Front Page News

By Frost McGahey and Mary Alice Murphy

(please also see https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/two-questions-on-the-special-election-ballot-causing-confusion )

The Mail-In ballot has caused a lot of confusion. The two Bond Questions have different impacts on property taxes. Jarrod Mason, an experienced accountant who has worked on the audits for Silver and Cobre schools was contacted to explain the ramifications.

Mason first addressed the shorter ballot question that asks for $25,000,000. “This is going to raise people’s property taxes next year by 23 ½% to 25% depending on exemptions. Voters need to know this. Unfortunately, the school district hasn’t been very forthcoming. Many elderly in our county are on fixed income and can’t afford this increase. On a $150,000 house, that costs an extra $205 a year.

By Roger Lanse

As Silver City Police Department officers were on foot patrol inside Walmart on Friday, Aug, 2, 2024, at about 4:30 p.m., they came in contact with Matias Marquez, 23, of Silver City, who they knew had a criminal trespass warning for Walmart, which was issued June 4, 2024, by a SCPD officer.

According to a SCPD incident report, Marquez was placed under arrest, handcuffed, and placed in the rear seat of a SCPD patrol vehicle while a citation was written. Marquez was subsequently released on a citation to appear.

By Lynn Janes

The Cobre Consolidated School Board held two regular meetings on July 22, 2024. Board members in attendance included Gabriella Begay, Gilbert Guadiana, David Terrazas, Angelina Hardin, and Emmarie Heredia. Superintendent Michael Koury also attended.

The board approved a lease purchase agreement. Kaeley Weimerskirch, RBC Capital Markets, joined the meeting by phone to explain the educational technology notes (ETN) for $1,145,000. She had previously spoken to the board on their options. The agreement will close August 28, 2024, and pay off August 29, 2024, and they will pay interest for one day in the amount of $174.65, an interest rate of 5.56 percent.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Bayard held a regular meeting July 8, 2024. Attendance included Mayor John L. Ojinaga, Pro Tem Eloy Medina, councilors, Frances Gonzales and Gilbert Ortiz. Martha Salas, city clerk/treasurer also attended. Eloy Gonzales didn’t attend.

Public input

Frontier Food Hub representatives presented an overview of their organization to the council. The organization has been around since 1997 and paid out over $1 million to local farms and ranches. Recently they started a four-year project in the mining district with a grant. They will be building a greenhouse training center, community garden, and will create jobs. Recently a survey for the mining district had been put out and they have received 300 responses. By the end of the year, they will have a food plan.

[Editor's Note: This is the fourth of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting. It continues county director reports.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The June 11, 2024 Grant County Commission work session continued county director reports with Fleet Maintenance Director Corey White enumerating the oil changes and inspections, the diagnose and repair, tire repair and replacement, dealership -warranty repair, independent shop programming, Road department blades receiving new cutting edges, a windshield, Safety Kleen pumping off used oil for recycling, the installation of two new post lifts and G&G Towing removing 14 Sheriff's Office units from the yard for disposal. For the rest of the month, they planned to prepare and install fuel tanks and hitches on a new blade and operator pickups when they arrive, as well as installing new decals on all county fleet vehicles and to closeout fiscal year 2024 invoices.

By Roger Lanse

According to Catron County Sheriff Keith Hughes, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, around 9 a.m., a male, identified as 69-year-old Patrick Lopez of Phoenix, was found deceased at the Big Horn Campground on Highway 180 just north of Glenwood. Lopez had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

[Editor's Note: This is the third of a series of articles on the June 11, 2024 Commission meeting. It continues county director reports.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The June 11, 2024, Grant County Commission work session continued with department director reports.

To continue reports, Emergency Manager Scot Fuller gave some updates.

He noted the Hazard Mitigation Plan group held its first meeting on May 15, after choosing H2O Partners as the contractor. "We plan to hold at least two more meetings. Hopefully by February or March of next year we we will have a FEMA approved- plan."

By Roger Lanse

On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at about 11:37 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to 1203 Serinna Court to a reported breaking and entering incident. The Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority advised officers a male, later identified as Elmo Duran, 43, with a Las Cruces address, was walking around and throwing rocks at the residence and that Duran was possibly armed.

According to an SCPD incident report, when officers arrived, they heard yelling and rocks hitting a residence. A next-door witness stated the incident was occurring at the house at 1203 Serinna Court behind his house. Officers had contact with Duran, who initially ran, but then complied with officers' commands to get on the ground. While Duran was being handcuffed, the officers noticed lacerations and heavy bleeding from his right forearm.