Local Stories

By Don Eskins The Carlsbad Cavegirl golf team, behind Haddi May’s 86, placed third at the Artesia Bulldog Classic on Monday, April 6. Eight teams teed up for the event. May’s effort landed her among the tourney’s top 10 placers. Overall, she finished ninth. Six strokes back of May, with a 92, was Averee Padilla, who placed 12th to finish in the top 20. Also placing in the top 20 were Hailey Carter, 14th, with a 93, and Cecilia Mascarenas, 19th, with a 99. “Haddi really had a

By Kyle Markstiener There’s a variety show coming up at the high school. Several of the theater kids wanted to do a scene from Hamilton, and they needed space to practice. I proposed the United Way’s boardroom, and my daughter, Amelia, took me up on the offer. Practice was set for 2 p.m., but Amelia came by about 45 minutes early to prepare. I could hear the scraping of furniture as chairs and tables were moved to turn our boardroom into a more suitable location for rehearsin

By Don Eskins For the young Cavegirl softball team, 2026 has been a very different kind of year. As District 4/5A play gets set to kick off, Carlsbad sits at a very uncharacteristic 5-9. But, in a rebuilding year with a very young pitching staff, the Cavegirls have shown signs of growth. However, the question is, have they grown enough to repeat as District 4/5A champions? Taking a look at what they’ll be facing against their conference rivals, the answer to that question is

Faith Kluesner plans to attend an out-of-state college after graduation, where she will study biochemical engineering or biotechnology. She is the daughter of Melanie Crow and the sister of Jackson Crow (11). At Carlsbad High School, Faith is drum major for the marching band—a role that highlights her leadership skills—while also playing flute in the varsity concert band and competing on the varsity Cavegirl basketball team. She is also active at St. Edward’s Church and dance

On March 5, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced the 485 semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Among those selected was Southeast New Mexico College student Sammy Lopez, Jr., who earned recognition from a highly selective pool of more than 1,300 applicants representing 224 community colleges across 37 states. The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is one of the most prestigious opportunities available to community college

By Sarah Jones, Library Director, Carlsbad Public Library Few debates among readers spark more passion than the question: Was the book better than the movie? From The Lord of the Rings to The Hunger Games, from Pride and Prejudice to The Martian, adaptations bring beloved stories to life in new ways—sometimes to applause, sometimes to outrage. But whether you prefer the written word or the silver screen, there’s no denying that the conversation itself highlights why stories m

By Dr. Kevin Beardmore The long-time chair of my previous college, Owensboro Community and Technical College in Kentucky, often told the story of the college’s origins. Owensboro had two private colleges, one Catholic that had been around for decades, one Methodist that was established in 1858. Because of this, the city had been bypassed when a dozen branch campuses of the University of Kentucky were established in the 1960s. By the 1980s, it was clear that Owensboro, desp