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Damien Willis speaks during a New Mexico In Focus interview, with an on-screen title identifying him as founder and editor of Organ Mountain News.
Organ Mountain News Featured

Organ Mountain News featured on New Mexico In Focus

Organ Mountain News founder and editor Damien Willis appeared on New Mexico In Focus to discuss local journalism, community listening and southern New Mexico news access.

Organ Mountain News
A black Mexican festival mask with horns, red and yellow eyes, white tusks and red details is displayed against a dark background.
Art Museum Featured

Mexican mask exhibition opens July 17 at Las Cruces Museum of Art

Dancing with Life: Mexican Masks opens July 17 at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, featuring masks and danza regalia from Michoacán, Mexico.

Organ Mountain News
A shaded playground with a green slide sits on rubberized surfacing at Gus Vlachakis Park in Las Cruces.
City of Las Cruces Featured

Gus Vlachakis Park playground to close for safety surfacing repairs

The playground at Gus Vlachakis Park, 2600 E. Missouri Ave., will close July 10 while Las Cruces crews repair rubberized safety surfacing.

Organ Mountain News
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez speaks from a lectern on the House floor.
Legislation Featured

Vasquez backs bipartisan bills targeting fentanyl overdoses, online drug sales

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is backing two bipartisan bills aimed at fentanyl overdose response and youth online safety.

Organ Mountain News
Middle school students pose for a group photo in front of a full-scale steam engine outside a building at NMSU.
NMSU

NMSU engineering camp gives Las Cruces students hands-on STEM experience

NMSU’s NM PREP Academy gave Las Cruces middle and high school students hands-on experience in engineering labs, robotics, 3D printing and more.

Allison Brady
The entrance to the Doña Ana County Government Center is shown with palm trees in front of the building.
Doña Ana County

Doña Ana County extends public service hours for building, planning offices

Doña Ana County has extended public service hours for its Building Services and Planning Department to 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Organ Mountain News
Las Cruces firefighters stand near a fire engine and hoses outside a mobile home after a fire on Jasper Drive.
Fire

Fire damages mobile home on Jasper Drive

Las Cruces firefighters extinguished a fire Saturday morning at a mobile home on Jasper Drive. One occupant was transported for further medical evaluation.

Organ Mountain News
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story stands at a podium facing a crowded public meeting room.
Recognitions

U.S. Attorney’s Office to honor Las Cruces police chief July 10

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico will honor Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story during a July 10 ceremony.

Organ Mountain News
The Sunspot Solar Observatory stands in a forested mountain area near Cloudcroft.
Southern New Mexico

New Mexico residents push to save nearly 80-year-old Sunspot Solar Observatory as demolition nears

New Mexico residents are pushing to save the nearly 80-year-old Sunspot Solar Observatory near Cloudcroft after a mercury leak prompted demolition plans.

Joshua Bowling
Doña Ana Fire Rescue crews stand near a damaged vehicle at night after a crash near Highway 404 in Chaparral.
Public Safety

Three transported after two-vehicle crash in Chaparral

Three people were transported to local hospitals after a two-vehicle crash Saturday evening in Chaparral, according to Doña Ana Fire Rescue.

Organ Mountain News
Las Cruces Police Department academy recruits talk around a classroom table during training.
LCPD

Las Cruces police academy applications open July 6

Applications for the next Las Cruces Police Department training academy open July 6, with cadets starting at $24 per hour and incentives available.

Organ Mountain News
Memorial Medical Center is shown in Las Cruces with tree branches and sunlight in the foreground.
Health

Memorial Medical Center earns robotic surgery accreditation

Memorial Medical Center has been accredited as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by Surgical Review Corporation, the hospital announced.

Organ Mountain News
Federal Correctional Institution La Tuna is shown in Anthony, Texas, with Spanish mission-style architecture and mountains in the background.
Federal Prisons

Historic La Tuna federal prison slated for closure as Bureau of Prisons restructures

The La Tuna federal prison complex in Anthony, Texas, is slated for closure as the Bureau of Prisons restructures facilities nationwide.

Robert Moore
Michael Pullin poses for a portrait wearing glasses, a dark suit jacket and a striped tie.
DACC

DACC names Michael Pullin vice president of Academic Affairs

Doña Ana Community College has appointed Michael Pullin as its new vice president of Academic Affairs.

Organ Mountain News
Las Cruces Finance Director Lesley Doyle poses for a studio portrait against a dark background.
Recognitions

Las Cruces finance director receives national public service honor

Las Cruces Finance Director Lesley Doyle has received a national public service recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association.

Organ Mountain News
Young people crouch in a grassy mountain area during an outdoor conservation program.
Outdoor Spaces

New Mexico funds conservation jobs for more than 600 young people

New Mexico’s Youth Conservation Corps awarded nearly $7 million to conservation programs that will employ more than 600 young people statewide.

Organ Mountain News
An official election mail return envelope sits on a table.
Elections

New Mexico AG opposes USPS mail ballot rule

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined a 24-state coalition opposing a proposed USPS rule that critics say could restrict mail ballot delivery.

Organ Mountain News
Dr. Jerry Wallace holds a state heritage preservation award while standing beside Audra Bellmore during an awards ceremony.
Recognitions

Las Cruces preservation chair receives state heritage award

Dr. Jerry Wallace, chair of the Las Cruces Historic Preservation Committee, received a state Heritage Preservation Individual Achievement Award.

Organ Mountain News
Organ Mountain News

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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.