Opinion | Desert Exposure

Public lands are a national treasure and must not be sold

Public lands are one of our country’s great equalizers. It doesn’t matter how much money you have—a billionaire and a bus driver both get the same access to our parks, deserts, … more

By Tracy Stone-Manning | 5/9/25

Minimize your mistakes for better golf scores

From my point of view, playing golf the way you would like to play means minimizing your mistakes. A “mistake” on the golf course can mean many things to many people. But, fundamentally a … more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/8/25

Honoring our nurses: the heart of healthcare

Each year, from May 6 to May 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week, a time to recognize and celebrate the differentiator in our healthcare system, our nurses. The Bureau of Health Workforce estimates … more

Dr. AJ Stephens | 5/8/25

Solving the border issue

New Mexican borderlands recently transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the U.S. Army hold many treasures. I became familiar with parts of these spectacularly lonely reaches of … more

James Rickman | 5/7/25

OMDP faces tougher challenge

Here we go again. In 2017 President Donald Trump sent Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to New Mexico to consider revoking or altering the status of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National … more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/7/25

Intersection of Drug Abuse, Children and Salvation

Statistics show that 75% of drug addicts can achieve successful recovery long-term. These are inspiring numbers, indeed, and give hope to the millions suffering from addiction and to their … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/7/25

Coping with adversity: What you need to know

If you play golf, serious golf, you will face some adversity along the way. Life is like that, too. Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us. Adversity is sometimes failure, sometimes bad luck, … more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/2/25

City and schools can work to prevent shootings

The shooting at Young Park shows the brokenness of our community on multiple levels. For thousands of years, the most basic tenets of society have been “do not harm others or encroach on their … more

Sarah Smith | 5/2/25

ICE is eroding the rule of law

“I got lucky,” José told me. “Because they got the wrong person.” José, 28, who did not give his last name for fear of retribution from U.S. Immigration and … more

Benjamin James Waddell | 5/2/25

A trade war would hit this region hard

In 2007 I accompanied then-Gov. Bill Richardson on a trade mission to Chihuahua, Mexico. I wasn’t the only one. Business owners from throughout the state also made the trip south to negotiate … more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/2/25

Raising Our Children

My daughter is in trouble again. She’s suddenly grown a fierce attitude, perfected the art of the eye-roll and constantly pushes the boundaries of opposition to her parents. Luckily, though, … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 5/2/25

Careful what you sign!

Four years ago, the City of Las Cruces began the process of creating a new development code. It hired a consulting firm, established a technical advisory committee, conducted numerous community … more

By Beth Bardwell | 4/24/25

The heavy burden of jury duty

Serving on juries for two recent trials was one of the most difficult and least satisfying things I’ve ever done. As a journalist working at newspapers in small communities, I was exempt … more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/24/25

Macro- vs. micro-politics

I stumbled into a number of politically charged events this week, without originally planning to. Trying to get an understanding of all the angles and all the research and all the opinions, I … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/24/25

Short game guru Dave Pelz passes at 85

In late March the golf world lost one of the most revered and influential golf innovators and instructors of all time with the passing of Dave Pelz. He was 85. Pelz became famous for his … more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/10/25

Albuquerque or Las Cruces?

Albuquerque has the ignominious distinction of being home to what has become known as the “war zone,” an area on the east side of the city that straddles Central Avenue, so named because … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/10/25

Shine a light on Roundhouse lobbying

It’s hard to overestimate the influence of lobbyists at the New Mexico Legislature. In other states, legislators and their paid staff work full-time between sessions to study the issues, … more

Walt Rubel
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 4/7/25

Get Involved in your Neighborhood! (Part 2)

We see it all the time on social media – citizens lamenting about the actions or inactions of law enforcement: “I called the cops and no one showed up” or “why do the cops … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 3/24/25

Get Involved in your Neighborhood! (Part 1)

I get it, we are all busy. Between work, kids, baseball games, groceries, school, gas and other daily tasks, there is little time for much else. I leave for work in the dark and oftentimes come home … more

Shawna Pfeiffer
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 3/21/25

Golf doctor’s unanswered questions

I answer readers’ questions from time to time, but today I’m asking the questions. The first one concerns the media firestorm created by two-time major champion Colin Morikawa, with his … more

Charlie Blanchard
For the Las Cruces Bulletin | 3/21/25