From the Pecos Valley Newsroom

The New Mexico Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Disicion and Safer New Mexico Now are resuming in-person car seat checks in Artesia. Starting May 15th, car seat fitting stations will be held on the third saturday of the month from 10am to noon at the Artesia Fire Department, located at 309 North 7th Avenue. This free educational event provides parents and caregivers instruction on the proper selection, installation and use of their car seats from nationally certified child passenger safety technicians.

Whether you enjoy competing on your own or like to be part of a team, the City of Roswell has a couple upcoming recreation options in which residents can participate.
Adult coed volleyball is scheduled to begin its season June 7. The season will feature 10 games for each team, with games played Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 each night at the Roswell Recreation and Aquatic Center. Each team must have at least four players and can have as many as 10. Players must be age 16 or older. The cost per team is $212.25. Registration, which is open May 1-31, can be found at roswellconnect.com. For more information, call Damian at (575) 624-6719.

Representatives of the City of Roswell and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chaves and Lincoln Counties celebrated the completion of renovations and improvements to the Boys and Girls Club building in Roswell at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday afternoon (April 26). The facility at 201 S. Garden Ave. is owned by the city and leased to the club. The improvements include a new gym floor and roof, new light fixtures throughout the building, flooring rehabilitation, a new fire-alarm system, repainting of the interior, a parking-lot overlay, and repairs to the Americans With Disabilities Act ramp.

A shooting at a McDonalds in Roswell. Poclie repsonded to 1804 South Main just after 5am Friday morning and found the victim lying int he parking lot. Witnesses said the suspect was seen running down South Main toward West Hobbs STreet. 20 year-old Erin Buckner was captured nearby. The victim, a 68 year-old man, told poclie he was sitting in his car and Buckner walked up and first asked for some money, but then demanded the man hand over his wallet. The victim said Buckner even pointed a handgun at him. When the man refused to give over money, Buckner then allegedly shot the man twice.

A new rangeland wildifre started Monday in the Lincoln National Forest. The Three Rivers Fire is burning in the Smokey Bear Ranger District and was first reported at 30 acres, but quickly grew to over 4-thousand acres by late monday night. The cause of the fire is not known. The fire was located just above Three Rivers Campground on the backside of White Mountains between Tularosa and Carrizozo. Smoke was highly visible from Highway 54

The Roswell Police Department is working to identify the person who shot and robbed a man late Friday afternoon (April 23) behind a vacant building in the 2300 block of North Main Street.

The victim, a 64-year-old man who is believed to be homeless, was shot in the face and hand by a single gunshot. He was transported to a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect, described as a white man of average build with blond hair and estimated to be in his 20s or 30s, took the victim’s backpack, and fled northbound in a vehicle, the description of which remains unconfirmed.

The shooting occurred shortly before 5 p.m. behind the former Lovelace medical clinic. The victim then walked across Main Street to a restaurant and police and emergency medical personnel were called.

Anyone with potential information regarding this case is asked to call the Roswell Police Department at (575) 624-6770 or Chaves County Crime Stoppers at 888-594-TIPS.

The Roswell Police Department has recently investigated several instances in which people reported receiving a letter from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, advising them an unemployment claim was filed on their behalf. In each case, the person had not filed for unemployment, and in most cases the person was currently employed.

A Workforce Solutions representative told RPD the Workforce Solutions system had been hacked and the information obtained was being used to file for unemployment on behalf of people without their knowledge. Workforce Solutions reports it has been made aware of several such cases recently and is using a process that requires photo-identification verification before an unemployment case will move forward. State officials believe personal information such as social security numbers and birthdates were most likely not obtained by those responsible for the computer-system hack.

While it is not necessary to file a police report if you receive one of these fraudulent letters, Workforce Solutions asks you to call its local office (575-578-7006) to let them know you did not file for unemployment.

The City of Roswell wants to make local renters aware of a financial-assistance program being made available by the State of New Mexico. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program offers help with rent, utility bills and other housing-related costs to qualifying individuals and households.

The assistance is available to renters who meet certain household income limits and can show a financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Detailed eligibility requirements, as well as more information about the program, are found online at RentHelpNM.org. The application process can also be found at that website.

In a continuing effort to establish and enhance Roswell’s wayfinding signage to guide residents and travelers to popular public destinations, the City of Roswell is working with a landscape-architecture design company to further develop the city’s plan to expand its network of signs to direct people to key facilities and other locations.

Roswell citizens are encouraged to be part of this important process by contributing their input through a survey that can be taken on the project website at bit.ly/roswellwayfinding. The survey will be open until May 14. In addition, local residents can attend a virtual public meeting to discuss the wayfinding project May 11 from noon to 1 p.m. The link to attend the meeting is found on the website.

The current project will build on the work done by previous wayfinding projects, with all these efforts being drawn together with the goal of creating the most effective and attractive means to guide residents and travelers to sites including government buildings, educational and healthcare facilities, museums, parks, trails, sports facilities, public transportation stops and other points of interest. Roswell has many unique and engaging resources and destinations, and this plan will better connect residents and visitors to
everything Roswell has to offer. The intent is to have the wayfinding plan establish consistent and cohesive design standards for wayfinding signage while celebrating the community’s history and identity.

The Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center will reopen to the public on April 27, 2021. The Museum will operate on reduced visitation hours of 10:00 AM-1:00 PM and 2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. Visitors will need to wear masks, and the Museum will have masks available for visitors who do not have their own masks. Maximum visitor capacity will be 4 at a time. Ring the doorbell at the historic Ward House to gain access. Please check the Museum’s website at www.artesianm.gov/154/Museum-Art-Center for updates as they develop. For more information, please contact the Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center at artesiamuseum@artesianm.gov or at (575) 748-2390.