Chama Valley & Abiquiú Daily Digest Friday, May 22, 2026
Ty's Take
Up here we're used to watching big decisions get made somewhere else—Santa Fe, or further down the Rio Grande—and then having to live with them. This week's mix of budget cuts, legal pressure, and personnel changes reads like that same old story, except this time the weight's landing harder on smaller places that can't absorb the hit. Eighteen non-renewals is eighteen families, and an ACLU letter doesn't show up because things are going smooth. Even the good news—the Oñate Bridge reopening, a man getting charges dropped—feels like we're just getting back to where we started. What matters now is whether the people making the calls understand that "the economy" isn't abstract up here; it's the difference between staying put and leaving for Albuquerque.
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Rio Grande SUN
Duke Rodriguez talks vision for NM
Adrian HeddenEl Rito Mediaachedden@elritomedia.com Duke Rodriguez planned to tap into his experience as a state cabinet secretary and healthcare executive should he be elected governor of New Mexico. Rodriguez, 68, is chief executive officer of cannabis company Ultra Health, New Mexico’s largest,...
City Receives Letter From ACLU NM
By Amanda MartinezSpecial to the SUN The City of Española will amend an ordinance regulating when political campaign signs can go up, after the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico sent a demand letter to the city to stop enforcing it. The city’s Temporary Sign Ordinance, Española Code...
By Cadie CarrilloSpecial to the SUN Dr. Karen Griego-Sanchez has been the Española Public Schools interim superintendent for a short time, but she is already making changes in the district. Non-renewal notices have been issued to 18 administrators and directors as district leadership moves forward...
4 of 10 Charges Against Medanales Man Dropped
By Wheeler CowperthwaiteSpecial to the SUN Faustin Martinez’s case for allegedly burning down his father’s house and stealing a volunteer firefighter’s truck appears to be moving forward after he was found not competent to stand trial in February. Martinez, 21, of Medanales, appeared in Santa Fe...
Lowriders Grapple Over Event Name
By Amanda MartinezSpecial to the SUN Controversy over the name of an upcoming city of Española co-sponsored event led to the amendment of meeting minutes and questions about the rightful owner of the name “Lowrider Day.” Concerns arose after the council approved a five-year co-sponsorship during...
Items for Northern Briefs may be submitted by sending them to jgarcia@riograndesun.com Submissions must be received no later than noon Monday for publication that week. Española Library The Española Public Library will offer a free water color class from 10 a.m. to noon May 22. Open to all ages and...
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Honor is Doing the Right Thing
By Javier Sanchez Honor is doing the right thing under pressure. It’s not running from a challenge. And most importantly, honor is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. In life and politics, the concept of “honor” has transformed to fit a more modern aesthetic that prizes expediency...
By Sherry RobinsonAll She Wrote Our races for governor have entered stupid territory. We’ve heard about one candidate’s ride on Epstein’s plane, another candidate’s four homes and a third candidate’s lawsuit challenging universal childcare. Look away from the mudslinging and focus on issues, and...
Not the Only One My opponent seems to think I am the only one working on the Española School board when he wrote to you in last week’s newspaper. Firstly, the issues we have had with our board and superintendent issues are far beyond them leaving, reassigned, or a mutual agreement on separation....
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