said. “I’ve always been pretty curious, and this is just the perfect profession for someone like that.”

Byers, a longtime journalist and newsroom leader, was hired as publisher for El Rito Media’s southern New Mexico newspapers, including the Carlsbad Current-Argus, Artesia Daily Press, Alamogordo News and Ruidoso News. He will oversee marketing and sales for the four papers starting May 5.

El Rito bought the Artesia Daily Press in October 2023 and in June 2024 purchased the Ruidoso News, Alamogordo News and Carlsbad Current-Argus from Gannett with the stated goal of revitalizing the local newspapers.

“It’s about getting to know the community, reacclimating myself to southern New Mexico and what’s important to the people there,” Byers said. “The main focus is driving revenue. It’s a shame when there aren’t people out promoting our products.”

‘Willing to go anywhere’

Byers, 51, graduated from the College of Charleston in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in media communications and a minor in creative writing. He then worked at several newspapers in New Mexico – including his first job after college as a reporter for the Roswell Daily Record, where he worked for about four years.

“I was sending out a whole lot of resumes to any job that sounded interesting. They offered me the job, but I was going to turn them down. I took the weekend and decided it was time,” Byers said. “I just drove out and started the job. I was willing to go anywhere if I thought it was a good opportunity professionally. It really did springboard my career.”

Byers joined the Las Cruces Sun-News in 2000 as a copy editor, then was promoted by parent company Gannett to editor of the Deming Headlight before taking on general manager duties in 2002.

He met his wife Barbara Byers at the Sun-News, where she was working as classifieds manager. They were married in 2005 at the Lodge in Cloudcroft and have three sons: Cade, 24; Jaekob, 18; and Jackston, 15.

“Having someone who worked in the industry has been great for me and helped my career advance,” Byers said. “She just understands what we do. It’s been a productive marriage, professionally.”

Byers ended his time at Gannett in 2004 after serving as editor of the Carlsbad Current-Argus.

After Carlsbad, Byers’ career took him around the U.S. to several papers and publication companies including Heartland Publications subsidiary Civitas Media. He worked there, based in Kentucky, as group publisher over several newspapers from November 2004 to November 2013, later overseeing the company’s papers throughout Virginia.

Also with Civitas, Byers served as group publisher for several Ohio-based newspapers from March 2015 to May 2017 and at Harlan Media in Harlan, Iowa, from September 2020 until taking the job with El Rito.

‘A big trust factor’

Between Civitas and Harlan, Byers took “a sabbatical” from the news business, working as a licensed real estate agent starting in November 2017 for Las Cruces-based Steinborn and Associates. He maintained his editing skills by also working as an editor for Neighbors Magazine, a bimonthly publication catering to the real estate industry in Las Cruces.

Byers said his second life in the real estate business also helped prepare him to focus on local newspapers for El Rito by teaching him the strength of building relationships in the community.

“They’re similar. When you’re involved in real estate, it’s very eclectic with the people you deal with. There was a big trust factor,” Byers said. “I like to say there is community journalism, and then corporate journalism – that’s not what I’m interested in. That’s a huge part of why I accepted this offer.”

Richard L. Connor, chief executive officer and group publisher at El Rito Media, said Byers’ “deep background” in New Mexico media made him a top candidate to lead sales and marketing for all four papers as the company aims for more local coverage and community engagement.

Connor said Byers will be a crucial part of El Rito’s vision for restoring local journalism in rural markets.

“Josh has a deep background in New Mexico media, having been an editor and publisher in several markets,” Connor said. “The stars were aligned when we met Josh and determined he is the perfect fit for our new company, particularly with our papers in southern New Mexico.”

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

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

About 7,500 acres of public land in southeast New Mexico was scheduled to be sold to the oil and gas industry at auction July 24.

The Bureau of Land Management auctions leases to federal land each quarter of the year, allowing oil and gas companies to nominate tracts that are then used to drill for fossil fuels.

Leasing the land is the first step to energy production, as operators are also required to apply to the bureau for permits to begin drilling.

Here’s what to know about the most recent upcoming land sale to the oil and gas industry.

Where are the lands being leased?

The proposed lands in the sale include 7,302 acres on 14 parcels in Eddy County and 200 acres on two parcels in Lea County.

How can you get involved?

A 30-day protest period – April 14 to May 14 – was opened by the bureau to allow those interested to submit comments opposing the sale of specific lands offered in the auction.

Protest comments can be submitted by mail to the BLM New Mexico State Office, Attention: State Director, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508.

Protests can also be submitted by email to BLM_NM_Q3_2025Protest@BLM.gov with the subject line: Q3 July 2025 Protest.

The protest should include the name and address of the protester and should state whether the protest is for a person or organization along with reference to specific parcels being protested and reasons to support the protest.

The current protest period followed a scoping period, when technical feedback was requested by the bureau, and an additional public comment period that closed in February.

What are the terms of the leases?

All the leases would be offered at the recently updated 16.67% royalty rate paid by the operator to the federal government on the value of oil and gas extracted. The rate was raised from 12.5% in June 2024 when the bureau enacted its Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Rule.

That also meant minimum bids were raised from $2 to $10 an acre and operators were required to buy bonds of at least $150,000 per lease and $500,000 for all leases statewide. Bonds act as insurance policies to pay for cleanup should a well be abandoned.

Federal oil and gas leases are for 10 years or for as long as oil or gas is produced.

What other leases are planned this year?

The Bureau of Land Management’s fourth quarter lease sale in New Mexico was planned for November on a proposed 8,860 acres.

This auction includes 4,479 acres in Eddy County, on about nine parcels, along with 312 acres on one parcel in Roosevelt County.

The sale also included lands in New Mexico’s northwest San Juan Basin with 1,997 acres on three parcels in McKinley County; 1,520 acres on three parcels in Sandoval County; and a single parcel on 320 acres in Rio Ariba County.

Another 322 acres on four parcels in Oklahoma will be included in the November sale.

Feds pull back on environmental analysis

Federal oil and gas leases will no longer require the bureau to complete environmental impact statements, a document that specifies potential impacts to water, land, air and other aspects of the regions where fossil fuels are produced.

The Bureau of Land Management announced April 10 it was rescinding an order requiring the statements that was issued by January 16, 2025 – four days before President Donald Trump took office.

The decision applied to 3.5 million acres of federal land in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

The cancellation was in response to Trump’s executive order “Unleashing American Energy” which sought to roll back several environmental regulations related to oil and gas production.

Rebecca Hauschild
For the Artesia Daily Press

A new style of barrier will be used by the Artesia Police Department after city councilors approved a donation of about $546,000 for the project Police Chief Kirk Roberts said was needed as local events get bigger and require improved traffic and crowd control.

Councilors voted at their April 22 meeting to accept the donation from the Greater Artesia Foundation for a modular vehicle barrier system and trailer for police to use for safety during events. The system will take the place of current fencing used by the city.

The new barriers can link together quickly and pivot out of the way easily, Roberts said.

“Events are getting bigger, the car show for example,” he said. “We can open them where we want traffic to flow out and can move them very rapidly.”

Mayor Jon Henry said the improved barrier system will benefit residents attending events in the city, improving safety and the adaptability of stationed security.

“It’s a testament to our city that we have foundations that care about the safety of our citizens. We take it seriously and I know the commander worked hard on figuring this out,” Henry said. “It’s awesome that Artesia is that much further ahead than so many towns our size.”

Roberts also reported the police department was in the process of acquiring new vehicle cameras, body cams, virtual reality equipment and drones. He said police vehicles will be outfitted with new cameras that include automatic license plate readers to compare plates of stolen vehicles and give police an alert if a theft is suspected or if a plate is associated with a missing person report.

“You guys stepped up and are putting us at the forefront of the application of technology,” Roberts said.

He said the new body cameras will be able to translate between English and Spanish in real time, while automatically transcribing recorded interviews. Training was underway for drone piloting and virtual reality components, Roberts said.

“It’s getting more and more complex to bring a case in front of a jury,” Roberts said. “When I started, everything was written by hand. No one had video of anything. Nobody even had tape recorders back then. Now you can hardly get a case heard unless you have a body cam video. If there’s no video, they’re not even going to hear your case.”

Other business

Community Development/Infrastructure Director Byron Landfair reported the city’s annexation has been officially filed and the city now has new official city limits.

In response to concerns about speeding at Jaycee Park, Landfair reported city staff are adding pedestrian crossings, barrels, flashing signs and speed signs.

John Anguiano, facility maintenance supervisor, said the city received conditional approval for a splash pad and anticipates opening it soon after fixing a small issue with a concrete slab. Crews added a fence in the middle of Jaycee Park in all directions, updated the lighting so all are working now and installed a new flagpole at the Senior Center – making that seven flag poles maintained throughout the city. New lighting was installed at every intersection on 26th Street from Ray Avenue through Centre Avenue, completing a four-year project.

Rosemary Braswell, gifted education teacher at Artesia Intermediate School, appeared with four 7th grade students who presented their passion projects:

• Brodie Becker – Cleaning up Artesia

• Conner Summers – Aeronautical engineering

• Brooks Sexton – Pros/cons of electric vs. gas cars

• Santiago Padilla – Helping the homeless

During the Government Committee report Councilor Wade Nelson reported Artesia Clean and Beautiful is asking permission for a mural on three sections of cinder block fence at the Dr. JJ Clarke Park.

The Artesia Library will have several flight-focused events and programs leading up to the National Championship Air Races planned this summer in Roswell. STEM labs on airplanes and rockets and a birthday party for Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man on the moon will be held at the library.

The Artesia Historical Museum & Art Center is considering hosting an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution for two years. The committee also discussed adding murals at the Artesia Airport that depict air races, and the Artesia Senior Center is making flight-themed quilts.

The Senior Center is planning to repair the parking lot and dance floor with capital outlay money that New Mexico State Sen. Jim Townsend helped secure.

El Rito Media News Service

New Mexico Health officials reported one additional New Mexico measles case April 25, this time an adult in Eddy County, bringing the total reported infections to 66.

The slow drip of cases in recent weeks does not indicate the outbreak is abating, according to New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott, who told Source NM that symptoms can appear a week or more after infections.

“The seemingly slow increase in measles cases in New Mexico should not be taken as a sign we are anywhere near out of the woods with this outbreak,” Nott said in a written statement. “We see continued measles spread in bordering areas — Mexico and Texas, for example — so there is always the potential for a new introduction of cases in New Mexico.”

Nott also noted that cases may rise in coming weeks after recent Easter weekend gatherings, given that “symptoms of measles do not appear until roughly a week (or more) after infection.”

The majority of measles cases in New Mexico remain in Lea County, which has 61 cases; the state has had six hospitalizations since the outbreak began in neighboring Gaines County, Texas, just across the state line. Cases in Doña Ana and Chaves counties remain unchanged, with one reported case each.

Texas health officials on April 25 reported cases increased by an additional 22 infections, bringing the total there to 646.

Measles is highly contagious, spread through contact with airborne droplets from an infected person. Infected people can spread the disease several days before symptoms such as fever, red eyes, cough or spotty red rash appear. Two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine offers 97% protection against catching the measles, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

While the majority of health professionals continue to recommend two doses of the vaccine as the safest and most effective prevention from contracting measles, a recent poll from nonpartisan health research organization KFF found nearly a quarter of their sample believed false claims about the vaccine.

Also last week, researchers from Stanford Medicine published findings that determined if vaccination rates drop further, measles (and other infectious diseases) could return in the U.S. after decades of eradication. Using a mathematical model to simulate the spread of diseases, researchers also found that if vaccination rates remain the same, measles may still make a comeback in the next two decades.

Pediatrician Dr. Melissa Mason told Source NM she sees a measles comeback as a matter of potential life and death.

“With vaccination rates as they stand, without dropping more, we’re still gonna see people get measles — get sick and die from this,” she said.

Mason, who chairs the immunization committee for the New Mexico Pediatric Society, said she’s been impressed with efforts from New Mexico health officials to vaccinate people in the Southeastern corner of the state. Statewide vaccination rates are nearly double from the same time frame last year, according to data released April 22.

“These are gold star efforts, and that’s going to make a difference,” she said. “But nationally, in other areas that continue to have lower rates than 95% coverage, we’re going to continue to see measles.”