Local News Releases

Monday, Feb. 10

Missing persons
N. Hurley Road – Hurley
Caller's 22-year-old son/last spoke with him on the phone on Feb. 6/h was in Las Cruces with female. Info given to NMSP.

Criminal trespass
Taylor Street – Faywood
Deputy – made contact with a named female who stated her neighbor was trespassing on her property/he was riding a 4wheeler on her property. Deputy issued the neighbor a CTW per caller's request.

Unattended death
Highway 180 – Cliff
70-year-old female not breathing/cold to the touch/just got shingles last week. Deputy – start OMI.

Monday, Feb. 10

Bank alarm
411 Silver Heights Blvd
Hatch burglar alarm. Officer – contact with male.

Code enforcement
1120 E. Highway 180
South of location ref a camp. Officer – negative contact with any camp.

No classification
1220 N. Hudson Street
Stolen (?) last night while she was at work. Officer out at Food Basket for follow-up.

DitchSpeare Auditions
Drop-in auditions for DitchSpeare will take place next week at the Bayard Public Library and the Hearth in Silver City. The irreverent homage to William Shakespeare and contemporaries like Lope de Vega, known as DitchSpeare, has graced the Big Ditch for the last two years with music, poetry, and drama from local performing artists.

Performers are asked to bring a 1-3 minute pre-1700 monologue and be prepared to discuss a longer monologue or scene for performance by Shakespeare or a contemporary and why they would like to perform it. For further questions contact producer Wendy Spurgeon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CLOSURE NOTIFICATION

SILVER CITY, NM, Feb. 14, 2025 – The Gila National Forest offices will be closed Monday, February 17, for President's Day and will resume their regular schedules on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Silver City Ranger District advises visitors to avoid the area during work activities for public safety concerns
SILVER CITY, NM, Feb. 13, 2025 – The Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District advises visitors that Public Service Company of New Mexico is maintaining power line infrastructure through the Gomez Peak picnic area beginning this week. The work is expected to take about two weeks to complete.

"While we are not closing the picnic site for this powerline maintenance, I recommend that visitors avoid areas where active tree cutting is occurring," said Silver City District Ranger Elizabeth Toney.

Heavy equipment will be present as workers perform maintenance of infrastructure associated with the PNM power line. Work will occur on weekdays until project completion. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

MIMBRES, NM, Feb. 13, 2025 – The Gila National Forest, Wilderness Ranger District is planning to conduct multiple prescribed fire projects, including the 250-acre Terry Springs project west of Forest Road 150 and several other units along New Mexico Highway 35 in the Sapillo Campground and Gattons Park area. While no closures will be in effect, smoke may impact campgrounds in the Sapillo and Lake Roberts areas, especially during early morning hours and when ignitions are actively occurring. Implementation of the prescribed burns may begin as early as Feb. 18, 2025, and could continue into the middle of March as conditions allow.

Travel advisories for high winds and blowing dust in Southwest New Mexico have been issued for Friday, February 14, 2025. Current forecasts include sustained wind speeds of 20-30 mph with gusts to 40-50 mph. The highest impact for strong winds and blowing dust will be from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

If you must travel, we recommend you monitor local forecast conditions prior to starting your trip and visit www.nmroads.com for current roadway information. Roadway conditions may change quickly, blowing dust can escalate to blinding dust storms as they move quickly through remote areas.

If you are approaching a dust storm or caught in a dust storm, please follow the guidelines below to help you stay safe.

Bayard, NM – February 12, 2025 – The Bayard Public Library is excited to announce new Saturday hours to better serve the community! Beginning Saturday, February 22, the library will be open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The addition of Saturday hours is part of the library's ongoing efforts to provide greater access to critical resources, programs, and services for the residents of Bayard and surrounding areas in Grant County. These new hours aim to accommodate working families, students, and community members who may find weekday visits challenging.

"We are thrilled to offer Saturday hours!" said Cindy "Renee" Provencio, Head Librarian. "By opening on Saturdays, we hope to give more people the opportunity to explore and access our resources, attend programs, and connect with their neighbors."