Front Page News

Grant County Detention Center Administrator Joseph Andazola, left,  recognized  the facility's Supervisor of the Year Sgt. Justin Gander and Officer of the Year Alexis Gholson. 

[Editor's Note: This is the second of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting. It begins with county director reports.]

Photo and article by Mary Alice Murphy

The June 11, 2024 Grant County Commission work session continued with director reports; The first came from Grant County Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger.

She noted that County Fire Chief Roger Groves and Loren Gonzalez had traveled to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport for live fire training on May 23, 2024. They completed the final requirement for them to receive Airport Rescue and Fire Fighter certification. "We now have four fully certified ARFF individuals."

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The Grant County Commission June 11, 2024 work session followed a special meeting, which can be read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/85257-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-061124

No one provided public input at this meeting, because they had all spoken during the public comments time at the preceding special meeting, all in opposition to a contract that was on the work session agenda for discussion.

The presentation featured Levi Stockton, president and pilot for Advanced Air, which provides essential air service to the Grant County Airport.

Photos Courtesy of Sylvia Mikes

The annual Hummingbird Festival took place on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site as a fundraiser for the Imogene F. Wilson Education Foundation.

As the name of the festival notes, activities center around the annual migration of hummingbirds into and through the region. Numerous feeders are scattered throughout the site. Hummingbird banders start early in the morning when the birds are most active. The colorful birds are caught in a cloth mesh cage and handled carefully by the bander, so that he can see if the bird has been banded before or if it's a new one to the region. After the bird is banded and fed by the bander, he will hold the bird next to someone's ear and they can hear the heartbeat. Before the bander releases the bird, often a child will have the opportunity to hold one in his or her hand until it flies away.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Hurley held a regular meeting July 16, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ed Stevens, Mayor Pro Tem Nanette Day, councilors, Reynaldo Maynes, Keana Huerta (online) and James Langley.

Public Input

George Moreno introduced himself and said he has also been known as a cave man by the Mayor Pro Tem. This comment came from a social media post Day had made about the town of Hurley residents. As the committee chair for the planning of the Big Muddy he said that they had received 36 responses. Some of the things asked for had been shady areas, cooking areas, splash park, walking path, putting green, volleyball, community garden, pickle ball, corn hole and dog park. They will continue to work with the engineer on the project as they go.

Moreno added, "I am disappointed that the Mayor Pro Tem is here, we will do a recall."

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting July 23, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano, Rudy Bencomo, Nicholas Prince, and Stan Snider (phone).

Council comments

Bencomo had attended a meeting on the new recreation center with Alex Brown, town manager, James Marshall, assistant town manager, architect and project manager. He had been very impressed and what stood out had been how young the architect and project manager had been. He encouraged kids to look into that line of work. He wanted to remind people on the Department of Transportation meeting the following night concerning the proposed light safety project on highway 180 from 14th Street to Fort Bayard Road at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center.

By Roger Lanse

On Saturday, July 24, 2024, at about 3:14 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to the Ben Altamirano Sports Complex at 2900 32nd Street Bypass, to a reported harassment. The Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority stated to the officers that an adult male caller, later identified as Anthony Gonzalez, 33, of Hurley, stated he was being harassed by another adult male, later identified as Albert Arsola, 71, of Silver City.

Photos by Mary Alice Murphy

The 2024 CLAY Festival held a CLAY market Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at the Murray Hotel in downtown Silver City.

Organized this year by  Western New Mexico University Associate Professor of Ceramic and Expressive Arts, as well as Department Chair of Expressive Arts Courtney Michaud, the entire CLAY Festival, which began earlier in the week, culminated in the market. She was on hand to answer questions.

Charmayne Samuelson spoke about her book on Spencer MacCallum who discovered master potter Juan Quezada and promoted the Mata Ortiz pottery.

Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

At the Silver City Museum Annex, the museum hosted not only Oralia Lopez demonstrating her painting style on her pottery, they also exhibited a large selection of pottery from other Mata Ortiz potters.

Lopez used a single hair cut from a child's head to paint her very detailed pottery.  She said a child's hair is more flexible for the delicate strokes she makes.

The featured speaker was Charmayne Samuelson, who interviewed Spencer MacCallum, and wrote a book about how MacCallum met the master Mata Ortiz potter, Juan Quezada, and promoted Quezada and the other potters of Casas Grandes, Mexico, to international status.