Front Page News

By Lynn Janes

The Cobre Consolidated School Board held a regular meeting in the Cobre High School library on April 8, 2024. Board members in attendance included Gabriella Begay, Gilbert Guadiana, David Terrazas, Angelina Hardin, and Emmarie Heredia. Acting superintendent Michael Koury also attended.

Action Items

The council approved the agenda and moving public comment to after the action items, minutes from the previous meeting and a budget transfer.

[Editor's Note: This is the second of a potential several articles on the Gila Regional Board of Trustees meeting on March 20, 2024. It begins the reports and updates.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

At the Gila Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees meeting on March 20, 2024, Chief Executive Officer Robert Whitaker presented board education. He noted the conditions of participation surround "our being accredited by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) as a health-care provider. So what are our conditions of participation? They involve health and safety guidelines that we share by improving quality and participation. In order for us to seek payment from the federal government, we must meet these conditions of participation. There is a 306-page manual for this. It's called the State Operations Manual.

The Beat wants our readers' feedback.

The Grant County Beat will soon be upgrading the Beat's website. It seems like a good idea now to learn from our readers what they read most often on the Beat. We would also like to hear your likes, dislikes, what additions you would like to see, as well as what subtractions you would prefer.

Brian Hodes/VeloImages/Courtesy of Tour of the Gila. Silver City, NM — For the 37th year, Tour of the Gila brings a world-class cycling event to Silver City. Race organizers are grateful for the local community's support and invites all to come watch the races, which occur from Wednesday, April 24, through Sunday, April 28. To ensure a safe and positive experience for the athletes, volunteers and supporters, Tour of the Gila offers the following schedule detailing impacts to area roads and highways while the races are underway. Residents and visitors are encouraged to plan travel during race week accordingly. Any changes or updates to the schedule below will be posted online at tourofthegila.com.

By Lynn Janes

The town of Bayard held a special meeting April 2, 2024. Attendance included Mayor John L. Ojinaga, Mayor Pro Tem Eloy Medina, councilors, Frances Gonzales, Eloy Gonzales, and Gilbert Ortiz. Tanya Ortiz, deputy clerk, also attended.   

Public input 

[Editor's Note: The topic of the first three presenters in public input refers to the proposal to rehire the former clerk/treasurer at a salary of $120,000.]

Steve Potts, a resident of Bayard, said they all had been voted in and entrusted to keep the city financially sound. He commented that the city did not have much income and Bayard has to run on a tight budget. A lot of people working for the city make less than what they should be paid. "When you look at bringing someone back you must look at their past performance. Maybe they left because of more money. You can't offer more money than before. As a council you need to keep the budget." The city must rely on volunteers because the residents have been told the city does not have any money. He said if you hire someone for that much money many people will be asking questions and may not be willing to do so much for free. 

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a potential several articles on the Gila Regional Board of Trustees meeting on March 20, 2024. It primarily covers the audit report.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Gila Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees Vice Chair Betty Vega led the meeting in the absence of Chair Dr. Fred Fox.

With no board comments or chair comments, Vega announced the recognitions. Although none of the recipients was present, Dr. Norman Ratliff received recognition for his 10 years of service as a cardiologist at Gila Regional. Kerri Henderson was recognized for her five years of service in nursing, and Meagan Kuehnlenz for five years of service in EMS (emergency medical services).

By Frost McGahey

Connie Holguin

Randy Hernandez[Editor's Note: This is part 1 of several articles, which have been done through an emailed questionnaire. This series covers only the local contested races in the Primary election. For the General Election every contested race candidate will receive a questionnaire a month or more before the General Election, for publication prior to early voting.]

 As a public service the Grant County Beat is asking Candidates questions so voters can determine who they want to vote for in the coming Democrat primary, June 4, 2024. Since there are no Republican contested races, the focus is on the races in the Democrat Primary. This is only a partially closed primary so Independent and Declined to State can vote in it.

Connie's answers are first followed by Randy's.  (Ladies first)

Here are some key 2024 dates to remember:

These  links below pertain to any citizen living in the state of New Mexico. The option is to visit your local county clerk's office or call them for more information. For those in Grant County, the number to call is 575-574-0042.