Camilla, a first-grader is amusing herself with her mother’s phone while Mom tries on clothes at the store. She recognizes a message from Dad and answers it. Soon Camilla is shouting into the dressing room, “Mom, how do you spell ‘shopping’?” Camilla is a reluctant reader with little confidence. Now she is happily texting with Dad and asking for help in deciphering his messages. Another win for social media. Now what? Will an early introduction to the seductions of text messages interfere with future learning? According to a Neilson survey, the average American teen texts 3,339 messages per month. more

1. If the new boss’s hat isn’t sweat stained, you can pretty much figger whose will be. 2. Phrases like, “My dad never paid me a dime till I was 25,” or “I haven't had a day off since dad’s funeral in 2017,” should put you on guard. more

As I think back to the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, my primary memory is one of confusion. I was the editor of an afternoon newspaper in Kansas and was almost finished with the front page. I’ll be forever grateful to the publisher who convinced me to tear it up and start over. more

Twenty years ago, on a Tuesday, I was getting my boys ready for school, shaking them out of their sleep and gently encouraging their eyes to open when from the other room I heard, “Elva, get in here quick!” more

It’s strange, sometimes, the details you remember. For me, whenever I think of it, the first image that funnels into my brain is my right shoe. A black, Stacy Adams Madison cap toe oxford. more

Thousands of Afghan refugees whisked to safety during the massive evacuation that concluded this week experienced their first taste of freedom here in Dona Ana County. more

Friday morning, Aug. 27, as I was leaving my house to go to work, a neighbor had his front-yard U.S. flag at half-staff. more

R.C. is an animal lover. Maybe not the kind of animal lover that the term has come to mean in this era, but the kind that requires a greater commitment. more

I don’t like plastic bags any more than members of the Las Cruces City Council, who recently passed a ban on them starting Jan. 1. more

When I hear a truck pull up in front of the house and the pandemonium of dogs barkin’ would wake a hibernating mastodon, I relax. more

Pat and Lou Sisbarro sat at La Posta, sharing a meal, discussing decisions and thinking about the future. more

Corn country landscape -- painted late summer -- high clouds, heavy with moisture waiting for afternoon to thicken and darken and start raising Cain. more

Back in March 2020, we all involuntarily hopped on a rollercoaster. I don’t know which part of the rollercoaster you consider the good part or the bad part. more

This week, the United States joined a long list of nations that have tried and failed to rule Afghanistan. The Soviet Union came immediately before us. Their adventures in Afghanistan left them vulnerable to the collapse of the Soviet empire that was to follow. more

With national discussions about the protection of voting rights and the congressional elections in 2022, residents of southern New Mexico may not be focusing on the local elections that are coming up in November. more

When President Joe Biden announced a plan to send local public health workers door-to-door on a mission to increase Covid-19 vaccinations, conservative pundits warned that those foolish enough to open their doors would be forcibly vaccinated against their will. more

“Mama, when’s Daddy comin’ home? Is it time to worry yet?” “By supper, darlin’. Eat your Cheerios.” more

The current Las Cruces economy has got to be the strangest one it has ever had. Houses are selling like crazy, at prices higher than we’ve ever seen, thanks in large part to interest rates lower than we’ve ever seen. more

One of the few things Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on in our divided nation is a desire to restrict speech on the Internet. more

Some might wonder why prehistoric cave drawings weren’t more detailed. Surely, there were artists capable of rendering intricate representations of the circulatory system of aurochs or the dentition of a saber tooth tiger drawn to scale. more