CavernFest Weekend, a Silver City Getaway, and Everything Happening in Eddy County This Week

Community Forum: Paul Gessing on New Mexico's Political Landscape (Part 1)

Community Forum host Johnny Chandler welcomes Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, into the studio for the first time in person — and the conversation doesn’t hold back. Part 1 digs into the fallout from New Mexico’s recent primary election, the state’s oil-and-gas-fueled budget surplus, and a wave of business owners weighing whether to leave New Mexico altogether. Part 2 airs Thursday. Catch it here on the KCCC Eddy County Dispatch or on KCCC 930 AM. Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch 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 KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

In Memoriam - July 5, 2026 - West Funeral Home, LLC.

Every life leaves an imprint on the people and places it touches. On this episode of In Memoriam, the community pauses to honor residents who lived or died in Carlsbad, NM, through abridged obituaries provided by West Funeral Home. In this episode, the community honors the memory of Donald “Don” Barnett, Adan Montez Ortega, Candelario Flores, Brenton Lee Rutherford, and Priscilla Faye Ortiz. For additional details or to leave a message for the family, visit West Funeral Home’s memorial page:https://westfuneralhomellc.com/obits [https://westfuneralhomellc.com/obits] Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). Get full access to KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

In Memoriam - July 5, 2026 - Denton-Wood

Every life leaves an imprint on the people and places it touches. On this episode of In Memoriam, the community pauses to honor residents who lived or died in Carlsbad, NM, through abridged obituaries provided by Denton-Wood Funeral Home. These tributes offer a moment of collective remembrance, while extended life stories, service details, and spaces for family condolences remain with the funeral home. In this episode, the community honors the memory of Jaime S. Olivas and Ignacia de la Rosa Villa. For additional details or to leave a message for the family, visit Denton-Wood Funeral Home’s memorial page:https://www.dentonwood.com/obituaries [https://www.dentonwood.com/obituaries] Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com [http://www.kccc930am.com]). Get full access to KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Fourth of July in Eddy County — Events, News, and 250 Years

It’s Independence Day week in Eddy County, and Mid-Week Matters has the holiday weekend forecast, upcoming events from today through mid-July, civic notices, and micro-news from across the region. The heat is coming, fireworks conditions look good, and a lot is happening between now and the Fourth. Events this week open with a free family movie this afternoon at La Cueva 6 Cinema and run through a Fourth of July weekend in both Carlsbad and Artesia — live music, parades, pickleball, glow mini golf, a watermelon eating contest, a drone show over the Pecos, skydiving, and fireworks by Adobe Rose. Looking further into July: Missoula Children’s Theatre brings Rapunzel auditions to P.R. Leyva, Mayor Lopez’s Read-A-Thon comes to Halagueno Arts Park on July 11th, Carlsbad Community Theatre opens with a melodrama and an ice cream social, the 81st Eddy County Fair runs July 21–25, and Walker Hayes plays the fairgrounds on the 24th. SENMC has a July lineup of workforce and journalism courses as well. In the Eddy County Quickies Micro-News: Artesia police are investigating a June 28 shooting involving two teenagers on South Second Street. Carlsbad city councilors discussed a proposal to run an oilfield wastewater line through the Cavern City Air Terminal — no vote yet, and it is worth watching. Governor Lujan Grisham signed an emergency order directing state resources to wildfire response. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has opened a formal investigation into the DEA following reports that federal agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills into the state between 2023 and 2025. The Department of Energy is targeting late July for resumption of transuranic waste shipments to WIPP, ahead of a previously reported mid-August timeline. And Artesia’s Dennis Davis, 23 years in the city’s Purchasing Department, retired this week — remembered for his wit, his card tricks, and an encyclopedic knowledge of local history. 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 KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

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 KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe [https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]