

Woodmen of the World Charity donates flags to Honor Flight of Southern New Mexico
Woodmen of the World Charity donates flags to Honor Flight of Southern New Mexico Abel and Judy Chavarria, representing Woodmen of the World donated three flags to Honor Flight of Southern New Mexico earlier this month. One primary focus of the charitable group, associated with Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, is to give away flags. The Chavarrias say the organization is second only to the U.S. government in the distribution of flags. In this case the Woodmen orde


Betty Somppi, 102, helped bring women into military
Seventy-five years ago this summer, long-time Las Cruces resident Betty Somppi became one of the first women ever to volunteer for the U.S. military. She joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC, and later WAC) to serve her country during World War II. "It makes you feel good that we got something started," said Somppi, who turned 102 on June 30. After living in Las Cruces for 20 years, Betty moved to El Paso in 2014. She’s looking fo! rward to returning next spring for