Chama Valley & Abiquiú Daily Digest Saturday, August 15, 2026
Ty's Take
A man from Medanales convicted on felony charges, another Santa Fe County case bringing 21 months in federal prison, a rifle pulled over an alcohol dispute at a store counter. The court docket keeps filling up the way it does in any county this size, but when you live in country this spread out, where people still know each other's families and land, these aren't just names in the paper. They're neighbors who took a wrong turn, or maybe a dozen wrong turns. The real question isn't why the court is busy. It's whether the schools are getting these kids pointed toward the trades and skills and college paths that might give them something besides a criminal record. The county's finally looking at what's actually available in CTE and dual-credit programs across the high schools, which is long overdue. You can restructure a police department, you can convict and sentence, but if there's no pathway out of poverty and frustration for kids growing up here, you're just managing the same problem year after year.
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Rio Grande SUN
A hopeless romantic with a heart as big as his ginormous ears, Lensky is both poet and playmate. Named for a character in the Santa Fe Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin,” he’s earnest, loyal and full of youthful passion. This little Lensky may not write sonnets, but he’ll happily follow you...
Man Arrested After Allegedly Pointing Rifle at Store Clerk Over Alcohol Dispute
By Wheeler Cowperthwaite Special to the SUN Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Vallecitos man after he allegedly threatened a store clerk with a rifle after refusing to sell him alcohol. Deputy John Greene arrested Louie Torrez, 59, on July 9 after finding him just down the road from...
Rio Arriba Jury Convicts Santa Fe Man of Domestic Battery, Fleeing and Assault Charges
By Wheeler CowperthwaiteSpecial to the SUN A Rio Arriba jury convicted a Santa Fe man guilty of misdemeanor battery charges after a five-day trial. Jurors convicted Jerdarious Raphealito, 26, on July 29, on four counts of battery against a household member and one count of resisting arrest. The...
Lucas Gomez-Lopez Sentenced to 21 Months on Immigration Charge After 2024 Santa Fe County Shooting
By Wheeler CowperthwaiteSpecial to the SUN Lucas Gomez-Lopez received a sentence of 21 months on an immigration charge after federal prosecutors took over his case from local prosecutors. Gomez-Lopez, 38, allegedly shot and killed Marcelino Herrera, 41, in an apparent case of self-defense on Aug....
Council Approves Police Department Restructuring
By Amanda MartinezSpecial to the SUN The Española City Council approved a restructuring of the Española Police Department that will raise the pay for two lieutenants and bring a captain into the department. The changes will not increase the department’s budget. Two patrol officer positions will...
Bobcats Hopeful After Bumpy Season
By Glen RosalesSpecial to the SUN After a bumpy season that went awry because of an early season coaching change, a lack of numbers and some questionable discipline, the McCurdy High School football program brings renewed vigor and purpose to the field. “I think we’re going to surprise some...
By Cadie Carrillo Special to the SUN Students are getting ready to return to classrooms for the 2026–27 School Year, but high school schedules across Rio Arriba County show notably different academic and career opportunities depending on where they go to school. Master schedules obtained by the Rio...
Bustos Takes McCurdy Hoops Reins
By Glen RosalesSpecial to the SUN It’s a short slide down the bench for Walter Bustos. Bustos, who played basketball at Española Valley in the early 1980s before graduating in 1985, is the new McCurdy High School boys hoops coach, replacing Ernesto Espinoza, who retired after 10 seasons and a...
EVHS Students Are Making the Law
By Miles Barth SUN Staff Writer As school districts around the country work to develop guidelines for how students should use AI chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini, they may find themselves referring to a model policy two Española Valley High School students had a hand in...
Medanales Man Convicted of Felony
By Wheeler CowperthwaiteSpecial to the SUN A Rio Arriba jury convicted a Medanales man on a felony charge and three other offenses in a case from 2021. Following a two-day trial, including jury selection, jurors found Joel Maestas, 42, guilty of felon in possession of a firearm, a fourth degree...
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