STATEWIDE — The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) have reported that their participation in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign May 20 – June 2 was a success.

NMSP officers were on the lookout across all roadways in the state for proper seatbelt use among drivers and passengers. Over the course of the campaign, officers issued a total of 373 citations, 232 for lack of seatbelt use and 21 for lack of child restraint.

A total of six arrests also resulted from the campaign as one driver pulled over for lack of seatbelt use was found to be DWI and five others were found to have outstanding warrants.

‘The safety of motorists is a top priority of the New Mexico State Police, and officers will continue to conduct operations throughout the year,’ the NMSP said in a release. ‘We encourage the public to drive safely and obey all laws while traveling the highways of New Mexico.’

CARLSBAD — The Eddy County Commission will finalize the ranking of its Fiscal Year 2026-30 Infrastructure Capital Improvement Projects (ICIP) during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

Planning and Development Director Steve McCroskey reported that two previously ranked projects have been removed from the proposed list and four others added, including the creation of two regional fire stations, an Eddy County Events Center, and a covered arena for the Eddy County Fairgrounds.

The finalized list must be submitted to the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) by July 12. Current proposed rankings include:

• FY 2026: 1. Eddy County Complex site preparation 2. Edd County fire/safety facilities 3. Carrasco Road realignment 4. Eddy County Complex detention center 5. Eddy County Complex administration

• FY 2027: 1. Fire service training ground enhancements 2. Carrasco Road extension (U.S. 62 – U.S. 285) 3. Creation of a regional fire station on Tumbleweed Road in Artesia

• FY 2028: 1. Radio Boulevard and Boyd Drive bridge 2. Creation of a regional fire station in the McNew Subdivision in Carlsbad 3. Avalon Alacron Drainage Project 4. Eddy County Complex – judicial 5. Creation of an Eddy County Events Center 6. Construction of a covered arena at the Eddy County Fairgrounds The two projects removed from the ICIP rankings include the Southeast Loop Road and a fire services dormitory.

The board will also consider a bid for improvements at the Eddy County Shooting Range. The Finance Department will recommend granting a bid for the shooting range project to White Sands Construction in the amount of $1,377,000.

The county has been awarded $1.2 million in Recreation Centers and Quality of Life Grant funding, leaving a balance of $177,000, which would be paid out of the General Fund. The Finance Department also noted that the Legislature recently approved extending the expiration date for the use of recreational grant funds to June 30, 2027, though the county is still awaiting agreement extension amendments from the Department of Finance and Administration.

Two bids were submitted for the project, the second coming from J. Carrizal General Construction Inc. with a quote of $1,498,043.38.

Elsewhere on the agenda, the commission will:

• consider setting a public hearing regarding a 10-year non-exclusive franchise agreement with the Riverside Mutual Domestic Water Association.

• consider submitting a letter of support to the New Mexico Superintendents Association on behalf of the Loving Municipal Schools; Loving wishes to continue the four-day school schedule it has been operating under for the past eight years, which has shown success in student growth and attendance, as well as district savings.

• hear an informational presentation from Sheriff Mark Cage regarding the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office’s submission of an application for federal funding, at the urging of Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, for a Rapid DNA system. The award will be announced in the next 30 to 90 days. If successful, the county would receive $550,000 for the new system.

• hear a request from Eddy County Fire and Rescue for permission to apply FY 2025 Firefighter and EMT Recruitment Fund monies to apply toward its five vacant positions.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, in Commission Chambers at the Eddy County Administration Complex, 101 W. Greene St., Carlsbad.

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has released Enforcement Watch updates for the month of May.

The Enforcement Watch is a listing of all active and resolved enforcement cases. Active cases involve an alleged violation of a regulation, rule, permit, license, etc. Resolved cases are those that were adjudicated in court of law or administratively resolved. The Enforcement Watch also provides tools for the public to report alleged environmental or workplace safety violations.

“The Environment Department is taking bold steps to ensure the safety of our food and water across the state,” said NMED Compliance and Enforcement Director Bruce Baizel. “Continued disregard of permit requirements by retail food establishments and municipal water systems will be met with escalating fines and penalties.”

In the month of May, 113 new entries were added to the Active Matters listing and 36 were moved to the Resolved Matters listing.

The new additions to the report included: – 61 notices of violation issued by the Food Safety Program to retail food establishments that failed to timely pay their permit fee which results in the assessment of a $25.00 late fee – 34 notices of violation issued by the Drinking Water Bureau – 6 notices of violation issued by the Occupational Health & Safety Bureau – 5 notices of violation issued by the Air Quality Bureau – 3 notices of violation issued by the Solid Waste Bureau – 2 notices of violation issued by the Ground Water Quality Bureau – 1 notice of violation issued by the Hazardous Waste Bureau – 1 notice of violation issued by the Surface Water Quality Bureau The following enforcement cases were resolved in May: – 18 cases in the Food Safety Program – 13 cases in the Drinking Water Bureau – 3 cases Hazardous Waste Bureau – 1 case in the Air Quality Bureau – 1 case in the Occupational Health & Safety Bureau Highlights of alleged violations and resolved cases in May include:

• The Groundwater Quality Bureau issued a notice of violation to the Town and Country Mobile Home Park in Carlsbad for operating under an expired groundwater discharge permit, in violation of New Mexico Water Quality regulations and the Water Quality Act.

• The Surface Water Quality Bureau issued an Administrative Compliance Order …

… to the City of Santa Fe for violations of New Mexico Water Quality Act and New Mexico Water Quality regulations, and penalties of more than $2.3 million, alleging that Camino Real Wastewater Treatment Plant discharged E. coli and nitrogen into the Santa Fe River in quantities that exceed standards protective of cool water aquatic life and primary contact, and that produce undesirable aquatic life and nuisance species.

• The Air Quality Bureau issued a notice of violation to New Mexico Gas Company, the owner and operator of the Star Lake Compressor Station, for failing to annually inspect equipment and failing to submit an annual emission testing report.

• The Drinking Water Bureau issued a notice of violation to the Village of Tularosa for Consumer Confidence Report Certifications for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Calendar Years.

• The Drinking Water Bureau issued a notice of violation to the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority for exceeding the arsenic MCL at Industrial Park Arsenic TP during the 2nd quarter of 2024.

• The Food Safety Bureau issued a notice of violation to the Rio Chama Steakhouse for operating without a permit.

• The Hazardous Waste Bureau issued a notice of violation to Union Pacific Railroad for violating New Mexico Hazardous Waste regulations by failing to properly label containers of used oil, failing to keep closed containers of used oil stored outdoors, failure to obtain an EPA Identification Number for the storage of hazardous waste, for storing hazardous waste for greater than 90 days, for failing to perform weekly inspections of hazardous waste storage areas, for failing to provide hazardous waste management training for appropriate personnel and for failing to pay hazardous waste fees.

• The Occupational Safety and Health Bureau issued a notice of violation to American Manufacturing, Inc. for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, including failing to develop a hearing conservation program for employees, for failing to provide a medical evaluation to determine employee compatibility to use respiratory protection, for failing to inform exposed employees of hazardous atmospheric conditions in permit spaces, for exposing employees to a hazardous air contaminant over a permissible exposure limit and for not providing effective information and training on hazardous chemicals to employees.

• The Solid Waste Bureau issued a notice of violation to the SW New Mexico Regional Landfill for violating the New Mexico Solid waste rules by failing to provide proper intermediate cover on areas that have not received waste for 60 days or longer.

The Enforcement Watch provides the public, the business community, environmental nongovernment organizations, and municipal governments with easy access to see which organizations the NMED has alleged are in violation of regulations, permits, and/or licenses administered by the Department. It is updated when violations are alleged or resolved. Retrospective enforcement matters are added as staffing resources allow.

Organizations remain on Enforcement Watch until the alleged violations are corrected to the satisfaction of the Department. The easiest way for an organization to avoid appearing on the Enforcement Watch is to stay off it in the first place by remaining in full compliance with applicable regulations. The NMED encourages organizations that are unclear of their regulatory responsibilities to contact a consultant and conduct a third-party compliance audit and disclose potential violations.

The NMED provides detailed compliance and enforcement metrics in the Compliance Measures section of the Quarterly Performance Report.

The full Enforcement Watch can be viewed at https://www.env.nm.gov/enforcement- watch.

ROSWELL — Carl Jacobsen, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, said he is sure avian flu is present in wild birds at the refuge.

“I’ve seen waterfowl that display symptoms of it,” he said. Jacobsen was not ready to make an outright statement about the flu being present in the 24,563-acre refuge, however.

“I have never sent a sample in, so I can’t say definitively it is here,” Jacobsen said. “But it’s very common, so I would be surprised if it wasn’t.”

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in U.S. poultry and dairy cows. Three cases of HPAI have been reported in U.S. dairy workers in 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

An additional case of HPAI in humans, which involved a fatality, was reported recently near Mexico City by the World Health Organization. The case in Mexico involved the strain H5N2, a different strain from the cases in the U.S., which involved the H5N1 strain.

According to the CDC, the probability of humans contracting HPAI is very low, but people should avoid direct contact with wild birds and other animals suspected of being infected with bird flu viruses and observe them only from a distance.

Bird flu viruses can infect the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of birds and have been identified in more than 100 different species of wild birds around the world, according to the CDC.

According to the FWS website, at least one confirmed case of avian flu was collected in Chaves County in February, but exactly where in Chaves County the sample was collected is not listed. That case was in a Canadian goose. Other cases of bird flu in wild birds in New Mexico this year have been collected in Curry and Eddy counties and along the Rio Grande flyway in Bernalillo and Socorro counties. Most of those detections have been in Canadian geese, snow geese and hawks, according to the FWS.

Besides the widely reported cases of bird flu in dairy cows, numerous cases of the disease have been detected in mammals in New Mexico, including skunks, red foxes, domestic cats and house mice, according to the FWS website. The website lists 11 cases in house mice and one case in a red fox in Roosevelt County in May of this year, as well as six cases in domestic cats in Curry County in March and April.

Jacobsen said he was told by Migratory Game Bird Coordinator Dan Collins, who works at the FWS Regional Office in Albuquerque, that HPAI is present in wild bird populations at all times, but the disease’s impact on wild bird populations is variable according to the time of year and other conditions.

Tanya Espinosa, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in an email to the Daily Record that there have been no reports of major decreases in wild bird populations in the U.S. that can be attributed to avian influenza.

Wildlife professionals are encouraged to investigate all unexplained wild bird deaths, she said. Samples from birds are submitted to screening laboratories for initial testing, and all detections need to be confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), according to Espinosa.

She said there have been a total of 24 individual detections of bird flu in wild birds from New Mexico confirmed by the NVSL since the onset of the current avian flu outbreak in January 2022.

Animals and birds can be infected with HPAI even if they don’t show any symptoms, the CDC said, and people should also avoid unprotected contact with poultry or other animals that may be sick or have died, or that are suspected or known to have bird flu virus infection.

The public is also advised not to touch surfaces or materials that may be contaminated.

4:11 a.m. – Krystynn Leeann Christy, 33, of Artesia, arrested and charged with battery, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, aggravated DWI, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, driving without a license, reckless driving and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.

ASSIST

12:04 a.m. – Officer dispatched to North First Street and West Mahone Drive to assist the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT 3:03 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the 1500 block of West Washington Avenue in reference to disorderly conduct.

ALARM

5:19 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the Artesia Aquatic Center in reference to a burglar alarm.

June 13 VICIOUS ANIMAL

8:46 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the 600 block of South Roselawn Avenue in reference to a vicious animal.

DISTURBANCE

10:10 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the 100 block of West Gage Avenue in reference to a family disturbance.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 10:27 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the 500 block of West Texas Avenue in reference to suspicious activity.

UNWANTED SUBJECT 11:04 a.m. – Officer dispatched to the 100 block of West Cleveland Avenue in reference to an unwanted subject.

BREAKING AND ENTERING

12:20 p.m. – Officer dispatched to 1707 S. 17th St. in reference to a breaking and entering in progress.

SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE 1:03 p.m. – Officer dispatched to South 27th Street and West Menefee Avenue in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

ABANDONED VEHICLE 2:21 p.m. – Officer dispatched to Family Dollar in reference to

an abandoned vehicle.

WANTED SUBJECT

2:25 p.m. – Officer dispatched to Pecos Inn in reference to a wanted subject.

3:33 p.m. – Officer dispatched to Roselawn Manor in reference to a wanted subject.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON 4:23 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the 800 block of West Hank Avenue in reference to a suspicious person. FRAUD

4:29 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the Public Safety Complex in reference to fraud.

BATTERY

4:44 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the Artesia Aquatic Center in reference to battery.

ACCIDENT

6:24 p.m. – Officer dispatched to West Main and North 13th streets in reference to a hit-andrun motor vehicle accident.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON 6:41 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the 900 block of West Mann Avenue in reference to a suspicious person.

DISTURBANCE

7:50 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the Abo Apartments in reference to a neighborhood disturbance. VICIOUS ANIMAL

8:15 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the 1200 block of West Washington Avenue in reference to a vicious animal.

ASSIST

8:35 p.m. – Officer dispatched to 20th and Main streets to assist the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON 9:27 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the Abo Apartments in reference to a suspicious person.

ASSIST

10:28 p.m. – Officer dispatched to the 700 block of West Cleveland Avenue to assist the Artesia Fire Department.

EDDY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE June 4 RECKLESS DRIVING

8:41 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 5900 block of Seven Rivers Highway in reference to reckless driving.

TEMPORARY

RESTRAINING ORDER 8:55 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 2500 block of West Missouri Avenue in reference to a temporary restraining order.

RECKLESS DRIVING

11:13 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to Roswell Highway and East Pearson Road in reference to reckless driving.

11:31 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to Seven Rivers Highway, mile marker 58, in reference to reckless driving.

LARCENY

1:24 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to 2116 Maple St. in reference to larceny.

ACCIDENT

5:37 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Roswell Highway and East Pearson Road in reference to a motor vehicle accident with injuries. RECKLESS DRIVING

7:40 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 2700 block of Quarter Horse Drive in reference to reckless driving.

DOMESTIC

8:05 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 800 block of Painted Pony Lane in reference to a verbal domestic dispute.

10:44 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 1600 block of West Missouri Avenue in reference to a verbal domestic dispute. SUICIDAL SUBJECT

10:56 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 1800 block of South First Street in reference to a suicidal subject.

May 11 ASSIST

12:36 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to North Eighth Street and West Cleveland Avenue to assist the New Mexico State Police.

3:07 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to North Roselawn and West Richey avenues to assist the New Mexico State Police.

May 10 ACCIDENT

5:16 a.m. – Deputy dispatched to East Jackson Road and Roswell Highway in reference to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries.

INCORRIGIBLE CHILD 1:20 p.m. – Deputy dispatched

to Teresa Drive in reference to an incorrigible child.

RECKLESS DRIVING

2:28 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Lovington Highway, mile marker 108, in reference to reckless driving.

HARASSMENT

4:29 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Mockingbird Lane in reference to harassment.

ASSIST

6:06 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Hope Highway, mile marker 86, to assist the Hope Police Department.

BREAKING AND ENTERING

6:40 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to 414 N. 26th Rural St. in reference to breaking and entering.

ASSIST

7:39 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Hope Highway, mile marker 87, to assist the Hope Police Department.

7:49 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Hope Highway, mile marker 86, to assist the Hope Police Department.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT 8:11 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to the 10 block of Mockingbird Lane in reference to disorderly conduct.

RECKLESS DRIVING

9:43 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Roswell Highway, mile marker 78, in reference to reckless driving.

DWI

10:25 p.m. – Deputy dispatched to Seven Rivers Highway, mile marker 57, in reference to DWI. An arrest was made.

ARTESIA MUNICIPAL COURT Judge Sarah Gallegos — Gabrielle Ann Madrid found guilty of contempt of court, failure to pay fines. Defendant paid fines and fees in full and was released.

— Abel L. Verdoza found guilty of operators and chauffeurs must be licensed. Total fines and fees $54.

— Jorge Molina found guilty of driving on a suspended or revoked license. Sentenced to 90 days in the Artesia Detention Center with 80 days suspended. Total fines and fees $429.

— The 28th Annual Weed Bluegrass Festival will be held from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at the Weed Community Center. Admission is $15 per person, $30 per family. Chairs will be available or bring your own to enjoy six great bands. A catered lunch will be available for purchase, and cinnamon rolls and coffee will be provided free. On Sunday, July 21, a short devotional will be held at 9 a.m., followed by bluegrass gospel music. For more information, visit weednm.org or contact John Bell at 575-687-3316.