[{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}}
{{/data.error.root_cause}}{{{_source.displayDate}}}
{{/_source.showDate}}{{{_source.description}}}
{{#_source.additionalInfo}}{{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}}
{{/_source.additionalInfo}}You'll receive the Update on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
By Frost McGahey
Investigative ReporterDan Otero, CEO of HMS[Editor's Note: Names of victims have been changed to protect their privacy.]
CEO Dan Otero and HMS were named in a lawsuit filed by Philadelphia Insurance Company alleging insurance fraud. The basis for the suit was that Otero was allegedly guilty of two sexual harassment claims in the same policy year. In the next article the details of that will be covered.
The second sexual harassment claim was filed by Dr. Linda Garcia.
Garcia was a dentistry practitioner and started working at HMS in July 2012. On April 15, 2015, Garcia was promoted to the position of Chief Dental Officer for HMS and held that position until October 2017, when she alleges she was constructively discharged by HMS.
Paradise Fire Now 30% Contained
Acres: 727 Start Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
Location: 13 miles south of Quemado, NM Personnel: 147
Containment: 30% Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
Summary: The Paradise Fire is holding at 727 acres, and crews have increased containment to 30%. Firefighters are working to hold and secure fire lines, while mopping up areas of heat to prevent fire growth under persistent extremely dry conditions present in Catron County. Firefighters observed smoldering and creeping fire behavior, along with isolated torching in interior pockets. The fire is located 13 miles south of Quemado, NM on the southern flank Escondido Mountain and north of Quemado Lake.
Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team Achieves 12% Containment on Paradise Fire
Acres: 727 Start Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
Location: 13 miles south of Quemado, NM Personnel: 146
Containment: 12% Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
Summary: Crews worked to bring the Paradise Fire to 12% containment on Wednesday under command of the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team. The Paradise Fire is burning in ponderosa pine, pinon-juniper, and grass, approximately 13 miles south of Quemado, NM on the southern flank Escondido Mountain and north of Quemado Lake. While the perimeter of the fire has only negligibly changed, more accurate mapping shows that the fire is currently 727 acres.
Gila Las Cruces
Type 3 Incident Management Team
MARCUS CORNWELL – INCIDENT COMMANDER
Notification for Public Health and Safety
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team assumes command of Paradise Fire
Acres: 578 Start Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
Location: 13 miles south of Quemado, NM Personnel: 115
Containment: 0% Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
By Roger Lanse
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at about 11 a.m., a caller from the Adobe Springs Café in downtown Silver City stated to the Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority two males and one female "got their food and ate but now are refusing to pay." Additional information was unavailable as caller found it necessary to hang up.
According to a Silver City Police Department blotter report, officers were en route by 11:02 a.m. and arrived on scene at 11:05 a.m.
By Frost McGahey
Investigative Reporter
Dan Otero, CEO of HMS
{Authtor’s Note: Names of victims have been changed to protect their privacy.]
According to court documents CEO Dan Otero’s history of sexual harassment began soon after his hiring in 2016. In a recent article by Algernon D’Ammassa in the Las Cruces Sun News, Otero and HMS were named in a lawsuit filed by Philadelphia Insurance which detailed the sexual harassment. The Beat reviewed the lawsuit and found the following:
HMS hired Mr. Otero on February 22, 2016, and shortly after it is alleged that he began a practice of sexually harassing females employed including Ms. Mary Hathaway and Dr. Linda Garcia. Ms. Hathaway was the Chief Operating Officer of HMS, and had been employed since 1995.
WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.
Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.
NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.
Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders.
New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.
Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.
It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!
Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com
Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat. The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!
Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.
Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.
Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.
Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.