Front Page News

 Santa Clara new fire truck Photo courtesy of Leandra EsparzaBy Lynn Janes

(Writers note; article written using the minutes provided by the Village of Santa Clara due to technical issues.)

The Village of Santa Clara held a regular meeting January 23, 2025. Mayor Arnold Lopez called the meeting to order. Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza, Tustees, Peter Erickson and Ralph Trujillo attended. Olga Amador did not attend.

The council approved the agenda with changes to the quote for the tanker from $455,577.00 to $498,577.00. The council approved the minutes and department head reports without changes.

Traffic Alert – Roadway closure expected to last 30 minutes

SILVER CITY - The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One, in partnership with Mountain States Constructors, Inc., is widening U.S. 180 from a 2-lane to a 4-lane road from Bayard to Hurley.

Crews have planned a rock blast for Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. U.S. 180 will be closed from Lusk St. to the Bayard Cemetery at milepost 125.8. Please expect delays. These closures are expected to last 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour.

The NMDOT is committed to the safety of the traveling public and thanks you for your cooperation during this work. For updated information go to: NMDOT at www.nmroads.com  or call 511.

SILVER CITY - The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One, in partnership with Mountain States Constructors, Inc., is widening U.S. 180 from a 2-lane to a 4-lane road from Bayard to Hurley.

This project will permanently remove the Hurley Bridge over US 180 replacing it with a new roadway and traffic pattern for Lime Quarry Rd. Beginning Friday, January 31, 2025, at 5 pm US 180 will be closed to begin bridge removal. A detour will be in place on Carrazco Ave, Diaz Ave, to N Hurley Road for both eastbound and westbound traffic. Closure will be in place until Monday, February 3, 2025, at 12 p.m.

Travelers are advised to slow down, adhere to posted signs, and anticipate possible delays. Crews will be working around the clock to reopen the roadway as quickly as possible to minimize disruptions. We appreciate your patience.

The NMDOT is committed to the safety of the traveling public and thanks you for your cooperation during this work. For updated information go to: NMDOT at www.nmroads.com  or call 511.

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting January 14, 2025. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano, Nicholas Prince, Rudy Bencomo and Stan Snider.

Council comments.

Snider said he had received a few dozen emails plus phone calls and texts supporting the proposed community advisory board. He thanked all that had reached out and attended the meeting to speak. He wanted to address a Silver City Daily Press headline that said, "Police Oversight on Silver City Agenda." "This is wrong, tonight they will be looking at an advisory board. Oversight indicates they will be involved in the day-to-day operations." The ordinance says if a board member would become involved, they would be removed. The correct term would be advisory.

Traffic Alert – Roadway closure expected to last 30 minutes

SILVER CITY - The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One, in partnership with Mountain States Constructors, Inc., is widening U.S. 180 from a 2-lane to a 4-lane road from Bayard to Hurley.

Crews have planned a rock blast for Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 12 p.m. U.S. 180 will be closed from Lusk St. to the Bayard Cemetery at milepost 125.8. Please expect delays. This closure is expected to last 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour.

Dr. Shepard – the focus of a Political Witch Hunt?

By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist

At the Prospectors Forum at WNMU in December, legislatures spoke out against the attacks on Dr. Shepard.

Representative Luis Terrazas said, "It's unfortunate that we're getting some special attention from the north that I think is unwarranted and it's not fair."

Senator Crystal Diamond-Brantley called what's happening to Dr. Shepard, "a political witch hunt…by outside influencers."*

PHOENIX, AZ, January 27, 2025 – Freeport-McMoRan is pleased to announce its foundation has awarded $3 million to 66 projects across its 12 U.S. operating communities in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico and Texas through its Community and Social Investment Funds.

"The success of our community investments depends on genuine partnerships with communities to identify opportunities, address potential risks to resilience and well-being, and collaboratively develop initiatives that strengthen communities for the long term," said Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation. "We deeply value our relationships with community partners, as these collaborations enable us to contribute effectively to projects and programs that deliver meaningful social benefits and build the foundation for resilience in a post-mining future.

By Roger Lanse

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at about 7:36 a.m., Silver City Police Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Swan Street and Silver Heights Blvd., where 49-year-old Shelly Haley of Silver City suffered severe injuries resulting from a hit and run driver.

According to a Silver City Police Department crash report, witnesses said the victim was walking north on Swan Street, crossing Silver Heights Blvd in the designated crosswalk, when a vehicle traveling south on Swan Street and turning left to go east on Silver Heights Blvd, collided with the victim and left at a high rate of speed. The victim was found by SCPD officers lying on Silver Heights Blvd. approximately 30 feet east of the crosswalk.