Front Page News

The Beat wants our readers' feedback.

The Grant County Beat will soon be upgrading the Beat's website. It seems like a good idea now to learn from our readers what they read most often on the Beat. We would also like to hear your likes, dislikes, what additions you would like to see, as well as what subtractions you would prefer.

Brian Hodes/VeloImages/Courtesy of Tour of the Gila. Silver City, NM — For the 37th year, Tour of the Gila brings a world-class cycling event to Silver City. Race organizers are grateful for the local community's support and invites all to come watch the races, which occur from Wednesday, April 24, through Sunday, April 28. To ensure a safe and positive experience for the athletes, volunteers and supporters, Tour of the Gila offers the following schedule detailing impacts to area roads and highways while the races are underway. Residents and visitors are encouraged to plan travel during race week accordingly. Any changes or updates to the schedule below will be posted online at tourofthegila.com.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Bayard held a special meeting April 2, 2024. Attendance included Mayor John L. Ojinaga, Mayor Pro Tem Eloy Medina, councilors, Frances Gonzales, Eloy Gonzales, and Gilbert Ortiz. Tanya Ortiz, deputy clerk, also attended.   

Public input 

[Editor's Note: The topic of the first three presenters in public input refers to the proposal to rehire the former clerk/treasurer at a salary of $120,000.]

Steve Potts, a resident of Bayard, said they all had been voted in and entrusted to keep the city financially sound. He commented that the city did not have much income and Bayard has to run on a tight budget. A lot of people working for the city make less than what they should be paid. "When you look at bringing someone back you must look at their past performance. Maybe they left because of more money. You can't offer more money than before. As a council you need to keep the budget." The city must rely on volunteers because the residents have been told the city does not have any money. He said if you hire someone for that much money many people will be asking questions and may not be willing to do so much for free. 

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a potential several articles on the Gila Regional Board of Trustees meeting on March 20, 2024. It primarily covers the audit report.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Gila Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees Vice Chair Betty Vega led the meeting in the absence of Chair Dr. Fred Fox.

With no board comments or chair comments, Vega announced the recognitions. Although none of the recipients was present, Dr. Norman Ratliff received recognition for his 10 years of service as a cardiologist at Gila Regional. Kerri Henderson was recognized for her five years of service in nursing, and Meagan Kuehnlenz for five years of service in EMS (emergency medical services).

By Frost McGahey

Connie Holguin

Randy Hernandez[Editor's Note: This is part 1 of several articles, which have been done through an emailed questionnaire. This series covers only the local contested races in the Primary election. For the General Election every contested race candidate will receive a questionnaire a month or more before the General Election, for publication prior to early voting.]

 As a public service the Grant County Beat is asking Candidates questions so voters can determine who they want to vote for in the coming Democrat primary, June 4, 2024. Since there are no Republican contested races, the focus is on the races in the Democrat Primary. This is only a partially closed primary so Independent and Declined to State can vote in it.

Connie's answers are first followed by Randy's.  (Ladies first)

Here are some key 2024 dates to remember:

These  links below pertain to any citizen living in the state of New Mexico. The option is to visit your local county clerk's office or call them for more information. For those in Grant County, the number to call is 575-574-0042.

By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist

Marisa Castrillo, Grant County ClerkIn the 2021 election for Town District 2, County Clerk Marisa Castrillo blocked Simon Wheaton-Smith from filing a Declaration of Candidacy on the filing day of August 24th.  Castrillo claimed that since Wheaton-Smith hadn't lived in District 2 on the date of the governor's proclamation, (90 days ago) he was ineligible. Wheaton-Smith had been living in the district on the regular filing date of 70 days before the election.

(See excerpt from Candidate Guide at end of article.  There is no election deadline in the proclamation law.*)

Before then a forum had been organized by the Silver City Press on August 6th to discuss what candidates needed to know in order to file.** The county had taken over the Town elections. 

By Roger Lanse

As a Bayard Police Department officer was patrolling the area of Central Avenue and Mayo Street on Saturday, Apr. 6, 2024, at about 7 a.m., he noticed a male standing by the Bayard Post Office and observed damage to the front door of the post office.

According to a BPD incident report, the officer made contact with the male, who identified himself as Raymond Chavez with a birthdate of Aug.15,1989. He denied any knowledge of the door's damage – "I don't know. That's what I was just looking at, Bro." The male then walked away although the officer requested him to stay. Based on bodycam footage, the male was identified as Christopher Amador, 34, of Silver City. The Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority informed the officer Amador had a felony warrant for his arrest.