Murder suspect arrested

By Roger Lanse

Friday, June 30, 2023, New Mexico State Police officers arrested Joseph William Costello, 29, believed to be involved in the murder of Stephen Timmons on June 26, at Dragonfly Trail near the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. Costello, according to court records and Grant County Detention Center personnel, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony, and on an active bench warrant for violating conditions of his release by a Deming court for an earlier charge of criminal trespass. He was booked into the GCDC that day, June 30.

Costello is being held on a no bond hold. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for July 11, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in Silver City District Court.

Fourth of July Parade 2023 part 1

Photos by Mary Alice Murphy

This is the first of a five-part photo essay on the 2023 Fourth of July Parade

correction:"The Thief Collector" Silver City Première took place June 28, 2023

theif collector premiereThe documentary shown at the Silco Theater served as a fundraiser for the Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center

By Mary Alice Murphy

thief collector premiere 072823From left are Buck Burns, Olivia Miller, David Van Auker and Rick Johnson.

Victoria Chick of the Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center (SWRMAAC) said the benefit documentary, "The Thief Collector," was being premiered in Silver City to raise money "so we can get a building to house the nearly 1,000 pieces of art of that have been donated to us. They range in dates from the 1830s to contemporary art."

Olivia Miller, Director and Curator of Exhibitions for the University of Arizona Museum of Art, once again visited Silver City, this time to talk about the story of what happened after the recovery of an artwork stolen from the museum the day after Thanksgiving in November 1985.

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Silver School board passes armed guard policy

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Consolidated Schools held a work session on June 19, 2023. President Ashley Montenegro called the meeting to order. Other board members in attendance Michelle Diaz, Patrick Cohn, Mike McMillan (by phone), and Eddie Flores. Superintendent William Hawkins also attended. The Pledge of Allegiance and salute to the New Mexico flag took place.

The board approved the agenda.

The purpose of this work session had to do with the superintendent's contract.

The board went into executive session.

The board came back into open session and reported the actions that had taken place.

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New wildfire ignition on Gila National Forest

Antelope Fire is located in a remote area of Black Range Ranger District

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM, July 5, 2023 – Firefighters are responding to a new wildfire ignition about 16 miles north-northwest of Winston, NM in the Black Range. The 20-acre Antelope Fire was reported this morning and is a result of a lightning strike.

Antelope Fire is located on the northeast slope of Dolan Mountain, near the Continental Divide Trail and within about a half mile of a 500KV powerline that serves west Texas and El Paso. Gila National Forest is working with El Paso Electric Company as a cooperator in response to the fire. Incident responders include a Very Large Air Tanker, a Large Air Tanker, two Single Engine Air Tankers, a Type 1 helicopter, and a Fixed Wing Air Attack platform to oversee aerial operations. Additionally, the Vail Interagency Hotshots, Gila Hotshots, and Mormon Lake Hotshots, Santiam Modules 1 and 2, and Engine Crew 621 hiked in to size up and take suppression actions.

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Fatal Crash in Luna County, NM 070223

Luna County, NM – On July 2, 2023, at around 10:00 p.m., the New Mexico State Police investigated a fatal crash involving 3 vehicles on Highway 26 near mile marker 10, north of Deming, NM

The initial investigation indicated that a 1993 water tanker truck was traveling east on Highway 26. A 2016 Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) was also traveling east on Highway 26. For reasons still under investigation, the CMV made contact with the rear of the water tanker truck and went into the westbound lane of travel, causing a head on collision with a 2019 Chevy SUV. Kay Chandler (77) of Deming, NM a passenger in the Chevy, was transported to an area hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The driver of the water tanker was not injured. The driver of the CMV and another passenger of the Chevy were transported to an area hospital. Their conditions are unknown.

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Be wary of new IRS scam

On  July 3, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new scam mailing that tries to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund.

The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is "in relation to your unclaimed refund."

Like many scams, the letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS, and it seeks a variety of sensitive personal information from taxpayers – including detailed pictures of driver's licenses. All this can be used by identity thieves to try obtaining a tax refund and other sensitive financial information from your accounts.

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Pass Fire Update July 5, 2023

Pass Fire

Gila National Forest Incident Commander Robert Laeng IC and Josh Johnson IC(T)

Hours: 8 am-4:30 pm Email: 2023.Pass@Firenet.gov

Acres: 59,904
Location: 40 miles west of Winston, NM
Containment: 32%
Personnel: 140, 1 Type 3 Helicopter
Start Date: May 18, 2023
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Timber, piñon/juniper and grass

Containment on the Pass Fire has increased as fire crews accomplished work to secure containment lines along the southeastern edge of the perimeter resulting in the protection of private inholdings adjacent to the Gila National Forest. Hand ignitions performed the last couple of days allowed the fire to burn out excess vegetation along Iron Trail #771 and White Rocks Trail #27, with the goal of improving and securing containment lines. Today, firefighters will monitor and patrol the Pass Fire by ground and air to ensure those containment lines stay secured. Containment lines act as boundaries to keep the fire corralled until it is completely out.

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