By this time next week, copies of our 16th annual Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide should be making their way across the state. Creating this publication, which has won several state and national awards through the years, is a huge undertaking, stretching our small staff to its limits. The result, though, has always been worth it. The publication is used as a vital resource by people all over New Mexico, including the staff at the Roundhouse, our state’s capitol building in Santa Fe. In recent years, some readers have taken to tearing pages from our magazine, and putting them in plastic sleeves in loose-leaf notebooks so they don’t wear out from use. more

New Mexico is no stranger to astronauts. Borman Autoplex in Las Cruces is named for one (Frank), and two other New Mexicans – Harrison Schmitt and Edgar Mitchell – have walked on the moon. But Steve Braithwaite has to be the first “banananaut” to traverse the Land of Enchantment. more

In May 2011, at age 65, I walked out the back door of the Ruidoso News, where I had been editor for seven years, into the refreshing mountain scent of retirement. more

The snow at my feet suddenly started flying. I was trudging in bright sunlight through Glacier National Park with a friend in late February. Then I realized that it wasn’t the snow but a pair of Ptarmigan invisible against a glaring white background who took off as we approached. Yes, the disruption was startling, but we both responded with silent smiles. Who would break the quiet of a wintry day? more

One day last week, three different people in three separate settings said to me, “Richard, you’re such a happy person.” That is generally true, but that same chilly night, I stopped into Toucan Market to get a few things to go with dinner. Driving away, I saw someone huddled in a corner. I stopped to check on her, and gave her some food, as well as a stocking cap to warm her head. more

If you’re over 40, you remember the Sears Catalog. And for 60 years, from 1933 to 1993, Sears and Roebuck added a special Christmas edition to their catalog, renamed the “Wish Book” in 1968, when I was barely big enough to hold it in my hand. But for three months, every October to December I thumbed through it every day, rewriting my Christmas list. more

If you oppose a minimum wage increase, proponents tend to label you. The labels include “Rich greedy business owner,” “Short-sighted capitalist,” or “blind to the issues of poverty.” I disagree with significant raises in minimum wage for two primary reasons. more

What if we instituted a mandatory speed limit in Las Cruces? And what if we set it at 50 mph? And that was not a top-end speed, but the required speed, meaning everyone had to go 50 mph all the time. more

Las Crucens have expressed hesitancy, trepidation and confusion about ranked choice voting and our 10 mayoral candidates. more

If even some of the employee claims and suits turn into settlements in the price range of the one for Duran, it could easily cost the district more than $1 million, not including attorneys’ fees. No matter how the separation with Ewing turns out, it will likely cost the district at least a quarter of a million dollars. And with Trinity, the district believes it spent $772,000 it shouldn’t have. more

In last week’s column, following the Aug. 3 mass shooting in El Paso, in which 22 people died, I invited Bulletin readers to submit ideas for something – anything – America might do to slow the epidemic of mass shootings in our country. more

 Light It was a quiet morning, the temperature already soaring, as it will on any El Paso Saturday in August. Dewayne “Rock” Jones was preparing to raise a flag up the pole at … more

There’s been a lot of talk about the 50th anniversary of America’s moon shot. Las Cruces, with its NASA installation, White Sands Missile Range, White Sands Test Facility and long … more

The final chapter is finally being written to the horror story that started in the summer of 2013 when Gov. Susana Martinez dismantled the state’s mental health system, alleging that all 15 of … more

Every genuine or would be cowboy’s pride and joy is his ‘good dawg!’ One of the highlights at a Stock Show is the stock dog trials. Now, allowin’ for the fact that all my … more

What should happen when a person living in our country seeking asylum has their case heard by the court, is found not to be eligible for asylum and is ordered to be removed from the country?That … more

The Doña Ana County Commission has had quite the saga regarding wildlife recently. After the nearunanimous passage of Resolution 2019-34 – which affirmed that county funds could not be spent … more

It was a great personal disappointment some years ago when it was confirmed that the world’s most famous bad guy, Billy the Kid, wasn’t left-handed, as I am (southpaw, not outlaw). A tintype … more

This Independence Day holiday, while many of us will celebrate with backyard barbeques and neighborhood fireworks, bureaucrats in Santa Fe will be busy updating their accounting codes to prepare for … more

The Senate, whether in Santa Fe or Washington, D.C., has long prided itself on being the more deliberative of the two legislative bodies.The House, where each seat is up for grabs every two years, … more