Opinion | Las Cruces Bulletin

Tour pros rely on visualization — you should too

One of the least understood and least utilized mental golf skills is visualization, one of my 14 fundamentals of mental toughness. In its simplest form, visualization is essentially pre-swing mental imagery, where you picture your swing, the... more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/7/26

When are your state trust lands not yours?

New Mexico is truly the Land of Enchantment. The places to explore are as endless as our skies. Whether you are drawn to our unique animals, diverse plant life, historical significance or just the vast expanses of high desert beauty, there is... more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/7/26

Corazónes in action: community-led impact

Giving circles have long served as a quiet but powerful force for good, neighbors coming together and pooling their generosity to invest in the causes that shape the heart of their communities. In Southern New Mexico, that spirit is not only... more

The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico | 4/30/26

There's more behind the score

The feeling of being judged has been on my mind a lot lately. It comes with the job. Every editor, every reporter, every person who puts their work in front of the public knows what that feels like. Some people seem immune to it. They take on an... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/30/26

Did partisan politics influence Dow decision?

There are two positions on this year’s ballot that I don’t think should be selected by the voters — judges and election officials. Dona Ana County voters will choose between Isabel Jerabek and Dania Gardea in the Democratic primary to replace... more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/30/26

Balancing the checkbook

I’ve talked before about the chemical dependency problem plaguing our area. But now let’s talk about a different kind of dependency, one that afflicts our elected officials, and by default, our communities. It is that of financial dependency. To... more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/30/26

Voting from home improves NM voter access

Did you know all registered New Mexico voters can request an absentee ballot and vote from home? Before 2023, absentee voting was restricted. Requests had to be made before each election and only applied to people who would be absent from their... more

Lynda St. Clair
League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico | 4/30/26

LIV golf may be nearing its off-ramp

LIV Golf (LIV is Roman numeral 54) started in 2022 with billions of Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund money with the intention of disrupting the existing structure of men’s professional golf – i.e. PGA Tour – and a strategy of stealing the... more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/30/26

A sense of community

There’s always a risk when you pick up and move — leaving behind a home, friends and a familiar routine. When we left Utah in August to move to Las Cruces, we knew two of our children and five granddaughters were here. That was enough familiarity... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/23/26

A notice to business owners

The city recently hosted a town hall event for business owners especially in the El Paseo corridor, an area under consideration for a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area. There is a push by the city to revitalize this struggling area. The Boys and... more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/23/26

Elect a governor with CYFD in mind

Since the New Mexico Attorney General’s recent investigation into the Children. Youth, and Families Department’s failures, the idea of removing CYFD from the governor’s authority has been gaining traction. I know in theory that "removing political... more

Maralyn Beck
Founder and Executive Director of New Mexico Child First Network | 4/23/26

Patience is a virtue in golf as well as in life

Golf is a game where mistakes are inevitable and with frustration always lurking. But it also is a game that thrives on patience. A round of golf will have its ups and downs. So, we must accept some imperfection. We must not get too riled or... more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/23/26

County out of its league with Project Jupiter

We got snookered. The Dona Ana County Commission gave the green light to Project Jupiter, a massive $165 billion data center being built in the south county, based on its belief that the project would use an average of 20,000 gallons of water a... more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/23/26

I worked the border

My understanding of New Mexico's drug crisis did not merely come from a report or a briefing. I worked it from the inside as an undercover narcotics detective, as an officer commissioned by the DEA, and as a Marine who learned what a secure... more

Greg Cunningham
Republican Candidate, NM-02 | 4/18/26

License plate readers make our community safer

Technology has rapidly evolved in the past 19 years of my policing career. When I started, we worked without computers in our cars and looked up addresses in a map book. As technology has advanced, law enforcement is leveraging new tools to keep... more

Jeremy Story
Police Chief, Las Cruces Police Department | 4/18/26

Sierra Cares helps families when home feels the hardest

Sometimes the hardest part is not the hospital stay. It is what happens after. For uninsured patients in Southern New Mexico, going home can mean going home afraid — still sick, still weak, and unsure how to manage medications, equipment,... more

Marti Licon
Executive Director, Sierra Cares | 4/18/26

Electric rate hike in hands of Gabriel, Greg and Patrick

One of the state’s most powerful but least understood boards will soon decide if we will all be paying an additional $40 a month for electricity. The Public Regulation Commission has received a request by El Paso Electric to increase rates. The... more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/18/26

Children murdering children

The news is, by now, familiar. A child’s life ended by another child with a gun. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that the dead boy’s parents had taken in the boy who would end up killing their son because he was otherwise alone in this world.... more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/18/26

Mistakes happen, but not all are created equal

In 1999, our government space agency, NASA, launched a rocket that sent a Mars orbiter into deep space. However, someone at NASA made the dreadful mistake of using the U.S. customary system instead of the required metric measurements. The... more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/18/26

New super sections add variety to the recipe

My wife once gave me some simple advice about cooking: follow the recipe first. Then, once you understand it, start making it your own. That’s the approach we’re taking with the Bulletin. When arriving at a new publication, you keep most things... more

Kurt Johnson
Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/13/26