Cloudcroft School News, Ruidoso Flood Report, Village Matters, OCEC Planned Outage, and More

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Cloudcroft Schools: 6 Updates

The Cloudcroft Schools Board of Education gathered Tuesday, July 22nd, in the High School Commons area while the usual meeting room undergoes renovations.

Here are six takeaways from last night’s Cloudcroft School Board meeting:

• The September 16th board meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place in Weed, NM, to reach out to rural communities who attend Cloudcroft Schools.

• School administrators welcomed new hires and promotions:

  • Cloudcroft High School Principal Cody Skinner introduced new Special Education (SPED) Teacher Eddie Hon and SPED Assistants Brittney Coville and Nicole Finch.

  • Cloudcroft Elementary and Middle School Principal Nolene Adams commended new 2nd-grade teacher Melani Moore (a former interventionist for the schools who recently revamped the E/MS Library), 5th-grade teacher Raini Shelton, Educational Assistant Marisa Abeyta, and SPED Teacher Jeff Curtis.

• Pinnacle Propane in Alamogordo won the School Year 2025-2026 contract as the school’s propane vendor. (According to Cloudcroft Schools Business Office Manager Lisa Royer, the school must choose the lowest bid.)

• The school’s 2024-2025 progress report and testing data won’t be released through NM Vistas until October. We’ll be sure to share it then.

• Registration for Cloudcroft Schools is this Friday, July 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trestle Medical Services on James Canyon Highway is providing free school physicals today, Wednesday, July 23rd from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Classes resume on Wednesday, August 6th.

• Athletics Director Joni Watson recently brought Cloudcroft students and alumni to Ruidoso to fill sandbags to help with recent flooding—they’re heading out to help again today. For more info, call 575-601-4416.

Cloudcroft Bears lend a helping hand in Ruidoso.

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Ruidoso Flooding Update

By Jonny Coker
Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative

Reporter Jonny Coker checks in with Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford and local citizens amid flooding issues.

Catastrophic flooding struck the mountaintop village of Ruidoso on July 8, 2025, after a downpour on burn scars left in the wake of two wildfires a year earlier.

The flooding destroyed homes and businesses along the Rio Ruidoso and killed two children and one man.

Village officials say the back-to-back disasters of 2024 and 2025 have been overwhelming.

And residents whose properties are in shambles question what's next.

Jonny Coker is a Multimedia Journalist with recent reporting for KRWG Public Media and the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative. He has lived in Southern New Mexico for most of his life, growing up in Cloudcroft, and earning a degree in Journalism and Media Studies at New Mexico State University. He recently moved to Cloudcroft.

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Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. Thank you to our sponsor Future Real Estate:

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Village of Cloudcroft Last Week

ICYMI: Catch up on topics like money, water, grants, the library, proposed ordinances, and personnel matters.

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Photos: Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt Hike

Local National Forest Service Wildlife Techs team up on a cryptid quest at the scenic Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail for the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt.

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Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. Thank you to our sponsor, Cloudcroft Sandwich Shop:

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Upcoming Village Meetings:

• Community Development Block Grant Public Meeting Thursday, July 24th, 9:00 a.m.

• Village Budget Meeting Thursday, July 24th, 10:00 a.m.

• Planning and Zoning Tuesday, July 29th, 9:00 a.m.

• Special Council Meeting Tuesday, July 29th, 6:00 p.m.

• Otero County Electric Cooperative Annual Members Meeting Saturday, August 2nd at the CHS Gym, 10:00 a.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)

• Parks and Rec Monday, August 4th, 6:00 p.m.

• Planning and Zoning Wednesday, August 6th, 9:00 a.m.

• Fire/EMS Meeting Wednesday, August 13th, 6:30 p.m.

• Village Council Meeting Tuesday, August 19th, 6:00 p.m.

• Cloudcroft Schools Board of Education Tuesday, August 19th, 6:00 p.m.

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Otero County Electric Cooperative Outage: Tuesday, July 29th

OCEC crews will replace a structure on the transmission line that feeds the Cloudcroft Substation on July 29, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“All members in Cloudcroft, Timberon, Pinon, Weed, Mayhill, Sacramento, James Canyon, and Highway 244 coming out of Cloudcroft will be without power during this time.”

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Saturday: Shady Pines Chamber Players

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The Cloudcroft Directory Meets Friday, July 25th

The Cloudcroft Directory Annual Meeting is scheduled for Friday, 25 July 2025, at the Cloudcroft Methodist Church, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Property owners on the south side of Cloudcroft are eligible for membership in the Cloudcroft Directory, a longtime homeowner association dedicated to maintaining neighborhood deed restrictions.

For more information, call 915-637-5338.

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Village Updates: Congressman Vasquez Visit, Advisory Boards and Commission Seats Open

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Cloudcroft Woman Arrested in Wichita County, Texas on Murder Charges

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Three Lives Lost in Historic Ruidoso Flood

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Check out Reader videos on YouTube for short reports, mini docs, and more.

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Cloudcroft Ultra: Saturday, August 16th

The Cloudcroft Ultra 53k, 9.5 mile, 4.75 mile and a 1 mile Kid's Dash trail races are back!

The 53k, 9.5 & 4.75 mile races are on the Rim Trail (T105). Cloudcroft Ultra Organizer Cloudcroft Runners note that “the Rim Trail was the first U.S. Forest Service Trail in New Mexico to be designated as a National Recreation Trail. It is a combination of old Indian paths, railroad grades, homestead trails and logging routes linked together by newer section built in the 1960’s and beyond.”

The Kid's Dash will be a 1 mile loop around Zenith park. All races will start and finish at the Pavilion in Zenith Park.

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From the Archives:

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Thank you to our sponsor, Ski Cloudcroft:

Head to the ski area for summer tubing and wood-fired pizza!

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