Alamosa Daily Digest Wednesday, July 08, 2026
Ty's Take
Primary results are in and already the machinery's grinding for 2026, which tells you something about how these county races work—the moment one election closes, everybody's eyeing the next one. Meanwhile the real fights aren't happening in the voting booth. A water engineer took the stand this week and said flat out what folks in the valley have known for years: we're pulling more groundwater than the aquifer can handle. That's not a campaign promise or a talking point—that's the math. And it matters more than who gets elected to what, because without water in the San Luis Valley, the rest of it doesn't much matter at all. Add in the fire danger warnings and the evacuations up in Saguache, and you've got a valley running hot on multiple fronts.
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Alamosa News
PRELIMINARY RESULTS: ALAMOSA COUNTY PRIMARY
Alamosa County held its 2026 primary election with competitive races across state and local offices. Democratic incumbent John Hickenlooper won his primary with 56% of the vote over Julie Gonzales, while Republican Mark Baisley ran unopposed. Local races saw Amanda Gonzalez secure the Democratic...
PRELIMINARY RESULTS: COSTILLA COUNTY PRIMARY 2026
Costilla County's primary results showed strong Democratic turnout in several state races, with Michael Bennet beating Phil Weiser 62% to 38% in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Local Democratic candidates dominated their primaries, including Amanda Gonzalez with 83% and Jason Maestas with 85%...
Saguache residents evacuated due to gas leak
Saguache residents evacuated Monday morning after a natural gas leak from a high-pressure pipeline relief valve released a plume over town around Gunnison Avenue. Xcel Energy technicians cleared the faulty valve, and all residents were safely back in their homes by 1:50 a.m. after being sheltered...
Commissioners embracing “let the voters decide” on term limits
San Luis Valley county commissioners are moving forward with a ballot measure to let voters decide whether to eliminate term limits for the district attorney position. Four counties support the proposal with Saguache and Costilla voting next month, and all six counties must approve it by July 24...
Extreme fire danger prompts back-to-back restrictions
Rio Grande County and Monte Vista have implemented emergency fire bans due to severe drought conditions and critically dry vegetation threatening the region. Local law enforcement warned that even small ignition sources could spark uncontrollable wildfires that endanger homes, farms, and businesses...
Barry Morphew won’t go on trial for at least another year
Barry Morphew's murder trial has been postponed to sometime in 2027 after his defense team requested more time to review the large volume of evidence provided by prosecutors. Morphew, charged with first-degree murder in his wife Suzanne's 2020 disappearance, was originally scheduled for trial in...
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Valley Courier
Water engineer at trial: ‘The aquifer is currently unsustainable’
A state water court heard testimony that despite local farmers fallowing 18,000 acres annually and cutting groundwater pumping by one-third over the past decade, the Upper Rio Grande Basin's shallow aquifer remains unsustainable. Water engineers told Judge Michael Gonzales that current conservation...
DA term limit question will be on November ballot
San Luis Valley voters will decide in November whether to remove term limits for the district attorney position after all six counties approved the measure by the July 24 deadline. The vote will allow District Attorney Anne Kelly and future holders of the office to serve beyond the current two-term...
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