Community Forum — How Eddy County Elections Actually Work

Life Skills Are Back in the Classroom at SENMC

Community Forum welcomes Shannon Newton, the new Life Skills instructor for community education at Southeast New Mexico College. The conversation covers a three-part course she’s built from the ground up — and why she believes the skills it teaches are ones most people had to figure out the hard way. The program is divided into soft skills, financial literacy, and digital literacy. Newton told Hattie that soft skills come first for a reason — how someone manages themselves under pressure, reads a room, or responds rather than reacts in a tense workplace moment shapes everything else. The class tackles empathy, servant leadership, work-life balance, and what Newton calls the “Triggered” game: real workplace scenarios where participants practice staying grounded when things go sideways. Day two moves into adaptability, the elevator pitch, and the physical mechanics of confidence — body posture, nonverbal communication, and how to walk into an interview without freezing. The financial literacy section speaks directly to a local reality Newton named plainly: workers entering the oil and gas fields with strong incomes and no framework for managing them. The digital literacy portion covers resume-building, Microsoft Office, and how to use AI tools without losing the human element. The in-person workshop runs Wednesday and Thursday, July 22 and 23, from 8 AM to 5 PM at Southeast New Mexico College. The online portion begins Monday, July 6, and remains accessible for up to a year. The course fee is $100. To register or for more information, contact Maria at communityeducation@senmc.edu [communityeducation@senmc.edu] or call 575-234-9268. Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through the Eddy County Dispatch (kccc930am.substack.com) or our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). Get full access to The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

In Memoriam - June 28, 2026 - West Funeral Home, LLC.

This week, the Eddy County community pauses to reflect on the lives of residents who have recently passed. These abridged records serve as a respectful tribute to those who helped build and shape the local area. While these summaries offer a moment of collective remembrance, the full life stories, service details, and spaces for family condolences are maintained by the funeral homes serving our community. In this episode, the community remembers those served by West Funeral Home — recent tributes and memorial announcements for those who lived or died in Carlsbad, NM. Today, we honor the memory of Antonio Gomez Fuentes. To read the complete life stories or to leave a message for the families, please visit the official memorial pages: West Funeral Home Obituaries https://www.westfuneralhomellc.com/obits [https://www.westfuneralhomellc.com/obits] Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through the Eddy County Dispatch (kccc930am.substack.com) or our website (www.kccc930am.com [https://www.kccc930am.com]). The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM, is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

In Memoriam - June 28, 2026 - Denton-Wood

This week, the Carlsbad community pauses to reflect on the lives of residents who have recently passed. These abridged records serve as a respectful tribute to those who helped build and shape the local area. While these summaries offer a moment of collective remembrance, the full life stories, service details, and spaces for family condolences are maintained by the funeral homes serving our community. In this episode, the community remembers those served by Denton-Wood Funeral Home — recent tributes and memorial announcements for those who lived or died in Carlsbad, NM. Today, we honor the memory of Terry Lynn Parker, Sammy Porras, and Evelyn Inez Worley. To read the complete life stories or to leave a message for the families, please visit the official memorial pages. Denton-Wood Funeral Home Obituaries https://www.dentonwood.com/obituaries [https://www.dentonwood.com/obituaries] Aired yesterday on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through the Eddy County Dispatch (kccc930am.substack.com) or our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM, is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Mid-Week Matters: A Screwworm at the Door and a Heat Advisory

This week’s Mid-Week Matters is packed. The days ahead are full — senior center bake sales, a golf tournament with the Mayor, three thousand rubber ducks hitting the water for a very good cause, and a calendar’s worth of summer reading programs at both the Artesia and Carlsbad libraries. And looking further out, the Fourth of July is shaping up to be something special as America marks 250 years. Then there’s the news you’ll want to hear in full. A flesh-eating parasite has reached New Mexico’s doorstep, and Carlsbad’s City Council just received a formal briefing on it — what it means for Eddy County’s ranching and dairy families, what to watch for, and exactly who to call. Plus a state surplus tied to global events, road work in Artesia, and a project update or two closer to home. There’s also a quick look at where to find the record of your local government’s most recent meetings, and the usual check on weather — including the heat heading our way. Press play for the whole rundown. Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through the Eddy County Dispatch (kccc930am.substack.com) or our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM, is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far. Get full access to The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

It Has to Be Theirs: A Championship Season, in the Students' Words

In Part Three of the culinary series, Community Forum continues the discussion with three Carlsbad High School ProStart students — Camille, Avery, and Myka — for a wide-ranging conversation about the year behind the program’s state championship sweep. Camille competed on the management side; Avery and Myka on the culinary team. What unfolds is less a victory lap than an honest look at what a championship season actually costs, and what it gives back. The conversation wanders in the best way. A first-ever trip to Whole Foods turns into a full-blown fruit expedition — a mystery melon that looked more like a dragon egg than anything edible, and a reveal stranger than any of them expected. There’s talk of quenelles becoming an unlikely superpower, of learning to do the exact thing you’re most afraid you’ll ruin, and of what it actually feels like to defend the management side of the house when someone’s face falls at the word “management.” But the students don’t shy away from the hard parts, either — the early mornings, the late-night equipment orders, the tears of frustration, the disagreements that come when there’s no break and no extra time. They talk about the teamwork math of it all: how a group of strong, very different individuals learns to pull together without butting heads. And one senior reflects on why the program won’t die when this class graduates — there will always be someone coming up behind them. Running underneath all of it is something teacher Amanda Hale keeps returning to: It has to be theirs. The skills, the wins, the growth — the program can help them get there, but the students have to pick it up and run. For anyone who’s ever wondered what these students actually carry home from a competition, this conversation is the answer. Anyone interested in supporting the Carlsbad High School culinary program can reach Amanda Hale at amanda.hale@carlsbadschools.net [amanda.hale@carlsbadschools.net], or send a donation check with a letter or memo directed to Culinary Arts via the Carlsbad High School central office. Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through the Eddy County Dispatch (kccc930am.substack.com) or our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM, is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far. Get full access to The Eddy County Dispatch, presented by KCCC 930 AM at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]