News | Las Cruces Bulletin

New Mexico State University graduate Nancy Stephens, center, is the state director for Imagination Library of New Mexico, a program that has sent nearly two million books to children in New Mexico.

NMSU alumni help inspire literacy in state

New Mexico State University 2000 graduate Nancy Stephens, state director for Imagination Library of New Mexico and executive director of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Grant County, has always believed books are powerful connectors, offering... more

Elaine Stachera Simon
NMSU Foundation Marketing Communications | 6/19/26

Teachers and program participants gather during a New Mexico Grow Project workshop in Truth or Consequences. The program provides schools with resources and training to support agriculture education.

Learning by growing

New equipment arriving at Lynn Community Middle School this summer is expected to do more than grow plants — it will challenge students to experiment, solve problems and learn through trial and error. Through the New Mexico Grow Project,... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/18/26

Participants identified concerns ranging from immigration and artificial intelligence to economic uncertainty during the first week of Summer of Dreams.

Students tackle community issues through summer program

Concerns about immigration, economic uncertainty and the future of work brought a group of Las Cruces students together this month for Summer of Dreams, a program that introduces participants to organizing and community... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/18/26

Mesilla Valley Hospice COO Mario Prieto and admissions nurse Crystal Vallejos.

Improving quality care with AI

Nearly every employee at Mesilla Valley Hospice can access technology that’s made possible by artificial intelligence, or AI, to help with their daily responsibilities. That’s because all MVH departments and employees are part of Chief Operating... more

Mike Cook
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/18/26

On May 14 volunteers from the Mesilla Valley Garden Club and the Town of Mesilla gathered to plant the flower bed in the Mesilla Veterans' Park in a flag design. Funds for flowers and supplies were provided by the District IV silent auction at the New Mexico Garden Club 2026 Annual Convention and the Town of Mesilla. The design celebrated the United States' 250th anniversary. L-R, Judy Laird, Becky Fuller, and Shawn Merl plant the flowers.

Structure and continuity from perennials

Pop! Time for champagne and celebration — at least for gardeners. June is National Perennial Gardening Month, which also highlights the 2026 Perennial Plant of the Year: ‘Blackhawks’ big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’). During June,... more

Jackye Meinecke | 6/18/26

When trauma happens, getting quick, expert care matters

A man was riding his motorcycle on his morning commute when a car suddenly changed lanes and collided into him, throwing him off his bike. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where paramedics moved him to a gurney in the trauma bay of the emergency... more

Jordan Johnson, D.O., MountainView Medical Group | 6/18/26

Offering career exploration

A parking lot doesn't look like much when it's finished. Drivers see asphalt, painted lines and a place to leave their vehicles. Most never think about the calculations hidden beneath the surface, the drainage systems directing rainwater, the... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/17/26

A night for all tastes

The Las Cruces party on June 10 was at the Las Cruces Convention Center, where the supporters of Casa de Peregrinos joined its devoted team to support those in our community who have hit a rough patch. The work Casa de Peregrinos does to lift... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/17/26

Celebrations of Juneteenth

“Juneteenth marks the day when enslaved African Americans learned of their freedom, symbolizing a critical step toward making those founding principles which appear at the beginning of the United States Constitution a reality,” NAACP Doña Ana... more

Mike Cook
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/17/26

The venue right after the show opened during the Feb 1st show in Las Cruces.

Building a space to belong

At 21, Jakob Atwell saw something missing in Las Cruces — and decided to build it himself. What started as a small, 27-table card show in early 2025 has quickly grown into a large-scale event drawing nearly 1,800 attendees and more than 130... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/17/26

Finding where her heart is

For nearly three decades, Rosario "Chayo" Garcia built a life in northern New Mexico. She and her husband raised two sons in Española. They helped operate a restaurant that could serve hundreds of customers on a busy night, a flower shop that... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/12/26

Dave Carlson displays his favorite model aircraft inside his Las Cruces workshop.

Still taking flight

Most childhood hobbies fade with time. For Dave Carlson, model aviation never did. The Las Cruces resident built his first aircraft as a boy in the 1940s and, more than seven decades later, still spends his time building, flying and sharing... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/11/26

A life without limits

The bushes were coming. For most children, that warning might have been enough to slow down. For Letticia Martinez, it was simply information to process before deciding what to do next. Growing up in Las Cruces, Martinez rode her bicycle with her... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/11/26

A royal road passed by here

Four hundred and twenty-eight years ago, Don Juan de Oñate famously carved into the cliff at El Morro “Pasó por aquí” as he established the first permanent Spanish colony near Santa Fe. On their way north, the caravan “passed by here,” past the... more

Jon Hunner
President, Doña Ana County Historical Society | 6/11/26

The inaugural Weenie Dog Dash will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13 at Apodaca Park.

Running for a reason

What began as a simple idea between friends is about to send a pack of dachshunds racing for a good cause. The inaugural Weenie Dog Dash, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13 at Apodaca Park, will raise money to help cover Christyn... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/11/26

Volunteers prepare gorditas during a previous St. Anthony Kermés. Several families have helped organize and serve at the event for generations.

Keeping a tradition alive

For more than 50 years, members of the Castillo family have spent part of their June serving food, greeting neighbors and helping keep one of Anthony’s longest-running traditions alive. The St. Anthony Kermés returns June 13-14 at St.... more

Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/11/26

Vegan reinvented- a night that changed my expectations

Walking into The Chef Creates: Rooted in Global Spice event at the Las Cruces Convention Center felt like stepping into something special. It wasn’t just dinner — it was an experience from the very first moment. The lighting was low and... more

Sandra Moulton
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/11/26

Civics Bee challenges students to be engaged

For Mason Schuette, the most surprising part of the Las Cruces Regional Civics Bee wasn't watching middle school students answer questions about government. It was watching the adults. As students worked through questions on the Constitution,... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/10/26

Commemorating “America 250” in the timeless Land of Enchantment

In 1776, the United States declared its independence and established a new nation. Yet in the region that would later become New Mexico, communities had already been thriving for thousands of years, shaped by diverse cultures, traditions, and... more

Liz Vega
Event Manager, Visit Las Cruces | 6/4/26

Volunteers load a car at a Casa de Peregrinos pop-up pantry.

Because I have been given much

Most visitors to Casa de Peregrinos will never meet Nancy Ryan. They see volunteers loading food into carts and carrying boxes to waiting vehicles, staff members helping families navigate difficult circumstances and shelves stocked with groceries... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 6/4/26