Alex Ross

Roswell residents lined Main Street Monday for the parade marking the start of the five-day Eastern New Mexico State Fair. Floats, marching bands, New Mexico Military Institute cadets, horseback riders, tractors, emergency vehicles, cheerleaders and community groups traveled from the Wool Bowl to the fairgrounds, bringing color and activity to downtown.

Samuel Ramirez, 47, of Roswell, was arrested Monday in connection with a stabbing that seriously injured a 43-year-old man. Ramirez and co-defendant Phillip Contreras, 51, face aggravated assault, aggravated battery and conspiracy charges after police said the victim was stabbed multiple times during an altercation in a Roswell front yard.

President Donald Trump renewed his call to rename New Mexico “New America” while endorsing Republican Greg Cunningham in the competitive 2nd Congressional District race. The proposal drew criticism from state Democrats, while Cunningham dismissed it as a distraction. Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez accused his opponent of prioritizing Trump, as polling showed Vasquez holding a narrow lead.

Daniel Garcia, 39, of Roswell, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison for a charge of illegally possessing a firearm during the shootout with police, which led to the chase near downtown Roswell, according to a Sept. 30 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico.

Roswell’s annual Chile Cheese Festival brought residents and visitors downtown for fresh-roasted green chile, local vendors, live performances and an entertaining ice cream-eating contest. Held outside the Chaves County Courthouse, the Sept. 24 celebration highlighted local flavor and community traditions, with festivalgoers enjoying music, dancing and handmade ristras from Graves Farm and Garden.

Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary and U.S. representative for New Mexico, rejected the claim that she declined to debate Hull, former mayor of Rio Rancho. At a Sept. 18 campaign stop in Carlsbad, she said her team proposed eight dates for debates to Hull's campaign, which rejected all of them.

The possibility of excessive rainfall prompted the National Weather Service Sunday to issue a flood watch for Chaves and Eastern Lincoln counties, as well as Harding, Union, Eastern San Miguel, Quay, Curry, Roosevelt and De Baca counties. The flood watch will remain in effect from 6 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Significant rainfall was reported Thursday began in Roswell between 6 and 8 p.m., resumed at midnight and continued until at least 5:28 a.m., Friday, Anderson added.

As of noon Thursday, Roswell had received between 1.75 and 2.25 inches. Parts of Chaves County got 1.25 to 2.9 inches, Snodgrass said. The heaviest rain fell in Roswell between 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and about 3:30 a.m. Thursday.

Marker of Roswell, who won the GOP nomination as a write-in candidate in the June 2 Primary Election is hoping to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan in the Nov. 3 General Election.

The two days of rainfall also bring the possibility of flooding across the state, and significant rises in water levels in the Pecos River, Rio Felix and other rivers in southeast New Mexico that could meet or exceed their banks.

Haaland met with representatives from the group With Many Hands and staff with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) during her visit. It was part of "Deb’s Roadrunnin’ Tour," a three-day series of campaign stops in eight communities. Other stops in the tour that day included Carlsbad and Hobbs.