Front Page News

By Roger Lanse

On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at about 11:37 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to 1203 Serinna Court to a reported breaking and entering incident. The Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority advised officers a male, later identified as Elmo Duran, 43, with a Las Cruces address, was walking around and throwing rocks at the residence and that Duran was possibly armed.

According to an SCPD incident report, when officers arrived, they heard yelling and rocks hitting a residence. A next-door witness stated the incident was occurring at the house at 1203 Serinna Court behind his house. Officers had contact with Duran, who initially ran, but then complied with officers' commands to get on the ground. While Duran was being handcuffed, the officers noticed lacerations and heavy bleeding from his right forearm.

By Roger Lanse

According to Silver City Fire Department Chief Milo Lambert, the SCFD responded to a structure fire at about 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at 304 Ridge Road, near the landfill. There was no one in the mobile home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported, Lambert said.

The Tyrone Volunteer Fire Department and Grant County Fire Chief Roger Groves assisted in the effort. At the time this information was received, the fire had been reduced to hot spots, Lambert advised, “and was surrounded. It’s not going anywhere.”

By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist

[Editor's Note: Names have been changed in this article to protect them.]

Bev's schizophrenic daughter, Melinda, should have been involuntarily committed to a rehabilitation facility. She was charged for battery of a household member after attacking her stepfather. He had to tackle her to keep her from punching him again. There were times she threatened to kill him as she had her mother. The court ruled Melinda was incompetent. However, the District Attorney's office kept releasing her. And now she's dead at 29.

Melinda as a young girl loved sports, especially basketball although only 5'4". She played with her brothers and grew up as tomboy. Then at 16 she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In later years her mother wasn't sure if it was the meth or the schizophrenia that overwhelmed her. The schizophrenia split her mind into multiple personalities and made her fierce. At one point, this small woman spent four years in prison for disarming a police officer.

Grant County Detention Center Administrator Joseph Andazola, left,  recognized  the facility's Supervisor of the Year Sgt. Justin Gander and Officer of the Year Alexis Gholson. 

[Editor's Note: This is the second of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting. It begins with county director reports.]

Photo and article by Mary Alice Murphy

The June 11, 2024 Grant County Commission work session continued with director reports; The first came from Grant County Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger.

She noted that County Fire Chief Roger Groves and Loren Gonzalez had traveled to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport for live fire training on May 23, 2024. They completed the final requirement for them to receive Airport Rescue and Fire Fighter certification. "We now have four fully certified ARFF individuals."

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The Grant County Commission June 11, 2024 work session followed a special meeting, which can be read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/85257-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-061124

No one provided public input at this meeting, because they had all spoken during the public comments time at the preceding special meeting, all in opposition to a contract that was on the work session agenda for discussion.

The presentation featured Levi Stockton, president and pilot for Advanced Air, which provides essential air service to the Grant County Airport.

Photos Courtesy of Sylvia Mikes

The annual Hummingbird Festival took place on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site as a fundraiser for the Imogene F. Wilson Education Foundation.

As the name of the festival notes, activities center around the annual migration of hummingbirds into and through the region. Numerous feeders are scattered throughout the site. Hummingbird banders start early in the morning when the birds are most active. The colorful birds are caught in a cloth mesh cage and handled carefully by the bander, so that he can see if the bird has been banded before or if it's a new one to the region. After the bird is banded and fed by the bander, he will hold the bird next to someone's ear and they can hear the heartbeat. Before the bander releases the bird, often a child will have the opportunity to hold one in his or her hand until it flies away.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Hurley held a regular meeting July 16, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ed Stevens, Mayor Pro Tem Nanette Day, councilors, Reynaldo Maynes, Keana Huerta (online) and James Langley.

Public Input

George Moreno introduced himself and said he has also been known as a cave man by the Mayor Pro Tem. This comment came from a social media post Day had made about the town of Hurley residents. As the committee chair for the planning of the Big Muddy he said that they had received 36 responses. Some of the things asked for had been shady areas, cooking areas, splash park, walking path, putting green, volleyball, community garden, pickle ball, corn hole and dog park. They will continue to work with the engineer on the project as they go.

Moreno added, "I am disappointed that the Mayor Pro Tem is here, we will do a recall."

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting July 23, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano, Rudy Bencomo, Nicholas Prince, and Stan Snider (phone).

Council comments

Bencomo had attended a meeting on the new recreation center with Alex Brown, town manager, James Marshall, assistant town manager, architect and project manager. He had been very impressed and what stood out had been how young the architect and project manager had been. He encouraged kids to look into that line of work. He wanted to remind people on the Department of Transportation meeting the following night concerning the proposed light safety project on highway 180 from 14th Street to Fort Bayard Road at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center.