By Rhonda Jones Aww, it is that time of year again. We survived the holidays and are now dealing with the aftermath of too much eating, drinking, and lack of exercise due to scheduling, weather, etc. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is diet, then exercise, not necessarily hand-in-hand. It actually takes about a month to create new and lasting habits, so January is a good time to start this process. If you can stick with it for 30 days, you can master almost anyth

By Kyle Marksteiner, Editor I’ve seen quite a few posts online from people saying that the epilogue portion of the Stranger Things series finale was boring, overly long and unnecessary. I could not disagree more strongly. I graduated from high school in 1993, which would put me at about the same age as Erica Sinclair, the show’s sassy super genius. While my childhood friends and I never fought any Demogorgons, we did play our share of Dungeons and Dragons. We also put trash b

By Mark Maciha, Retired Chief Park Ranger, Carlsbad Caverns National Park The National Park Service family and the Carlsbad community are mourning the loss of former Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent Frank Joseph Deckert III, who passed away peacefully on December 11, 2025, in Richmond, VA, surrounded by the family he treasured. Frank was born in July 1944 in Fresno, CA, the gateway to Yosemite and Sequioa and Kings Canyon National Parks. After earning a forestry

By Misty Cryer Just three and a half years ago, Riley Antiporda stood at the podium at Carlsbad High School, addressing his classmates as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2022. In December of 2025, the Carlsbad native reached another academic milestone: graduating from NMSU-Las Cruces with Highest Honors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Physics. He shared his future plans along with

By Misty Cryer Fusion Health and Wellness, an established medical practice in Carlsbad, is changing hands. The founder and independent practitioner of the medical clinic, Jane Cornwell, MSN, CNP-BC, recently retired from the practice. Rebecca Jones, MSN, FNP-BC, a familiar face to Cornwell’s patients, will continue to operate the practice as her own. Cornwell came to Carlsbad in 2003, when she began working for Dr. Kim Lark. Before then, she was a Nurse Practitioner in New Yo