Letters to Editor

All children learn differently, and what works for one child may not work for another. My son has struggled with school from a young age, and I was constantly concerned about his ability to succeed.

He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which makes focusing in a traditional classroom difficult. Small distractions such as noise, temperature, or classmates can cause him to stop paying attention. Over the years, we tried private school, public school, and tutoring, but progress was limited.

Virtual school has changed everything. My son is now in eighth grade, maintaining an A and B average, completing assignments on time, and taking responsibility for his learning. I am able to communicate easily with his teachers, and together we guide him through lessons and expectations. This collaboration has allowed him to flourish academically while building confidence.

Our family chose virtual school after the pandemic began in 2020, and we have been with Connections Academy for over five years. From the beginning, we found that the curriculum challenged our children and met their individual needs far better than traditional classrooms. Both of our children are now excelling, testing above grade level, and fully prepared for college-level work.

Living in a rural community, our children are able to participate in Junior High and High School Rodeo while helping with farm responsibilities. Virtual school provides the flexibility to complete assignments from the road, keeping them on track academically without sacrificing extracurricular commitments. They both maintain straight As and have grown in focus, efficiency, and independence thanks to the self-paced structure of virtual education.

Dear Editor,
The Trout Fire of 2025 was a wakeup call for residents. The wildfire spread quickly and affected many: volunteer fire-fighters worked tirelessly for two weeks alongside state and federal units, locals housed evacuees and their pets, people organized food delivery. The risk of dangerous fire in our area may have worsened since then, as the drought continues. We have all seen large stands of trees that have died in the last year. Climate change is not something that will affect us in the future – we are living through it now.

Pat O'Connell
Gabriel Aguilera
Gregory Nibert
Commissioners,
NM Public Regulatory Commission

Dear Commissioners...how interesting that just when the energy industry is getting interesting again --- after 20 years or so of flatlined demand --- Bernhard Capital Partners now seeks to acquire The NM Gas Company. Likewise, dear Commissioners, a private firm seeks to acquire PNM.

In the '70s the energy industry suffered thru a 'supply shock', today, the industry is now facing a 'demand shock'; and as New Mexico's Energy-Regulatory Commissioners, I urge you to perform due diligence and require Bernhard Capital to provide your Commission, with a dedicated review—Bernhard's complete record of industry activity, including any and all infractions of laws and regulations.

As West Las Vegas Schools Superintendent, I support the road package currently going through the legislature. Here’s why.

Safety. Our school buses require efficient and reliable roads, as dangerous roads are a safety hazard.

Maintenance. When buses are forced to use substandard roads, it costs the district money to make repairs. This reduces funding available for student needs.

I sympathize with Jamie Charleston's aesthetic concerns about mining operations around Silver City.( LTE: A View With a Question Mark 1/14/26)

When my wife and I moved here over 20 years ago, we discovered a hiker's paradise. If you extend your trailhead to an hour's drive circumference from Silver City, you can spend a lifetime and never explore it all. It's just magnificent.

Before Juniper pollen sidelined us, we spent many days, both on and off-trail, hiking in this area. In all that time, outside of the Gomez Peak - Little Walnut areas, I don't think we met more than a dozen fellow hikers. The question then arises, how many people in Grant County are or would be inconvenienced by mining activity, present or future? I would guess less than 10 percent, and most of us would probably rate forest fires a far greater aesthetic problem than mining operations.

As I drive east on Highway 180, I'm greeted by that massive, multi-colored mountain. Some folks call it beautiful. I prefer trees on my mountains. Pines. Junipers. Maybe something that looks like it might photosynthesize.

What's funny is that when I drive around Silver City, I see plenty of mountains with trees on them—north, south, west. Honest mountains. Mountains that don't look like a geology PowerPoint slide. But now I hear another company has purchased leases on more than 13,000 acres near Pinos Altos, and I find myself wondering: will my view to the north soon rival my view to the east? And after that, what about the south and west? Am I slowly encircling myself with a full 360-degree panorama of treeless, multi-colored ambition?

Yesterday afternoon I was part of the group at Swan St. and Silver Heights Blvd. holding signs and flags, showing our disapproval of the Trump Administration's actions and policies.

We were also part of the group at Saturday's No Kings Rally.

As expected, many of the passing drivers ignored us, many honked and waved, a few flipped us off. All normal.

What I didn't expect was a few drivers pulling the stunt known as rolling coal. Most readers are familiar with the practice some Diesel truck drivers use to lay clouds of black, partially burned Diesel fumes, usually aimed at people they don't like, for whatever reason.