New Mexico

Las Cruces High School volleyball player killed in tragic crash en route to tournament

Published

2 years ago

March 4, 2024

Las Cruces High School volleyball player killed in tragic crash en route to tournament

Natassia Paloma
| Special to the El Paso Times

A Las Cruces High School volleyball player died in a crash as she was traveling for a volleyball tournament from Las Cruces to Midland.

Samantha Bursum, 14, was killed on March 1 in Ward County, near Pecos, Texas.

At 9:32 p.m., a car without headlights was stranded in a roadway due to a previous crash blocking both lanes of Interstate 10 East. The driver of the vehicle transporting Bursum failed to notice the car and collided with it, according to the Texas Department of Transportation

Bursum and the driver of both vehicles were taken to Ward Memorial Hospital in Monahans, Texas, where Bursum was pronounced dead.

The crash remains under investigation.

Volleyball community mourns loss of Samantha Bursum

The volleyball community remembers Bursum as a kind, intelligent girl determined to win and never missed a practice.

Alonda Dominguez, head coach of a traveling volleyball development team, said Bursum was on her way to the team’s tournament in Midland on Saturday.

“Samantha was a beacon of light on and off the court,” Dominguez said. “She was everything a coach could have asked for in a player.”

Dominguez said when she heard Bursum had died on the way to the tournament, she didn’t know how to tell the other players.

“We weren’t prepared to tell them,” she said. “We called a meeting and let the girls know and consoled them.”

The team ended up playing the tournament in Bursum’s honor, Dominguez said.

Social media posts also remember the teen, who was a Las Cruces Catholic School alumni. She had graduated from the school last year and was now a freshman at Las Cruces High School, according to the post.

“Sam was an amazing young woman who always had a smile on her face,” the post said.

Las Cruces High School also posted about Bursum, saying she was a friend to all and an amazing athlete and student.

Dominguez said Bursum’s jersey, number 15, will now be retired.

“She was a force of nature,” Dominguez said. “She was ready to change the world. She wanted to be a lawyer to help people. She was a go-getter kind of girl.”

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New Mexico

New Mexico Public Education Department faces $35 million shortfall

Published

4 hours ago

January 9, 2026

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New Mexico Public Education Department faces million shortfall

The New Mexico Public Education Department is facing a $35 million deficit, which it attributes to overpayments made to Gallup-McKinley County Schools, a claim the district disputes, arguing they are being wrongly blamed for the state’s funding mismanagement.

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New Mexico

New Mexico deserves speedier game commission appointments

Published

16 hours ago

January 9, 2026

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New Mexico

What bills have been filed for New Mexico’s 2026 legislative session?

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

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What bills have been filed for New Mexico’s 2026 legislative session?

The governor sets the agenda for the session, including for the budget, so here is what they are looking at so far.

SANTA FE, N.M. — As the regular session of the New Mexico Legislature is set to begin Jan. 20, lawmakers have already filed dozens of bills.

Bills include prohibiting book bans at public libraries and protections against AI, specifically the distribution of sensitive and “Deepfake” images

Juvenile justice reform is, again, a hot topic. House Bill 25 would allow access to someone’s juvenile records during a background check if they’re trying to buy a gun.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sets the agenda and puts forth the proposed budget lawmakers will address during the session. The governor is calling for lawmakers to take up an $11.3 billion budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which is up 4.6% from current spending levels.

Where would that money go? More than $600 million would go to universal free child care. Meanwhile, more than $200 million would go to health care and to protect against federal funding cuts.

There is also $65 million for statewide affordable housing initiatives and $19 million for public safety.

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