Residents of Grant, Hidalgo, and Luna counties will have the opportunity to share input on the future of behavioral health services during upcoming regional listening sessions. The meetings will focus on identifying service gaps, community priorities, and ways to improve access to mental health and substance-related care. Sessions will be held March 10 at the Luna County Courthouse Basement, March 17 at the Hidalgo County DWI Conference Room, and March 19 at the Grant County Veterans Business and Conference Center. All sessions will begin at 12 p.m.
The Silver Consolidated Schools Board of Education will hold a special meeting this week to begin discussions on the future of the Sixth Street and Jose Barrios elementary school buildings, which are scheduled to close at the end of the current school year. The closures will consolidate students and staff into G.W. Stout and Harrison Schmitt elementary schools and move sixth graders to La Plata Middle School, a change expected to save the district about $10 million over five years. The board will review letters of intent from Western New Mexico University to acquire Sixth Street Elementary and from Aldo Leopold Charter School regarding Jose Barrios Elementary, with additional meetings planned before final decisions are expected later this spring.
Gila Regional Medical Center officials announced during the hospital board of trustees’ regular meeting that Erin Winters will now serve as the hospital’s new operating room director. During the meeting, the hospital’s CEO also provided an update on the state legislative session, noting that the governor is expected to sign the physician licensure compact and added that the county-owned hospital is set to receive $550,000 in capital outlay funding for medical equipment and $5.5 million to replace its linear accelerator.
In Deming news:
Deming Public Schools reported several academic gains in the New Mexico Public Education Department’s 2025 NM Vistas report, including improvements in student proficiency and graduation rates. Early College High School was named a Spotlight School, ranking in the top 25 percent statewide and posting the highest math growth among small schools. Deming High School also recorded gains in literacy and math proficiency, while Bell Elementary exceeded state averages in both subjects. The district’s four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2025 rose to 82.5 percent, with Early College High School reaching a 96.4 percent rate and Deming Cesar Chavez Charter High School increasing to 62.6 percent.
