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Eddy County’s creative side shines in Recycled Art Display at Artesia Library

Michael Smith
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Eddy County’s creative side shines in Recycled Art Display at Artesia Library

Photo by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Some Eddy County residents got creative this month taking trash and making it into a community art display which can be viewed through March 28 at the Artesia Public Library.

“Then and Again” is the theme of this year’s Eddy County Recycled Art Show, sponsored by Artesia Clean and Beautiful.

Adult Services Librarian Wendy Kilpatrick said the public can view the art show during regular business hours Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

“People are fascinated. They love the artwork. They spend time looking at each piece,” she said.

The show opened March 5, according to Kilpatrick.

The hardest loss wasn’t the championship

JT Keith
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The hardest loss wasn’t the championship

For Bulldogs basketball coach Michael Mondragon, losing a state championship was painful.

Saying goodbye to his seniors hurt more.

This is something the Artesia Bulldogs boys’ basketball team is not used to. They aren’t used to coming up short on the final night or standing off to the side while someone else celebrates. But after a 71–62 loss to the Highland Hornets in the Nusenda Credit Union Class 4A state championship game, that was the reality.

They also aren’t used to speaking second.

When they did, senior guard Charlie Campbell IV’s eyes were puffy and bloodshot red. Head coach Michael Mondragon sat nearby, doing his best to keep his emotions in check as he addressed the media — though it was clear this moment went far beyond a scoreboard.

The Bulldogs fell to a Highland program that has now won three of the last four state championships, and with another high-stakes meeting on the biggest stage, a rivalry has clearly taken shape.

Mondragon said during the post-game press conference that his team handled the pressure that came with carrying a target all season long.

“First of all, God’s good,” Mondragon said. “It has been a hell of a journey — these guys, this group of seniors coming back here. All year long, the pressure and the target on our backs. They didn’t worry about that. They stayed present, focused on each other, and loving each other.

“It hurts that we have a group that is so close, that has come this far and hasn’t finished it.”

Mondragon credited Highland for its performance and said the Hornets deserved the win, noting that nearly every bounce seemed to go their way.

But the disappointment of the loss was quickly overshadowed by something deeper.

Mondragon said he felt blessed to coach a team with 10 seniors — a group he described as great people first, great basketball players second.

“The hardest part of this all,” Mondragon said, his voice cracking, “I have to say goodbye to them. And that’s tough.”

JT Keith |Artesia Daily Press

The Artesia boys basketball team gathers together before playing in the championship game against Highland.

The Bulldogs never panicked, even after falling behind by 17 points at halftime. They chipped away in the second half, cutting the deficit to 50–46 and refusing to quit.

“In the end,” Mondragon said, “they never quit. They kept fighting. I love them, and I’m proud of them.”

This team finished the season with 25 wins — the most in school history — leaving a mark not just on the record books, but on a community.

“We told these guys yesterday that no matter what happens, they’re state champions,” Mondragon said. “They’ve changed the community. The band stayed here with us all week, and the community came out to support us.

“I told them I’m proud of them, and I love them.”

Mondragon acknowledged the disappointment that comes with being so close and falling just short, calling it the other side of the coin. But he made it clear there was no shame in this ending.

“These kids have nothing to hang their heads about,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m proud of them, and I love them.”

And long after the final buzzer fades, Mondragon believes what remains will matter far more than a trophy.

“These guys are going to be great young men,” he said. “This is so much more than basketball. It’s the relationships. It’s the family we’ve built. My kids are going to look up to them.

“It’s way more than basketball. I love them.”

Scenes from the Bulldogs 71-62 loss to Highland in the Class 4A championship game

JT Keith
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Scenes from the Bulldogs 71-62 loss to Highland in the Class 4A championship game
Artesia guard Chralie Campbell IV brings the ball up against Highland during Saturday’s Class 4A championship game.
Artesia coach Michael Mondragon watches his team perform against Highland.
Arteisa center Clay Kincaid scored against Highland defender Jerry Moody.
Artesia shooting guard Braylon Vega races up the court on a breakaway as he scores against Highland.
Artesia forward Jack Byers looks for a pass from a teammate on Saturday during a game against Highland.
Artesia guard Braylon Vega tries to score against Highland during a game at the Pit in Albuquerque on Saturday.
Braylon Vega tries to slice through defenders on Saturday against Highland.
Artesia players Braylon Vega and Cael Houghtaling listen as Bulldog coach Michael Mondragon questions a foul call on his team.
The Artesia fans and cheerleaders show up and show out during the basketball game between Artesia and Highland.
The Artesia High School band is rocking the house on Saturday at The Pit.
Jack Byers is called for a foul on Highland during their game on Saturday.
Artesia guard Cael Houghtaling looks at his teammates during a moment in a break from play on Saturday.
Charlie Campbell IV embraces his dad, Charlie Campbell III, before Saturday’s game against Highland.
Artesia guard Charlie Campbell IV looks for his shot against Highland in their game on Saturday.
Artesia guard Charlie Campbell IV shoots the ball over Highland center Jerry Moody.

Opinion: Trump’s way of war

Michael Smith
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Opinion: Trump’s way of war

Victor Davis Hanson

War is the use of arms to settle differences–tribal, political, religious, cultural, and material–between organized groups. It is unchanging. The general laws of armed conflict stays immutable, given the constancy of human nature.

However, the manner in which war is conducted remains fluid. New weapons, tactics, and strategies elicit counterresponses in an endless cycle of tensions between defensive and offensive superiority.

That said, has President Donald Trump introduced a novel way of waging Western war against America’s foreign enemies?

We saw glimpses of it during his first term, when he eliminated Iranian general and terrorist kingpin Qassem Soleimani and ISIS terrorist grandee Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the former case, he preferred hitting the cause rather than the effects of Iranian terrorism in Syria and Iraq, while making it clear that he had no intention of striking the Iranian mainland and entering into a tit-for-tat “forever war.”

In large part, he was successful. Iran never quite replaced the venomous Soleimani. And despite tired threats, its performative art responses did not kill any Americans, and they were seen by Trump as venting and not worth a counterresponse.

In the case of the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Trump likewise went after the catalyst of ISIS terrorism. But he also bombed ISIS into near nonexistence in Iraq, since, unlike Iran, it lacked the financial and material resources of a state sponsor of terror, and it had no independent ability to make weapons or finance its terrorism.

In 2018, Trump probably killed more Russian ground troops (more than 200?) than America had during the entire Cold War, with his furious response to the Wagner Group assault on a U.S. Special Operations base near Khasham, Syria. Yet the defeat of Russian mercenaries also led to no wider conflict.

In these three cases, Trump successfully portrayed his antagonists as the unprovoked aggressors, employed overwhelming force to eliminate them, and declared them one-off occurrences with no need to punish the ultimate source or sponsor of the aggression with further force, and he was largely successful in limiting subsequent attacks on American installations.

In Trump’s second term, he widened his doctrine of “preventative deterrence” with operations to remove Venezuelan communist strongman Nicolas Maduro, along with two separate bombing campaigns against Iran.

While the second Iran operation is now in progress, it may resemble the earlier two in a number of facets.

Trump again portrayed Venezuela and Iran as unpunished past and present psychopathic aggressors. He went after Maduro, whom Biden had largely ignored, for his past of exporting gang-bangers and criminals across the Biden-era open border and for using Venezuela’s cartel connections to profit from American deaths.

As for attacking Iran, Trump cited the theocracy’s past terrorist attacks on Americans and U.S. allies, its effort to assassinate Westerners, and its unwillingness to abandon plans to create a nuclear weapon.

What, then, are Trump’s new ways of conducting war?

1. Geostrategy

Always behind these seemingly unconnected events–and other nonkinetic moves like warning Panama about Chinese intrusions–strategic concerns loom. The common denominator is usually isolating China from strategic spaces, allies, and oil–and Russia in a lesser sense.

Loud and terrorist, but ultimately impotent, proxies of strategic enemies–Cuba, Iran, Venezuela–are preferable targets. They are not just easily identified enemies given their past anti-American violence; they are also targeted because their demise offers a global display of the weakness of their distant patrons and underwriters.

2. Wars of reckoning

Trump always frames his interventionism as reactive and long overdue. It is a sort of “reckoning war” for previously overlooked crimes that his predecessors had ignored but are often seared in the American mind. “Preemptive” or “preventative” wars, these strikes may be. But Trump himself avoids the baggage that those adjectives of aggression convey in the collective American memory.

3. War among negotiations

Trump’s way of warmaking is usually an extension of ongoing negotiations (e.g., over Iran’s nuclear weapons or Maduro’s subsidies to terrorists and drug trafficking). So, during discussions, he offers various exit ramps to his adversaries and publicly laments the possibility of violence.

Meanwhile, American naval and expeditionary assets show up and amass to ramp up the pressure. Trump does not wait for negotiations to fail, but usually offers a deadline to his adversaries. And then he simply informs his advisors of the point at which the enemy has no intention of seeking a peaceful settlement. A strike follows.

4. The culpable apparat

Trump prefers top-down war. That is, he starts his attacks by targeting the enemy apparat, not its lesser henchman. The aim is both to disrupt its command and control and to separate an enemy leader from a population deemed not necessarily culpable.

His enemy counterparts–al-Baghdadi, Khamenei, Maduro, Soleimani, the Wagner Group–are widely regarded as odious, which strengthens his prophylactic or reactive action. For all the boilerplate, even Trump’s enemies do not gain empathy since their antiwar activism becomes inseparable from the de facto defense of a rogues’ gallery of deposed and hated killers and thugs.

5. No to nation-building

There is no nation-building. Trump sees the U.S. as responsible only for lighting the fuse of revolution, then giving the oppressed the chance of something better if they do not miss their chance at regime change and working with the Americans.

(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.)

Around Town

Michael Smith
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Around Town

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St. Patrick’s Day Storytime

March 17 @ 10:00am at Artesia Public Library. For preschoolers ages 3-5 and their families. We’re reading How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace followed by a Leprechaun Hunt and craft.

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Mother Goose:

March 18, & 25 @ 10:00am at Artesia Public Library. For caregivers and infants through age 2. This is a fast-paced program designed to promote learning and playful interaction between you and your baby. This is achieved through rhymes, songs, short books, puppets, baby games, and more. Age 0-2

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Toddler Time:

March 12, & 26 @ 10:30am at Artesia Public Library. For toddlers ages 1-3 and their families. Music, creative movement, group activities, play with age-appropriate toys, and social  time.

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STEM/STEAM:

After School March 12, & 26 @ 4:00pm at Artesia Public Library.

For students in grades K-6th and their families. Each week we offer a different fun activity to put STEAM techniques and ideas to work, from LEGO building to paper circuits, slime lab, and more.

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BINGO for Books:

March 20 @ 2:00 at Artesia Public Library.

BINGO! Bring the family to come play bingo and win books for prizes. Enjoy popcorn and pickles while you play. All ages.

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Teen Tuesdays:

March 17, 24 & 31 @ 3:30pm at Artesia Public Library. Looking for a place to read, study, or just do homework and hang out? Join us Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00pm. Ages 12-17

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Teen Crafternoon:

March 12 @ 4:00 at Artesia Public Library.

Join other teens for our monthly Teen Crafternoon program. This month we are having a Sip ‘n’ Paint program. Ages 12-17

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NERF WARS:

Wednesday, March 16 @ 6:00 at Artesia Public Library.

It’s Teens vs. Artesia Police Department in an all out NERF War. This is an after hours event and the main doors will be

locked, so if you leave, you will not be able to get back in. The library will supply the NERF guns and darts (no exceptions).

This teen event is for Grades 6-12 only.

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Artesia Stitchers Sit & Stitch

March 16, 23 & 30 @ 1:00pm at Artesia Public Library. Artesia Stitchers is a group of people excited about creating through stitchwork such as needlepoint, cross-stitch, embroidery  and more. Bring your project and come join this group weekly at the library. Ages 18+

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Yarn United

March 25 @ Noon at Artesia Public Library.

Whether you are crocheting, knitting, or just untangling the yarn, come and create and learn with other individuals. No matter

your skill level, we encourage everyone to join us in creating with other yarnsters. (all forms of sewing and crafting welcome)

Ages 18+

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Family History:

March 14 @ 3:00pm at Artesia Public Library. Whether you have connected multiple generations of your family tree, or are just getting started, join the Family History,  Genealogy at the Library. Take time to research or seek assistance in your journey.

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Crafting For Adults

March 26 @ 3:30 at Artesia Public Library.

Come practice unique techniques in floral arrangements with a pallet flower pot. Paining involved. Ages 18+

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Lunch Bunch Book Club

March 16 @ noon at Artesia Public Library.

The Lunch Bunch has a diverse selection of reads for the year. The selections for this group draw from multiple genres and

reading formats. This month’s Lunch Bunch selection is Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton. Books are available at the library and

on Libby. Age 18+

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Literary Lounge

March 26 @ noon at Artesia Public Library.

The Literary Lounge book discussion group reads books on all topics pertaining to books, literature, libraries, bookshops,

librarians, authors, and more. This month’s selection is The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer. Books are

available at the library and on Libby. Age 18+

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Local Author

Lauri Chase March 31 @ 5:30 at Artesia Public Library.

Local Author Lauri Chase returns with her new book Lola’s Summer Break. She will have all of her books and merchandise for

sale that night. If you haven’t been introduced to Lola, her first book, Lola the Little Green Ladybug, introduces Lola and the

important lessons about being different. Lauri will read her books and answer questions about her books and her experiences as

a writer. This is an all ages event.

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Art Show & Reception: 

“Faces and Spaces”, a collection of recent works by Scott Kiemle, will be on display in the Artesia Arts Council’s Ocotillo Performing Arts Center gallery (310 W. Main) March 3- April 30.  A reception will be held on March 12th, 5:30-7:00 pm—light refreshments will be served and everyone is invited!  Check out www.artesiaartscouncil.com or call 575.746.4212 for more information.

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 Eddy County Recycled Art Show

The Eddy County Recycled Art Show will run from March 5th-March 28th, 2026 at the Artesia Public Library.

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Final Phase 26th Reconstruction

26th St. will be closed to traffic in both directions from W. Mann/W. Remington ST. to just north of W. Hermosa Dr. for the final phase of the 26th St. reconstruction project. For more information contact Todd Carroll 575-626-6013 or Scott Hicks 575-626-5042.

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President Trump’s Prayer Initiative:

President Trump has asked that the American People come together and pray for our Nation weekly until July 4th, 2026.

Artesia will be holding its prayer gathering every Thursday at Lucky Duck Restaurant, 2209 W. Main St, Artesia NM at 10-11am.

Come and go during the hour. Everyone is welcome Come join and pray for our Nation.

We’ll begin again on January 8th, 2026.

Come & go during the hour.  Everyone is welcome.

Shared prayers or silent prayers- whatever you feel comfortable with

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PHLEBOTOMIST PROGRAM

Applications are now open for Artesia General Hospital’s certified phlebotomist program. To learn how to apply and for more information on this career opportunity, call 575-736-8178 or email foundation@artesiageneral.com.

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GRIEF SUPPORT

A Grief Group meets at 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday in the Saint Damien Center at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 1111 N. Roselawn Ave. Free support is offered in both English and Spanish. For more information, contact Nora at 575-308-3248.

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P.A.L.S.

People about losing safely meets at 9 a.m. Wednesdays at the Senior Center. For more information, call the Center at 575-746-4113.

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ALZHEIMER’S/DEMENTIA SUPPORT GROUP

Every other Tuesday  from 6:30pm-7:30pm at Artesia Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center -1402 Gilchrist Ave. RSVP to Helen at 575-746-6006.

Artesia Bulldogs basketball rally falls short in championship game, 71-62

JT Keith
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Artesia Bulldogs basketball rally falls short in championship game, 71-62
Provided by Daniel Zuniga
Artesia Braylon Vega steals the ball against Highlands in the Class 4A championship game. Artesia would come up short, losing 71-62.

For 12 months, the Highland Hornets had to live with the sting of a championship loss to the upstart Artesia Bulldogs.

The Hornets (27-4) withstood a furious rally to defeat Artesia (25-9), 71-62, and capture the Class 4A state title at the Pit in Albuquerque on Saturday.

It was a physical, hard-fought game that tilted early. Highland raced to a 36-19 lead at halftime, using defensive pressure and timely perimeter shooting to put the Bulldogs in a deep hole.

Down by 17 at the half, the Bulldogs showed their championship heart and put together a furious rally and cut the lead to 50-46 in the third quarter.

Both teams set school records: the Hornets by winning their 20th consecutive game, and the Bulldogs by recording their 25th win of the season.

Artesia tried to establish the paint early, feeding 6-foot-8 Clay Kincaid on the opening possession. Kincaid, who would miss two free throws, setting the tone for the day.

The Bulldogs missed their first 13 free throws in a row. While allowing the Hornets to hit their 3-point shots, the Bulldogs were uncharacteristically out-rebounded on the defensive end, 21-15.

The Bulldogs gave up five 3-pointers to Highland. Artesia adjusted after the break and held Juan Limas, whom they would hold scoreless in the second half, but the damage had been done.

“We had to maintain our aggression,” stated Highland coach Justin Woody. “We wanted to be aggressive on both sides of the ball and not give them any room to breathe offensively or defensively. We had just to keep attacking.”

Foul trouble plagued Artesia as guard Charlie Campbell IV was called for his third personal foul with four minutes left to play in the second half. In the third quarter, Braylon Vega was called for his third and fourth fouls and headed to the bench until the fourth quarter. Vega would end up fouling out with five minutes to play in the game.

Artesia clawed its way back into the game and cut the deficit to 50-46 with 2:25 to play in the third quarter.

JT Keith | Arteisa Daily Press
Artesia guard Charlie Campbell IV drives toward the basket against Highland on Saturday at The Pit in Albuquerque.

Highland would answer when guards Fede Nunez, who finished with 17 points, and Treavon Carter hit three-pointers to increase the lead to 57-46 and never went below nine points the rest of the game.

“They did a good job when we made those runs, of just hitting shots,” Artesia coach Michael Mondragon said. “They were the guys we wanted to take those shots, so you have to give them credit.”

Kincaid, who battled with Highland post player Jerry Moody throughout the game, who would finish with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Campbell had 17, and Vega added 13 for the Bulldogs. Artesia handily won the second-half board battle, 25-12, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

“The great thing about these kids is that they are not just great basketball players,” Mondragon said. “They are great people, and I am excited for them.”

David Grousnick: The good news of the gospel

Michael Smith
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David Grousnick: The good news of the gospel

David Grousnick

First Chrisian Church

We’re less than three months away from high school and college graduation season, a very exciting and stressful time for students, teachers and parents.

There’s an online company called BrandYourself that claims it has the perfect graduation gift for high school and college students. It’s called the “Student Makeover.” It’s an online service for cleaning up your social media profiles. For $99 or more, the company will scour all your social media profiles and remove what it calls, “risky online references to sex, alcohol, drugs, politics, religion and more.”

The company also does an in-depth search of the Internet to compile a “reputation score” for each client that shows you how “clean” or “questionable” your online reputation is, and what steps you can take to delete troubling posts or pictures.

College and job recruiters use a young person’s social media accounts to decide if they’ll offer you college admission or a job, so cleaning up your social media account is big business these days.

Most of us know what it’s like to do some foolish or crazy stuff in our younger years. Those of us who grew up before social media can leave our regrets in the past because there aren’t a lot of photos or posts about it.

But these days a person’s whole life, every random thought, emotion, insensitive joke and embarrassing picture, can wind up online. And it’s nearly impossible to take this stuff back, unless you hire a company like BrandYourself to delete most of it.

So be careful.

Kate Eichorn wrote a book about the dangers of the online world called The End of Forgetting. In her book she says our online information means we can’t ever forget the past or distance ourselves from it.

In an interview, she said, “My point is that there is something liberating about being able to forget the past and reinvent yourself in the present. Much of growing up, I would argue, is about reinventing yourself multiple times, and that requires being able to forget who you were six months ago, three years ago, or 10 years ago. So forgetting is ultimately about freedom.”

Forgetting is ultimately about freedom. There’s truth to her statement. In what ways does our past define us? In what ways does it inspire us or hold us back? And what does it mean to be set free from our past?

A Mercedes-Benz TV commercial showed one of their cars colliding with a concrete wall during a safety test. Someone then asks a Mercedes engineer why their company does not enforce their patent on their car’s energy-absorbing car body. The Mercedes’ design has been copied by almost every other car maker in the world in spite of the fact that they have an exclusive patent.

The engineer replies in a clipped German accent, “Because in life, some things are just too important not to share.”

Wow! What a great statement. Some things are just too important not to share.

As Christians we believe that the good news of Jesus Christ is one of those things that is too important not to share. No, that is an understatement. We believe that Jesus Christ MUST be shared with our friends, our neighbors, the world.

The work of sharing the news of Jesus Christ we call evangelism. The Christian faith has been advanced through the ages by people who were willing to take upon themselves the responsibility of being evangelists – those who spread the good news of Christ.

In John 4:5-42, we meet an unexpected evangelist. That nameless Samaritan woman, the first unexpected evangelist, is revered in many cultures.

In southern Mexico, La Samaritana is remembered on the fourth Friday in Lent, which is tomorrow, March 13, when specially-flavored water is given to commemorate her gift of water to Jesus. The Orthodox know her as St. Photini, or Svetlana in Russian.

Her name means “equal to the apostles,” and she is honored as apostle and martyr on the Feast of the Samaritan Woman.

Can you do what she did? Invite friends and neighbors? Of course, you can. And we are counting on it at First Christian Church. Bring a friend with you and check us out.

We gather for worship at 10:30 am on Sundays at 11th and Bullock. All are welcome!

Carlsbad-Denver flights begin at city’s airport

Michael Smith
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Carlsbad-Denver flights begin at city’s airport

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

Direct flights from Carlsbad to Denver began last week on 30-seat jets.

Starting Sunday, March 1, air travelers out of the Cavern City Air Terminal could fly to the Mile High City on larger jets operated by Contour Airlines, the new air service provider chosen by the city of Carlsbad last fall.

Contour was chosen from a field of airlines that all presented their plans to the Carlsbad City Council at public meetings throughout the last year. Councilors expressed a desire to reestablish flights to and from Dallas under the two-year contract, after they were canceled in 2023 by previous airline Advanced Air in favor of Phoenix flights.

Contour initially opted to shift Carlsbad’s Phoenix flights to Denver, with city and company officials contending the flights could soon be shifted again to Dallas. That would require renovating the Cavern City Air Terminal to accommodate equipment and staff for the Transportation Security Administration, which officials said could be complete by the end of 2026.

Until then, Contour will run five flights to and from Denver per week, along with seven to and from Albuquerque. The Albuquerque flights will continue when the Dallas flights begin.

At a ribbon cutting held Friday, March 6, at the airport on National Parks Highway, Contour Vice President of Customer Success Susan Skees said Carlsbad is the third city in New Mexico where the Denver-based airline operates, along with Albuquerque and Taos.

She said the airline also has inter-line agreements in place with United, American and Alaska airlines, meaning baggage will continue through to connections and riders will not need to pick up their luggage until their destination.

“This is an exciting partnership,” Skees said. “It will change the economic makeup of your community and the tourism industry. This makes a difference.”

Contour’s contract with the Cavern City Air Terminal is funded through the Essential Air Service, or ESA, program led by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The program pays for airlines to fly in and out of rural areas at no cost to the municipalities other than maintaining the airport.

That means Carlsbad will foot the bill to renovate the airport for TSA but does not pay Contour itself for the two-year contract. The city of Carlsbad recommended Contour last June, with the federal government issuing the final approval.

Contour’s predecessor Advanced Air eschewed the Dallas flights previously offered by its predecessor Boutique Air, but both used eight-seat prop planes. Contour’s 30-seat jets were a key selling point for Mayor Rick Lopez, along with the potential return of Dallas flights.

“I feel like we’ve been left behind for too long. Now is the time for us to show up and get to work,” Lopez said at the ribbon cutting. “Our residents deserve reliable jet service. Contour seeing that our market has a lot more to offer and setting up shop here is super important.”

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

Culture and love define a special Bulldogs class

JT Keith
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Culture and love define a special Bulldogs class

No matter what happens Saturday in the 2026 Nusenda Credit Union boys’ Class 4A championship game between the Artesia Bulldogs and the Highland Hornets, the Class of 2026 has already secured its place in school history.

They’ve stacked titles in multiple sports. And once more, they’re within reach of another championship.

But championships aren’t what separate this team.

What makes this group different is simpler — and stronger. They play for each other. They care about each other. They love each other.

Every player, from Charlie Campbell IV to Clay Kincaid, says the same thing.

They love each other.

JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press

The Artesia bulldogs celebrate after forcing Hope Christian to call a timeout during a game at the Pit on Thursday.

Of course, this team has lost games along the way. That happens in sports. But rarely have the stakes been this high, and rarely has the response been so consistent.

These kids have been playing together since they were little, working their way through youth sports in Artesia, growing up on the same fields and in the same gyms. They watched older Bulldogs win state titles and learned what was possible. Now a younger group is watching them, dreaming of doing the same one day.

Bulldogs coach Michael Mondragon says success breeds success, especially at Artesia High School, where athletes are encouraged to compete across multiple sports.

“When you are winning in other sports,” Mondragon said, “you gain experience that carries over. One thing that is unique about these guys is that Jack Byers is going to Arizona for baseball. It would have been really easy for him to say, ‘Coach, I don’t want to play basketball. I want to get ready for baseball and my scholarship.’

“Tootie McNeil could have said the same thing. He’s going to New Mexico Highlands on a football scholarship.”

But they didn’t.

Charlie Campbell IV didn’t.
Braylon Vega didn’t.
Clay Kincaid didn’t.

They stayed.
They played.
They committed.

“These guys love each other,” Mondragon said. “That’s the culture we have.”

Mondragon credits that culture to cooperation across the athletic department. Athletic director Jeremy Maupin, who also serves as head football coach, works closely with baseball coach Jackson Bickel and the rest of the staff. They text. They call. They support each other.

It shows.

Mondragon said what Artesia builds — and how it builds it — starts at the top and carries all the way down.

“These guys are a special group,” he said. “It’s something we start when they’re really young, and we encourage them to do all they can do.”

No one knows what the future holds for each of them. Life has a way of scattering even the closest teammates.

Artesia guard Chralie Campbell IV celebrates a basket during a game against Hope Christian on Thursday.

But this group will live on in Bulldog lore.

Their Class of 2026 football helmet will hang in Bulldog Stadium. The trophy case will hold their basketball and baseball hardware.

And when they return someday to be honored, they’ll share stories only they can truly understand.

They’ll remember the championships.

But more than anything, they’ll remember the love they shared growing up together in Artesia, New Mexico.

Senate committee supports Pearce for BLM director

Michael Smith
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Senate committee supports Pearce for BLM director

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus

Former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce was approved by a U.S. Senate committee to become director of the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-9 on Wednesday, March 4, in favor of President Donald Trump’s nomination of Pearce to run the bureau. The nomination now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

The Bureau of Land Management, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Interior, oversees 245 million acres of federal public land along with 700 million acres of underground mineral rights. The acreage lies mostly in 12 states in the American West, including New Mexico, which means the bureau is tasked with overseeing oil and gas development on public land, a key driver of New Mexico’s economy accounting for about half of the state’s fossil fuel.

A Republican from Hobbs, Pearce served seven two-year terms as U.S. House representative for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District – from 2003 to 2009 and from 2011 and 2019. The 2nd District includes most of southern New Mexico, including its deep-red southeast corner consisting of portions of Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties.

Pearce ran for governor of New Mexico instead of seeking reelection to Congress in 2018, losing to current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. He chaired the New Mexico Republican Party from 2018 to 2024.

Pearce owned oilfield services company Lee Fishing Tools until 2003 when the business was sold to Key Energy Services.

The committee vote to advance Pearce’s nomination was held without debate, although members questioned the nominee during a Feb. 25 hearing. The vote fell along party lines with all the committee’s Republican members voting in favor while the panel’s eight Democrats and one independent voted against.

The nomination needs 51 votes to be confirmed by the Senate where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. A confirmation vote has not been scheduled.

Pearce’s prior association with the oil and gas industry was a sticking point for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) who serves as ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and voted against Pearce’s nomination.

During his hearing before the committee last week, Pearce touted his experience in Congress while representing the 2nd District, which includes vast stretches of federal public land in the southern portion of the state.

He said the federal government should collaborate with local communities and the industries they depend on while balancing the needs for outdoor recreation.

“If confirmed, I fully intend to uphold these same principles as BLM director and ensure local input is a key factor in my decision-making,” Pearce said during his opening remarks. “I have also seen firsthand the importance of our public lands and support those missions completely.”

Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Heinrich voiced concerns about Pearce’s past support of selling federal public land and opposing conservation designations such as national monuments.

“When Congressman Pearce testified,” Heinrich said, “he promised that he would not recommend rolling back national monument designations, something which is extremely important to me; and he acknowledged that (the bureau) cannot conduct large-scale selloffs of public lands under existing law, which is correct.

“I intend to hold him to these statements. But I also know that commitments to follow the law by previous Trump administration nominees have proven unreliable at times.”

The vote to advance Pearce’s nomination drew criticism from environmental groups, and support from industry leaders.

Camilla Feibelman, director of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter, which covers New Mexico and portions of West Texas, said she was concerned about Pearce’s past support of reductions in national monument acreage and cutbacks to regulations intended to reduce air pollution linked to oil and gas.

“These lands belong to all of us and are an economic engine for our communities,” Feibelman said. “Americans deserve a trustworthy leader who would prioritize managing our cherished public lands for the good of all, rather than selling them off to polluting corporations.”

Dan Naatz, chief of policy for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a national oil and gas trade group, said Pearce’s experience in the federal government, and a “multi-use” philosophy for public lands – including mineral development and conservation – make the former congressman the right choice to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

“It’s important that the head of the BLM understand the multiple use mandate for federal lands management as enshrined in law,” Naatz said. “Pearce’s background in Congress and serving the state of New Mexico qualify him to lead the agency.”

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

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