Community News

 SILVER CITY, New Mexico – The Town of Silver City Parks and Recreation Department regrets to announce that the grand opening of the newly constructed Henry V. "La Burra" Recreation Center will be delayed. While excitement around the facility remains high, additional time is needed for Town staff to fully mobilize and prepare for safe and successful operations.

The Town is working diligently to complete final preparations, including staff onboarding, equipment setup, and operational logistics. A new opening date will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

We appreciate the community's patience and continued support as we work to open the Recreation Center in the best possible way. For updates, please visit the Town of Silver City website at www.townofsilvercity.org or follow us on social media.

Silver City, NM – Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) is pleased to welcome back Dr. Teresa Arizaga, MD, to the team. A familiar face in the community and highly respected psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Arizaga brings a broad range of expertise in behavioral healthcare and a deep commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.

A graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Dr. Arizaga completed both her medical degree and residency training in psychiatry at UNM. 

"Living in a small community with limited resources has allowed me to gain a lot of experience in consult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and addiction medicine," said Dr. Arizaga.

Dr. Arizaga is now seeing patients at the Gila Regional Integrated Behavioral Health clinic, located at 1313 E. 32nd Street, Silver City, NM 88061. For appointments, please call (575) 538-4090.

Light Art Space is holding a closing reception for Perceptions and It's a Fine Line, two CLAY exhibitions as part of the 2025 CLAY Festival.  Join us 6 – 8 pm for refreshments and the announcement of awards. 

Friday, July 18th and Saturday July 19th  Mata Ortiz artist, Anna Trillo, will demonstrate the traditional painting of pottery using human hair in the sculpture garden. Her pottery will be available for purchase. 

SILVER CITY, N.M. – On June 26, 2025, Grant County proudly welcomed the New Mexico State University President’s Tour, an initiative aimed at strengthening connections between NMSU leadership and communities across the state. The visit showcased the outstanding work of the Grant County Cooperative Extension Service and celebrated the partnerships that support local agriculture, youth development, and community education.

The event began with opening remarks from Jon Boren, ACES Associate Dean and Director of the Cooperative Extension Service, and Tom Dean, Department Head for the Southwest District. A detailed presentation followed, led by Jessica Massengill and Michelle Greeman, highlighting the wide-ranging efforts and impact of Grant County Extension programs—from 4-H youth development to agricultural outreach and community wellness.

Honoring Nature's Smallest Heroes:

SANTA CLARA, NM — The Jacob Bennett Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Village of Santa Clara invites the public to a special dedication ceremony for the new Pollinator Hotel and Educational Marker on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM at The Mercado and Pollinator Garden on Fort Bayard Street in Santa Clara, New Mexico.

This engaging community event celebrates the completion of a long-anticipated project aimed at raising awareness about the vital role pollinators play in our ecosystem. Pollinator hotels are manmade structures that mimic the natural habitats of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, offering them shelter and a safe place to thrive. As pollinator populations continue to decline worldwide, these efforts are more important than ever.

SILVER CITY, N.M. - Western New Mexico University's athletic training staff has been selected as the 2024–25 Lone Star Conference Athletic Training Staff of the Year among football-playing institutions. It is the program's second recognition in the past three seasons, having also earned the honor in 2022–23.

The Mustang staff is led by Head Athletic Trainer Terra Dunlap, who recently completed her 18th year at WNMU. In addition to her role in sports medicine, Dunlap also serves as the university's Senior Woman Administrator, providing leadership and guidance across the athletic department.

Assisting Dunlap during the 2024–25 academic year were Assistant Athletic Trainers Jocelyn Hurtado and Brooke Weisenberger, along with student assistants Selma Carrasco, Sorrin Garcia, Nicholas Bobo and Maxx Todden. The group provides year-round medical coverage for 13 varsity sport programs, ensuring the health and safety of Mustang student-athletes.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Western New Mexico University is proud to announce the return of Micaela Medina as the new assistant coach for the women's basketball program. A former WNMU student-athlete and graduate assistant, Medina brings a strong coaching background, years of experience at the high school level, and a deep connection to Mustang basketball.

Medina's coaching journey began at Western New Mexico University, where she served as a graduate assistant under Coach Rusty Kennedy from 2012 to 2015. That period included one of the most successful seasons in program history, and she played a key role in the team's day-to-day operations and player development. She went on to serve as a varsity assistant at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, helping the program capture a district championship and earn a top-ten seed in the state tournament. She then took over as head coach at Cobre High School in Bayard, where she led the team to its first state tournament appearance in more than a decade. Most recently, Medina spent five seasons as the head coach at Valencia High School in Los Lunas, guiding the Jaguars to two quarterfinal appearances in the New Mexico State Basketball Tournament and elevating the program's competitiveness within the state.

[Editor's Note: This got waylaid by an expectation that someone else was going to write this up, and they didn't. This author took notes, but gave them to other person who failed to do the job.Therefore this is being written from a recording of the presentation and the PDF of the presentation, thanks to the presenter. And apologies for it being well beyond the time it should have been reported.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

On April 12, 2025, in preparation for what was expected to be a bad fire season locally due to extended drought, with little to no precipitation during the winter season, Douglas Cram, the New Mexico State University Extension Service Forest and Fire specialist, presented this program at the Grant County Administration Center Commissioners' Chambers. He also gave credit to Jessica Swapp Massengill, Grant County Agriculture and 4-H agent and Michelle Greeman, Family and Consumer Services and 4-H.