Chama Valley & Abiquiú Daily Digest Friday, September 04, 2026
Ty's Take
Slow week up the valley, which around here usually means folks are scattered doing what they do, and the papers fill with the small rhythms that hold a place together: somebody's figured out a better way to roast the chile, the high school teams are grinding through their season, a woman's had enough of open-range cattle on her land. These aren't the stories that make the wire services, but they're exactly what keeps a community stitched together, the kind of news that matters when you live where you live. The park's getting work done, somebody's experimenting with saffron instead of just hay and cattle, and a city council pushed the election calendar. Nothing earth-shaking, but everything real.
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Rio Grande SUN
El Vecino: An Easier Way to Roast Landrace Chile
A Southern and Central New Mexico tradition of roasting landrace chile using propane-powered cylindrical burners is getting easier with new methods. The process typically involves bringing home roasted chiles and shucking the outer skin, a task that can take about an hour depending on quantity.
Woman Fed Up With Cows Destroying Her Property
A resident of Ojo Caliente is frustrated after eight cows have been grazing and damaging her property since early August, destroying a garden she spent the summer cultivating. The livestock have been sleeping and watering around her trailer park home, leaving hoof prints and eating most of her...
More Renovations Slated for Park
The Española City Council unanimously approved an $875,000 renovation project at Ranchitos Park that will upgrade baseball, basketball, and pickleball facilities. The improvements will benefit most park users, though tennis players may see their facilities reduced in the redesign.
Local high school football teams are heading into the third week of the season looking to improve their records and get healthier. Española Valley will face Bernalillo at 7 p.m. Friday under new Sundevils coach Frank Galvan.
Second Week Proves to be Tough
Most local high school football teams struggled in the second week of the season, with nearly all squads suffering losses. Española Valley fell to Portales 58-6, giving up major points after staying competitive early in the game.
Elks Get a Breath of Fresh Air
Pojoaque Valley High School boys soccer has a new coach in David Mowry, a 1994 Pojoaque alum, looking to turn around a program that went 1-38 over the last two seasons. Mowry brings a track record of local success to the struggling Elks program.
Elkettes Soccer Team is Focused
The Pojoaque Valley High School girls soccer team showed significant improvement last season after going winless and scoreless the year before, posting a 2-16-1 record and nine goals. The Elkettes are more competitive this year and focused on continuing their upward trajectory.
Jacob Torres of Española is working with volunteers to plant 6,000 saffron corms in what marks the second year of his saffron project. Torres strategized under a tree planted by his great-great-grandfather about the best way to sow the spice crop.
City Ordinance Moves Election Day to November
The Española City Council passed a new ordinance and Memorandum of Understanding to address the city's budget challenges, including a more than $1 million deficit heading into Fiscal Year 2027. The measure moves election day to November as part of the administration's financial strategy.
Pojoaque Valley's volleyball team opened the fall season with a dominant 3-0 win over Gallup, showcasing a well-rounded Elkettes offense. The team won decisively with set scores of 25-12, 25-15, and 25-14 in their second match of the season.
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