News | Las Cruces Bulletin

The crowd at the 2026 Dress the Child dinner.

"The 35th Annual Dress the Child charity dinner gala exceeded all expectations," said Dress the Child Program Chairman Doug Boberg. The fundraising dinner was held Sept. 24 at the Las Cruces Convention Center with more than 250 people in... more

Mike Cook
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

Students move between educational stations during a previous AgXplorer event. About 1,500 students are expected to participate in this year’s three days of programming at the Southern New Mexico State Fair.

Agriculture up close

For hundreds of Doña Ana County students, a trip to the Southern New Mexico State Fair will come with more than a day away from the classroom. About 1,500 students are expected to participate in three days of AgXplorer programs centered on... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

When cancer calls, a Cancer Warrior answers

When Marci Dickerson learned she had breast cancer in 2022, she knew at least one thing she wasn’t going to do. “I’m not going to start pink again,” she remembers saying. “I’m not going to be the face of breast cancer. I’m not doing it.” It took... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

Natalie Pappas holds a stack of handmade bowls inside her Las Cruces pottery studio. Pappas made 50 bowls this year for the Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces’ annual Empty Bowls fundraiser benefiting El Caldito Soup Kitchen.

Fifty bowls, endless possibilities

Natalie Pappas begins working on Empty Bowls months before anyone walks through the door. By the end of March, the Las Cruces potter aims to have 50 bowls finished — each thrown, trimmed, decorated, glazed and fired from her home studio.... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

Participants lead the FYI+ Pride Parade through Las Cruces during the 2025 celebration.

Pride takes the plaza

Downtown Las Cruces will fill with color, music and crowds Saturday as Southern New Mexico Pride brings its annual celebration back to the heart of the city. Pride on the Plaza returns Oct. 3, beginning with the fourth annual Pride Parade... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

Mel and Rejina Christopher stand inside the new Las Cruces Arts Gallery, where works by association members are on display.

Art association finds a home

After more than six decades in Las Cruces, a longtime arts organization finally has a gallery to call its own. The Las Cruces Arts Association will celebrate the grand opening of its new gallery Friday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 221 N.... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

La Union Maze’s 13-acre maze features a New Mexico-inspired design for the 2026 season.

From field to fall tradition

A backpack sprayer, some dye and a clipboard are still enough to turn a field in Anthony into a 13-acre maze. La Union Maze does not use drones or GPS-guided tractors to map its paths. Longtime employee Martin Medrano walks the field, marks... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/30/26

Mural with a message

At a mural unveiling Thursday, Sept. 17, at Mesquite Art Gallery are, left to right, Carlos Melendres, curator of Murals With a Message; internationally acclaimed sculptor Cliff Fragua (1955- ) of Jemez Pueblo, creator of the Po’pay statue in... more

9/29/26

Las Cruces provides more than the film venue

The abandoned courthouse in downtown Las Cruces offers filmmakers almost everything they need to turn it back into a prison. It has old jail cells, worn walls and the institutional feel needed for “Solitary,” an independent feature film about five... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/28/26

Public comment at county commission meetings has been a major part of the Project Jupiter discussion.

Jobs, resources, and trust: the debate over Project Jupiter

Construction continues on Project Jupiter in southern Doña Ana County, but the argument over the massive data center has increasingly become less about whether it will be built and more about what New Mexico will gain, and what it will give up in... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/25/26

Dina D’Argo’s Howl, an acrylic-on-canvas work, is among the pieces featured in the 2026 Las Cruces Space Festival art show.

Space takes center stage

From student artwork and telescope viewing to trivia and a trip inside Spaceport America, the Las Cruces Space Festival is returning with events designed to show just how deeply the region is connected to what lies beyond Earth. The... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/25/26

First official flag raising at the new White Sands Proving Ground on Sept. 29, 1945. The public was invited to attend on what turned out to be a chilly, blustery morning. Note all the coats and jackets for late Sept. The ceremony started at high noon with the Ft. Bliss band playing music beforehand

More than a missile range

Measuring the impact White Sands Missile Range has had on Las Cruces is difficult at best. Prior to 1980, White Sands would occasionally publish statistics. For instance, in 1951, there were 1,862 people working there. By 1957, the... more

By Jim Eckles
Dona Ana County Historical Society | 9/25/26

Cast members perform a scene from “Dracula” at Las Cruces Community Theatre. The production uses lighting, sound and practical effects to create an unsettling atmosphere on stage.

Dracula takes a darker turn at LCCT

Before Dracula ever steps into view, Las Cruces Community Theatre wants audiences looking over their shoulders. Breathing, whispers and other recorded sounds will replace the usual music as patrons take their seats, while low lighting helps... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/24/26

A hiker watches the moon rise over the gypsum dunes at White Sands National Park during an evening program.

White Sands after dark

The sun going down usually signals the end of the day at White Sands National Park. On a few nights each year, it marks the beginning of an entirely different experience. Moonlight Hikes take visitors along the Dune Life Nature Trail after... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/24/26

Cancer Warriors yoga at Memorial Medical Center.

Take a breath; you’ve got this

Jo Hime was undergoing a medical test she wasn't particularly eager to endure when two familiar voices showed up. Kendra Johnson and Margo Sorum weren't actually in the room, but Hime could hear them anyway. “Okay, take a slow breath,” she... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/24/26

Shaping more than clay

Clay is remarkably forgiving. That’s something Jan Archey learned a long time ago. Put your hands in the wrong place or make something that doesn't turn out quite the way you imagined, and the clay lets you know. But that doesn't necessarily mean... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/24/26

At the Southwest Center on Aging & Friends Golf Tournament with Community Foundation and Serving Seniors of Southern New Mexico .

Serving a bit of independence to seniors

A wheelchair can help someone move around the house. A ramp can help someone get out of it. For Dr. Jesus Roberto Duran, those relatively simple needs illustrate a much larger challenge facing older adults in Southern New Mexico. It’s why he... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/24/26

Freed from fear of the unknown

She had spent years as a physical therapist working with cancer patients, including women dealing with lymphedema after breast cancer treatment. Julie Gustafson knew the procedures, the surgeries and the treatment options. So, when a routine... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/23/26

Orange barrels ahead: major Spruce project starts Monday

For weeks, the signs have been hard to miss. Electronic message boards around the Spruce Avenue intersections with Telshor Boulevard and Triviz Drive have warned drivers that construction is coming and given them a date: Sept. 21. What's been... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 9/19/26

Influencer prescription: Why TikTok and AI can’t replace sports medicine expertise

If you spend any time scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, you have probably seen them: confident creators demonstrating the “one exercise” that fixed their knee pain or eliminated their back pain. When you are frustrated by an... more

L. Montana Bencomo, ATC, Cert. MDT
Southwest Sport and Spine Center | 9/18/26