Damien Willis

Founder/Editor of Organ Mountain News. Celebrated Introvert. Award-winning Journalist / Gov't PR Guy / Podcaster. Formerly with Las Cruces Sun-News and Hot 103.

Las Cruces, NM

Exterior of the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, showing the main entrance and a tall brick chimney on the court complex.

Crime Featured

Prosecutors seek to hold 18-year-old Las Cruces man without bond in handgun assault case

Prosecutors have asked a District Court judge to hold an 18-year-old Las Cruces man without bond, citing multiple felony charges and allegations involving a handgun and several victims.

Architectural rendering of the proposed Project Jupiter data center campus showing multiple buildings, power infrastructure and cooling facilities in a desert setting.

Project Jupiter Featured

County records detail Project Jupiter water plans, but no binding commitments yet

Doña Ana County records outline Project Jupiter’s projected water use and proposed mitigation measures, but documents reviewed by Organ Mountain News show no water-related commitments were legally binding as of mid-September 2025.

Statue of Lady Justice holding scales, photographed against a plain gray background.

Crime

Child abuse charge in Anthony follows public intervention after child found unsupervised

A child abuse charge filed in Anthony stems from public intervention after witnesses reported a young child walking unsupervised, according to court records.

Exterior of the Third Judicial District Court building in Las Cruces, showing the glass-fronted entrance and tall brick chimney-like structure on a clear day.

Crime

Where the Young Park shooting case stands — for the singular adult defendant

The criminal case against the lone adult charged in the Young Park shooting remains in pretrial status, with court records outlining charges, custody status and what comes next.

Aerial view of New Mexico State University’s campus in Las Cruces, with the administration building and Organ Mountains visible in the background.

Accountability

NMSU seeks to move Moccia lawsuit into private arbitration

New Mexico State University has asked a judge to compel arbitration in a lawsuit filed by former athletic director Mario Moccia, a move that could move decision-making over a publicly funded contract into a private forum.

Sports

A-Mountain Sports NIL collective to wind down as NMSU prepares new athlete funding model

New Mexico State will sunset the A-Mountain Sports NIL Collective at the end of 2025 as Aggie Athletics prepares a centralized, department-managed funding model for student-athletes.

A gas pump nozzle inserted into a car’s fuel tank as gasoline is dispensed at a filling station.

Travel

Gas prices in Las Cruces drop below $2.25 at some stations ahead of Christmas Eve travel

Several Las Cruces gas stations are reporting prices as low as $2.19 per gallon ahead of Christmas Eve travel, undercutting county and statewide averages, according to AAA and GasBuddy.

A blond juvenile boy stands with his back to the camera in a New Mexico courtroom, facing a seated judge beneath the state flag.

Crime

Juvie Justice, Part 5: What proposed juvenile crime laws would actually change in New Mexico

As New Mexico lawmakers debate tougher juvenile crime laws, Part 5 of OMN’s Juvie Justice series examines what proposed changes would actually alter — and what would remain constrained by courts, resources and federal law.

A juvenile girl with long blonde hair stands with her back to the camera in a courtroom, wearing an orange detention jumpsuit as a judge sits at the bench ahead.

Crime

Before the judge: How discretion, resources and geography shape juvenile justice outcomes in New Mexico

Juvenile justice outcomes in New Mexico vary widely based on geography, resources and prosecutorial discretion, often long before a judge ever rules.