Local Stories

By Don Eskins The Carlsbad Cavemen participated in the NMAA’s Individual and Team State Tennis Tournament in Albuquerque on May 6-9. Although the CHS boys failed to pick up a victory in singles or doubles play, they did down the Rio Rancho Rams 5-4 in the first round of team competition before losing to La Cueva 0-6 in the quarterfinals. “This year’s tournament was really tough. But our boys played hard and fought the opposition to the very last match,” said CHS assistant coa

By Don Eskins The Carlsbad Cavegirls carded a 756 to finish sixth at the Class 5A Girls State Golf Tournament in Las Cruces on Monday and Tuesday, May 11-12. Organ Mountain, 16 strokes better than the runner-up La Cueva Bears, who recorded a two-day total of 671, fired a 655 to claim this year’s state title. For the Cavegirls, there was much more to contend with than just the seven other teams that had assembled in the City of Crosses with hopes of winning this year’s state t

By Don Eskins A 4-1 loss to the second-seeded 21-5 Alamogordo Tigers on Friday, May 8, during opening round play of the NMAA Class 5A State Softball Tournament, brought an abrupt end to the 2026 season for the Carlsbad Cavegirls. With the loss, CHS closed out the year with a record of 14-13. In conference play, as the District 4/5A runner-up, they were 9-3. The Cavegirls, seeded 15th, jumped out in front of the Tigers 1-0 at the top of the first inning. But Alamo answered wit

By Don Eskins Carlsbad High, seeded sixth for this year’s state baseball tournament, swept the 11th-seeded Organ Mt. Knights 9-2, 4-3, in Round 1 of the NMAA’s Big Dance on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9, in the Cavern City. With the sweep, the 18-10 Cavemen advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs to do battle with the third-seeded, 25-3, La Cueva Bears in Albuquerque on Thursday, May 14. Due to deadline restraints, results of the game will be reported in the F

By Rhonda Jones This morning, I was pouring some Plant Strong cereal into a bowl when I looked up at my Alexa Echo and saw a message. “Could red meat prevent dementia?” Well, that stopped me in my tracks. Of course, my first thought was, if red meat could prevent dementia, then there would probably be no dementia since almost everyone in the US, with the exception of a few of us, eats red meat and eats it almost every day. I could picture a few skinny vegans walking around, w

By Don Eskins Carlsbad High School’s Cavemen and Cavegirl track and field teams will be in Albuquerque on Friday and Saturday, May 15-16, to compete in the NMAA’s Class 5A State Tournament. Twenty-two athletes—11 Cavemen and 11 Cavegirls—will compete at the meet. “Track is a long season (12 weeks), and it’s during the spring. We usually see several athletes fall off as the season goes on,” said CHS head coach Charles Millar. “To qualify for state takes a lot of hard work and

Sarah Jones, Library Director, Carlsbad Public Library For book lovers, a home library isn’t just a collection of books—it’s a sanctuary, a reflection of your interests, and a space where imagination thrives. But as your collection grows, keeping it organized can feel overwhelming. A well-ordered home library not only makes it easier to find the book you want, but it also enhances the joy of reading by turning your shelves into an inviting and inspiring space. At Carlsbad Pub

By Michael Bromka Bernita Smith-Payne, a teacher and former principal for Carlsbad Municipal Schools, received acclaim from fellow members of the Eddy County NAACP at SENMC on Saturday, May 9. Collis Johnson presided over a gathering of two dozen. By motion and vote, chapter business was postponed until the next meeting. Five speakers praised Bernita’s decades of service to Carlsbad’s youth. LaVern Shan recalled sage advice she had received from Bernita’s eminent father, Dr.