COLORADO — Colorado voters will decide by ballot whether to allow a ban on hunting mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx. The lynx is currently listed as a state endangered and threatened species federally and can't be hunted. The animal welfare group Cats Aren't Trophies placed the issue on the ballot, Proposition 127 maintaining, "The ballot measure would stop the unfair practice of sending packs of dogs to chase wild cats in our wild places, along with many other unsporting practices that cross the line."
MONTE VISTA — Tara Artho is the new Executive Director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee and is replacing longtime director Jim Ehrlich, who is retiring at the end of the month.
SAN LUIS VALLEY — According to the National Weather Service in Pueblo, there is an approaching weekend storm system that will bring snow to the region. Snow will increase across all the higher terrain starting Friday.
ALAMOSA — “It’s very unfortunate that this happened,” says Capt. Nathan Lyons with the Colorado State Patrol. “Just a real tragedy.” According to Lyons, at 7:25 p.m. on Wednesday night, a rider on an e-bike was traveling south on Highway 17 Mile Post 71, which is “right by Splashland,” when he was hit from behind by a Chevrolet Tahoe, who was also traveling south in the lane of travel.
DEL NORTE – The Rio Grande County Museum partnered with the Del Norte High School Theatre for the first-ever Del Norte Cemetery Tour highlighting local Civil War Veterans on Saturday, Oct. 12. The event was well attended and the participating students reenacting the characters had a wonderful time captivating the attending crowd.
ALAMOSA – The Alamosa County Justice Center was evacuated Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, due to a suspicious device placed near the front entrance, according to the City of Alamosa.
SAN LUIS VALLEY — On Oct. 3, the San Luis Valley Development Resources Group and Council of Governments, was honored with the 2024 American Planning Award Colorado Honor Award in the Growing Water Smart category. Commissioner Tom McCracken of Saguache County accepted the award at the conference.
SAN LUIS VALLEY — “I’ve been with the Democratic Party for 18 years, and I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this.” That was part of a statement made by a spokesman for the Alamosa Democratic Party in response to numerous reports of Harris/Walz yard signs being vandalized or stolen off people’s private property.
MONTE VISTA – The Upper Rio Grande Economic Development monthly meeting was on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Ski-Hi Complex in Monte Vista and featured keynote speaker and Pathway Director Ashley Maestas, who gave a presentation on the Attainment Network program here in the Valley.
DEL NORTE – The overlay project for the Kent Rominger Airport runway has been completed thanks to grant funding through the Colorado Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division. This project has been on the calendar for some time as materials and closure dates were figured out, but now that the project is done, pilots from around the world can enjoy a new runway while visiting.
SAN LUIS VALLEY — Rep. Matt Martinez (D-62) brought a group of visitors from Denver to tour the San Luis Valley, including a bipartisan cohort of four fellow legislators from the State House and representatives from 40 powerhouse businesses in Colorado.
SAN LUIS — The community, along with workers from Baha Construction and Ayres Associates, have been actively involved in constructing a new public plaza in San Luis. According to Teddy Leinbach, Assistant Town Manager of San Luis, "The new San Luis Town Plaza is being constructed so that we have a centrally located gathering point within our small town."
SAGUACHE COUNTY — A solo hiker was rescued after activating their Garmin inReach device on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 6. This initiated a large-scale multi-agency rescue effort in the Kirk Couloir, a narrow corridor splitting the cliffs between Kit Carson and Challenger peaks.
ALAMOSA — U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, attorney, and statesman spoke to a warm and receptive crowd on Saturday where he presented a strong message centered around the importance of unity and partnerships.
MONTE VISTA — As part of office consolidation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be closing its outdated office in Monte Vista. The closure does not affect any of the wildlife refuges in the area and all of the impacted employees have already been reassigned to the Alamosa office on El Rancho Lane.
ALAMOSA — Capulin resident David O’Brien, 50, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and domestic violence over the weekend in connection with the death of his wife. Her name is not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin. The homicide took place on the outskirts of Capulin in Conejos County.
MONTE VISTA – The Sargent School District notified parents and guardians Monday morning, Oct. 7, that it terminated a teacher after a claim of sexual harassment was substantiated by the district.
CENTER – Twin brothers and sworn officers of the Center Police Department have both been charged with theft, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. CPD Chief Aaron Fresquez and his brother Sgt. Adam Fresquez were both issued summons for theft, while Chief Fresquez was also cited with a misdemeanor count of official misconduct.
SUMMITVILLE – The Rio Grande County Museum with the help of the Rio Grande National Forest and several leaders throughout the San Luis Valley have started a preservation effort for the remaining structures in the Summitville Mining District.
DENVER —SLV native and colcha artisan, Josephine Lobato will be celebrated with an art showing in Denver. This fall, the University of Denver will host a significant event in the art world. The retrospective exhibition, Mi Vida en Colcha, by San Luis native and colcha embroidery artist Josephine Lobato, will be a celebration of our cultural heritage.