Front Page News

By Roger Lanse

Photo and video by Lynn Janes (below)

June 1. 2024 – 10:30 p.m.

Black smoke was seen billowing into the sky Saturday, around 6 p.m., June 1, 2024, from a two-acre fire at a scrap yard in the area of Rosedale, Rodeo, and Spring Creek roads, and the smoke was observed from as far away as Deming, T or C, and Glenwood. According to Silver City Fire Department Chief Milo Lambert, 49 firefighters from every volunteer fire department in the county, with the possible exception of Sapillo Volunteer Fire, and 13 firefighters from SCFD, responded to the fire. Also responding were the Silver City Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Fire on Rodeo off Rosedale. Every fire departmentt in the area is on it for full suppression.

More photos at bottom

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Consolidated Schools held a work session and regular meeting, on May 20, 2024, at the Silver High School theater. Members in attendance Ashley Montenegro, Michelle Diaz, Patrick Cohn, Mike McMillan, and Kimberly Klement. Superintendent William Hawkins also attended.

Work session

The board had a presentation by Capital AE for the facilities master plan. The plan involves facts, goals, demographics, needs, growth and the finances needed to develop the plan. The district has held several workshops and the turnout had been approximately 35 each time.

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting May 14, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano and councilors Rudy Bencomo, Nicholas Prince, and Stan Snider.

The town of Silver City recognized Heather Franklin, Silver City poet Laureate for 2024-2026, with a proclamation. She thanked them for the honor and looked forward to advocacy for poetry and support for literature and literacy.

Council comments

By Roger Lanse

Two Bayard Police Department officers and an officer from the Santa Clara Police Department were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at 113 S. Yucca Street in Bayard on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at about 5:45 p.m. When officers arrived, they found two males on the ground, with one, later identified as Danny Ray Young, 38, of Santa Clara, having the other in a headlock.

According to a BPD incident report, Young resisted when officers attempted to cuff him and place him in investigative detention, saying, "Kill me, shoot me, just kill me." An officer requested an ambulance and Young was cleared medically by EMS.

By Roger Lanse

On Saturday, May 25, 2024, at about 7:31 a.m., a Grant County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched to an address on Brushy Mountain Road in Mule Creek in relation to a burglary involving a safe that had been removed from the house.

According to a GCSO offense report, the victim told the deputy she had been living at the location constantly for four months taking care of her mom and had not left the house until Wednesday, May 22. According to the victim, the only people who knew she would be gone were her ex-husband and son. This morning, May 25, she said she noticed her safe, measuring four feet tall, one foot wide, and weighing approximately 100 pounds, normally kept in a back room, was missing. The safe contained coins valued at more than $20,000, including four solid gold coins worth $3,000 each.

Photos, videos and articles by Martha Hamblen

[Editor's Note: The Beat has had several tech challenges in the past few days. We had videos to post, but the software did not cooperate, so videos will be added as they become available.]

Opening Day of the 29th Annual Silver City Blues Festival was met with a perfect day - a clear blue sky and mild temperatures. Even though Festival goers were faced with gusty winds, it only served to quickly spread the delicious smells from the many food vendors.   

At the start of the Festival early Saturday morning there were already dozens of exuberant, dancing Blues fans at Gough Park. 

Motorists should expect roadway closures. 

SILVER CITY- The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One along with Highland Enterprise Inc. (Contractor) will be continuing a maintenance operation project to place "chip seal" pavement on NM 15 and NM 35 in Grant County. The chip seal process is a surface treatment that is placed on the existing pavement. It is designed to seal out moisture and create a more durable surface extending the longevity of the roadway.