Community Forum — How Eddy County Elections Actually Work

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 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]

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]