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Exterior view of Meerscheidt Recreation Center at 1600 E. Hadley Ave. in Las Cruces, with trees and playground equipment visible near the building.
City of Las Cruces Featured

Meerscheidt Recreation Center restrooms, water fountains to close temporarily for construction

Restrooms, water fountains and lobby access at Meerscheidt Recreation Center will be temporarily unavailable beginning Dec. 9 due to construction. Portable restrooms will be provided.

A large industrial complex sits in the desert, with tanks, pipelines and power infrastructure spread across the site. Mountains rise in the distance under a hazy sky.
Project Jupiter Featured

Data center Project Jupiter’s greenhouse gas emissions could rival NM’s largest cities

Developers behind Project Jupiter, a massive data-center campus planned near Doña Ana County, say the site could emit more than 14 million tons of greenhouse gases annually — a level that would rival the combined emissions of the state’s two biggest cities.

A row of natural gas meters mounted on an exterior wall, showing gauges and piping used to measure residential heating usage.
State Featured

New Mexico delegation announces release of LIHEAP funds after push to lower winter utility costs

New Mexico’s congressional delegation says long-delayed LIHEAP funding is on its way to the state after lawmakers demanded action amid higher winter utility costs.

A yellow South Central Regional Transit hybrid-electric bus parked outdoors with desert mountains in the background, displaying SCRTD branding and “Hybrid Electric” along the roofline.
News Featured

$4M federal grant funds new express bus service between Las Cruces and El Paso

A $4 million federal transit grant will fund a new express bus service linking Las Cruces and El Paso, aiming to improve cross-border access for commuters and transit-dependent residents.

A small, house-shaped Christmas ornament hangs on a tree branch surrounded by multicolored holiday lights.
Guest Column

What our Christmas ornaments remember for us

A guest column reflecting on the history and personal meaning behind holiday ornaments and the memories they carry across generation. Gabriella Brillante Organ Mountain News publishes guest columns from community members as a way to highlight personal stories and perspectives that help shape life in southern New Mexico. This essay

Graphic reading “Dead in the Desert: Unrecovered remains in New Mexico’s borderlands.”
Immigration

‘An open graveyard’: Skeletal remains lie unrecovered in New Mexico’s borderlands

This republished Searchlight New Mexico investigation looks at the challenges of locating, identifying and recovering the remains of migrants who die in New Mexico’s borderlands.

A cyclist wearing a helmet and red flannel shirt rides along a paved path surrounded by tall dry grass under a clear blue sky.
Doña Ana County

Mesilla Valley MPO seeks bicycle community representative for advisory committee

The Mesilla Valley MPO is seeking a Bicycle Community Representative for its Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee. Applications are open through Feb. 2.

Ken Miyagishima sits at a panel table during a Healthy Climate New Mexico town hall, with other panelists, audience members and presentation slides visible in a meeting room.
Politics

Lone candidate for New Mexico governor attends climate-focused town hall

Only one 2026-gubernatorial candidate — Ken Miyagishima — showed up in person at a climate-focused town hall Thursday, while other Democrats sent surrogates and no Republicans appeared. The absence comes despite an online flyer listing 10 candidates.

Casa de Peregrinos Food Program logo featuring food icons inside a red circular seal.
Community

Project Jupiter donates $50K to Casa de Peregrinos during Sunland Park pop-up pantry

Project Jupiter donated $50,000 to Casa de Peregrinos, supporting a Dec. 5 pop-up pantry in Sunland Park as food insecurity increases across Doña Ana County

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra and UTEP choral groups perform onstage during the holiday concert A Christmas Fantasia at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso.
Reviews

Review: EPSO celebrates the holiday season with a bit of whimsy, laughter and nostalgia

Leah Romero reflects on the El Paso Symphony Orchestra’s A Christmas Fantasia, a festive concert featuring holiday favorites, guest soprano Erica Spyres and spirited audience participation

Children participate in a group activity during a Parks and Recreation program, smiling as they spread shaving cream across a table inside a recreation center.
City of Las Cruces

Registration now open for Las Cruces Winter Break Camp

Registration is now open for the City of Las Cruces Winter Break Camp, a $20 program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade running Dec. 22 through Jan. 2.

A dump truck unloads asphalt as road construction equipment repaves a highway in a rural area.
Roads

$2.3M US 70 roadway rehabilitation project to begin Monday

A $2.3 million roadway rehabilitation project on US 70 near Organ will begin Dec. 8, bringing lane closures and reduced speed limits through Dec. 23, weather permitting.

Logo for the New Mexico Department of Health, showing the outline of the state in purple with the words NM Health across it in purple and orange.
News

Rabid coyote bites hiker near Silver City, prompting weekend vaccination clinic

A coyote that bit a hiker in the Gila National Forest has tested positive for rabies, marking the region’s fourth case this year. A low-cost vaccination clinic is set for Saturday in Silver City.

A snow-covered evergreen tree stands on a hillside in front of rugged, white-dusted cliffs under a cloudy winter sky in New Mexico.
News

BLM drops Christmas tree and firewood permit fees to $1 through January

The Bureau of Land Management has reduced personal-use Christmas tree and firewood permits to $1 through Jan. 31 and expanded household limits, aiming to save families money and support wildfire prevention efforts.

A Las Cruces police officer on a motorcycle watches traffic on Red Hawk Golf Road with the Organ Mountains visible in the distance.
Public Safety

LCPD issues 27 citations during one-hour traffic operation on Red Hawk Golf Road

Las Cruces police issued 27 citations in a one-hour traffic enforcement operation on Red Hawk Golf Road, including speeding, registration and insurance violations.

Melanie Kenderdine, New Mexico’s secretary of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, poses for an official portrait against a gray backdrop.
Government

NM cabinet Secretary Kenderdine abruptly resigns ‘for personal reasons’

New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Melanie Kenderdine resigned abruptly Dec. 5 for personal reasons, citing her husband’s poor health. Deputy Secretary Erin Taylor will serve as acting secretary while the governor’s office searches for a replacement.

Rows of glowing luminarias line a dark pathway at night, their warm light reflecting off the water below.
Events

NMSU to celebrate 40th annual ‘Noche de Luminarias’ Dec. 7

New Mexico State University’s 40th-annual Noche de Luminarias returns Dec. 7 with campuswide luminaria displays, festive music, hot cocoa and community activities — a free holiday event for families across Las Cruces.

A shopping cart symbol on a sign in a parking lot outside a retail store, with cars and a cloudy sky in the background.
Public Safety

Las Cruces police share safety tips for holiday shoppers

The Las Cruces Police Department is reminding shoppers to stay alert and take simple precautions to protect themselves and their property during the holiday season.

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You’re free to republish our stories — with credit. Our journalism is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please edit only for style or length, include attribution and a link back to Organ Mountain News. AP and Getty images may not be reused. See our republishing guidelines for more.