While we don’t know the outcome of Tuesday’s election as of the submission deadline for this column, we continue to receive reports of strong voter turnout at polls across Eddy County on Tuesday morning.
According to Eddy County, the total number of voters who participated in Early Voting was 15,858, while another 3,988 voted absentee. Another 700 voters had cast their ballots by around 10 a.m. Nov. 3. We are confident that we will have a record voter turnout this year and hope to see this high level of energy and enthusiasm persist well past the election.
In the meantime, the City of Carlsbad is working with the Eddy County Patriotic Association and the Carlsbad Veterans Memorial Board to develop a virtual ceremony to honor Veterans Day on Nov. 11. This year’s ceremony will focus on the official dedication of the Huey helicopter on display at the Carlsbad Veterans Memorial Park. You’ll be able to view the short dedication ceremony through the City of Carlsbad’s Facebook page. Steve Angell will provide some history of the Huey itself and explain how it wound up at the Veterans Park. A Huey helicopter weighs more than 10,000 pounds, so the engineering it took to mount it up in the park is itself a major feat.
Of course, next Wednesday’s ceremony is about much more than just the helicopter. Veterans Day will always be a time to focus our thoughts on those in our community who have served or who are serving and give them our thanks. The election that we’re having- the speeches, signs and commercials – none of that would be possible without the duty, honor and sacrifice made by the men and women of our military.
Thanks to Albert Villegas and the Patriotic Association for assisting with this year’s event and for always finding ways to honor our veterans. Our ceremony will be broadcast at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, and we will provide links for you to check it out.
Many parents are looking for options to help keep their children interested in academics this year. The Carlsbad Municipal Library has developed a partnership with XTO Energy to post eight experiment STEM videos. These videos will consist of easy experiments using household materials. The first video will go live (on the library’s Facebook page) at 11 a.m. Nov. 5.There will be a new video once a week from that point, with a break for Thanksgiving. The library has also purchased a large number of new science kits and subscribed to a new science reference database to allow for more options. Carlsbad has a great scientific community, and we appreciate XTO’s extra support with offering our students more of these opportunities.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway