Top Stories
Stephen Nicholson, keynote speaker at the Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference in Monte Vista, on Feb. 5 spoke frankly about challenges and opportunities in agriculture.  

Supply, demand and the elephant in the room

MONTE VISTA — When Stephen Nicholson opened his keynote speech “Our Challenges and Opportunities: There is Much to Consider” at the Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference on Wednesday, he began with the challenges facing the San Luis Valley. He didn’t pull any punches. But no one in the room was caught by surprise, either. 
Community

SLVTU: Cultivating Conservation and inspiring future stewards

THE VALLEY — The San Luis Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (SLVTU) is making waves with a year full of exciting updates, achievements, and initiatives aimed at fostering a love for conservation, education, and our valley's waterways. From new logos to student programs, scholarships, and well-deserved state recognition, SLVTU is truly “Cultivating Conservation” in every sense. 

Fort Garland Museum celebrates Paint Date

FORT GARLAND — Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center expressed thanks to Taylor Bradley Hubbard for a successful Paint Date on Feb. 8.  

‘Somos Agua’, how water connects us all

ALAMOSA — There’s a new book on the shelves at Narrow Gauge Book Co-operative titled “Somos Agua” written by local author Belinda Garcia. The title of the book is simple. The images on the cover are vibrant and alive. And both are actually promises of what’s found inside the book which, simply put, is powerful and profound.  

High School Mixed Choir Festival returns to Alamosa Feb. 20-22

ALAMOSA — The Adams State University “High School Mixed Choir Festival,” a prestigious event, returns on Feb. 20-22. It features some of the finest high school choral musicians in the Southwest, including both an auditioned (symphonic choir) and director-recommended choir (concert choir). 

Arellano Brothers with Stadler, Pearcy and Richmond at Society Hall

ALAMOSA — Society Hall, the performance space, concert hall and community gathering place at 400 Ross Ave. in Alamosa, is proud to welcome the Arellano Brothers with Jimmy Stadler back to the Society Hall stage, on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6. 

Preeshl starts ASU Faculty Lecture series for spring semester

ALAMOSA – The Adams State University Faculty Lecture “Consent in Shakespeare’s Classical Mediterranean: Women Speak Truth to Power” by Artemis Preeshl, Ed.D., begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in McDaniel Hall 101. The lecture is free and open to the public.
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More Local News
In this May 2024 photo, Lynette Ramirez (left to right) and Dr. Devon Pena from the San Luis Peoples Market are joined by Kathy Ben from Adept Solutions as they discuss the progress made to remove hazardous materials from the market.  

Historic market may open in March

SAN LUIS — After numerous delays over the last several years, the San Luis Peoples Market may be opening soon. 

Law enforcement, ASD statements regarding ICE

ALAMOSA — In recent weeks, actions taken in major U.S. cities by agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have raised questions about the role local law enforcement will play when ICE conducts large scale immigration arrests in local jurisdictions.  

Bombs discovered in Hooper storage unit

HOOPER — Two bombs were found among the contents of a storage container in Hooper this week, prompting the Pueblo Police Department bomb squad and individuals with the U.S. Air Force to come to the site for detonation.  

SLV Health announces new state-of-the-art MRI

ALAMOSA — In continuation of its ongoing commitment to providing high quality health care, SLV Health recently unveiled its new 128 GE Signa Artist Evo 1.5T MRI, which they describe as “highly beneficial for SLV Health and our patients”. 

City council approves creation of regional SWAT team

ALAMOSA — Alamosa City Council had a somewhat shorter than usual meeting on Wednesday night as the agenda was largely devoted to wrapping up issues from previous meetings before taking on anything new. 
Sports

43 SLV wrestlers qualify for state tournament

Alamosa High School’s Jeremiah DeLaCerda (right) looks to score against Centauri’s Matthew Salazar in a dual meet in January. Both DeLaCerda and Salazar qualified for the Class 3A State Tournament which begins on Thursday.
ALAMOSA – The Colorado High School Activities Association hosted its regional wrestling tournament at several different venues across the state with 43 competitors from the San Luis Valley …
ALAMOSA – The 43 San Luis Valley qualifiers for the state wrestling tournament found out their first-round opponents on Monday. The tournament begins on Thursday afternoon and the end of …
ALAMOSA – The eighth-ranked Alamosa High School girls basketball team had little trouble with Bayfield on Friday as it won by a score of 59-16 at the AHS gym. Jaelin Garcia gave the Lady …
ALAMOSA – The Alamosa High School boys basketball team was looking to end a long losing streak when it hosted Bayfield Friday at the AHS gym. The Mean Moose came close to defeating the …
Obituaries
Charlene Elizabeth Ameel
Charlene Elizabeth Ameel, 78, beloved and deep-rooted member of the Creede community, passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 28, 2025. Her multi-faceted involvement and love have been vital to Creede’s ultimate well-being and have stretched across generations. Her passing leaves a void that will be hard to fill. 
Kirk Rhoton Thompson 
Kirk Rhoton Thompson, 78, of South Fork, Colo., passed away peacefully on Jan. 21, 2025, in Highland Village, Texas. Kirk was born in Arizona on April 1, 1946, to June Rhoton Thompson and JW (Dub) Thompson.  
Mary Louise ‘Mary Lou’ Bassett
Mary Louise "Mary Lou" Bassett, age 84, passed away peacefully on Nov. 17, 2024, at home in Cibolo, Texas, surrounded by her family. 
Mary Patricia Karr
Mary Patricia Karr, 76, of Creede, Colo., passed away in peace on Dec. 16, 2024.  Mary was born April 27, 1948, in Milwaukee, Wis., the daughter of John E. Crowley, Sr. and Delores "Pat" Patricia Conley. 
Robin Medina
Robin Medina passed away Dec. 14, 2024, at the age of 58, at Parkview Medical Center, in Pueblo, Colo. 
Opinion
    • Beware the Trojan Horse targeting public land

      The folks who ideologically oppose public land are exploiting the housing crisis to argue that a fix for America’s housing problem is to sell …

    • Skill versus luck

      Long-time readers know that I'm building a house using mostly my own hands with long-suffering help from Miss Trixie. For the first time in my …

    • Big hands

      This past week I've really been missing my Dad, Fast Freddy, who passed away earlier this fall. He was 93 and ready for his reward. Those of us …

    • My wife broke her tailbone

      First of all, let's stop the rumors before they get started. No, me and Miss Trixie are not married. And no, I am not married to someone else. …

    • Time to get real about plastic recycling

      Writer Karen Mockler was thrilled when her city of Tucson, Ariz., announced it was starting a pilot program to deal with hard-to-recycle …

    • Testing 1, 2, 3…58

      Anyone alive who has ever been to a venue where a microphone is needed has heard someone testing out the equipment prior to starting. It happens …

Feature stories from around the web
A forecaster monitors incoming data for Hurricane Irma in 2017 at the National Hurricane Center, part of the NOAA.
NOAA’s vast public weather data powers the local forecasts on your phone and TV – a private company alone couldn’t match it
NOAA operates fleets of satellites, sensors on airplanes and ocean-going buoys, as well as radar, providing the data used by weather forecasters nationwide – and freely available to anyone.
What are the most distinctive baby names by state?
Spokeo used data from the Social Security Administration to find the most unique baby names in every state across the country as of 2023.
The best spring break destinations for both kids and their parents
(BPT) - Spring break takes on a whole new meaning when you become a parent. But that doesn't mean adults have to sacrifice all the fun for their kids.Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, home to …
Start the Day by Sharing a Heartwarming Breakfast
(Family Features) Whether your brunch favorites include Bananas Foster French Toast or Peanut Butter and Apple, enjoying a meal together is a heartwarming way to start the day.
Lamar's Super Bowl appearance marks a political reckoning for the NFL.
Kendrick Lamar’s big Super Bowl moment
The rapper has mastered the delicate balance between commercial success and politically charged music. How far will he push the envelope on one of the world’s biggest stages?