Organ Mountain News
  • đź’™ DONATE đź’™
  • Home
  • About
  • State
  • Local
  • Education
  • Crime
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Community
  • Sports
  • Events
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
Sign in Subscribe
Deming High School student Urijah Nordorf, 16, participates in vocational training through Western New Mexico University’s dual enrollment program.
Education Featured

Deming student on track to earn two WNMU trade certificates before high school graduation

A Deming High School student is on track to graduate with WNMU welding and electrical certificates through the university’s dual enrollment technical program.

Organ Mountain News
Food bank leaders speak with U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján during an Aug. 11 roundtable about rising food insecurity and demand for assistance in New Mexico.
Food Insecurity Featured

New Mexico food banks describe significant increase in demand after federal food aid cuts

New Mexico food banks report sharply higher demand as SNAP changes and rising grocery costs strain families, with Roadrunner Food Bank up 79% year over year.

Patrick Lohmann
Las Cruces firefighters spray water on a fire-damaged mobile home on Three Crosses Avenue while hoses lie across the ground.
Fire Featured

Las Cruces firefighters respond to two structure fires Friday

Las Cruces firefighters responded to two structure fires Friday, rescuing three pets from one home and quickly controlling a second fire at an abandoned mobile home.

Damien Willis
Graphic promotes GISD’s bilingual “Gadsden Listens / Gadsden Escucha” Family & Community Survey, which closes Aug. 23, alongside a smartphone displaying the survey.
GISD Featured

GISD wants to hear from families. Here’s how their feedback could shape what comes next

GISD families and community members have until Aug. 23 to complete a survey that will help shape district priorities under Superintendent Nubia Tarazona’s 100-day plan.

Damien Willis
A sign identifies the U.S. Courthouse at 100 N. Church St. in Las Cruces beside the building’s stone exterior.
Federal Court

Three Las Cruces men plead guilty to federal firearms charges after Young Park shooting

Three Las Cruces men pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges stemming from a September 2025 shooting investigation near Young Park and Hermosa Heights Elementary.

Organ Mountain News
Booking photo of Wyatt Cornelius, 43, facing forward in front of a height chart at the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
Crime

Former Las Cruces teacher indicted in second case involving another minor

Former Las Cruces teacher Wyatt Cornelius faces two additional felony sexual-contact charges involving a different minor while remaining jailed in an earlier case.

Damien Willis
A map outlines portions of Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County beside an aerial image of Jeffrey Epstein’s former residence and surrounding property.
Accountability

Republican Truth Commission members question removal of Haaland reference from interim report

Two New Mexico Truth Commission members say a reference to Deb Haaland was removed from an interim report without their approval. Commission Chair Andrea Romero disputes their characterization.

Damien Willis
A person uses a smartphone indoors, holding the device in both hands and tapping the screen.
GISD

From phone pockets to TikTok: GISD revisits cellphone rules

GISD is revisiting student cellphone rules after officials described inconsistent classroom practices ranging from phone storage to TikTok and Snapchat use.

Damien Willis
A pro-Project Jupiter mailer promotes community investments, water-system improvements and jobs tied to the proposed Doña Ana County data center project.
Project Jupiter

New Mexico State Ethics Commission announces settlement with group behind Project Jupiter mailers

The New Mexico State Ethics Commission reached a settlement with Elevate New Mexico, the group behind pro-Project Jupiter mailers and ads, requiring lobbying and campaign finance disclosures.

Joshua Bowling
The Delores C. Wright Educational Center in Chaparral, a tan and brown brick building with a covered entrance and desert landscaping.
Doña Ana County

Chaparral residents invited to weigh in on community center expansion

Doña Ana County will hold an Aug. 19 community meeting in Chaparral to gather feedback on plans to expand the Delores Wright Community Center and Senior Center.

Organ Mountain News
The activity pool at the Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center.
City of Las Cruces

Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center activity pool reopens after repairs

The Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center activity pool reopened Aug. 13 and resumed normal operational hours after repairs were completed.

Organ Mountain News
New Mexico State University’s campus in Las Cruces, where the Domenici Public Policy Conference will return Sept. 8-9 after an eight-year hiatus.
NMSU

Domenici Public Policy Conference returns to Las Cruces after eight-year hiatus

NMSU is reviving the Domenici Public Policy Conference Sept. 8-9 in Las Cruces with national leaders, policy experts and candidates discussing major issues shaping the country.

Amanda Wyatt
A sweeping Mimbres Valley landscape with green grasslands, pine-covered hills, red rock cliffs and a winding road beneath a clear blue sky.
Public Lands

New Mexico acquires nearly 11,000 acres for new Mimbres Valley wildlife area

New Mexico has acquired nearly 11,000 acres in the Mimbres Valley for a new wildlife management area bordering the Gila National Forest.

Organ Mountain News
A Doña Ana County resident speaks during an Aug. 11 Project Jupiter listening session as state Sens. Joseph Cervantes, Bill Soules and Jeff Steinborn listen.
Project Jupiter

Doña Ana County residents criticize local, state officials for advancing Project Jupiter

More than 300 Doña Ana County residents questioned state lawmakers about Project Jupiter’s water use, air quality impacts, permitting and government oversight during an Aug. 11 listening session.

Leah Romero
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez speaks at a lectern on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez

Vasquez backs bipartisan bill targeting scam ads on social media

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is backing bipartisan legislation that would require social media companies to combat fraudulent ads and strengthen enforcement against scammers.

Organ Mountain News
A health care worker wearing gloves administers a vaccine injection into a patient’s upper arm.
Health

New Mexico says childhood vaccine recommendations will remain unchanged

New Mexico health officials say the state will maintain its full childhood vaccination recommendations and continue using the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule as a guide.

Organ Mountain News
Kent Hoffmann, Karl Affsprung and Andrew Lujan-Huerta appear side by side in a three-panel composite of identification photos.
FBI

FBI seeks information in three Roswell homicide investigations

The FBI, Roswell police and Chaves County sheriff’s deputies are seeking information in three homicide investigations involving men found dead in and near Roswell this summer.

Organ Mountain News
A wooden judge’s gavel and sound block rest on a light-colored surface.
Courts

17-year-old pleads guilty to second-degree murder in Las Cruces house party shooting

Kenneth Perez, 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and three aggravated battery charges in a 2025 Las Cruces house party shooting that killed Lance Chavez.

Damien Willis
Organ Mountain News

© Organ Mountain News, LLC 2026

Powered by Ghost
  • Sign up free
  • đź’™ DONATE đź’™
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • About
  • Ethics
  • Transparency
  • DEIJ Policy
  • Republish our Work
  • AI Policy
  • Style Guide
  • Our Impact
  • Funding
Creative Commons License

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.