The Reporter's Notebook from The Las Cruces Sun-News

In this episode, we’re joined by Adrian Hedden, who covers energy, oil and gas for the Carlsbad Current-Argus. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused Americans pain at the gas pump, the oil shortage could lead to a shot in the arm for New Mexico’s oil and gas industry — particularly in the Permian Basin, where Adrian lives and covers these issues every day.

Of course, the U.S. only gets a small percentage of its oil from Russia — so the tensions in Eastern Europe, the war and subsequent sanctions are only part of the equation.

That’s why we’re happy to have Adrian join us this week to help explain how all of this works.

On the evening of Dec. 2, 2016, Marine veteran Joshua Dunne was shot and killed by officers from the Las Cruces Police Department.

This story contains discussions of suicide and PTSD experienced by veterans. Help is available at National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Sun-News public safety reporter Justin Garcia, to look at the life, death and legacy of Joshua Dunne — a 36-year-old Marine veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Dunne also suffered from a traumatic brain injury after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dunne was shot and killed by Las Cruces police officers December 2nd, 2016 following an hours-long standoff at the Sleep Inn on Triviz Drive.

Dunne was a father of two, and was a graduate student studying social work at New Mexico State University at the time of his death.

The hours leading up to the shooting clearly paint a picture of a man in the throes of a mental health crisis. To help explain how that day unfolded, we’ll also be joined by Josh’s widow, Melanie.  

The incident left Dunne's family stunned and heartbroken, and it left the community asking how this could happen. 

The two officers who killed Dunne were long-ago cleared of wrongdoing, yet the City of Las Cruces reached a settlement with Melanie Dunne in January of this year over her wrongful death claim.

I knew Josh, both personally and professionally.

To get a sense of how December 2nd, 2016 unfolded, we’ll start by talking with Melanie.

In this episode, we’re joined by Michael McDevitt, who covers city and county government for the Sun-News, to look at the city’s recent revocation of the business license for Speak Easy — the cannabis-themed merch shop which first became embroiled in controversy last summer.

Speak Easy's license was pulled by the city after Jason Estrada was charged with a cannabis-related felony. He allegedly sold cannabis to undercover narcotics agents at the store, though the case has since been dismissed without prejudice and Estrada has asserted he did nothing wrong. While Estrada appealed the license revocation, the Las Cruces City Council denied it, allowing the revocation to go forward Feb. 8.

Estrada also was planning to run for Las Cruces mayor in 2023, but dropped those ambitions following the license revocation.

The now-closed shop, located at El Paseo and Idaho, will become a new cannabis business after Speak Easy's business registration license was yanked by the City of Las Cruces last week.

At the heart of the arrest and closure is a practice known as “gifting.” There’s a lot going on here, and I’m glad we’ve got Michael to help sort it all out.

In this episode, we’re joined by Algernon D’Ammassa, who covers statewide issues for the Sun-News, as well as Adrian Hedden, the energy and environment reporter for the Carlsbad Current-Argus, to look at the just-adjourned session of the New Mexico Legislature.

Several major bills made it to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk. Many others died in committee or on the floor. We’ll attempt to capture what you need to know — and the big takeaways from the 30-day session.

Immediately following the adjournment, Gov. Lujan Grisham lifted the statewide mask mandate, which we also discuss.

A special thanks to KOB-TV in Albuquerque for many of the audio clips used in this episode.

Warning: This episode of “The Reporter’s Notebook” contains graphic accounts of child abuse, sexual assault and murder. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode, we’re joined by Sun-News public safety reporter Justin Garcia, as well as former Sun-News reporter Bethany Brunelle-Raja to look at three of Doña Ana County’s biggest crimes of the past several decades all of which mark anniversaries in the first half of February.

First… It’s been one year since the death of New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott, who was shot and killed by a motorist on Feb. 4, 2021 after conducting a traffic stop east of Deming while assisting Homeland Security Investigations. Jarrott was 28 years old.

Then, we talk about the abuse and murder of 5-month-old Brianna Lopez — Baby Brianna — who would have turned 20 years old on Valentine's Day this year.

Finally, we're joined by Anthony Teran as we mark the 32-year anniversary of the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre. Anthony's brother, Steven Teran, and his two young nieces — Paula and Valerie — died in the attack. It remains unsolved to this day — one of the largest unsolved mass shootings in the nation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Las Cruces Sun-News education reporter Miranda Cyr — a Report for America fellow now in her second year with the newspaper —to look at some of the big issues facing Las Cruces Public Schools.

We talk about the impact that COVID-19 — and, more specifically, the omicron variant — has had on schools throughout the district. We also talk about what’s being done to address the substitute shortage, the pending demolition of Columbia Elementary, and the upcoming one-year anniversary of the untimely death of Superintendent Karen Trujillo, who was struck and killed by a vehicle while out walking her dogs on Feb. 25, 2021.

Miranda’s working on a special project to mark that anniversary, so we’ll talk to her about her reporting, and the mark Dr. Trujillo left on her family,  and on students and educators around the state.

Amid rising tensions between Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart and County Manager Fernando Macias, the sheriff is now facing an employment discrimination complaint by one of her sergeants who claims he was wrongfully denied a promotion and a code of conduct complaint related to the same incident.

DASO Sgt. Eric Flores was told he was the third top-scoring candidate in a process to select three new DASO lieutenants last summer, but he didn't get the job.

Who gets promoted, and by whom, within the ranks of county law enforcement has left in limbo officers like Flores and highlights a growing rift between county leaders.

On this week's podcast, we dive deep into the department's operations — and its independence, which has also proven to be problematic for sheriff's departments around the state. You'll hear from Stewart and Macias, as well as Sun-News reporter Algernon D'Ammassa, who covers statewide issues, and reporter Justin Garcia, who covers policing, courts and public safety for the Sun-News.

Stewart recently announced she'd seek a second term in office, but now faces three challengers — a Democrat in the primary elections, and two Republican hopefuls. We also talk about the candidates and what they bring to the table.

Audiences have seen actor William H. Macy appear on screen in hits like “Fargo,” “Room,” “Magnolia” and “Shameless,” and now Las Crucens will have the chance to see him in person at the Las Cruces International Film Festival where he will be presented with the 2022 award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment.

The seventh annual film festival will take place in-person March 2-6 at Cineport 10. On the second day, “Fargo” will be on the big screen followed by a question-and-answer session with Macy.

This week, we talk to Las Cruces Sun-News trending reporter Leah Romero about her interview with Macy — and we hear from Macy himself.

It’s been more than a year since a scathing report was released to the public detailing $1.7 million in mishandled public money within Visit Las Cruces, the city's convention and visitors bureau.

A year later, the city pointed to a number of organizational changes inspired by the report, but admitted it was not following all of the investigators' recommendations.

We're joined by Las Cruces Sun-News reporters Algernon D'Ammassa and Michel McDevitt for a closer look.

Garrey Carruthers was selected by the staff of the Las Cruces Sun-News as our Distinguished Resident of 2021. The former governor of New Mexico and New Mexico State University chancellor and president has long considered Las Cruces home, since moving here in 1957.

We hope this helps explain why Carruthers was chosen as our Distinguished Resident.