Sunday, Jan. 9 was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was created by multiple organizations in 2015 to express gratitude for officers. There are more than 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, and this holiday was created so show them support and stress understanding the difficult decisions made by police officers. The easiest way to show our officers support on a day-to-day basis is simply to tell them “Thank You” when you see them out performing their duties. You can also send a card thanking police officers or post a positive story about your experience on social media.
Thank you again to the members of the Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’s Department, New Mexico State Police and all other supporting law enforcement agencies.
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We have learned that Eddy County Magistrate Judge D’Ann Read has retired from the courts. Read previously served as Deputy District Attorney out of the Carlsbad office. She ran for Magistrate Judge in 2014 and took office in 2015. Judge Read was also a graduate of the Florida State University School of Law. We enjoyed working with her on the Eddy County DWI Drug Court Program and appreciate her many years of service to this community. An individual will be appointed to replace Judge Read on Eddy County Magistrate Court.
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COVID-19 vaccinations were still offered at the Walter Gerrells Civic Center on Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. The civic center clinic will not be held on Jan. 17 due to the holiday, but the clinic will re-open the following week. New Mexicans can sign up for vaccine appointments at vaccineNM.org, vaccineNM.org/kids, or vaccine.gov, or through their personal medical provider or at some pharmacies. Vaccinations are offered for ages 5 and up, and booster shots are offered for those ages 12 and up.
According to the state, 55.3% of Eddy County residents 18 and over have now completed their vaccine series. We are tied with De Baca County and are slightly ahead of Lea and Chaves counties. A COVID-19 vaccine offers significant protection against the worst symptoms of COVID-19 – hospital officials say about 95% of their COVID-19 ICU patients have been unvaccinated.
COVID-19 testing issues have persisted. On Monday, Carlsbad Municipal Schools sent a notice Monday saying that its COVID-19 testing site is currently closed due to a shortage of test supplies. The school will issue a notice when this issue has been resolved. Testing was available Monday morning at the civic center.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway