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By Misty Cryer The Halagueño Arts Park, which surrounds the Carlsbad Library and Carlsbad Museum, has been in development for close to a quarter of a century. The completion of the four building phases was recently celebrated. The early history of the site was featured in a previous edition of Carlsbad Local, with ongoing plans revealed. Julia Heaton championed the idea of developing an Arts Park on the grounds. She said she became interested in creating an Arts Park in 2004-

By Michael Bromka As befitted her self-dramatized grandeur, Brenda Rickell’s western epitaph might be “died with her boots on.” Truth underpins legend. Still working at 78, she keeled over in worn tennies. Timewise coworkers phoned 911 and administered CPR. EMTs rushed her to CMC, thence to UMC Lubbock. During a week of medical intervention, doctors diagnosed a non-survivable brain bleed. Life support was unplugged. Brenda held on thereafter, perhaps inwardly singing operatic

By Misty Cryer Last summer, some anxiety was expressed by parents due to the uncertainty of funding for the local Head Start program. Fortunately, the program did continue and is now operated by Youth Development, Inc. (YDI) who also offers a pre-K program, summer programs, and supportive services for families. The non-profit organization is currently accepting applications for the programs and has job openings. Janice Rodriguez of Loving is overseeing the Head Start and Pre-

By Don Eskins The Cavemen and Cavegirl tennis teams competed in the District 4/5A Individual Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 28-29, in Hobbs. Participants competed in either singles or doubles at the tournament. Those placing among the top three, in either category, qualified for state. Following the first day of competition, four Cavemen had punched their tickets to the New Mexico Big Dance. In singles play, CHS’s Lucas Bluth, the 2026 District 4/5A champion, plac

By Sarah Jones, Library Director, Carlsbad Public Library One of the greatest joys of visiting your local library is discovering the hidden literary treasures created right in your own community. Local authors offer a window into the stories, landscapes, and experiences that shape the places we call home. At the Carlsbad Public Library, we take pride in celebrating the voices of writers who live, work, and create in southeastern New Mexico. Their stories, whether fictional or

Southeast New Mexico College has been recognized as a recipient of the 2026 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges award by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) in partnership with The EduLedger. This national recognition highlights institutions demonstrating excellence in employee recruitment and retention practices, inclusive learning and work environments, and meaningful community engagement. “We are honored to receive this r

By Don Eskins On Thursday, April 23, former Caveman point guard Zee Huerta signed a letter of intent to play collegiate basketball for the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys during the 2026-27 school year. Highlands, located in Las Vegas, is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Association. During 2025-26, the Cowboys posted a season record of 13-19 and were 11-9 in conference play. A pillar in this year’s Cavemen drive to get to the state playoff

By Don Eskins Monday, May 4, is a big day for Carlsbad High’s golfers, and with good reason. “Our District 4/5A tournament tees off on May 4 in Clovis. It’s the meet we’ve been preparing for all year,” said CHS head golf coach Brian Jones. “But, while we all want to win this year’s district title, the tournament is about a lot more than just that. It also offers an avenue for our team and kids to get to state. “The winning team gets an automatic berth in the state tournament.

By Don Eskins After dropping two games to the Hobbs Eagles, 4-1 and 6-2 on Tuesday, April 21, the Carlsbad Cavegirls stormed back to sweep the Clovis Wildcats, 15-0 and 14-4 on Friday, April 24, and the Roswell Coyotes 6-4 and 11-9 on Tuesday, April 28, to climb back into the race for the 2026 District 4/5A crown. The four wins pushed the Cavegirls’ overall record up to 13-11 and 8-2 in District 4/5A. Following an unexpected surprise from the Roswell Coyotes, a 10-5 upset vi

By Don Eskins As the CHS spring sports calendar winds down, the Carlsbad Cavemen and Cavegirl track teams participated in their final pre-district tune-up of the season at the Lovington Ross Black Relays on Thursday, April 30. Results of the meet will be posted in the May 8 edition of the Carlsbad Local. Wells, Ananins Shine at Alamo Despite the Bob Sepulveda Invitational being somewhat trimmed down, CHS head coach Charles Millar said he was pleased with the efforts he got f

By Don Eskins The Carlsbad Cavemen—behind the two-hit shut-out performance of sophomore hurler Wade Cozart and a two-for-two night at the plate by junior left-fielder Brock Wright that included a home run, double, and 3 RBIs—routed the Hobbs Eagles 10-0 to claim the 2026 District 4/5A title on Tuesday afternoon, April 28, in the Cavern City. The Cavemen entered the game, perfect at 4-0 in conference play and needed only a split with Hobbs, who came in at 2-2, to grab this yea

By Misty Cryer The City of Carlsbad recently issued an invitation to the grand opening of the History Garden and the renaming of the Carlsbad Hall of Fame in honor of Mayor Dale Janway. This community gathering will take place on Friday, May 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 418 W. Fox St., the address of the Carlsbad Museum. The celebration of the dedication of the Halagueño Arts Park History Garden, highlighting the unveiling of five bronze busts that honor early founders of the