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Three Men, a Pizza, and a Fantasy Football League

JT Keith
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Three Men, a Pizza, and a Fantasy Football League


JT Keith

Artesia football fans are everywhere, and they will talk football anywhere.

A stop at the Lucky Duck Grill after covering a signing turned into a front-row seat for exactly that. Two tables over, three guys who had just ordered a pizza were already deep into a heated debate — which NFL players were washed up, who were overrated, and who should be drafted next.

The pizza wasn’t even on the table yet, but the NFL draft was already underway.

Super Flex, long debates

The league is called Super Flex Dynasty, a format built for the long haul. Rosters carry over from season to season, with teams holding on to players through the offseason, much like an actual NFL franchise.

Adam Folmar and Kaden Williams have been playing fantasy football for about five years, with Luke Blackmon joining the league two and a half years ago. With the NFL draft set for April 23–25 in Pittsburgh, preparation has hit full stride.

“With the draft coming up, now is the time to plan our strategy,” Folmar said.

That planning includes mock drafts inside their fantasy software and plenty of second-guessing.

“We’ll say, ‘If this guy goes sixth in the NFL draft, is it going to be the same in ours?’” Folmar said.

Mind games included

Folmar’s team, Beats by Ray, is built on more than just player evaluations. He admits there’s always a psychological element at play.

“In fantasy football, there’s always a mind game going on,” Folmar said. “Everyone’s just trying to do what’s best for their team.”

The ultimate goal is simple: win the league championship — the fantasy version of the Super Bowl — and enjoy the bragging rights that come with it.

JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Luke Blackmon with the headphones around his neck, Adam Folmar with the pizza and the white and black Nikes on, and Kaden Williams with the Dr. Pepper hat on, talk about fantasy football.

Nerds

Williams summed up the appeal of fantasy football in one sentence.

“It’s basically a really fun way to be nerdy about football,” he said.

Fantasy football turns watching college and professional games into something more personal.

“They’re our teams,” Williams said. “Our team name, our franchise. I can watch college football and say, ‘I love that wide receiver — let’s trade up in the draft so I can get him.’ It makes it way more fun.”

All about Love

Williams is known as the league’s most aggressive trader. His team name, Two Decades, is an inside joke about how often he’s willing to deal.

His friends joke that it might actually take him two decades to complete all those trades.

Blackmon has taken a different approach. His team name is Tanking for Love, a nod to his hope of drafting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, a projected top 10 NFL pick.

Joining the league about a year ago, Blackmon immediately blew up his roster, stockpiling draft picks in a full rebuild. His friends call it “going Jerry Jones,” just without the stadium.

How the league works

The league costs $50 per person to enter. Owners track players through an app that tallies weekly point totals. The top scorer after the 14-week regular season wins prize money, with the rest of the pot going to the playoff champion.

Effectively, that creates two titles.

“Our job is to look at our team and decide who’s going to do best that week,” Blackmon said.

Each lineup includes a quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, and a flex position. The Super Flex spot can even be used on a second quarterback.

One firm rule: no kickers allowed.

Just having fun

Some league members don’t live in Artesia, but they still try to meet up when they can, especially around draft time.

“We’re not smart,” Williams said with a laugh. “We’re just a bunch of casual people who aren’t really qualified — except to have fun.”

That fun comes from arguing, laughing, trading, and giving each other grief.

“We get to make fun of each other, encourage each other, and enjoy it,” Williams said. “It’s a huge blast.”

Three men, one pizza, and a thousand draft opinions — the pizza eventually showed up, but the football debate never really ended in Artesia.

Classic car enthusiasts’ journey over 100 miles from Texas to Artesia event

Michael Smith
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Classic car enthusiasts’ journey over 100 miles from Texas to Artesia event

Mike Smith
Artesia Daily Press
msmith@elritomedia.com

Troy Yarbrough and his family not only traveled 131 miles to Artesia for the annual Main Event Car Show and Cruise, they brought along four classic vehicles to show at the March 27-28 event.

“This is just something our family likes doing,” said Yarbrough, who lives in Andrews, Texas. “We enjoy coming over here, particularly. They put on a good show.”

This year marked the 27th year for the show, which is sponsored by the Artesia Chamber of Commerce and Artesia Car Enthusiasts (ACE).

Yarbrough, 59, is a car collector and the prized possessions he towed from west Texas to southeastern New Mexico were a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria, a 1959 Ford Skyliner, a 2008 Mercedes and a Chevrolet Camino utility vehicle.

And he didn’t bring all the cars he’s collected.

“We’ve got a ‘73 (Ford) Gran Torino Sport that’s all original,” he said. “It (has) 46,000 original miles and never had anything done to it. It’s been in this show in years past.”

Yarbrough said restoring classic cars and pickup trucks is a consuming pastime.

“It takes me about eight years from start to finish,” he said. He’s currently working on a 1951 Ford pickup for his son.

“My day job gets in the way of my hobby,” Yarbrough said with a chuckle during a Saturday morning conversation at the car show.

Yarbrough, who owns an equipment rental business in Andrews and also owns a ranch near Stephenville, Texas, said the cost of restoration has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic ended in 2023.

He said it’s still possible to buy vehicles such as the 1950s-era Fords he brought to Artesia at pre-pandemic prices of $10,000 to $15,000 but it can cost twice as much for restoration.

Before the pandemic, he said, “you might spend another $15,000 to $20,000” on top of the purchase price to restore the vehicle. Now, Yarbrough said, “It’s maybe $30,000 to $40,000” for parts plus chrome and paint work.

“An average nice paint job now starts at $30,000,” he said.

Jessica Bollema, executive director of the Artesia Chamber of Commerce, said the show was a success despite cold, windy weather that hampered the event’s opening day and night on Friday.

The Main Street cruise portion of the program on Friday, she said, featured 85 classic vehicles.

In all, Bollema said, 208 classic cars, pickups, tractors, low riders and motorcycles were on display.

“I was totally pleased,” she said. “Throughout the day, a couple of thousand people turned out.”

Since the Chamber and ACE took over promotion of the show in 2018, Bollema said, the event has drawn an average of 200 to 300 vehicles each year.

“I’m happy with it,” she said.

Bollema said plans are already underway for the 28th edition of the Main Event Car Show and Cruise, which will be held April 2-3, 2027.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 extension-2361.

Gone fishin’ on Easter weekend

Michael Smith
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Gone fishin’ on Easter weekend

32 seconds to Eternity: How Artesia Football rewrote the National Rulebook

JT Keith
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32 seconds to Eternity: How Artesia Football rewrote the National Rulebook

JT Keith

In the Pecos Valley, the “Artesia Way” is a brand of football built on discipline, power, and a refusal to make excuses. But on Oct. 28, 2016, at the iconic Wool Bowl in Roswell, the Bulldogs found themselves in a battle where the standard playbook didn’t apply. On that night, the exploitation of a bizarre loophole prompted a national change that still governs every snap in America today.

It was a finish that didn’t just cost the visiting Bulldogs a district win—it exposed a flaw in the game that no one realized existed until Artesia and the Goddard Rockets were trapped in a 17-minute stalemate.

With only 32 seconds remaining on the clock, Artesia held a slim lead. After a crucial interception, the Bulldogs lined up in “victory formation.” For the Orange and Black, it should have been a simple formality: a clean snap, a knee to the turf, and a bus ride back home with a hard-earned win.

Instead, those 32 seconds stretched into an eternity.

Goddard, desperate to claw back, began a tactical assault on the line of scrimmage that the officials were unprepared to handle. For four consecutive plays, Rocket defenders crowded the ball, swiping at it while it was still in the hands of Artesia center Jared Acosta.

“I remember they were stacking the line, and one guy swiped the ball out of my hand as I snapped it,” Acosta recalled. “Goddard did it forever, and the refs kept throwing flags for offsides until they finally gave it to them.”

NFHS rules

The Wool Bowl buzzed with a mix of Bulldog fury and general confusion. Four times, the Rockets jumped early, drew an offside penalty, and effectively stopped the clock. Because the penalties occurred before the snap was completed, the clock stayed frozen, and the down was reset. Artesia couldn’t get a play off; Goddard wouldn’t let them.

At the time, the tactic fell into a gray area in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rulebook. If a center moved the ball even a fraction of an inch during his pre-snap rhythm, a defender could argue they were “making a play” on a live ball.

“We felt like it was a more secure snap under center,” said Rex Henderson, Artesia’s head coach at the time. “We felt like there were fewer problems you can have under center than in shotgun in terms of the end of the game.”

JT Keith |Artesia Daily Press

Artesia and Goddard shake hands before playing a game at the Bulldog Bowl earlier this year.

By the fifth attempt, Henderson made a gut-wrenching tactical shift, moving quarterback Taylor Null back into the shotgun. Artesia was essentially planning for a fumble, trying to find a way for his own players to recover a ball they knew was going to be swiped. His intuition was right. A Goddard defender timed the snap perfectly, slapping the ball out of Acosta’s hands. The ball hit the turf, Goddard pounced, and the officials—to the disbelief of the Artesia sideline—ruled it a fumble.

Even Goddard’s then-head coach, Chris White, acknowledged the sheer improbability of the tactic working. In a report by USA TODAY High School Sports, White compared the sequence to “winning the lottery.”

“It’s a million-to-1 type of deal,” White told the Albuquerque Journal at the time. “Damndest thing I’ve ever seen.”

32 seconds

The final 32 seconds of the clock took 17 minutes of real time to play. Goddard used the turnover to drive into field-goal range, but the drama had one final, cruel twist. After the Rockets missed their initial field-goal attempt, a yellow flag hit the turf. The Bulldogs were assessed a penalty for having a man over the center—the very position Goddard had been exploiting all night. The technicality moved the ball 15 yards closer.

Given a second life, the Rockets lined up for a 21-yard attempt and drilled it, walking off with a 37-35 victory.

“After the game, in the locker room, we read the rules,” Henderson said. “It was technically not illegal, and that is why there was a rule change.”

In the face of such a controversial finish, Henderson leaned into the character that defines Artesia football. He told his grieving players to look inward rather than at the stripes.

“We can control what we can control, and we cannot control the officials,” Henderson told them. “The officials did not lose the game; we did. We should have scored more than 37 points. We are going to find out how to get better, and we are not going to talk about the officials.”

While the Bulldogs went back to work, the NMAA took the film to Indianapolis. Executive Director Dusty Young and the New Mexico contingent realized that if this move remained legal, any trailing team could infinitely delay a game by repeatedly fouling the center until a turnover occurred.

On June 15, 2017, the NFHS officially rewrote Rule 7-1-6. Jordan Morey, a spokesperson for the NFHS, noted that the change was a direct response to the “unfair acts” allowed by the previous loophole. It is now a dead-ball encroachment foul for any defender to touch the ball or the snapper’s arms before the release.

JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Jack Byers makes a touchdown catch against Goddard in a game at the Bulldog Bowl

The “Artesia Rule” was born.

The Bulldogs finished that 2016 campaign with a 10-3 record, finishing third in District 4-5A before battling their way to the state championship game, where they eventually fell to St. Pius X, 34-24. Goddard finished at 6-5 after taking the district title.

But Artesia’s legacy that year isn’t measured in trophies. Because of 17 minutes of chaos in the Wool Bowl, the game is fairer for every high school player in the country.

“I am a competitive person, and that bugged me a lot,” Acosta said. “I felt like we were playing two teams that night.”

They were. But in the end, Artesia won the only battle that truly mattered: the one that protected the integrity of the game for every team that follows in their footsteps.

CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL: Crown Pork Roast with Apple, Sage & Pork Belly Stuffing a good meal for Easter

Michael Smith
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CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL: Crown Pork Roast with Apple, Sage & Pork Belly Stuffing a good meal for Easter

Bruce Lesman

Easter has always felt like a quiet turning point.

It arrives when winter finally loosens its grip and the light lingers just a little longer in the evening. There’s something hopeful about it — longer days, budding trees, pastel tables, and the sense that we’re gathering not just for a meal, but for renewal.

I’ve always loved how the holiday blends reflection with celebration. It’s thoughtful, yet joyful. And the table should mirror that feeling — elegant but welcoming, impressive yet deeply comforting.

That’s why a crown pork roast feels so right for Easter.

There are few presentations as dramatic. When I bring a crown roast to the table, there’s always a pause — the kind that tells you the meal is about to become a memory. The bones arch upward like a centerpiece, framing the stuffing tucked inside. It’s celebratory without being fussy.

For this Easter version, I lean into flavors that feel both traditional and fresh: tart apples, fragrant sage, and rich pork belly folded into rustic bread stuffing. The pork belly slowly renders as the roast cooks, basting the bread from within. The apples soften and perfume the pork, adding a gentle sweetness that balances the savory depth.

More than anything, this dish embodies what I love about Easter: generosity, warmth, and gathering. The moment before the first slice, the quiet admiration around the table, the clink of glasses — it’s all part of the celebration.

Crown Pork Roast (Serves 8–10)

Ingredients

• 1 (8–10 rib) crown pork roast, 8–10 pounds

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat the roast dry and wrap exposed bone tips in foil.

2. Mix olive oil, garlic, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub over entire roast.

3. Place roast on rack in roasting pan and roast 20 minutes to develop color.

4. Reduce oven to 325°F. Add wine or stock to pan. Roast 18–20 minutes per pound until internal temperature reaches 140–145°F.

5. Tent loosely with foil and rest 20–30 minutes before slicing.

Apple, Sage & Pork Belly Stuffing (Serves 8–10)

Ingredients

• 6 cups day-old rustic bread, cubed

• 6 ounces pork belly, small dice

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 2 apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and diced

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

• 1½ cups warm chicken stock

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

6. Cook pork belly in skillet over medium heat until browned and fat renders. Remove and reserve 2–3 tablespoons fat.

7. Sauté onion and celery in reserved fat until softened. Add apples and cook until just tender.

8. Combine bread cubes, pork belly, vegetables, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper in large bowl.

9. Gradually add warm stock until mixture is moist but not soggy.

10. Bake in buttered dish at 350°F for 30–35 minutes, or place into roast cavity during last hour of cooking until stuffing reaches 165°F.

Bruce Lesman is a seasoned hospitality professional and food columnist with decades of experience in luxury resort dining and culinary leadership. Prior positions, Corporate Food & Beverage Director of Cunard and Seabourn Cruise Lines, Vice President of Canyon Ranch Wellness Resorts, Lead Consultant, Miami Culinary Institute.

Here’s a look at crimes and arrests reported by Artesia Police

Michael Smith
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Here’s a look at crimes and arrests reported by Artesia Police

March 16

Arrest

Sebastian Rivera Quiroz arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating drugs or liquor.

WELFARE

12:12 am – Officer dispatched to 2600 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

RECKLESS

8:44 am – Officer dispatched to W. Main St. and N. 9th St. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

SUSPICIOUS

9:32 am – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of S. 15th St. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

ACCIDENT

9:50 am – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of N. 13th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

BURGLARY

2:56 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to burglary.

RECKLESS

3:12 pm -Officer dispatched to 1700 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

HARASSMENT

3:14 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to harassment.

SUSPICIOUS

4:07 pm – Officer dispatched to 1700 block of S. 26th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

9:53 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a suspicious trespass.

10:17 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of w. Richey Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

WELFARE

6:47 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Bullock Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

March 17

Arrest

Dylan Cody Gauntt arrested for aggravated DWI of intoxicating liquor or drugs, immediate notice of accidents, driving on roadways laned for traffic.

ALARM

8:05 am – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of W. Main St. in reference to an alarm.

GRAFFITI

8:28 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 W. Main St. in reference to graffiti.

8:58 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of N. 13th St. in reference to graffiti.

HARASSMENT

8:34 am – Officer dispatched to N. 7th St. and W. Main St. in reference to harassment.

SUSPICIOUS

4:44 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Ray Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

ALARM

4:54 pm – Oficer dispatched to 2200 block of W. Main St. in reference to a burglary alarm.

ACCIDENT

5:39 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 4th St. and W. Quay Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WELFARE

6:10 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Quay Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

8:25 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Kemp Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ACCIDENT

8:58 pm – Officer dispatched to 2100 block of W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WELFARE

10:52 pm -Officer dispatched to 500 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

SUSPICIOUS

11:02 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 13th St. in reference to suspicious person.

March 18

Arrest

Alexandria Arlynn Herbain arrested for driving on a revoked license.

Angela Marie Romero arrested for failure to appear.

SUSPICIOUS

8:56 am – Officer dispatched to N. 7th St. and W. James Ave. in reference to suspicious trespass.

11:01 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

GRAFFITI

12:18 pm – Officer dispatched to 1600 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to graffiti.

3:42 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Yucca Ave. in reference to graffiti.

3:48 pm – Officer dispatched to 1300 W. Yucca Ave. in reference to graffiti.

DOMESTIC

12:47 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 11th St. in reference to physical domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

7:50 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Champ Clark Ave. and 10th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

March 19

Arrest

Johnathan Bravo arrested for trespass.

SUSPICIOUS

2:29 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

3:14 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Merchant Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

7:02 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Bush Ave. in reference to a suspicious trespass.

WELFARE

8:17 am – Officer dispatched 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

WANTED

9:00 am- Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to a wanted subject.

WELFARE

10:22 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 1st St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

GRAFFITI

10:23 am – Officer dispatched to JJ Clark Dr. and Centennial Ave. in reference to graffiti.

1:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Main St. in reference to graffiti.

WELFARE

2:27 pm -Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ARMED

4:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 6th St. in reference to an armed subject.

SUSPICIOUS

5:56 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a suspicious person.

RECKLESS

6:27 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 5th St. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

DOMESTIC

9:19 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Carper Dr. in reference to verbal domestic.

March 20

SUSPICIOUS

9:59 am – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of Champ Clark Dr. in reference to suspicious activity.

10:32 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

GRAFFITI

1:38 pm – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of W. Merchant Ave. in reference to graffiti.

1:44 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Lolita Ave. in reference to graffiti.

3:30 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block N. 5th St. in reference to graffiti.

WELFARE

4:57 pm – Officer dispatched to N. Roselawn Ave. and W. Bush Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

7:12 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Carper Dr. in reference to disturbance.

DOMESTIC

10:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 2600 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

March 21

Arrest

Savannah Herrera Lopez arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxication liquor, resisting, evading, obstructing an officer.

Andrew Delarosa arrested for shoplifting.

Alan Hensley arrested for burglary of structure.

Jonathan Anthony Bravo arrested for contempt of court, failure to comply.

Elizabeth Michelle Nailon arrested for battery against a household member.

Benjamin Anthony Arenivas arrested for Larceny from all other. Driving on revoked license.

Christina Marissa Flores arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxication liquor deadly weapon.

SHOTS FIRED

3:29 am -Officer dispatched to N. 78th St. and W. Lolita Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

WELFARE

7:38 am – Officer dispatched to 3200 block of W. Main St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

Legislative delegation: Radical policies are fueling wildfire crisis

Michael Smith
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Legislative delegation: Radical policies are fueling wildfire crisis


Sen. Candy Spence Ezzell, Sen. Rex Wilson, Rep. Harlan Vincent, Sen. Jim Townsend, Rep. John Block, and Rep. Jon Henry

Drive through Ruidoso or into the Sacramento Mountains today, and you’ll see the problem: forests choked with dead timber, dense overgrowth, large burn scars, and millions of acres that have become nothing more than tinderboxes. This didn’t happen by accident.

It is the direct result of years of pressure from radical environmental activists who have blocked, delayed, and litigated away the very tools needed to keep forests healthy. Across the Lincoln National Forest and surrounding lands which is over 2.2 million acres, common-sense practices like thinning, logging, and controlled burns have been buried under lawsuits and red tape. The United States Forest Service (USFS) has been sued at nearly every turn, creating a system where doing nothing is often easier than doing the right thing.

This dangerous combination has resulted in exactly what we’re seeing today: catastrophic wildfires.

For generations, rural New Mexicans understood how to manage the land. Timber was harvested. Underbrush was cleared. Fire was used carefully and intentionally to maintain balance. But that system has been dismantled. Thanks to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and misguided activism of its green allies, the logging industry has been gutted, sawmills have closed, and local expertise has been sidelined; all in the name of “protection.”

What we’ve been left with isn’t conservation. Let’s call it what it is–neglect.

The devastating fires of 2023 and 2024 made that reality impossible to ignore. Families lost homes. Businesses were wiped out. Entire communities were upended. And when the fires were finally out, the damage only got worse.

Burn scars turned into flood zones. Debris clogged waterways. Infrastructure was damaged. In Ruidoso, the economic fallout alone could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. This is the new normal: fire followed by flood, disaster compounded by more disaster.

These outcomes were entirely avoidable. They were the predictable consequences of refusing to manage our forests.

And yet, the same activist groups that pushed these policies continue to block reform; filing lawsuits, opposing projects, and insisting that less management is the answer. Meanwhile, agencies like NMED have failed to refocus on protecting communities, choosing instead to engage in political stunts while rural New Mexicans bear the consequences. My question to NMED is this: What’s worse, responsible forest management or devastating wildfires that emit massive plumes of smoke and kill every living thing in sight?

It’s time to hold radical environmental policies and those who champion them truly accountable for the damage they’ve caused. It’s time for the USFS to stop using litigation as an excuse and start actively managing federal lands. And it’s time for elected leaders to stand up to activists to protect New Mexico communities.

The path forward is clear: expand forest thinning, restore the timber industry, use common sense when implementing controlled burns, (and then watch them!) and invest in watershed management to prevent post-fire flooding. At the same time, we must ensure that families and communities devastated by these disasters are made whole.

Forests must be managed. Ignoring them doesn’t protect them, it destroys them. New Mexico is paying the price for years of bad policy. If we don’t change course now, we will continue to see the same cycle repeat: more fuel, more fire, and more communities left behind. It doesn’t have to be this way. But it will be…unless we act responsibly.

If you care about this important matter, Please contact Director, USFS Tom Schultz 1400 Independence Ave. SW Washington, D.C. 20250-003 or email sm.fs.webmaster@usda.gov

Scenes from the Artesia girls’ softball doubleheader victory over Roswell on Thursday

JT Keith
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Scenes from the Artesia girls’ softball doubleheader victory over Roswell on Thursday
JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press, Artesia baserunner Miranda Perez slides back into first base safely.
An Artesia baserunner gives a celebration after getting a base hit against Roswell.
Artesia’s Daneyla Muonz scores a run against Roswell during Thursday night’s doubleheader.
An Artesia hitter hits the ball on the ground against Roswell on Thursday night.
Kayden Apodaca gives a high five to coach Sandra Pulido after striking out Roswell to begin the game on Thursday night.
Artesia baserunner Brooklyn Funetes smiles at her teammates after getting a base hit against Roswell.
Ans Artesia hitter is out at first base on a sacrifice hit against Roswell.
Kayden Apodaca talks to her teammates after the end of the inning.
Artesia baserunner Leslie Molina slides back into first base safely.
Kayden Apodaca hit the first of two home runs against Roswell on Thursday.
Artesia Leslie Molina hit a home run against Roswell during Thursday night’s game.
Artesia Kayden Apodaca hits her second home run against Roswell on Thursday night.
Artesia has five seniors on Senior Night.
Kayden Apodaca throws a strike against Roswell on Thursday.
Katrin Marquez slides safely into second base against Roswell.
Kayden Apodaca upends the Roswell catcher during Thursday night’s game.
Artesia base runner A’dyn Levario slides safely into home after a base hit.

Scenes from the Artesia boys basketball banquet

JT Keith
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Scenes from the Artesia boys basketball banquet
Arteisa Jack Byers received his letter award from Michael Mondragon on Monday night.
Derrick Warren received his letterman award from Michael Mondragon on Monday night at the Artesia basketball banquet.
Trent Egeland gets his letterman award on Monday night.
Sawyer Whitehead received his letterman award from Michael Mondragon on Monday night.
Cael Houghtaling received his letterman award on Monday night.
Diego Morales received his letterman award on Monday night.
Braylon Vega received his letterman award on Monday night.
Tottie McNeil received his letterman award on Monday night.
Clay Kincaid receives his letterman award on Monday night.
Charlie Campbell IV receives his letterman award on Monday night.
The team manager receives her award on Monday.
The team manager received his letterman award on Monday night.
The team manager received her letterman on Monday night.
Charlie Campbell IV and Braylon Vega are Offensive Players of the Year.
Clay Kincaid was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Cael Houghtaling and Tootie McNeil were named Most Improved Players for the 2026 season.
Jack Byers won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Clay Kincaid won the Leadership award on Monday night.
Charlie Campbell IV won the Most Valuable Player of the Year award.
Trent Egeland, Braylon Vega, Charlie Campbell IV, Clay Kincaid, and Cael Houghtaling were named to the All-District team on Monday.
Charlie Campbell IV and Braylon Vega were named first team All-State, Trent Egeland and Clay Kincaid were named second team All-State. The first time that has happened in school history.
Players hold their plaques from the Red and Green All-Star game.
Braylon Vega and Charlie Campbell IV scored over 1,000 in their high school career.
Award winners from the Monday night banquet.

First Methodist Church remembers “The Last Supper”

Michael Smith
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First Methodist Church remembers “The Last Supper”

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Artesia’s First Methodist started Holy Week activities with a Maundy Thursday service.

“A Living Portrait of the Last Supper” was directed by Sandy Schuetz and featured members of the church gathered around Jesus Christ as the 12 disciples.

Each person spoke in character before Jesus was crucified as outlined in the first four chapters of the New Testament in the Holy Bible.

In addition to the reenactment, hymns were sung and communion was observed.

From Left: Tom Casabonne, Dan Focken and Gary Beverage gather in the lobby of First Methodist Church on Thursday.

Look for more photos and details next week on this website and in Thursday’s newspaper.

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