THE CITY OF CARLSBAD HAS BEEN FEELING THE EFFECTS OF THE PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK CLOSED DOWN DUE TO THE SHUTDOWN, AND THAT HAS MEANT MOTELS IN THE AREA AREN'T SEEING CUSTOMERS WHO WOULD NORMALLY VISIT THE CAVERNS. ROBERT DEFER WITH THE CARLSBAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TELLS US THEY'VE TAKEN A FINANCIAL HIT FROM THE SHUTDOWN. HE SAYS IT'S NOT ONLY IMPACTED MOTELS AND RESTAURANTS, BUT THE OVERALL ECONOMY IN CARLSBAD.
DEFER SAYS THE CLOSURE OF THE B-L-M HAS ALSO IMPACTED THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AS WELL.
