We offer our condolences to the family of Verna Stell, who passed away on Feb. 5. Graveside services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday. Verna’s husband, State Representative Joe Stell, passed away in October. Together, Verna and Joe worked very hard for Carlsbad and the entire state for many years on numerous conservation and water issues. Joe was elected as a state representative of District 54 in 1986 and was named “Mr. Water” by former governor Bill Richardson. Verna was also one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, and she was extremely dedicated to charitable causes and making the world a better place. Anyone wishing to make a donation in her memory may do so to the Joe & Verna Stell Charitable Fund within the Carlsbad Community Foundation Inc. or online at www.carlsbadfoundation.org.
Carlsbad’s library recently finished judging its amateur photography contest. Congratulations to all of the participants. The first place winner in the adult category was Haley Rojas, while Larry Pardue finished second. Crystal Gabaldon took third. Kaitlyn Robertson took first place in the 6th-8th grade category. The judges also gave special mention to Logan Campos and Amanda Esposito for their work. Winning photos included some excellent pictures of our train bridge, migratory birds and the Flume. They will be posted on the library’s Facebook page. The theme of the photography contest was “The Beauty of Carlsbad.” Congratulations to everyone involved, and thank you to our library staff for developing such a fun activity that attracted so much interest.
From what we’ve heard so far, the first few days of school have gone very well in Carlsbad. Congratulations to all of our teachers and educators, including Superintendent Gerry Washburn and Assistant Superintendent LaVern Shan. We are also fortunate to have an excellent School Board – David Shoup, Robbie Chacon, Ron Singleton, Trent Cornum and Simon Rubio. Their leadership during this very difficult time has made a great deal of difference. We also understand that T-Mobile has made a $10,000 donation to Carlsbad Municipal Schools to support its Back to School Program. Thank you for the donation.
Rep. Brown’s bill proposing that the college in Carlsbad become independent has cleared its first committee and is now with the education committee. Sen. Kernan has also introduced the same bill on the senate side. Thank you to the Carlsbad residents who spoke in favor of this bill. You can keep up with all legislative efforts by visiting https://www.nmlegis.gov.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway