Las Cruces Sun-News 1A, 4A Saturday, January 4, 2020newscenter.nmsu.edu/Uploads/get/70330/newsclips_20200104.pdf · 1/4/2020 · Cindy Bighorse from Saginaw, Texas, watches

Las Cruces Sun-News 1A, 4A Saturday, January 4, 2020

NMSU News Clips (1 of 6) Marketing and Communications











Las Cruces Sun-News 1B, 2B Saturday, January 4, 2020














Las Cruces Sun-News 3B Saturday, January 4, 2020


Las Cruces Sun-News 3B Saturday, January 4, 2020


Albuquerque Journal B5 Saturday, January 4, 2020





NMSU News Clips Marketing and Communications

Albuquerque Journal A1, A4 Saturday, January 4, 2020


Albuquerque Journal A1, A4 Saturday, January 4, 2020


Las Cruces Bulletin 10, 12 Friday, January 3, 2020


Bulletin editorship changes hands from Racine to Williams ELVA K. ÖSTERREICH

Las Cruces Bulletin Editor Marty Racine is leaving the Las Cruces Bulletin almost three years to the day from when he started. Now, another former news editor, Jess Williams, is taking the helm, effective Jan. 9. Racine retired as the seven-year editor of the Ruidoso News in 2011 and moved to Las Cruces in 2016 after a five-year break from writing. In September of that year, Racine found the energy and inspiration in his new hometown to get back to writing. He freelanced for the Bulletin, writing mostly about sports and music. “The move stirred up another desire to start writing again,” he said. Then, in December he got a call from publisher Richard Coltharp because editor Brook Stockberger was leaving the newspaper. Coltharp asked him if he was interested in the position and Racine said he had to sleep on it but “I knew immediately that I would take the job,” he said. “I decided to take it a year at a time,” he said. “I enjoyed it and it went to three years.” Racine found the Bulletin a good fit for his style of news management. As a weekly instead of a daily newspaper, the Bulletin focuses on features and community rather than breaking news and the scramble of competition. “That’s kind of my background,” he said. “I left the Houston Chronicle as a music critic and feature writer after 22 years. And that’s the Bulletin’s calling card – features.” He connected with the Bulletin because he feels it has a demographic that still appreciates paper newspapers; he wasn’t much interested in web journalism. “The working environment seemed to fit where I was at,” he said. “Homey.” Now that Racine is retiring (again), he will spend more time playing guitar, perhaps writing songs and performing around town with his KTAL radio co-host on the Cosmic Troubadours program, Rob McCorkle. Racine’s musical tastes include alt-country, punk-rock, blues and worship songs.



“We will be doing some open mics around town,” he said. “I want to get serious about it. I really love doing that.” And this time he will not stop writing. He might write a book, or some feature articles for magazines. “I want to do more in-depth articles,” Racine said. On a personal note, he said, “I want to be there for my family and not be running off to work all the time. I will spend time with those who love me, my wife and dogs, and travel might be part of it.” After Racine gave notice, Coltharp made another call to a close colleague, and another retiree answered the call. “Richard and I have been friends for a long time, and when a friend asks you to join his team, you have to take such a request seriously,” Williams said. “Being on a newspaper team was the first 16 years of my career, and once that ink gets in your blood, it never goes out.” Williams retired about a year ago from almost 21 years as director of public information for Doña Ana County. Before that, he was in newspapers from 1982 to 1995, having edited the NMSU Round-Up, The Raton Range and the Stephenville (Texas) Empire-Tribune. He also worked stints for the Las Cruces Sun-News and The Albuquerque Tribune. His last editorship was at The Taos News from 1991 to 1995. “Then my father got ill, and I came home,” he said. “I worked on my master’s degree and earned it in 1997 in communications studies, then worked a year at University Communications. Then the gig at the county opened up, and I jumped at it.” Williams said he has ideas for the future of the Bulletin. “I will certainly run those ideas past Richard, and we can see whether they are workable,” he said. “This will be a team effort. I want to build on what Marty has done here and all the other editors before him.” The hometown nature of the Bulletin is what draws Williams to it. A Las Cruces native, he has deep connections to the community and has served on the boards of directors of both the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley and the Doña Ana County Humane Society. “I am taking on this job, because The Bulletin features the people and events of the Mesilla Valley in a positive way, and I’m really proud to join the team,” he said. Elva K. Österreich may be reached at [email protected].

Las Cruces Bulletin 13 Friday, January 3, 2020


NMSU offers food preserver certification course ADRIANA M. CHAVEZ

NMSU PHOTO BY JANE MOORMAN Nancy Flores, New Mexico State University Extension food technology specialist, demonstrates how to test a pressure canner valve to ensure it functions correctly before starting the canning process. Cindy Bighorse from Saginaw, Texas, watches. The New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service is offering a master food preserver certification course for people interested in becoming certified master food preserver volunteers. Ideally, students participating in the course have already taken food preservation courses and are familiar with most preservation methods. An application must be completed and submitted to their local county Extension office to be considered for the program. The course will be offered in two parts: an online live webinar that will take place each Friday from Jan. 24 to March 13; and a hands-on, face-to-face lab that will take place from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 25-26, and 8 a.m.-noon March 27, at Gerald Thomas Hall on the NMSU main campus. Both parts must be taken in order to complete the course and receive certification. The course is offered as part of a collaborative effort by Nancy Flores, NMSU Cooperative Extension food technology specialist, and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents Cindy Davies of Bernalillo County, Cydney Martin of Santa Fe County, Desaree Jimenez of Los Alamos County and Kelly Knight of Otero County. Cost of the course is $160, which includes manuals, materials and supplies needed to complete the second part of the course. Lunch, lodging and travel costs are not included. Scholarships may be available through the CES county offices. Registration is due Jan. 13 for the online portion, and March 13 for the hands-on lab portion. For more information, visit aces.nmsu.edu. Adriana M. Chavez: 575-646-1957, [email protected]



Rokoko exhibit delves below the ‘Sur (face)’ ELVA K. ÖSTERREICH

Artist Karen Conley has been working on a large mermaid, a sculpture that is the centerpiece of an exhibit by Conley and Saul Ramirez exploring what lies beneath the “Sur (face),” opening Jan. 4 at Rokoko Gallery. Conley creates two lines of artwork, one for more traditional shows – sumptuous fruit and lovely flowers. The other is often disturbing – masks and faces that comprise this show. “I have sort of this dark side,” Conley said. “Dark, but also funny. So, at first you will say, ‘Oh my God, this is hilarious,’ but a lot of my work is about surface tension and layers and family relationships and false narratives. I do a lot of work with masks, too. I feel like masks are truer than our face, like we are trying to hide something. But sometimes those masks betray who we really are. And that’s kind of my aesthetic, where I work from.” Conley retired from the Army in 2014 after serving as a logistics officer and a public affairs officer. While deployed in Somalia, she, some soldiers “and some gals in the Navy” founded a school teaching English. “All the Somalis that worked for us wanted to go to America, so they wanted to learn English,” she said. Later, she turned to art – a natural progression; she liked art as a child and has an aunt who is a watercolorist in Pennsylvania and an artistically talented twin sister. “I was hoping to be a fine-art photographer,” Conley said. “But then I started painting and doing other fun stuff. I still photograph once in a while; I go out and do night shoots with a group of friends. But I’m just happier making a mess with paint.” She sometimes gets too attached to her pieces. She sold a painting last summer and is still mourning



its absence.

“I don’t like to sell work, it’s hard,” Conley said. “In school we were told you have to learn to lose the preciousness of your work. Some in Rokoko won’t be for sale.” Her pieces at Rokoko – for sale or not – include self-portraits, twins, masks and a series of drawings and photographs titled “Moon Man,” which depicts Conley’s father’s progression through life. “I felt like my dad never really had a strong voice for himself because he came from a really strong family of men who were hunters and everything, and that just wasn’t what he was about,” Conley said. “You know, doing these manly things that kind of were required in that time period for men to be. I don’t really think he felt like he fit in sometimes. He was so friendly, but he didn’t really relate to others that well.” Conley’s love of art extends beyond her own work. She serves as president of Picacho Hills Artists, teaches workshops as the volunteer educational coordinator at the New Mexico State University Arts Museum, is involved with the Doña Ana Arts Council, and organizes pop-up events like the recent show of 70 artists at Bank of the West. “My sisters call me the little general,” she said. “I’m always organizing everything. You don’t think about the elements of art – content and line and color and shading – [but] I have a knack of looking at a whole bunch of different stuff and seeing how it could come together.” A reception for “Sur(face)” is 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Rokoko, 1785 Avenida de Mercado in



Mesilla. The gallery is normally open noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Call 575- 522-5553. Elva K. Österreich may be reached at [email protected].

Karen Conley, “First Grade”



Sen. Heinrich workshop attracts arts organizations

BULLETIN PHOTO BY MIKE COOK Community Foundation of New Mexico Executive Director Terra V. Winter (pictured, standing) speaks to the Celebrating Culture Workshop Supporting New Mexico Arts sponsored by Martin Heinrich, D-NM, Dec. 17 at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum. The workshop included a panel discussion exploring federal and private arts funding opportunities and breakout sessions on Working with Smithsonian Institutions, Successfully Competing for Public Art Projects, Working with Foreign Governments and Visiting Artist Visas and Space Solutions, Visibility and Networking. The luncheon speaker was Maria Elena Duron, a marketing coach and trainer for Google. In addition to Heinrich staff members, workshop participants included New Mexico Humanities Council Executive Director Brandon Johnson, New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum Deputy Director of Museum Programs Lisa M. Pugh, Smithsonian National Outreach Manager Aaron Glavas, Albuquerque Museum Executive Director Andrew Connors, federal General Services Administration Historic Preservation and Fine Arts Specialist Victoria Green Clow, New Mexico Art in Public Places Director Michelle Laflamme-Childs, New Mexico State University Art Museum Head Curator and Museum Director Marisa Sage, U.S. Immigration Services Officers Violet Bazan and Alberto Rivera-Jaquez, Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference Executive Director Robert Palacios, City of Las Cruces Art Program Coordinator Lorenzo Zepeda and Art Obscura art gallery owner Deret Roberts. Heinrich said the goal of the workshop and others he is sponsoring around the state is to connect the state’s arts organizations and artists with federal, local and private resources. Contact Heinrich’s office at 202-228-4285 and [email protected].



Great theater continues in Las Cruces in 2020

MIKE COOK Las Cruces theaters had an outstanding 2019, and just wait until you see what’s coming in 2020! We welcomed two new theater companies to Las Cruces in the last year with the founding of Junk Drawer Productions, whose principle, Diane Thomas, is a longtime musical theater genius; and The Blank Conversations Theatre Company (BCTC), whose founder, Gus Sanchez, is a freshman theater major at New Mexico State University already making a name for himself as a talented actor and director. BCTC’s production of the musical “The Last Five Years” will run from Feb. 7-16 (including a Valentine’s Day performance) at Mayfield High School. Find BCTC on Facebook.

BULLETIN PHOTO BY STEVE MACINTYRE Darin Cabot, far right, in Las Cruces Community Theatre’s 2019 production of “God of Carnage,” will direct “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which opens Jan. 31 at LCCT. He’s shown with fellow “God of Carnage” cast members, left to right, Josh Martinez, Sarah Neely and Nora Brown. • Boba Café and Cabaret’s new owner, Angela Stoltenberg, is looking for a new artistic director to continue the long string of outstanding shows that Chris Waggoner started at Boba some years ago. Call her at Boba at 575-647-5900. Boba’s “Search for A Star” competition will be Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 7 and 8, with participants competing for a $500 cash prize. The last audition for the show is 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 at Boba, 1900 S. Espina St. • Among Las Cruces Community Theatre’s offerings in 2020 is its annual One Act Play Festival in April. It is a great opportunity for local playwrights, directors and actors to showcase their talents. The Bulletin will have more to come on deadlines and guidelines.



LCCT kicks off 2020 with its production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” directed by Darin Robert Cabot. Darin is the theater teacher at Centennial High School and one of the best actors I’ve ever seen. He has a great cast for “Arsenic,” and I am especially pleased to see the return of James Boberg, who has done some great work at LCCT. Opening night is Friday, Jan. 31. LCCT will follow “Arsenic” with “Harvey,” directed by my dear friend Gail Wheeler. Everyone knows the 1950 movie starring James Stewart, but the play came first – in 1944 – and won playwright Mary Chase a Pulitzer Prize. “Harvey” ran for 1,775 performances and was in production at the 48th Street Theatre on Broadway at this time 75 years ago. “Harvey” runs March 20-April 5 at LCCT, followed by the One Act Play Festival, April 24-26, and the season-ending production of “Nunsense,” June 5-21, which returns this hugely popular show to Las Cruces. “Nunsense” ran for 3,672 performances beginning in 1985, making it the second-longest running off-Broadway show in history. • Black Box Theatre begins 2020 with its production of Eugene Ionesco’s “The Killing Game,” directed by Marissa Bond, whose one-person performance in Neal Adelman’s “I, Custer” at LCCT in 2016 is among the best performances I’ve ever seen. “The Killing Game” will open Jan. 24 at BBT and continue through Feb. 9. It will be followed by “Bosoms and Neglect” (March 6-22), written by John Guare and directed by longtime Las Cruces actor and director Monte H. Wright. BBT co-owner Ceil Herman will direct Mark Medoff’s “The Majestic Kid” April 17-May 3 during the first anniversary of Medoff’s death. Known for the strong women (Sarah Norman, for example, in the Tony-winning “Children of a Lesser God”) and anti-heroes (Stephen “Red” Ryder in “When You Comin’ Back, Red Rider?”) he created, Medoff died last April, leaving a gaping hole in local and national theater that no one will ever fill. BBT will close its season with the musical “Next to Normal,” directed by the wonderful and talented Nikka Ziemer. • Look for “Broadway on Stage 2020” on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the ASNMSU Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20 and $25 and are already on sale. Call 575646-1420 and visit theatre.nmsu.edu. The NMSU Theatre Department’s production of “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” directed by department head Wil Kilroy, will open March 6. It will be followed by William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” directed by Michael Wise, May 1-10. These will be two outstanding productions. • Doña Ana Repertory Theatre (DART) will produce “Tartuffe” in February, continuing its impressive string of outstanding productions. One of its co-founders is the previously mentioned Darin Cabot. Their 2016 production of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” is one of the finest shows I’ve seen on a Las Cruces stage, and one of best performances of the late and still greatly missed Dick Rundell. Find DART on Facebook. It’s going to be another great year for Las Cruces theater. If you haven’t been to a play or musical, this would be a great time to try it out.



Civil War history provides insight into financial markets

CHRIS ERICKSON What where the turning points of the U.S. Civil War? A list of the most important events of the war typically has the first battle of Bull Run, the capture of New Orleans and Gettysburg, among others. In retrospect, we can evaluate the significance of an event in a historical context. But at least as interesting is what people living at the time thought. That can be gleaned in how financial markets reacted to events – particularly the Greenback market. Greenbacks were issued by the Union government as a mechanism for financing the war. They came with a promise of redemption for gold at some unspecified time after the war’s end. The promise of gold redemption was critical. The longer the war lasted, the further in the future was redemption; the more costly the war, the less likely would the Union be able to afford redemption. Thus, the Union’s progress toward defeating the Confederacy was key in determining the market value of Greenbacks. When the war was going well, Greenbacks rose in value; when things went against the Union, Greenbacks fell. Economists Kristen Willard, Timothy Guinnane and Harvey Rosen have looked at Greenback markets to determine turning points. What they found is interesting. The near simultaneous Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863 were collectively perceived at the time (and today) as the turning point of the war. The Greenback market reflected this with an upward shift in value. Another turning point was Antietam and the formal announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862. Rumors of peace talks late in the war caused Greenback values to rise. Most modern Civil War buffs would not view as a turning point the defeat of Confederate Gen. Jubal Early’s attempted raid on Washington, D.C., which is viewed as an interesting side note of no strategic significance. Financial investors reacting in real time did not agree. Events that one might expect to see include Lincoln’s re-election and the surrender at Appomattox. That these are absent may reflect more their historical inevitability rather than their lack of financial significance. Christopher A. Erickson, Ph.D., is a professor of economics at NMSU. He was a history major as an undergraduate. The opinions expressed may not be shared by the regents and administration of NMSU. Chris can be reached at [email protected].



Economic development director hits the ground running MIKE COOK

Griselda Martinez, Ph.D. Griselda Martinez has taken over as director of the City of Las Cruces Economic Development Department (EDD). She had been interim director since last March, succeeding Phil San Filippo. She had served as the EDD’s deputy director since July 2017, when the department was created. “We’re very excited. We have a lot of good things happening,” Martinez said. EDD includes Las Cruces International Airport, the West Mesa Industrial Park, Visit Las Cruces, Main Street Downtown and the city’s Sustainability Office, along with the city’s business concierge program, business consultation, land and real estate services and the Las Cruces Film Office. One of the department’s most important functions, Martinez said, is the retention and expansion of local businesses. It also looks to create new business opportunities in commercial space, agriculture, outdoor recreation and other industries. The city wants to “grow business and make it sustainable,” she said. That means working closely with New Mexico State University, Doña Ana Community College, the Bridge of Southern New Mexico, the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, local chambers of commerce, banks and other local, state and regional partners to train the workforce needed to attract high-paying jobs and make the city a destination not only for relocating and expanding businesses but also for conferences and for tourists. “We’re focusing not just on job relocation but also job development,” targeting businesses “that are already in our community,” Martinez said on a recent city podcast. “We want to make sure we help them grow.” The department’s mission also includes providing support services to connect new and existing small businesses in the city with the resources they need. On her radar is development of a small business lending program to “fill an important financing gap,” Martinez said. “One of my personal goals is to increase household median income,” she said. “We have the assets to help our community get there.” The EDD also works with city departments to enhance economic development, including museums and libraries, she said. “Quality of life is very important.” EDD’s mission also includes sustainability, like the agreement approved by the city council in December for the purchase of electricity generated by solar power facilities in Arizona to help the city



meet its goal of purchasing 25 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. The airport and industrial park are important opportunity zones for the city, she said, adding that local commercial flight service is a city goal by 2022. A native of Mexico, where her father owned a lumber business, Martinez has been in Las Cruces for nearly 10 years. Before joining the city, she was an entrepreneurial and community coach and senior program manager with NMSU’s Arrowhead Center. As a private business consultant, she played a role in the development of Spaceport Consultants, now SAI. She also has been a member of the New Mexico Museum of Space History Commission, an intern with MVEDA, a grant planner for the El Paso Police Department, a researcher for two universities and an accounting manager for a nonprofit. Martinez has a bachelor’s degree in administration economics and international business and a master’s degrees in public administration from UTEP, as well as a master’s degree in public administration border studies from the Istituto di Sociologia Internationale di Gorizia) and a doctorate in economic development from NMSU. EDD is located in suite 1100, at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St. For more information, contact Martinez at 575-541-2425 and [email protected]. Visit www.las-cruces.org/183/ Economic-Development.



Aggie baseball raring to go with Kirby now at the helm

KIRBY Beginning in February, first-year head coach Mike Kirby and his NMSU Aggies are set to embark on a challenging 53-game slate, facing opponents from two Power Five conferences, including the Pac-12 and SEC, as well as clashes with Mountain West foes New Mexico and San Diego State. “It is with great enthusiasm that I embrace this new role as head coach for New Mexico State University,” Kirby said. “I would like to first thank Chancellor Arvizu, President Floros and Director of Athletics Mario Moccia for entrusting me with the Aggie baseball program. I’m excited about the opportunity and ready to embark on this journey and look forward to helping continue and build upon the success that has been paved by Coach Green and his staff.” The Aggies play 12 of their first 13 games at Presley Askew Field, giving fans an early opportunity to watch the squad open the season at home. NMSU begins the campaign against Texas Southern for the second year in a row, with the home opener scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14. NMSU travels to Arizona State for an early-season midweek clash before making its first extended road trip of the season in March. The Aggies play three games at nationally ranked Texas A& M and three games at San Diego State before concluding the road swing with two tilts at Abilene Christian. After hosting Sacramento State for three games, NMSU hits the road for another extended road trip. The Aggies play one game at Arizona on Tuesday, March 24, before traveling to Northern Colorado and Air Force. Conference play begins the first week of April in Phoenix to face Western Athletic Conference foe Grand Canyon. The Aggies also host WAC opponents Utah Valley, Chicago State and Seattle and travel to CSU Bakersfield, UTRGV and California Baptist. Three midweek games, including one home contest, are scheduled against in-state rival New Mexico. The Aggies and Lobos first meet at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in Albuquerque before the series moves to Las Cruces one week later for a 6 p.m. clash on Tuesday, May 5. The third and final game between the Battle of I-25 rivals is set for 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, in Albuquerque. The WAC Tournament takes place May 20-24 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. Kirby comes to the City of Crosses with a championship pedigree, having one won seven conference titles – including the 1995 College World Series Championship at his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton. He’s also seen 104 players selected in the MLB Draft during his coaching career – including 27 who have gone on to play in the major leagues.



Quarterback signs letter of intent with Aggies

MARTIN Junior college quarterback Jonah Johnson has become the 12th student-athlete to pen a National Letter of Intent with New Mexico State University during the early signing period. Johnson, a teammate of fellow 2020 signee Stephawn Townsend, threw for 1,818 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with six rushing scores this past season at Fresno City College in California. He passed for 1,635 yards and tossed 18 touchdowns during his freshman campaign with the Rams in 2018. The native of Madera, California, completed his junior college career with 3,453 passing yards and 36 touchdowns (28 passing, 8 rushing) in 21 games. NM State’s group of signees now features six offensive and six defensive players, including five defensive backs, three wide receivers, two offensive linemen, one defensive end and one quarterback. Seven states are represented, with six players from California and one each from Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington. Head coach Doug Martin said this year’s recruiting class strengthens NMSU’s foundation and adds the depth needed to continue moving the program in the right direction. “We’re really excited about the level of talent we’ve added to our team,” Martin said. “We filled every need and, more importantly, ten of these players will enroll in January and go through our offseason strength and conditioning program before participating in spring practice.” Wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Cory Martin said the signees are high-quality, highly-touted athletes who are also upstanding students and members of the community. “We’re excited to add 12 new Aggies to our football family,” Cory Martin said. “Ten of the 12 will be enrolling early and be on campus for the spring semester. We know these young men will be great student- athletes on and off the field.” The crop of early signees comprises most of the Aggies’ incoming 2020 class. The rest will announce their college decisions during the regular signing period beginning Feb. 5.

Documents

Las Cruces Sun-News 1A, 4A Saturday, January 4, 2020newscenter.nmsu.edu/Uploads/get/70330/newsclips_20200104.pdf · 1/4/2020 · Cindy Bighorse from Saginaw, Texas, watches