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By Misty Cryer Recognized in Carlsbad’s 40 Under 40 in 2024 and featured in a Teacher Spotlight published by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA) in 2025, the community of Carlsbad is likely familiar with Hannah VanScotter, a local educator at Carlsbad High School. At the New Mexico Association for Career and Technical Education (NMACTE) Conference in January, VanScotter was named NMACTE Career Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year. “I will go on to the Regi

By Don Eskins Carlsbad High will compete in the NMAA State Swim Meet on Friday and Saturday, February 20-21. The meet will take place at Albuquerque Academy High School. Overall, 10 CHS swimmers—six Cavemen and four Cavegirls—qualified in 13 events for the meet. The following is a list of the events and swimmers competing in each. CHS 2025-26 Individual State Qualifiers: Olivia Jang: 200 IM, 100 Fly, 100 Breast, 100 Free. Benjamin Jang: 100 breast, 200 IM, 100 Free. Samuel Ve

By Don Eskins Ten Cavemen, headed by divisional runners-up Justin Owens, 138; Jay Norris, 157; and Juan Rubio, 215, qualified for state at the Southern Regional Championships in Albuquerque on Saturday, February 14. In order to qualify for this year’s Big Dance, grapplers had to place among the top seven placers of each weight division or draw a wild card for their overall performance during the meet. “Our goal was to get as many of our wrestlers to state as we could. Of the

By Don Eskins The prep tennis season officially opened up for Carlsbad High on Friday and Saturday, February 13-14, at the El Paso Austin Invitational. According to CHS assistant coach Diamond Morrill, the Cavemen and Cavegirls got off to a good start. “As this was our first tournament of the season, our kids played pretty well. We have a lot of young players this year, so many of them were a bit nervous as the tournament got underway,” said Morrill. “But after they got out o

By Don Eskins The 11-14 Carlsbad Cavegirls, ranked 20th by MaxPreps, will host the second-ranked 23-2 Hobbs Eagles on Friday night, February 20. The clash will mark the end of regular-season and district play for both teams. The JVs will open up the night’s play at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7 p.m. To nobody’s surprise, Hobbs, who has already clinched this season’s conference title, sits at the top of the District 4/5A standings with an unblemished 5-0 record. The

By Don Eskins It’s going to be a winner-take-all battle for the District 4/5A title when the Carlsbad Cavemen and Hobbs Eagles face off in Hobbs on Friday night, February 20. No doubt, with so much at stake, you can bet the farm that the Ralph Tasker Arena will be rockin’ when the ball goes up for the tipoff at 7 p.m. The JVs will take the floor first at 5:30 p.m. Carlsbad will enter the clash at 17-7, the Eagles at 16-9. In district play, both teams are 4-1. Coming into the

By Sarah Jones, Library Director, Carlsbad Public Library If you’ve visited the library lately, you may have noticed something remarkable: people are reading in more ways than ever before. Some browse the shelves for a classic hardcover, while others download the latest bestseller onto an e-reader or listen to an audiobook during their commute. This variety raises a question many readers ask: What is the future of books—print or digital? The truth is, both formats offer uniqu

By Michael Bromka Carlsbad Heights Lions ramp foreman Tom Dugger undertook three different projects on two consecutive Saturdays. Most recently, he and fellow volunteers built a modest wooden ramp on Valverde Street. Jay Francis helped Tom build a 2X4” understructure unit the day before. Fellow Heights Lions Michael Bromka, Bernie Sanchez, and Rick Wiedenmann joined them, plus ringer Bryan Burns, to unload lumber, pavers, and units to begin. Once they’d assembled the understr

Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) student and Phi Theta Kappa Chapter President Ciara Taff has officially been accepted as a candidate for International Vice President, Division IV, for Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. She has begun her campaign to represent Division IV, which includes Alaska, Alberta, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, the

By Misty Cryer Prep is underway for “Dancing with the Eddy County Stars” of 2026. The lineup has been announced, and ticket sales, donations, and sponsorships are steadily rolling in to support the work United Way of Eddy County does to benefit the county’s residents and communities. This entertaining and impactful event is scheduled for March 20 at the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts and Exhibition Center. Cocktail Hour is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the competition running

By Misty Cryer Garth Grizzle and Corina Yrigollen are not strangers to the Janell Whitlock Valentine’s Day Dinner and Dance. In 2024, they were crowned King and Queen. By popular vote, this now happily married couple was named King and Queen again at the fifth annual event held on Valentine’s Day this year at the Pecos River Conference Center. Hosted by the Age Friendly Communities Council of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, this event pays tribute to the late Janell Whitloc

By R. Gabriel Villalobos If you live in Carlsbad and own a dog, this might not come as a surprise to you, but after winter passes, you can expect to have to make your pet’s grooming appointments a month or two out. For one local groomer, Theresa Chism, that busy season is a familiar rhythm. While the wait might not be so long in the cooler months, she confirms, “as the weather warms up...a lot of people get booked out farther. We have a pretty high demand for dog groomers rig