KCCC Eddy County Dispatch

This week’s Mid-Week Matters covers Eddy County’s ongoing triple-digit heat, a free child safety seat clinic in Loving, and a busy stretch of local events and news.

The hot, dry stretch holds through the weekend with highs near 103 and fire danger running high to extreme, so keep an eye on elderly neighbors and stay hydrated. In Loving, certified technicians host a free Child Safety Seat Clinic Thursday, August 20th from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Loving Community Center (602 South 4th Street) — no appointment needed, call 800-231-6145 with questions. It’s also a packed few days of events, from SENMC’s Second Annual Safety Conference to a “Third Thursday” farmers market swap.

Also in this episode: an update on the Slaughter Fire burning in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, an arrest in a deadly Carlsbad hit-and-run, a new measles case confirmed in Eddy County, and a look at rising demand at local food pantries. Tune in for the full rundown.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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This week’s Mid-Week Matters covers Eddy County’s ongoing triple-digit heat, a full weekend of local events, and the latest WIPP and Permian Basin news.

The hot, dry stretch holds through the weekend, so drink your water and check on elderly neighbors. United Way of Eddy County and the Roadrunner Food Bank hold a food distribution Friday at Epworth Methodist Fellowship in Carlsbad — plus a busy weekend ahead with an art walk, a women’s health conference, and Artesia’s new Recreation Center grand opening.

Also in this episode: an update on WIPP shipment concerns, New Mexico’s crackdown on Permian Basin methane “super emitters,” and the latest on a Carlsbad hit-and-run investigation. Tune in for the full rundown.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.

Today’s Community Forum speaks with local author and historian Donna Blake Burchell for a conversation about haunted New Mexico, Carlsbad history, and her theory on why our state is one of the most haunted in the country.

Donna talks with host Hattie Quinn about her New Mexico ghost story series — including local legends like the Waitress of the Trinity Hotel — and her theory that the state’s volcanic history and residual energy from tragic events explain so many of its hauntings. She also shares details on her upcoming book, Haunted White Sands, co-written with Roswell author John LeMay.

The conversation also covers Donna’s work as archivist for Southeast New Mexico College, her forthcoming book on Bronco Sue — thought to be New Mexico’s first female serial killer — and her advice for staying motivated and meeting deadlines as a working author.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.

In the original post, Donna Blake Burchell was improperly attributed as Donna Blake Burchill. This has been corrected throughout the post. - August 13, 2026.

This week’s In Memoriam segment honors those who lived or died in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with an abridged obituary reading from Denton-Wood Funeral Home.

Denton-Wood Funeral In Memoriam: Adan Martinez, Silvia Nava Acevedo, Juana Ortiz Gonzalez, Barbara Gayle Moore, Lucia “Lucy” Lopez, Laura Garcia, Danny Bob Knight, Eliseo “Cheo” Moreno Jr., Guillermo V. Hinojos, Charles “Charlie” Don Kierkes Sr., David Wilson, Reynaldo “Rey” Galindo Montejano, and John W. Coleman.

These recitations reflect the information available at the time of recording and may not be the most current. For detailed, unabridged obituaries, visit Dentonwood.com.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This week’s In Memoriam segment honors those who lived or died in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with an abridged obituary reading from West Funeral Home, LLC.

West Funeral In Memoriam: Eddie Joe Reza & Robert “Bobby” Tipton.

These recitations reflect the information available at the time of recording and may not be the most current. For detailed, unabridged obituaries, visit westfuneralhomellc.com.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This week’s Mid-Week Matters covers a stretch of triple-digit heat through next week, a busy slate of weekend events, and the countdown to KCCC’s 60th birthday.

The show carries an invitation: KCCC 930 AM turns 60 this year, and the station wants listener memories for the Anniversary Oral History Project, with sessions at the Carlsbad Public Library August 8 and 11. Also on the calendar: SENMC’s Second Annual Safety Conference, a free event August 21 with hard-hat tours and a safety simulation lab.

Eddy County Quickies rounds out the show with a pistachio butter recall, WIPP’s resumed transuranic waste shipments, and an update on the Otis Community Center rebuild. This month’s Local Spotlight looks at SIMCO’s third annual Southeast New Mexico Business Forum in Carlsbad.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.

This week’s Mid-Week Matters covers Eddy County’s ongoing heat wave, a busy slate of weekend events from casting calls to golf scrambles, and the push toward the new school year in Carlsbad, Loving, and Artesia.

The Eddy County Health Council hosts a Roadrunner Foodbank food distribution Thursday, July 30, at 3:00 PM at the SENMC Workforce Training Center, 505 Alta Vista Rd. at Lea Street.

The show also carries an invitation: KCCC 930 AM turns 60 this year, and the station wants to hear listener memories for an Anniversary Oral History Project, with sessions at the Carlsbad Public Library running through mid-August.

Eddy County News Quickies rounds out the show with news on regional land and energy decisions, a new statewide Courts HelpLine for people representing themselves in legal matters, and local civic updates.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.

This week’s In Memoriam segment honors those who lived or died in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with abridged obituary readings from West Funeral Home, LLC.

West Funeral Home In Memoriam: Consuelo “Connie” D’Oporto, Margie Salazar, Donald “Don” John Barnett, Jesus Vasquez, Margarita F. Villa.

These recitations reflect the information available at the time of recording and may not be the most current. For detailed, unabridged obituaries, visit westfuneralhomellc.com.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

This week’s In Memoriam segment honors those who lived or died in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with an abridged obituary reading from Denton-Wood Funeral Home.

Denton-Wood Funeral In Memoriam: Patricia Ann Anguish.

These recitations reflect the information available at the time of recording and may not be the most current. For detailed, unabridged obituaries, visit Dentonwood.com.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

In this episode of Community Forum, host Hattie Quinn sits down with teammates Joe Garza and David Baber of the new Eddy County Drone Soccer League.

Garza and Baber walk through what it took to get the league off the ground — a marathon training video, fourteen hand-built drones, and hours spent learning to fly them, complete with two very different piloting styles the team now calls "Joe mode" and "David mode." Hattie describes drone soccer as something like a combination of BattleBots and Quidditch.

Joe Garza and David Baber in the learning process, March 2026.

The teams looks ahead to the league’s first all-team scrimmage this October, the volunteer coaches, referees, and scorekeepers still needed to make it happen, and a few of Southeast New Mexico College’s other programs, including a free commercial driver’s license course for Eddy County residents.

Click for more Drone Soccer Information or email [email protected] with any questions.

Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com).

The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.