Bomb case near ‘A’ Mountain, heat relief and more
Good morning, neighbors, and happy Sunday from Organ Mountain News.
I’m writing this a little earlier than usual this week because, by the time this lands in your inbox, I’ll be coming off a weekend in Fort Sumner for my high school reunion. That means this newsletter had to be assembled ahead of schedule, which is always a little dangerous in the news business. The week has a way of continuing to be the week, whether or not the editor already has his bag packed.
Still, there was no shortage of important news to pull together before I hit the road. This week’s lineup starts with a troubling local public safety case involving alleged bomb-making materials found near “A” Mountain, then moves through a major campaign shakeup, dangerous heat, a federal lawsuit tied to a military spouse’s job opportunity in Las Cruces and new scrutiny of how New Mexico handled SNAP fraud tips.
It is not exactly light reading, I know. But it is the kind of mix that explains why local news matters: courts, campaigns, public safety, public benefits and basic heat relief all shape daily life here in ways that are easy to miss until they are suddenly impossible to ignore.
The top story this week is a troubling public safety case out of the desert near “A” Mountain, where prosecutors say NMSU police and bomb squad personnel found bomb-making materials, chemicals and an explosives handbook after witnesses reported explosions south of Dripping Springs Road.
David J. Curtis, 46, was charged with one fourth-degree felony count of possession of an explosive device or incendiary device.
Damien Willis
Here’s what you need to know today
- Toulouse Oliver steps aside: Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver suspended her campaign for lieutenant governor after winning the Democratic nomination earlier this month, citing health and family considerations. The Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee will choose a replacement nominee.
- Cooling stations open as heat arrives: Las Cruces is opening cooling stations again as triple-digit temperatures move into the forecast. Several city facilities are expected to be available through at least Thursday, June 25, and residents are encouraged to call ahead to confirm hours before heading out.
- A military spouse’s job hits a licensing wall: The U.S. Department of Justice says New Mexico’s licensing rules kept a military spouse stationed at Holloman Air Force Base from taking a legal job in Las Cruces. The lawsuit argues the state violated federal protections meant to help military spouses keep working when service orders move their families across state lines.
- SNAP fraud tips went mostly unchecked: A new study says New Mexico failed to investigate most tips about possible SNAP fraud, raising questions about how the state’s Health Care Authority handled oversight of the food assistance program. The findings add another layer to ongoing scrutiny of how public benefits are managed in the state.
Worth knowing
New Mexico’s universal childcare program survived a legal challenge this week, at least for now. A judge rejected a Republican-backed lawsuit that argued Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration improperly rolled out the program without going through the full rulemaking and public hearing process.
The ruling keeps the program in place while the fight continues. Plaintiffs said they plan to appeal to the state Supreme Court, but for now, the decision preserves a program the governor’s office says can save families about $12,000 per child each year.
From the newsroom
One of Organ Mountain News' ongoing projects is our community listening survey, which asks readers what they need from a local newsroom — what stories are missing, what questions aren’t being answered and what information would make daily life in Doña Ana County easier to navigate.
Damien Willis
That kind of listening matters to us because local news should not be a one-way broadcast. It should be a conversation with the people this newsroom exists to serve. The more we hear from readers, the better we can focus our reporting on the questions, concerns and communities that too often get overlooked.
And, of course, that work takes time, tools and resources. Reader support helps make it possible for OMN to keep reporting these stories and keep them accessible to everyone — no paywalls, no required subscriptions and no locking essential local information behind a credit card screen.
If OMN helps you stay informed, please consider supporting this work with a one-time or monthly contribution.
One quick note: We are working to address a minor glitch on our donation page. Occasionally, the donation form does not load the first time. A simple refresh or two usually fixes it, and we are sorry for the inconvenience.
Stay connected
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