Community News

The historic Holy Cross Church in Pinos Altos will soon be profaned, as recently authorized by Bishop Peter Baldacchino, Diocese of Las Cruces.

According to Grant County records, the Catholic church and the adjoining Catholic cemetery were deeded to the Diocese of El Paso by John W. Fleming on March 10, 1934. Prior to that date, the United States of America, on August 23, 1926, designated the property in trust for the several uses and benefits of the occupants of the Townsite of Pinos Altos.

WNMU Associate Professor of English and the former Poet Laureate of Silver City and Grant County, Heather Frankland, MFA, MPHSILVER CITY, NM — Western New Mexico University Associate Professor of English and the previous Poet Laureate of Silver City and Grant County, Heather Frankland, MFA, MPH, is featured in the released publication, "CACTI FUR COLLECTIVE Volume 1." This volume of the poetry split (a type of longform anthology), published by Grandma Moses Press, edited by Tim Staley, forwards written by Alexis Montoya, showcases a curated selection of voices from Southern New Mexico.

Frankland's work is featured alongside contributors Susan Melinda Morée, Beate Sigriddaughter and Elise Stuart, two former Silver City Poets Laureate. The collection extends "Cacti Fur," an online poetry journal hosted by Grandma Moses Press.

In addition to this publication, Frankland is embarking on a series of professional and creative activities through the summer. In May, she served as a poetry mentor for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Writer-to-Writer Mentorship Program, a national initiative where Frankland was selected to guide an emerging poet for three months. Frankland also participated in the 30/30 Project by Tupelo Press, a fundraising effort for the independent press; she joined eight other poets in the challenge of writing one poem per day for the entire month of May.

The Historical Society of New Mexico has announced that Dr. Doug Dinwiddie, President of the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society, will receive this year's Dorothy Woodward Award for advancement of education in New Mexico history.

The announcement reads in part "We were impressed with your tireless efforts to educate the public about New Mexico, and specifically Fort Bayard, history, through teaching, speaking engagements, leading historical tours and field trips, serving as President of the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society, assisting in operation of the Fort Bayard Museum, involvement in community activities, and advocating for funding to support improvements at the Fort Bayard site." The award will be officially presented at the annual meeting of the HSNM in September.

WNMU Nursing Instructor Joline Lowe, RN, MSN-Ed., DNP(c), showing one of her many teaching aids. The two types of snakes help nurses identify the snake bite a patient may haveSILVER CITY, NM — WNMU Nursing Instructor Joline Lowe, RN, MSN-Ed., DNP(c) recently earned statewide recognition for transforming high-stress nursing training into interactive, hands-on games that build critical thinking in future healthcare workers.

The statewide honor is awarded by the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium leadership council to recognize educators who advance high-quality, standardized nursing education. The NMNEC curriculum links nursing programs across New Mexico, allowing students to seamlessly transfer credits between participating state colleges and universities.

Lowe, who recently completed her first year of teaching at WNMU after relocating from San Antonio, Texas, was selected for her ability to transform complex clinical concepts into highly engaging, hands-on classroom experiences.

SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO: Have you seen the banners decorating downtown streets in Silver City? Thanks to a generous gift from Freeport-McMoRan, the Jacob Bennett Chapter, NSDAR in Silver City purchased over 80 America 250 and patriotic banners to decorate downtown Silver City in celebration of America's 250th birthday. Members of Silver City Main Street and the local DAR chapter installed these double-sided banners on both sides of downtown main streets before Independence Day. The banners will remain up through Fall, and the patriotic banners can be re-used for several years to come.

Lila KnadlerThanks to the generous support of the Grant County community through their purchase of New Mexican grown pecans, two recent graduates of county high schools will each receive a $1,500 scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year from the Chapter AG, P.E.O. Foundation Scholarship account. The annual fall pecan fundraiser has been a successful chapter project for over 60 years, enabling scores of young women to realize their educational goals.

This year's local scholarship recipients are Lila Knadler and Taylianna Castillo. Knadler graduated with honors from Aldo Leopold Charter School where she participated in the Youth Conservation Corps and the New Earth Project. At Silver High Lila was a soccer team member and varsity cheer team captain. She benefitted from working at Western New Mexico University's Child Development Center and enjoys her employment at June June's. She plans on studying Psychology at Northern Arizona University this fall.

As her Senior Class President and Homecoming Queen at Silver High School, Castillo has excelled in basketball at not only district and state levels but also nationally in NCAA competition. Tayli also was a valued member of the soccer and track and field teams. Her contributions to her school's athletic training program were well recognized. Having already concurrently completed an Associate's Degree at WNMU, Taylianna will be majoring in electro mechanical technology engineering and playing basketball at Northern New Mexico College.Thereafter she wants to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering at UNM.

Lordsburg, NM — On Saturday, July 25th, Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) hosted its fourth annual Celebrate Hidalgo County event. The annual family event took place at North Park and welcomed residents from the local area and surrounding communities.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage with various local healthcare system participants, including HMS' Behavioral Health, Dental, Family Support, Human Resources, Credentialing, I.T., Medical, Mobile Unit, Nursing, and Transportation divisions. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about HMS Vision services, beginning in early August. 

Western New Mexico University science students and WNMU Professor of Biology Manda Jost, Ph.D., far right raising her hand, research in the Gulf of California during a monthlong marine biology field course on the Sonoran coast of MexicoSILVER CITY, NM — Western New Mexico University science students recently returned from a strenuous marine biology field course in the Gulf of California, where they spent two weeks conducting field research on the Sonoran coast of Mexico.

The six-credit summer course, led by WNMU Professor of Biology Manda Jost, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Biology, Caleb Laughran, Ph.D., pushed zoology and wildlife majors to their physical, mental and academic limits. 

"It was beautiful to see," said student Azlan Kozimor, describing the landscape where the Sonoran Desert meets the ocean. "Literally on the beach, there was just cactus and desert scrub that we're kind of used to here, but then the ocean was steps away."