KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a podcast feed covering the news, events, and local culture that connect Carlsbad, Artesia, Loving, and all the communities of Eddy County, NM — including shows produced by podcasting students.
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Two Libraries, One Bond, and Why It Reaches All of Eddy County | Community Forum
Library directors Samantha Hardin of Southeast New Mexico College and Sarah Jones of the Carlsbad Public Library joined Johnny Chandler and Hattie Quinn on Community Forum to talk about General Obligation Bond 2, the statewide library bond that will be on the November 3 ballot. The bond authorizes up to $19,324,188 for library resources at academic, public, and tribal libraries, and every county votes on it.
Hardin described shared research databases that nursing programs need for accreditation, along with plans to digitize college archives dating back to 1950. Jones covered what public libraries offer beyond books, including laptops, hotspots, and test-prep resources that patrons borrow for free, and how rural libraries have become after-school care, food access points, and a place to get legal forms for custody cases or traffic court. Quinn asked whether the bond matters more in rural counties with fewer resources, which led to some of the most useful answers of the hour.
Read every question on the ballot, and read the constitutional amendments closely before you vote.
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14 Oct 2026
Rain, Ballots and a Spotlight on SENMC’s Constitution Day | Mid-Week Matters
Hattie is calling in from the City of Brotherly Love this week, and back home, Eddy County is in for a change of seasons. Temperatures in the high 80s give way to rain from Thursday night through Saturday, with highs dropping into the low 60s. If you’ve got outdoor plans this weekend, have a backup ready.
Voting deadlines are coming up fast. The absentee ballot deadline is Tuesday, October 20. Early voting in Eddy County runs through October 31, with expanded hours starting October 17, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. The Bureau of Land Management is also taking online comments on its proposed February 2027 oil and gas lease sale through October 30.
This week’s spotlight takes you to Southeast New Mexico College’s Constitution Day celebration. Students cast ballots in a mock election, and the NAACP ran voter registration on site. Podcasting student Joe Enriquez talked with organizers, staff and SENMC President Dr. Kevin Beardmore, who shared a piece of New Mexico election trivia almost no one in the room knew. Listen to hear what it is, along with a packed week of events, library happenings and Eddy County Quickies, including the latest on the WIPP hoist incident.
Aired on KCCC 930 AM Radio and available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and through our website (www.kccc930am.com (http://www.kccc930am.com)).
The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Already a subscriber? A one-time donation goes just as far.
Get full access to KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe (https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
13 Oct 2026
Amendment 4, Early Voting, and a Plan to Scrap New Mexico’s Income Tax
Johnny Chandler has an ad stuck in his head: “Vote yes for Amendment 4 so more people that look like us can be in office.”
He’s not sure what it means. So he asked someone who does.
On this week’s Community Forum, Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, breaks down the proposal that would put New Mexico legislators on a salary of about $68,000 a year, rising with inflation. Right now, lawmakers get a $247 per diem and a pension. Gessing says Amendment 4 adds the salary and changes nothing else. His take: it’s a cash grab, not reform. The Rio Grande Foundation is urging a no vote.
Would a paid legislature mean fewer lawmakers with side-career conflicts of interest? Or a legislature that suddenly needs to meet a lot more days to justify the paycheck? Johnny and Paul dig into both.
Also on the ballot:
* Amendment 1: requires the governor to explain a veto
* Amendment 2: lets school board elections happen in even years
* Amendment 3: changes how college regents are chosen
Then, the governor’s race. Paul walks through Greg Hull’s four-step plan to phase out the state income tax, starting with the lowest earners, and how it compares to what Deb Haaland has proposed.
And a deadline to watch. A new federal school choice tax credit could let you direct $1,700 (single) or $3,400 (married filing jointly) to a scholarship organization. Whether that money can stay in New Mexico depends on a decision from the governor in the coming months.
Early voting is already underway. Whichever way you’re leaning, the one thing both men agree on is that you should show up and VOTE.
The KCCC Eddy County Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Get full access to KCCC Eddy County Dispatch at kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe (https://kccc930am.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
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