Black Fire tears through Gila, crime stats analyzed and a fight over Mesilla's future
Black Fire ravages Gila, rapidly growing in size
An intense fire growing quickly in a relatively uninhabited area of the Gila National Forest is producing vast amounts of smoke, covering most of southern and southeastern New Mexico in a haze.
As of Thursday morning, the Gila National Forest stated the Black Fire had charred 93,014 acres and though the growth rate was slowing, it was still at zero percent contained. On Sunday afternoon, that had increased to just six percent.
The fire began Friday, May 13 about 24 miles north of Mimbres in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. About 250 personnel are fighting the fire. What sparked the fire is unknown, according to the official fire report. The Black Fire is growing quickly, including by nearly 16,000 acres in the 24 hours between Wednesday morning's report, when it was reported at just over 77,500 acres, and Thursday morning's. Forest roads and trails in the area were closed, but officials said late Wednesday that crews made good progress during the day that kept the perimeter from growing.
Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Leah Romero has been following the fire for our newspaper, and for the Silver City Sun-News — our sister paper. Leah said:
I first got the notification that there was a new fire in the Gila National Forest May 14. By the time I sat down to write an article on the Black Fire's status, it had grown by thousands of acres. I have covered wildfires for a few years now, but this is by far the fastest-growing I've seen.
Rather than Tuesday and Thursday updates, we've been publishing articles daily about the growth, the area and road closures, the smoke and now the evacuations that are in place. The evacuations also change daily.
I was keeping tabs on the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak wildfire in northern New Mexico because I have family who live in the area. Now the concern for those up north has extended to those in the Gila's proximity. At the pace it's growing, the Black Fire certainly has the potential to outburn any other fires in the state.
We'll continue to keep a close eye on this story and keep readers abreast of any developments.
Local crime stats analyzed
Unofficial crime statistics from the Las Cruces Police Department show that reports of aggravated assaults and vehicle thefts reached an all-time high in Las Cruces in 2021.
The same statistics showed that reports of rape, arson and robbery also rose, while reports of homicide and burglaries fell slightly.
The 2021 statistics were gathered by the Sun-News via a public records request of LCPD's monthly crime report and combined with the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. Every year, the department sends the figures to the FBI, which sorts and sifts through the data before posting them in their yearly Uniform Crime Report and database.
The 2021 statistics show that some trends continue while others have been disrupted. Yet, suffering the crime statistics provides only limited insight into real-life trends. For one, the totals in each category may not be accurate.
When the FBI reports that data to the public, the data often has different totals compared to the local department's data. That's because the FBI recategorizes the incident into different crime categories or eliminates duplicate reports filed by multiple agencies. Additionally, an incident might be recategorized by LCPD once more information rises to the surface before it's reported to the FBI.
Sun-News Public Safety Reporter Justin Garcia requested that data, and then he analyzed it. (Justin also made a bunch of fancy charts.) Justin said:
Crime statistics are a mysterious thing. They're kind of like tarot cards or astrology. There's some meaning to be divined for sure. Knowing that aggravated assaults — a notoriously difficult crime to solve due to its sporadic but often intimate origins — gives some context about the pressures that a department's rank and file deal with under a shortage. More shootings and fewer officers mean caseloads are heavier.
But what does it mean that there are slightly more arsons this year than last? What does it mean that robberies are climbing? Maybe it's the result of a policy choice ricocheting into Las Cruces like a pinball in a Rube Goldberg machine. Maybe it's something simpler — like the inevitable result of quick economic decline in a society that prioritizes resources away from certain groups.
Either way, I hope that the crime stats are used to inspire new questions and not used as an ax to split the head of some tired old argument.
Tensions rise in Mesilla over permitting
Until the late 19th century, when its growth was surpassed by Las Cruces, Mesilla was the dominant settlement in the valley. The community has cherished a slow rate of growth, with a population of approximately 2,000 people across 5.5 square miles, and it takes pride in its preservation of Spanish colonial architecture, agriculture and historical sites.
But now, tensions are brewing between two disparate factions in the town — one that wants more historic preservation and another pushing for more growth and development. It also is appearing to create a rift among the town's four-member Board of Trustees and Mayor Nora Barraza.
It's an interesting story, and it could very well help shape what Mesilla looks like in the years (and decades) to come. Our reporter, Algernon D'Ammassa, dove deep into the story — told largely from the perspective of Mesilla resident Anthony Lucero, who has been seeking approval since 2021 to build two single-family homes on the plot of land his family owns.
It's actually a story Algernon stumbled across quite by accident. A happy accident. Algernon explains:
I was having a bite to eat in Mesilla and dropped in to a town council meeting. (Reporters are weird, aren’t they?) That was the first time I heard about this controversial planning and zoning case.
There were some passionate public comments and responses from a couple of trustees showing sincere yet conflicting views of what “preservation“ means for Mesilla vs. growth and development — and the problems presented by both.
This is an example, I hope, of including the broader historical story behind a debate at a public meeting.
It was also a lot of fun walking in Mesilla with our new photojournalist, Meg Potter, who filed a lovely photo gallery echoing some of the landmarks and themes of the story.
LCPS budget fallout prompts change
Things got a little messy at a heated school board meeting that lasted six-and-a-half hours — until 12:27 a.m. — into the early hours of last Wednesday. It resulted in a split vote which passed the proposed Las Cruces Public Schools budget with no changes.
After a long list of recognitions and performances, which took up nearly the first two hours of the meeting, there was still a long list of items to address, including the district's proposed operating budget, which had caught the interest of community members.
Before the meeting began, members of the National Education Association of Las Cruces and the Classified School Employees Council of Las Cruces gathered outside of the Teaching and Learning Center, waving pickets and chanting for respect.
At that meeting, LCPS Chief Financial Officer Edward Ellison, while presenting the proposed budget, said, "I honestly don't see what providing more public input to this is going to change in the budget, other than making certain special interests feel better about themselves."
While the budget was ultimately passed by the board on a split vote, Ellison ended up shuffled out of the CFO job at LCPS. On Thursday, we learned he will be reassigned as Chief Information Officer with the district.
Sun-News Education Reporter Miranda Cyr — who will be leaving the Sun-News at the end of this week for a job in Eugene, Oregon, where she'll also cover education — put in the long hours to cover these developments. Miranda said:
The budget meeting was definitely more fiery than usual this year. Our photographer Meg Potter and I headed downtown to attend a union protest that began at 5 p.m. The educational staff was outraged by what they considered insufficient community input. But it was more than that. The combination of the unpopular balanced calendar that was passed in March and the lengthy union bargaining process, which lasted months longer than usual this past year, seem to have eroded some of the trust staff have in the district and the board.
Not to mention the board meeting lasted until nearly 12:30 a.m. — I believe one of the latest board meetings recorded — definitely the latest I've attended. There were also some severe internet issues that repeatedly interrupted the live stream. The board finally passed the proposed budget with no changes — something that upset both staff and parents who attended. The vote was split, with board members Ray Jaramillo, Carol Cooper and Bob Wofford voting to pass the budget, and Teresa Tenorio and Pamela Cort opposing its passage.
Two days later, it was announced that Chief Financial Officer Ed Ellison was moved from his current position to Chief Information Officer. According to the district, the decision was made Tuesday afternoon before the board meeting began, but it was announced after the two staff unions and two parent/community organizations banded together to ask for his removal. The biggest problem the collaborators had was a comment from Ellison about "special interests." The group took this to mean that "special interests" referred to parents, teachers and staff.
Murder trial ends in mistrial
A judge declared a mistrial three days into a murder trial after questions about a missing toxicology report prompted an abrupt end to a trial involving a juvenile defendant.
Jeremiah Peña-Nieto, 19, remains accused of first-degree murder even after the mistrial declaration came down last Wednesday, May 18. Police believe that Peña-Nieto killed 18-year-old Jacob Daniel Becerra on Aug. 6, 2020. Peña-Nieto was 17 years old when police arrested him.
According to a Sun-News report at the time, a Las Cruces police officer discovered a 2018 brown Kia Forte that crashed into a pole on east Farney Lane near west Park Drive.
Police said that the Kia was heading south on west Park Drive before it crossed Farney Lane and crashed into a light pole. The driver was identified as Becerra. Police said that Becerra had been shot before the car crashed. They said Peña-Nieto was the shooter and blamed the killing on a dispute between the two. Peña-Nieto has been in jail on the murder charge since his arrest in 2020.
Peña-Nieto was held without bond as state prosecutors decided whether to proceed with the case or dismiss the charges. A spokesperson for the District Attorney's office said it intended to continue pursuing the case.
Public Safety Reporter Justin Garcia covered this case for the Sun-News. And his reporting was met with criticism and controversy. Justin explains:
Twitter beaned me on my coverage of this one. A prominent public defender, who I respect, blasted my coverage by saying I simply republished a press release from the DA's office. The tweet was in response to the defendant's lawyer saying he was disappointed his name was not featured in the article (neither was the prosecutor's name).
My choice to omit both lawyers' names stemmed not from my "republishing" of press releases (which of course was untrue — my reporting was based on my telephonic attendance of the trial) and instead arose from lack of importance. My coverage of the mistrial was a chronicle, not a book. I wanted to make sure that the mistrial was acknowledged by the paper of record, and then move on.
Yet, it brought up an interesting point. So often, sources are slighted by a lack of personal acknowledgment. And who could blame them? The defense lawyer played an integral part in the mistrial. It was likely a high point in his career. And the newspaper of record did not even acknowledge this accomplishment by assigning his name or providing space for his opinion. Truth is, I probably should've called him. It would've made for a better chronicle.
Damien Willis is a Lead Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-541-5443, dwillis@lcsun-news.com or @DamienWillis on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Black fire, crime stats and a fight over Mesilla's future
