Front Page News

To download a PDF of the release, please visit the following link: Freeport Provides Update on PT Freeport Indonesia Operations

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Freeport (NYSE: FCX) announced today an update on the search for the remaining five team members who were missing following the previously reported September 8 mud rush incident at the Grasberg Block Cave mine in Indonesia.

On October 5, 2025, PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) located the five missing team members who regrettably were found deceased. The Freeport organization extends its deepest condolences to the families of these individuals and continues to mourn the loss of two team members found deceased on September 20, 2025.

Richard C. Adkerson, Chairman of the Board, and Kathleen Quirk, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are grieving for our seven coworkers lost in this tragic incident and extend our sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones. We appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the emergency response team who worked tirelessly to locate our coworkers. We are committed to investigating the cause of the incident and to taking all steps necessary to prevent recurrence."

On Thursday, October 2, 2025, at approximately 1:20 PM. Deputies with the Grant County Sheriff's office were dispatched to the area of Opal Drive Silver City Nm in reference to a shooting.

The caller informed dispatch that he had shot his wife. Upon deputies' arrival, contact was made with the caller, later identified as Ronald Wilson, who was taken into investigative detention. Deputies entered the residence and found a female with a gunshot wound to the head. Medical procedures were performed by deputies until EMS arrived. The female was transported by EMS and then later flown to an out-of-town hospital.

SILVER CITY – A micro surfacing project will begin Tuesday, Oct. 7, on U.S. 180 just west of Silver City.

Work will take place between milepost 87 (Riverside) and milepost 110 (two miles west of Silver City). Lane closures and pilot car operations will be in place. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, obey traffic control devices and expect delays.

Construction will run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with completion expected by Oct. 31, weather permitting.

Micro surfacing is a pavement treatment that extends roadway life by improving skid resistance, restricting moisture intrusion, preventing oxidation, and restoring a uniform appearance. The process is designed to be economical, fast, and minimally disruptive to drivers.

October 3, 2025 I Sixth Judicial District Attorney Norman R. Wheeler announced today that Aaron Gonzalez, 42, was found Guilty by a Silver City Jury to: Trafficking a Controlled Substance, a second-degree felony, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Battery on a Peace Officer – both counts-Fourth Degree Felony, and Resisting, Evading or Obstructing an Officer, a Misdemeanor. This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney’s J.P. Silva and Hector Bejarano.

By Roger Lanse

On Thursday, Sept. 26, 2025, at about 8 p.m. a caller to the Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority advised that the aisles of the Bayard Family Dollar store "are flooded and the roof is caving in," and that "she saw a worker get shocked."

According to Bayard Volunteer Fire Department Chief Gabriel Gonzales it appears as if an electrical problem occurred at the store along with some flooding. Gonzales stated the flooding may have been from rainfall that evening and not a result of the electrical malfunction.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Hurley had a regular meeting September 9, 2025. Mayor Ed Stevens, Mayor Pro Tem Reynaldo Maynes, and Councilors Robert Candelaria, Pete Ordonez and Aron Phillips attended.

The council approved the consent agenda that included minutes and department head reports.

George Esqueda, Stantec senior project manager, attended to provide a project update to the council and a packet containing all the information. Stantec currently has a masters service agreement (MSA) with the town of Hurley. The original agreement had been executed September 6, 2023, and has been extended each year and now until September 6, 2026. He had a list of task orders. Stevens asked him to quickly read through the task orders before he provided a more extensive explanation of each.

By Lynn Janes

On September 11, 2025, the commission held a regular meeting at the city annex building.

New business

Raymond De la Vega, Stantec, presented an update on the project. They had finished the required paperwork for highway 152 with the US Forest Service. Now they will have to wait for the permit. Surveys have been being done on the Bayard bypass and tank route. Updates on the area between Bayard and Hurley topographical maps will have to be made because of the construction. They have also been working on the Rosedale connection. One of the first parts of the project will be Hurley and the lightning protection for the wells and it would be a combined bid. The area has had a history of lightning strikes so it will be a necessary part of the project.

By Lynn Janes

(Author's note: This had been set as a virtual meeting. At the time of the meeting, they didn't have any audio and hoping they had been able to adjust the problem with the video put up after the meeting didn't happen. The recording is useless, and video didn't work either. The author did find a way to obtain the transcript, so this article has been written with only a transcript.)

On September 11, 2025, the board of regents held a virtual regular meeting at Western New Mexico University. The board consisted of Steven Neville, chair, Joseph "Dean" Reed, John Wertheim and WNMU student Keana Huerta. Dr. Chris Maples, interim president, also attended.

The board had a closed session before this meeting started and said they had only discussed the pending litigation concerning Dr. Shepard and no action had taken place.