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Dear Community Members:

PUBLIC NOTICE

As part of our continued efforts to modernize our health system, we recently changed from a paper process to an electronic process for documentation of our ER visit charges. Shortly after the change, we identified that some ER visits were receiving higher charges than we would expect.

By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist

(Editor's Note: Names have been changed for protection.)

In March of 2024, Steve shot himself. His story is one of failures of people and institutions.

Steve had dementia and Parkinson's and other health conditions requiring daily medical care. He was a 68-year-old man, living by himself who had lost his long-time companion of 25 years, Susan, to liver cancer five months earlier. As a registered nurse, she had been caring for him. With her death, her daughter Kate and her family took over care because they considered him family.

Kate and husband, Joe Drinkwater, lived 30 minutes away from Steve in the Mimbres Valley. Their son had started living with the grandparents to help provide care when Susan became ill. He continued to stay after her death in to help take care of Steve. He considered Steve his grandpa. But Steve's dementia worsened to the point of agitation and hallucinations, and he had always been a heavy drinker.

Photos by Mary Alice Murphy

The ever popular annual Mimbres Harvest Festival brings out not only vendors, but also competitions, food and a health fair for all who take part. Any participant always gets to walk a distance, as the parking fills up the road the San Lorenzo School is on. The event does provide a bus and ATVs and golf carts to get people to and from their cars parked far away. [This author took advantage of one when she left.]

The always enjoyed pie competition featured out of  11 pies the first place was a blueberry-lemon pie by Susan Walter and second when to the pecan pie [This author did not get the other bakers' names.] For the empanadas, first place out of 18 went to a cherry one and second to a pumpkin empanada. Slices of pie and empanadas were sold. [This author really liked the Key Lime pie and the apricot empanadas she bought.]

The WNMU Homecoming parade took place on Oct. 5, 2024. The date also happened to be the anniversary of President Joseph Shepard's and his wife, Valerie Plame's fourth anniversary. 

The parade honored this inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame the afternoon before and featured many sports teams and organizations of the university. 

To pause the slide show, mouse over the image.

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting October 8, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano, Rudy Bencomo, Nicholas Prince and Stan Snider.

Council comments.

Prince started with everything he had been doing in the past several weeks. He had helped one of the schools with their activated live shooter system. His mother lives around Tampa where a hurricane will be happening, and he had to assist her in evacuating her home. He listed many other meetings and events. Prince thanked the council and employees for all the work they do to keep the town running. " We need to recognize our power to help the public and use it." He encouraged the public to have a greater and deeper engagement with the community. "I know we all wear many hats and get spread thin."

The WNMU 2024 Hall of Fame inductees

Photo and article by Mary Alice Murphy

Western New Mexico University's Light Hall on Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2024, filled with families and friends of the 12 individuals who were presented and inducted into the 2024 WNMU Alumni Hall of Fame.

A reception outside the auditorium offered food and drink for those attending the celebration. People found old friends from their time at the university and chatted with friends and neighbors.

A bit before the ceremony began at 3 p.m., the doors of the hall opened to allow people to stream in for the ceremony.

Frost McGahey, Investigative Reporter.

On October 7, 2024, the editor of the Grant County Beat received the following email:

From: Jennie Becerra  
Subject: Question RE: Public Notification-Full Disclosure

Good afternoon, I am writing to inquire about your paper’s practice in reference to notifying the public when an author of an article has a private interest in the information being published. I have noted a number of negative articles published in your paper by Frost McGahey. I have not noticed any type of commentary advising the public that this reporter or “investigative journalist” has a private interest in speaking poorly of the current D.A.  

To download a PDF of the release, please visit the following link: Freeport Reports Third-Quarter And Nine-Month 2024 Results

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