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Artesia soccer coaches named Coach of the Year

JT Keith
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The Artesia boys’ and girls’ soccer teams each had the most successful year in school history. Both teams achieved record-breaking success by going 18-4 and were undefeated in District 4-4A. Lady ‘Dogs coach Tim Trentham is in his 18th year as head coach, and this is the third time he has won the award.

Artesia defeated Goddard 2-1in two overtimes when goalie Aubrie Edwards saved a shot and scored the game-winning penalty kick. The team lost to Los Alamos 3-0 in the quarterfinals.

“Los Alamos was the best team we played this season,” Trentham said. “They were speedy; we were able to shut down most other teams with one girl up top. They had a lot of speed up top, and they were coming at us with four girls, three girls. They pressed really high and set their defense high; that was the first time we had faced that kind of competition all year.”

Trentham said he told the team not to let the loss define their season, especially after coming off the field and losing, and that it was a record-breaking season and had a 10-game winning streak.

“I told my seniors that I was proud of them and that I loved them,” Jowers said, “and that I would miss them. I told the rest of the team that we have three things to look forward to next year. Let’s put this behind us and get ready for next year.”

Trentham said this is good because the Lady ‘Dogs have faced St. Pius X and now have seen Los Alamos, who are there every year.

Jowers

Bulldogs’ coach Phillip Jowers is in his 11th season as head coach. Jowers said that this is the third time that he has won the award. It seems that Jowers has taken the program to higher levels each year. In the 2024 season, the Bulldogs won a quarterfinal game and had a home game. This season, the team went 18-4 and undefeated in district play, going 6-0. The Bulldogs reached the semifinals before losing to St. Pius X, 5-0.

“It is nice to be able to have that recognition,” Jowers said. “It has been a long road to get to here (semifinal game). Yes, I am going to get coach of the year, but there is so much more with my coaching staff, that has helped get me into that role. We work so well as a unit, and we help each other out in so many ways. I wish there were a way to where it was not just me.”

JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Artesia’s Anton Wodarz and teammate Samuel Nielson confer before resuming play against St. Pius X on Wednesday.

Jowers said he has grown and evolved, and that when he first started coaching, he had an idea of what he wanted. He saw the path clearly and didn’t have the experience for where they were, and it took a couple of years to get there.

“I would not say that I know everything,” Jowers said. “I am always trying to learn more, whether it is picking college coaches or John Fridal, (the head men’s soccer coach of Colorado Mesa University), or Robert Ssejjemba, the head men’s coach of Wayland Baptist), kind of college coaching mentors. I try to grow and become a better coach.”

Jowers said much of the credit for his success goes to his wife, Cari Jowers, who has supported him throughout his career.

New Mexico Democrats say no as federal government reopens

Michael Smith
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New Mexico Democrats say no as federal government reopens

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Each of New Mexico’s five Democratic members of Congress voted against a funding bill passed Wednesday, Nov. 12, to reopen the federal government after a 44-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

Congress passed the continuing resolution after the weeks-long impasse, which started Oct. 1, and the bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on the same night.

The resolution went into effect without health insurance subsidies Democrats demanded for people covered under the Affordable Care Act. The subsidies will expire at the end of the year without congressional action.

With Trump’s signature, the federal government was reopened and funded through Jan. 30, 2026.

Health care remained a sticking point for U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), whose 2nd Congressional District represents most of southern New Mexico. He voted against the funding bill, arguing it did nothing to address rising health care costs in New Mexico.

“New Mexicans can’t afford to pay thousands more for health care, and that’s the bottom line,” Vasquez said. “Washington doesn’t understand the plight of working families. My vote today was to lower costs for New Mexicans and preserve their access to health care.”

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the package by a vote of 222-209, with Trump’s support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats.

Six Democrats joined the GOP to support the measure.

The Senate version was passed Nov. 10 on a 60-40 vote, also largely along party lines, with New Mexico’s two U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, both Democrats, voting against.

Republican Party of New Mexico Chair Amy Barela lambasted Democrats for voting against the measure, blaming the state’s congressional delegation – all Democrats – for the shutdown, which Barela said harmed New Mexicans.

“Over 57% of registered voters in New Mexico are NOT Democrat, yet our representation is unwilling to vote across party lines – even if that means ending the longest government shutdown in American history,” Barela said. “It’s truly alarming to know that Senators Heinrich, Lujàn, and the rest of our congressional delegation would rather keep New Mexicans under the burden of a crushing shutdown than show a shred of bipartisanship.”

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1 led to the closure of federal agencies across the country including the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management as they went unfunded, and workers were either furloughed or laid off.

Popular tourist attraction Carlsbad Caverns, which was closed when the shutdown started, will reopen Saturday, Nov. 15, officials said.

At the heart of the stalemate was an attempt by Democrats to force Republicans, who control both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, to roll back cuts to a variety of government programs, particularly those that affect funding for health care.

Among Democrats in the House voting against the final resolution was U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (R-NM), who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District encompassing mostly central New Mexico and its urban center in Albuquerque.

In a Wednesday night video posted to Facebook, Stansbury criticized Republicans and her Democratic colleagues for voting to approve a funding bill she said would raises expenses for Americans.

She said if GOP leadership does not meet Democratic demands, the federal government could face another shutdown at the end of January 2026, when funding contained in the continuing resolution expires.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) also voted against the resolution. She represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District.

“And just like that, that dirty little deal passed the House floor, and the government shutdown is open,” Stansbury said in the video, as she appeared to be walking out of the U.S. Capitol Building. “We are now set up for another potential shutdown in the next couple of months unless they come to the table with real solutions.”

The vote to reopen the government came two days after the New Mexico Legislature met in Santa Fe on Nov. 10 to vote on a bill intended to provide state funds to pay for federal food assistance programs, namely the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in the absence of federal dollars during the shutdown.

The bill known as House Bill 1, would have provided $20 million per week in state appropriations for food assistance during the shutdown until Jan. 19 – funds that could still be used, according to the bill, if SNAP funding continues to lapse before the bill’s sunset.

HB 1 passed the House 52-9 and the Senate 30-6 and was signed into law by Acting Gov. Howie Morales. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Brazil attending a United Nations Climate Conference during the special session.

Several Republicans in the House and Senate remained staunchly opposed to putting more state funds toward budget shortfalls during the shutdown.

“It’s wrong to use New Mexico’s limited state reserves to backfill a federally mismanaged program,” said Rep. John Block (R-51). “This was a special session forced by D.C. dysfunction – and I will not reward it with a blank check.”

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

Artesia honors veterans with ceremony

Michael Smith
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Artesia honors veterans with ceremony

Photo by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Veterans and the community gathered Tuesday at Baish Park and the Veterans Memorial near City Hall.

Boy Scout Troop 228 provided a color guard for the ceremony, local pastor Scott Pettus served as master of ceremonies and 14 names were added to the memorial wall of veterans who served Artesia and northern Eddy County during times of military conflict.

The Seven-Week Advent, Week 2

Michael Smith
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The Seven-Week Advent, Week 2

Ty Houghtaling

Last week I started writing about a 7-week advent season. This is week 2. For this week, we should turn our attention to the Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah. Liturgical texts highlight figures such as Isaiah, Micah, and others, whose prophecies speak of hope and the promise of salvation. This week encourages reflection on the faithfulness of God and the fulfillment of His promises. Read and study Micah 5. Verses 2-5 have long been understood as Messianic prophecy, but the whole chapter is fascinating. Read some good conservative commentaries on this chapter and let your heart grow warm knowing that Jesus is the Messiah that saves! Read Isaiah 7:14 and reflect on the prophecy of the virgin birth. It is incredible and yet mysterious just like our Messiah Himself. For many Churches’ Advent season is also about planning or anticipating His second return. Acts chapter 1:1-11 speaks of a “now and not yet” prophecy of Jesus’ second coming. Verse 11 says, “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” I can’t help but think about all that I will understand when Jesus comes back the second time. It will in those days that our eyes will be fully opened and the great mysteries like the virgin birth will be understood along with everything else we yet can’t grasp. Week 2 is all about the prophecies, let your heart embrace God’s faithfulness and let your mind be reassured that whatever God has said will come true.

In First Baptists’ “One Night in Bethlehem” event (the evenings of Dec 12 & 13) the guides who will walk you through a recreated street in Bethlehem will speak of the prophecies that God gave so all could anticipate the arrival of the Messiah. It will be a fun night to contemplate the wonder of fulfilled prophecy.

Carlsbad City council candidate arrested for sexual assault

Michael Smith
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Carlsbad City council candidate arrested for sexual assault

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

A former candidate for Carlsbad City Council was arrested for sexual assault and child abuse, the day after concluding his losing bid in the Nov. 4 election.

Ivan Ramirez, 38, was arrested Wednesday, Nov. 5, after his ex-girlfriend and mother of his children accused him of sexual abuse dating back to June 2024.

The investigation began on Nov. 1 after multiple videos surfaced on social media of conversations between Ramirez and the woman, according to a criminal complaint. The videos led the Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to contact Carlsbad police, the complaint said.

In one instance, Ramirez could be heard saying he would sexually assault a 9-year-old girl, police said, although no evidence of such an assault of a child was reported ahead of the arrest.

Ramirez admitted to being intoxicated during the conversations, and said he agreed they “looked bad” and said he was receiving mental health therapy, police said.

The woman described to detectives with the Carlsbad Police Department an instance on June 20, 2024, when she said Ramirez sexually assaulted and physically abused her in the presence of their children: an 11-year-old son and daughters aged 8 and 3.

Ramirez was charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration in the third degree, and two counts of abuse of a child not resulting in death. The case was assigned to Carlsbad Magistrate Judge Megan Fish, with no hearing yet scheduled as of Thursday, Nov. 6.

Ramirez, who worked previously as a Youth Care Specialist with the CYFD and with the Boys & Girls Club of America, according to his LinkedIn page, was employed as a history teacher at PR Leyva Intermediate School in Carlsbad at the time of his arrest.

After videos purporting to portray Ramirez verbally abusing the woman surfaced on Facebook the weekend before Tuesday’s election, Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Gerry Washburn posted a statement to the platform on Sunday, Nov. 2, saying the district was investigating the matter.

On Thursday, Nov, 6, Washburn confirmed Ramirez remained employed with the district as the case was investigated. Jail records indicated Ramirez was being held at the Eddy County Detention Center without bond.

“As of this day, he is employed. He is entitled to due process, and we are working through that process,” Washburn said. “We became aware of (the allegations) when they were made on social media. We take them extremely seriously.”

Ward 1 incumbent Eddie Rodriguez defeated Ramirez decisively in Tuesday’s city council election, 260-89.

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

Paw Prowlers follow proud tradition- “Catch me if you can”

JT Keith
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Paw Prowlers follow proud tradition- “Catch me if you can”

Earlier this football season, one student dressed up like an old lady to deliver sweets and goodies to an Artesia football player’s house the night before the game. There are 41 Paw Prowlers, including 14 seniors. The Prowlers’ sole job is to support the football players with sweets, goodies, Gatorade, and encourage them without getting caught.

The Paw Prowlers are a club at Artesia High School composed of 41 energetic members. The club started in the mid-1980s with a group of ladies who would “prowl” the varsity football team. They would leave snacks, drinks, and encouraging notes in each player’s locker or at their house the night before the game.

At the end of the season, the Prowlers reveal themselves to their player.

Lilly Klingshirn said at the start of the season, the Prowlers will pick two to three football players and support them for the entire season. At home games on Tuesday each week, Mrs. Kandice Barley will give the girls a gift to give to the football players.

“We don’t tell them (players) who we are,” Klingshirn said. “It is a secret, and throughout the season, the football players try to figure out who their Paw Prowler is. I love putting gifts together each week. I think it is a lot of fun giving gifts to people you care about, on why she is a Paw Prowler. At the end of the season, we tell the player who was their Paw Prowlers.”

Basketball as well

The Prowlers will also be active during basketball season. Barley, who teaches English II and English II Pre-Ap, is a Paw Prowler sponsor. Barley was a Prowler 25 years ago as a student at Artesia. The Prowlers will make hats this year and made shirts last year. Each year, the Prowlers try to do something fun.

“Being a Paw Prowler was something I really loved when I was in high school,” Barely said. “High school can be really stressful for a lot of my kiddos, especially for the ones who are in a lot of different activities. This is just something fun and carefree; there is no pressure, and they get to make connections with the kids. The boys really get into it; my football player hid on the roof and doused me with fire. I had to run from one of the wide receivers. It is just fun. This year, the players try to catch them and play a cat-and-mouse game. Sometimes the players’ moms help the Prowlers by letting them know when the player is home and when they are not. It is just a way to have fun in a good, clean way.”

Provided | Preslee Walker
The Paw Prowlers hold the “A” up as the Bulldog football players come through before the game.

Demrie Morrison, a junior, said she likes the club because it allows her to make connections, and she loves gift-giving. One of her players’ favorite snacks is Hot Cheetos. “It is nice to give some love to the players,” Morrison said. “It is a nice way to say we support you and we love you, no matter who you are.”

Paw Prowler Kandance Tran, a sophomore, said she uses Pinterest to get ideas and will talk to her players’ friends for ideas and things they like from Walmart.

“It is really nice to give somebody something for just a little moment,” Tran said. “It is nice to see football players getting recognized as football players and giving them different things before game day.”

Brooklyn Fuentes, a softball player, said that as an athlete, she knows what other athletes like. This year, she gives her player a lot of energy drinks.

“Some kids like whatever they want,” Fuentes said. “I ask their moms what they want.”

The A

Other things the Paw Prowlers do are hold the A before the game. The “A” is a long-standing tradition that dates back to the 1960s. Initially, the “A” was made from chicken wire and stuffed with grocery bags by junior varsity cheerleaders during the summer. When football season comes, the cheer squad would paint the “A” orange. The “A” is now a metal cutout constructed in the Ag shop at Artesia High School.

  Barley said that she has the girls on a rotation. Seven girls hold up the “A” – two on the bottom, and two girls sit on their shoulders of the bottom girls and hold the “A” for the players to hit before breaking the paper and beginning the Bulldog dog pile.

Klingshirn is the president of the Prowlers, and Kirklyn Miller, a volleyball player, is in charge of the “A” team. Her duties are to ensure it is there and that there are enough girls to hold the “A,” and to encourage the team before the breakaway.

Football Banquet

“I like writing the guys a letter at the end of the season,” Klingshirn said. “We write them a letter telling them we are your Prowlers at the football banquet.”

Barley said that when the team finds out who their Prowler is, they give the girls a gift. She also said the team has had boys on the Prowlers in previous seasons. Girls from basketball, softball, volleyball, FFA, art, yearbook, band, and choir are Prowlers.

“The girls do not have to have a special skill to be a Prowler,” Barley said, “you just have to be willing to encourage other people. I am really thankful to the football booster who paid to attend the football banquet as a kind of thank-you. That is really special that they are willing to do that for us.”

$15.6 million housing plan approved by county

Michael Smith
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$15.6 million housing plan approved by county

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

A plan approved unanimously by the Eddy County Commission Monday, Nov. 10, would set aside $15.6 million of county money to partner with municipalities on housing projects approved by commissioners.

The vote came during a special meeting in Carlsbad, originally called to certify the 2025 election results. The certification vote was also 5-0.

Eddy County Manager Mike Gallagher explained the fund could be used to support any project related to housing, including construction of roads, sewer or water lines, or other infrastructure.

“The outcome of this would allow the county to partner with each municipality to bring about more housing throughout the county,” he said.

Gallagher said the municipalities would apply to the county for funding, and county commissioners would evaluate the applications closely before voting to approve or deny the funds.

“It’s not a guarantee. This is not a blank check,” he said. “Each project would require an agreement and the board’s approval.”

District 1 Commissioner Ernie Carlson said the projects must be “shovel ready” to gain his approval.

“Nothing in the planning stages; it needs to be shovel-ready,” Carlson said.

Before approving the plan, commissioners removed a provision that established a maximum portion of the money for each of Eddy County’s four municipalities based on their population.

The limits would have meant Carlsbad, the county seat with a population of about 32,000 according to the 2020 U.S. Census, would be offered $10.7 million in total for the projects while Artesia with a population of about 13,000 would receive $4.3 million.

Loving, with a population of about 1,500, would have been limited to applying for portions of $464,000 while Hope, which has 113 residents, would have had $38,000 made available.

Restricting each municipality to a certain dollar amount was a problem for District 4 Commissioner Bo Bowen, who contended that such a provision could limit what projects could be approved and what level of funding the county could provide within the $15.6 million allocated. He said removing the restrictions would allow more flexibility in evaluating projects.

“It would open us up and allow us to address the true needs of the communities rather than just slapping a dollar amount on it,” he said.

Carlson responded that assigning the maximums would assure that all municipalities in the county get a share of the funds. He voted to remove the funding limitations but urged that the county closely consider the total spent and ensure no community is left out.

“I would hate to see the full $15.6 million spent in Carlsbad,” he said. “I would hate to see someone like Loving totally lose out. Everybody needs some of it. As we look at each project, we need to ensure that we look at the little communities, too.”

But it could work the other way, Bowen said, allowing Loving to access more than the 3% of the funds available to the village through the original plan.

“This proposal could do more for places like Loving,” Bowen said.

Local election results certified

In voting to certify the 2025 election results, commissioners made official the results of elections for mayor, city council, school board and other races throughout Eddy County.

In Carlsbad, Ward 1 City Councilor Eddie Rodriguez was reelected over challenger Ivan Ramirez. Ramirez was arrested the day after the election and charged with sexual assault and two counts of child abuse, after the mother of his children came forward and accused Ramirez of sexually assaulting her in June 2024 while their children were present.

In other Carlsbad council elections, Ward 4 incumbent Mark Walterscheid defeated challenger Norbert Rempe while Ward 2 and Ward 3 councilors Jeff Forrest and Karla Niemeier, respectively, ran unopposed for second terms.

In races for the Carlsbad Municipal School Board, incumbents Clancey McMillan (District 1)and Tiffany Shirley (District 3) were reelected. Jesus Fierro ran unopposed for the District 5 seat.

In Artesia Public Schools races, Jeffery Conklin defeated Dennis Garcia for the District 1 board seat while Kristy Crockett and Benjamin Harvey were elected to represent Districts 2 and 4, respectively.

Voters also approved a mill levy to provide between $4 million and $7 million annually for ongoing operations at Artesia General Hospital while Karen Waldrip was reelected to her seat on the Artesia Special Hospital District Board.

Voter turnout ‘pathetic’

Eddy County Clerk Cara Cooke reported to commissioners that 5,156 ballots were cast, about 14% of the 35,955 eligible voters in the county for this year’s nonpartisan, local races.

She said that while many voters living outside city limits were not able to vote in the municipal elections, seats in other jurisdictions such as the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District were up for election, meaning everyone in the county could have voted.

“Everyone was eligible to vote,” Cooke said. “We just really try and let them know that is all local and so it’s really important that they get out and vote.”

She reported the turnout for the 2023 election, when Carlsbad Mayor Rick Lopez was elected and several other city council seats were up for grabs, had similarly low turnout – about 18%.

“It’s consistent if nothing else, but it’s still pathetic,” Bowen said.

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

Fire, food and live music liven up Artesia during Balloons and Tunes

Michael Smith
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Fire, food and live music liven up Artesia during Balloons and Tunes

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

The 42nd edition of Balloons and Tunes in Artesia on Nov. 7-9 offered many items for locals and visitors.

Scores of people gathered on the night of Nov. 8 for food, a fire concert performed by some of the balloonists to the music of the Artesia High School band along with dancing by the Artesia High Cheerleaders and local baton twirlers.

A concert by Albuquerque based group Hooks and the Huckleberries wrapped up the Saturday night events.

A crowd gathered in downtown Artesia on Nov. 8, 2025, was in awe of fire from the burner of a hot air balloon.

The Artesia High School band was synchronized with the burners from hot air balloons during a concert in downtown Artesia.

Hooks and the Huckleberries took to the stage on the night of Nov. 8, 2025, in downtown Artesia.

The Artesia High cheerleaders and local baton twirlers danced to a fire concert and music from the Arteisa High School band.

Artesia cheerleader Dianna Bishop paused during the fire concert in downtown Artesia.

Steve Pearce can bring his best self to BLM appointment

Michael Smith
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Steve Pearce can bring his best self to BLM appointment

Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote

During the Vietnam War former congressman Steve Pearce flew C-130 transport planes when the enemy was trying hard to shoot them down. As the president’s newly appointed director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Pearce may feel like he’s still in the cockpit.

He’s got a great deal of relevant experience for the job – “at least he’s not a Fox News host,” grouses one BLM retiree I know – but the environmental community is already warming its legal engines.

The BLM oversees about half of all federal land in New Mexico and some 245 million acres of public lands nationally.

Pearce steps back into the spotlight just as the Trump administration has begun to repeal the BLM’s Public Lands Rule and Navajo activists protested the BLM’s possible revocation of the 10-mile buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Let’s begin with relevant experience.

He served seven terms in Congress representing the Second District. Pearce has consistently pushed to open more land to oil exploration, but he’s also said the nation should promote all kinds of energy including renewable.

In 2008, during his primary campaign for Senate against moderate Heather Wilson, he admitted, “I’m pretty conservative… but I’m not limited.” As the Great Recession deepened, he supported the spaceport then spearheaded by Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat. He won the primary but lost the race to Tom Udall.

In 2011 he was unanimously elected to chair the House Western Caucus, and he served twice on the House Committee on Natural Resources. After the Western Caucus in 2017 asked President-elect Trump to appoint more westerners to key positions, Pearce wrote that too many Obama appointees ignored local input. Their regulations, he said, “disenfranchised and harmed westerners.”

Pearce has always been a staunch conservative, and he’s been loyal to President Trump, but in 2017 Pearce and the Freedom Caucus, which he helped found in 2015, torpedoed the Republicans’ replacement bill for Obamacare. And he’s opposed Trump’s border wall. In 2018 he said: “The wall isn’t the magic answer. … You’re going to spend billions of dollars and find that it didn’t really secure the border.”

Environmentalists note that he has no use for climate science, wolf reintroduction, or wilderness study areas, but he’s all for selling public lands.

Topping their list of offenses is his longstanding campaign against the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

In a 2014 op ed, Pearce said he had worked with local officials, ranchers and conservationists on a solution to protect the Organ Mountains. He introduced a bill that had the blessings of soil and water conservation districts, law enforcement, chambers of commerce, and Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican. The monument would have been 60,000 acres.

But that year President Obama approved a 500,000-acre monument, “the largest land grab nationwide of his presidency” Pearce wrote. “This is not how representative government works.”

Or maybe it is. Pearce doesn’t accept that blue, blue Las Cruces, the state’s second largest city, likes its big monument and has risen to its defense with every mention of downsizing. And yet, there’s a lot of room between 60,000 and 500,000 acres. Clearly, neither side tried too hard to compromise.

Pearce also angered Democrats and environmentalists for being the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to vote repeatedly against the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He explained in 2018, when he ran unsuccessfully for governor, that he supported the original intent of the bill, which called for at least 60 percent of funding to support recreation and conservation, but over time, a majority of funding went to land acquisition.

However, a spokesperson for the House Committee on Natural Resources said funding that year was evenly divided between recreational planning, acquiring land and water, and developing outdoor recreational facilities. The Albuquerque Journal editorialized that Pearce had a long record of working to undermine the fund.

At 78, Pearce is capping a long, eventful career. He has a better sense than most people of what western lands can deliver. As a New Mexican he must have some appreciation for Chaco Canyon and, we hope, respect for the people who consider it a sacred place.

Democrats and environmentalists are expecting the worst. Pearce has at times attacked anyone with different views, but in a 2018 interview he talked about angry political rhetoric. “It’s time for us to take a look in the mirror and throttle down,” he said.

Let’s hope this is the Steve Pearce who steps up to lead the agency and manage the land for everyone.

Sherry Robinson is a longtime New Mexico reporter and editor. She has worked in Grants, Gallup, the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Business Weekly and Albuquerque Tribune. She is the author of four books. Her columns won first place in 2024 from New Mexico Press Women.

Sherry Robinson’s columns reflect her personal opinions and views, not necessarily those of this newspaper.

The best seat in the house at the Bulldog Bowl, a view from the stands

JT Keith
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There are no bad seats to view a football game in the world-famous Bulldog Bowl. But when my editor told me I needed to take photos of the game, keep statistics, and update the website during the game, I wasn’t sure how to do so.

Watching the game from the press box is out of the question because it would be hard to get photos from that vantage point.

Sports writer’s dilemma

The answer was to go to the field, but when you’re there, the game is constantly changing in terms of field position, and the views change as well. Also, there is a problem juggling a laptop and a camera at the same time, keeping track of yardage and who did what, while not getting run over by the action on the field.

Doing all of those things is like trying to change a baby’s diaper, answer and talk on the phone, and write an email all at the same time. Impossible.

In the press box, everything can be done in a hectic manner except taking pictures of the action.

After being frustrated by the Hobbs football game by not being able to do all that was required, Artesia Daily Press sports editor JT Keith had to figure out a way to stay fluid while reporting the game.

The answer came in the third home game against Lovington. While going through the game at the main entrance, there was a banister from the visiting team’s side of the field, which would later be known as the handicap seating section.

JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Fans in the best seats in the Bulldog Bowl, Melissa Jimenez and Omar Pando.

Answer to the problem

In the handicap section, there were no seats; two people were sitting there on the far side of the seating section. On the other side of the section was another family with their kids and grandkids.

I was invited to sit with the families, who educated me about the history of Bulldog football. I found out that handicap seating was added to the football stadium during renovations in the mid-90s.

This location was perfect; I was able to put my camera seat down and see the field completely while taking pictures. I was also able to balance my laptop on my knees with my bookbag and type updates to the website during the game.

The best part of sitting there and keeping track of the game was meeting Omar Pando and Melissa Jimenez, who have been coming to the Bulldog Bowl since the 1980s.

“I have been coming to the Bulldog Bowl since I was a student here,” Pando said. “I have watched 20 state championship games here.”

Meeting new friends

Jimenez said she liked coming to the games because it gets her out of the house and lets her watch the Bulldogs play. She noted her cousins, Deion and Diego Wesson, played football for the Bulldogs. Diego would score a touchdown in the state championship game against Piedra Vista, which the team won 27-14 in 2022.

Pando has had family play for the Bulldogs as well, including Eddie Pando, Jordan Pando, and now junior running back Cristian Pando.

Jimenez said their favorite championship game was watching the Bulldogs beat Roswell 35-21 in the Bulldog Bowl on November 25, 2023.

Jimenez said she sits in the handicap seats because of her legs; she wears braces on her calves. Without the handicap seating, she would not be able to climb down the steps at the Bulldog Bowl to watch the football games. She said she is grateful for the seating accommodations.

Date night

“She does not have to struggle to go up and down the stairs,” Pando said. “It gets us a good top view of the game. This is a good view of the game for us.”

Pando and Jimenez use game night to bond; both will eat their dinner during the game. Pando will go to the concession stand and bring back two bags of popcorn, nachos with jalapeno and cheese, while having two Cokes.

Pando will dance and name each song the Bulldogs announcer plays between plays. He will FaceTime a friend and talk trash while the Bulldogs are beating Lovington.

For Pando and Jimenez, Friday night is game time, but it is a good time at the Bulldog Bowl. For the Artesia Daily Press sports editor, this was a way to meet new friends, get an excellent view for taking pictures, keep stats, and write the story, with the laptop on his knee on top of his bookbag to post to the website.

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