Tara Trujillo is comforted by her sons Rudy Trujillo and Roberto Trujillo as she becomes emotional while speaking about her son’s lost life is comforted by her son Rudy Trujillo during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in state District Court “His future was cut so short,” she said of Reuben Trujillo killed in a 2022 shootout in Española with Daniel Martinez and he was always doing something good and positive and I just don’t know how that we ended up here.” Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies take Daniel Martinez into custody Wednesday after he was sentenced to two years in juvenile detention for a 2022 killing of another teen A video highlighting the life of Reuben Trujillo plays on the monitors during the sentencing hearing for Daniel Martinez Family and friends of Trujillo memorialized him while criticizing Martinez’s two-year sentence in juvenile detention as too lenient Rudy Trujillo becomes emotional as he speaks about his late brother during the sentencing hearing for Daniel Martinez on Wednesday in state District Court “Daniel will spend less time behind bars than we have spent in your courtroom less time than we have spent reliving the worst day of our lives over and over again Glenn Ellington noted Daniel Martinez will be held until he turns 21 which is the maximum sentence he could impose under state law Email notifications are only sent once a day An Española teen convicted of killing another teen during a roadway shootout in November 2022 received a sentence of less than two years of juvenile detention during a hearing Wednesday in a Santa Fe courtroom was 17 at the time of the shooting in Española and tried as a juvenile in the death of 19-year-old Reuben Trujillo During the hourslong sentencing hearing in state District Court memorialized him while criticizing Martinez’s sentence as too lenient Glenn Ellington noted Martinez will be held until he turns 21 Deputy District Attorney Arwen Gaddis had argued for the maximum sentence “What happened to Reuben isn’t just a personal tragedy but part of a pattern of gun violence,” Gaddis said “This is a case about the systemic increase in youth gun violence we are seeing across the state of New Mexico.” The issue of youth gun violence — which some state officials and others have called an explosion in recent years — played prominently during New Mexico’s legislative session this year although the governor and many lawmakers decried what they saw as too little action to address it Ellington ordered Martinez to be taken into state custody and sent to the New Mexico Youth Diagnostic Development Center in Albuquerque a detention facility for adjudicated youth operated the state Children The judge said the sentence would be focused on rehabilitation including counseling as well as an opportunity for Martinez to finish his high school education a jury had found him guilty of a count of “shooting at or from a motor vehicle causing death,” as well as unlawful possession of a handgun by someone under 19 Prosecutors initially tried Martinez on a second-degree murder charge but abandoned the count and switched to the lesser charge after a mistrial in June Ellington pointed out some of the facts of the complex case in which both Martinez and Trujillo had “emptied their clips,” each firing eight rounds at the other that evening we have two young men growing up in the same community who are worlds apart from each other,” Ellington said noting Trujillo had a supportive family and a “wonderful future ahead,” while Martinez’s life was the “polar opposite.” Trujillo and Martinez were each in separate vehicles taunting each other and “talking each other down,” Ellington said adding testimony indicated Trujillo had blocked in the truck Martinez was riding in and the conflict kept escalating There was no indication the fatal shooting was premeditated by Martinez “It’s a tragedy beyond description because it doesn’t make sense,” Ellington said “It does not make sense — it never should have happened.” Family and close friends of Trujillo filled half the courtroom gallery Wednesday Trujillo had graduated from Española Valley High School the year before he was killed Family members noted he was a decorated snowboarder a talented mechanic and a devoted family man expressed his frustration with the yearslong proceeding telling the court he believed the justice system “failed” him and other members of his family “We were ignored when it came to the decisions made about the man who killed my brother,” he said Relative Amy Trujillo said a lack of jail time for Martinez would send a harmful message about violence in the community said she will never understand how she came to lose her son Tara Trujillo turned to face Martinez while she addressed the court with tears streaming from her eyes: “I just don’t understand,” she said to him When it came time for Martinez to address the court There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish things had turned out differently declined to call family or friends to speak on Martinez’s behalf “There are two sides to every story,” she said after the hearing noting the result of her grandson’s first trial Gonzales said Reuben Trujillo made a decision that night to bring his gun to the house where the shooting eventually took place “It took two boys and two guns to come to this end,” she said Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning get a preview of The New Mexican's big Sunday stories and review highlights from the week Stay informed of the latest local news by receiving emails as soon as news is posted online Stay up to date with news from the Capitol during the legislative session and follow New Mexico politics throughout the year A guide to outdoors opportunities and profiles on peoples' connections with places Keep up with what's going on in the local business scene Receive the latest episode of "Conversations Different" in your inbox every Tuesday.  Taking the temperature of New Mexico's environmental issues local prep sports and more every Wednesday Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account — Police arrested the parents of an 18-month-old child treated by doctors for a fentanyl overdose Tuesday in Española Española police responded Tuesday at around 10:23 p.m to the Española Presbyterian Hospital regarding a child exposed to fentanyl Child protective services were also called and had to intervene Officers arrived and learned the child may have accidentally taken “something like fentanyl” while playing in the home The father noticed the child showed signs of an abnormal condition and informed his significant other Doctors treated the child who “responded positively” to Narcan A criminal complaint identified the mother as 29-year-old Caitlyn Sanchez and the father as 34-year-old Matthew Padilla Sanchez allegedly said they used fentanyl in their bathroom and their vehicles sometimes “nearly all day” according to a criminal complaint Padilla was treated for symptoms of an overdose Sanchez allegedly said she faced child abuse charges before Court documents show Sanchez had a warrant for child abuse in 2021 The parents now face new first-degree and third-degree child abuse charges The child is being treated at a neonatal intensive care unit Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KOB via our online formor call 505-243-4411 Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil shakes the hand of a city police officer who was called in by City Manager Eric Lujan to remove a man from a city-sponsored mariachi concert City Manager Eric Lujan called police to 'remove' a man who argued with his girlfriend from a recent mariachi concert Police lapel camera footage from a recent Española community concert has raised concerns about a city leader appearing to use the police to punish a detractor A man who was nearly removed from an event after having an argument with a city official’s girlfriend called the use of police an abuse of power Videos shared online appear to show an interaction between Española police and city resident Andrew Herrera at a city-sponsored mariachi concert at Northern New Mexico College earlier this month After Herrera exchanged words with the girlfriend of Española City Manager Eric Lujan during the show’s intermission police showed up to remove him from the concert “There are so many people in this county and city who are afraid to speak up about it but people have told me in private the mayor and city manager use the police force as their own,” Herrera said in an interview Wednesday citing an “ongoing investigation” into the month-old matter by police along with “a pending criminal complaint” he said had been filed against Herrera An online court records database indicates there have been no charges filed against Herrera who also said he had not been notified of any criminal complaint Española police Chief Mizel Garcia said he is not aware of any criminal charges his officers had filed in connection with the incident but he said the March 1 call was still under investigation One of the agency’s two detectives had the case and still had witnesses to interview from the incident Mayor John Ramon Vigil did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment Herrera said Lujan’s girlfriend had started the confrontation in the lobby during the show’s intermission Herrera admitted he called her a “hoe” during the exchange but he said he then walked back to his seat to enjoy the rest of the show two city police officers appeared next to him The lapel camera footage shows police arriving at the March 1 concert just before 9 p.m and being greeted by Lujan outside the venue Mayor John Ramon Vigil appears next to him and can be seen shaking the officers’ hands When an officer asked Lujan if someone was harassing him As the officers walk past a campus security guard and into the auditorium “We’re removing someone for the city manager.” Herrera tells the officers Lujan’s girlfriend was “dogging” him and staring at him in the lobby earlier and he admits to officers that he “called her a hoe.” “You guys can’t throw me out — for what?” Herrera says A security guard tells the officers he didn’t see or hear about the confrontation “I think you guys have got better things to do.” Herrera acknowledged there has been “drama” between him and Lujan in the past mostly connected with his criticism of city leaders who he says have failed to address problems related to trash pickup He belongs to a Facebook group called “Española Voices Speak UP,” where members post criticism of Vigil and Lujan almost daily in connection with the city’s handling of utilities an erosion of transparency in recent years and questionable approaches to problems like rampant homelessness Herrera said he has in the past called and messaged Lujan about problems in the city such as used needles and trash at Española’s Valdez Park and then he doesn’t return my calls and nothing gets done,” he said He criticized Lujan’s decision to call in the city’s police to the event where the college’s campus security guards had been stationed saying “he doesn’t have the authority to tell the police what to do.” The police officers called to the scene appeared to agree “We’re getting paid for this?” an officer says to another outside the venue “This is all [expletive] Española movidas.” The officer used a Spanish word meaning “moves” that refers to calculated and often underhanded political machinations While the officers commiserate about the call outside another is inside the lobby telling Herrera he has to leave the property “Because I called his wife a [expletive] hoe?” Herrera says to the officer inside a sergeant who appeared at the scene — one of three Española officers who was present — told Herrera he could stay at the event Herrera said he stayed and watched the rest of the show A video posted to Youtube of the lapel camera footage had been viewed more than 50,000 times as of Wednesday – New Mexico State Police are investigating a shooting involving the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office and Ohkay Owingeh Police The shooting happened at the Lowes parking lot in Española Deputies accused suspect Michele Savinsky of leaving the scene after striking the woman on the side of N.M Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies arrested an Española woman accused in a hit-and-run crash that injured a bicyclist Thursday morning on a state road near Sombrillo The bicyclist — a 54-year-old Santa Fe woman — was taken to a local hospital for treatment The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office did not provide an update on the woman’s condition as of Friday morning faces counts of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident with great bodily harm and reckless driving as well as two charges alleging failure to render aid and provide notice of the crash according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court When sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene Thursday morning the injured woman was lying on the ground on the side of the roadway with cuts on her forehead according to a court affidavit deputies filed in the criminal case Deputies noted heavy damage to her bike’s rear wheel and frame Officers talked with at least three witnesses who said a driver in a gold car had struck the woman and then drove away One man told deputies the bicyclist had been launched about 8 feet from the initial collision Another man gave investigators a license plate number he said he recorded from the car that caused the crash Sheriff’s office investigators arrived at Savinsky’s home in Española in the hours after the crash and she denied having left the house that morning Deputies alleged a gold Acura in the driveway showed damage “consistent with having struck a person” on the passenger side bumper and windshield as well as “hair hanging out of the broken windshield.” Savinsky told investigators the damage to her car was preexisting but he noted the car did not have the same damage when he had pulled her over several weeks earlier Deputy Francisco Villicana — who investigated the hit-and-run crash had pulled Savinsky over in the Acura on March 25 in response to emergency calls reporting her as “a reckless driver failing to maintain lanes,” he alleged in a citation from the traffic stop The citation said Savinsky had admitted during the stop “to eating food and being distracted,” and Villicana charged her with failure to maintain a traffic lane Court records show Savinsky had received three other traffic citations over the last seven years accusing her of careless driving speeding by more than 16 mph and not wearing a seat belt Savinsky was booked in the Santa Fe County jail on Thursday She was scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges Friday afternoon A woman was arrested after her 15-month-old daughter died from exposure to fentanyl is charged with child abuse resulting in death and felony possession of a controlled substance Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Gregory R.C. Hasman covers crime and is the road warrior. You can contact him at ghasman@abqjournal.com Stay informed with the latest top headlines from your trusted local source the Albuquerque Journal—delivered to your inbox every day it provides narrative coverage of local trends going beyond the headlines to keep you informed Stay in the loop with the top stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday Sign up to see what’s trending and get the latest on the stories that matter most to our readers Get breaking news and important alerts sent straight to your inbox as they happen Stay up-to-date with the latest sports headlines and highlights from the Albuquerque Journal Get the latest on local happenings delivered straight to your inbox Matthew Abeyta is no longer the athletic director at Española Valley High School Abeyta informed fellow ADs across the state Tuesday he would no longer be serving in that capacity Neither Abeyta nor Española Superintendent Eric Spencer returned messages left by The New Mexican Several sources said Abeyta was reassigned Abeyta’s departure comes at a time when the school is conducting interviews for a football coach A school district source said the search committee had two interviews this week but one of the candidates dropped out of consideration spent the past four years as AD and previously was the dean of students who was instrumental in the rise of the football program into a contender in Class 4A the school chose Joey Trujillo to take over a struggling boys basketball program and he led it to the 4A semifinals earlier this month Ray Romero took over as girls basketball coach and guided the Lady Sundevils to a District 2-4A regular-season title and a spot in the 4A state tournament Abeyta also presided an overhaul of Edward Medina Gymnasium after a fire in November 2021 the school’s silence over Abeyta’s departure has been commonplace neither Abeyta nor Spencer responded to questions regarding the status of Trujillo as several sources said he was placed on administrative leave amid a district investigation into matters that remain undisclosed Trujillo returned to his coaching duties just prior to the start of the 2024-25 season won the district title and earned the three seed for the 4A tournament New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers were dispatched to Presbyterian Hospital in Española for an unresponsive 15-month-old child officers learned the child was exposed to Fentanyl NMSP Investigations Bureau assumed the investigation where they learned that the mother of the child claimed that the child was exposed to Fentanyl paraphernalia in the form of burnt foil Agents learned Vigil placed the child on the floor Vigil told agents she then rinsed the child’s mouth believing the child had placed the drug paraphernalia in their mouth Vigil further stated she observed the child for 10 minutes before the child became unresponsive The child was taken to the hospital and was later pronounced deceased Vigil admitted to agents that she smokes Fentanyl and left the burnt foils on the bedroom floor Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence where burnt foils consistent with Fentanyl use Vigil was arrested and booked into the Rio Arriba County Detention Center charged with one count of Child Abuse Resulting in Death and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance Copyright © 2012-2025 The Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County This Site and all information contained here including graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and author/photographer are properly cited columnists and other contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Alamos Daily Post The Los Alamos Daily Post newspaper was founded Feb An Española homeless encampment has grown in recent weeks and officials have been threatening to close it down The Española City Council adopted an emergency ordinance Wednesday aimed at clearing people off the public property The City Council's ordinance makes camping or sleeping in a public place a petty misdemeanor and allows for arrests Fed up with its inability to clear out a months-old homeless encampment that has turned into a hub of lawlessness and squalor the Española City Council adopted an emergency ordinance Wednesday night that prohibits sleeping on public property makes camping or sleeping on public property a petty misdemeanor and allows for the arrest of a person “upon physical resistance or upon repeat offenses.” It calls for the posting of a 24-hour “advance notice” at a campsite prior to its removal Thursday at the encampment the city had established in February on city-owned land along the Rio Grande wrote in an email: “The city plans to follow the ordinance.” “The Chief of Police is in line to carry out the ordinance and the primary goal remains to ensure the safety of the unhoused at the encampment and the community.” Neither police Chief Mizel Garcia nor Mayor John Ramon Vigil returned messages seeking comment City Manager Eric Lujan referred inquiries to Fraire “The emergency ordinance is in effect in order to promote the safety and well-being of the community and the unhoused alike,” Fraire wrote adding there is a drug epidemic sweeping the nation “The ordinance has been declared by the Governing Body as a public emergency based on the threat to public health safety and welfare of the community,” she wrote The city has threatened to bust up the encampment at least four times established after several dozen people living in tents were forced off nearby Ohkay Owingeh land by tribal police has become an “immediate threat,” including to the people who are living in tents and under tarps at the site The city-sanctioned encampment was intended only as an emergency — and temporary — relief effort “due to inclement winter weather conditions,” the ordinance states But “the resulting encampment has grown beyond the size originally anticipated and has either generated or been the victim of multiple instances of dangerous or criminal activity,” including open fires in the bosque threats of physical harm to people occupying the encampment and the accumulation of trash “Persons have remained within the encampment beyond the closure deadline and have willfully refused to comply with the closure,” the ordinance states Even though he voted in favor of the ordinance City Councilor Sam LeDoux called it “toothless” and “unlikely to be enforced” since a violation is only a petty misdemeanor the ordinance that was proposed by the mayor is more of an attempt to show that he’s doing something rather than an actual ordinance that is trying to address the issue,” he said it does allow [the city] to vacate the current encampment but it has very little power to stop new ones from popping up and we just had a new one pop up near the Allsup’s the other day It seems more and more small encampments continue to pop up even as the city encampment is starting to die down.” LeDoux said he hasn’t heard whether the city plans a crackdown on the encampment along the river “What I do know is that it just seems like every day the mayor and the administration have new deadlines and nothing seems to come to fruition,” he said it seems like every single time they set a deadline they’re setting themselves up for failure because they fail to meet it every single time.” LeDoux said the city needs to take responsibility for creating the “encampment problem.” the city downplayed the severity of the issues such as litter and crime and drug dealing and drug usage at the encampment,” he said they finally admitted that the concerns from the citizens were accurate “I feel like the people of Española were unfairly painted by the media and by city government as anti-homeless for raising these concerns when now .. it seems like a lot of the concerns were true I feel like we owe all those people an apology.” Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon Española police stepped in Thursday morning issuing trespass warnings to dozens of people living at the city's homeless camp City workers arrived with bulldozers Monday but simply cleaned up trash at the months-old site LeDoux has proposed an ordinance to "stem the flow" in response to unproven rumors about homeless people being bused into Española About a dozen police officers arrived at 8 a.m Michael Chavarria issues a call for action to deal with homelessness: "We can't work in silos any longer." in collaboration with 2024 Miss New Mexico Karen Dodier is proud to present Northern New Mexico’s first-ever Pet Pageant—a fun photo-driven contest where pets take the spotlight Entering is simple: upload a favorite photo of your pet—one that shows off their charm or personality—and then encourage friends and family to vote Each vote helps fund Española Humane’s lifesaving programs giving shelter animals a better chance at love and home “We are thrilled to launch the Pet Pageant a fun-filled event that celebrates the bond between pets and their owners while supporting our lifesaving work at Española Humane,” said Kate Baldwin Winners won’t just walk away with bragging rights They’ll score more than $1,000 in prize packages including items from Teca Tu and Shine Pet Food Co. “This event is all about celebrating the joy pets bring into our lives,” Dodier said “It’s a fun way for the community to show off their beloved companions while supporting a shelter that does incredible work.” Visit here for full contest details and to submit your pet’s photo today Video announcing Pet Pageant here or sign up for a new account to continue reading We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again Unlimited access to the Taos News website for a full year!  Plan includes access to our e-edition print replica online.  Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period Unlimited access to the Taos News website for 30 days.  Plan includes access to our e-edition print replica online.  Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period Unlimited access to the Taos News website for 30 days.  Plan includes access to our e-edition print replica online.  This is a one-time purchase.  Your subscription will not renew The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! 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residence every week for 13 weeks!  Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online.  Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period The Taos News mailed to your out of state residence every week for 13 weeks no promotional deals were found matching that code Taos High School boys basketball celebrate their win against Española Valley High School as they are crowned the district champions after a nail biting game and narrow 62-59 victory in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely goes in for a shot during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb Taos High School fans celebrate the boys basketball win against Española Valley High School as they are crowned the district champions after a nail biting game and narrow 62-59 victory in Española Friday (Feb Española Valley’s Josiah Fresquez rebounds the ball during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Mario Rodriguez and Española Valley’s Nathaniel Suazo look to rebound the ball down during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Española Valley fans watch in fear as Taos' Malakhai Ely shoots and makes a game altering free throw during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Roman Quintana takes a shot during a district basketball game in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Evan Salazar defends Española Valley’s Matthew Lovato during a district basketball game in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Roman Quintana is fouled by Española Valley’s defense during a district basketball game in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Roman Quintana moves the ball around Española Valley’s Jerek Duda during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ head coach Hernando Chavez talks to his players during the final timeout of a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb and Taos’ Malakhai Ely react to a a foul called on Ely during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Española Valley’s Miguel Orozco drives the ball past Taos’ Roman Quintana during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely goes in for a shot around Española Valley’s defense during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely cheers on teammate Roman Quintana after Quintana is fouled during a district basketball game in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Mario Rodriguez passes the ball during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Expañola Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely goes in for a shot around Española Valley’s Emillio Samaniego during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos Mateo Salazar moves around Española Valley’s defense during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely looks to pass the ball during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Malakhai Ely flies over Española Valley’s Emillio Samaniego during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Roman Quintana looks to pass the ball as Taos’ Malakhai Ely trails him during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb and Taos’ Mario Rodriguez support Taos’ Malakhai Ely as he takes a breath before making a game altering free throw during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Mario Rodriguez passes the ball around Española Valley’s Nathaniel Suazo during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Orion Salazar drives the ball down the court during a district basketball game between Taos and Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb The Taos High School varsity boys basketball team won the district championship Friday night (Feb defeating the hosting Española Valley Sundevils with a final score of 62-59 The Tigers kept to a switching man-to-man defense throughout the night that slowed the Sundevils' three-point production Despite being down 10 points coming into third quarter the Tigers crawled their way out that hole behind senior Mateo Salazar’s accurate three-point shooting and junior Malakhai Ely’s formidable inside presence With the Tigers down by just 5 points going into the final quarter the momentum was showing clear signs of shifting Taos was up by 4 as Española senior Josiah Fresquez tried to get his team going by driving through the paint to draw a few free throws wide-open layups that ultimately cost them the game the Tigers streamed onto the court to celebrate the hard-fought victory and receive medals for claiming the top spot in District 2 4A Ely led the team in scoring with 18 points followed by teammate Mateo Salazar with 15 points off five three-pointers the Tigers are now 16-11 and are bound for Albuquerque starting this Tuesday (March 11) Full brackets will come out Sunday (March 2) at 5 p.m Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil unloads shopping carts in the City Hall parking lot last month The carts were put in City Manager Eric Lujan's spot Shopping carts lay among weeds during an August tour of Santa Clara Pueblo City officials are debating creating an ordinance to clean them up City Councilor Sam LeDoux wants to censure the mayor over the incident which played out outside City Hall last month Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil’s most outspoken critic on the City Council wants to censure him over surveillance video showing Vigil and another man unloading shopping carts from a truck outside City Hall last month and “throwing them” in a parking spot “I think that the mayor is committing a juvenile action: He’s visibly upset and he’s angrily throwing these shopping carts into the city manager’s parking space to intimidate him,” Councilor Sam LeDoux said of the video But Vigil said the video simply shows him immersed in an act of civic duty assisting his community by helping to clean up the scattering of stolen shopping carts around the Northern New Mexico city which has grappled with homelessness in recent years Vigil said LeDoux is attempting to politicize something innocent maintaining he sometimes picks up wayward shopping carts around Española on the weekends He said he was delivering one of the first loads of the roughly 10 shopping carts he picked up Jan so the carts could later be taken to the “city yard,” to which Vigil said he does not have a key being involved in politics and community service I have never witnessed a more disgusting act than the one Councilor LeDoux is trying to put forward now trying to censure me and attack me for trying to instill civic pride in my community,” Vigil said partisan politics being used to amplify Councilor LeDoux’s agenda.” The dust-up comes as the city continues to consider the possibility of a measure requiring businesses to have a retention system for carts to prevent thefts and litter in Española Concerns about homelessness have been at the forefront of political discussions in the city of around 10,000 No shopping cart ordinance has been adopted but Vigil said city officials are continuing to work on a potential measure Surveillance video obtained by The New Mexican from Jan 26 shows a white truck pull up alongside City Hall where two men disembark and unload about three shopping carts by delivering them — perhaps roughly — to a parking space next to what appears to be a parked city vehicle At least two of the carts are turned over on their side in the parking space when the men return to the truck Calling Vigil’s behavior a “stunt,” LeDoux said he believes the scene captured on camera was driven by the fact Vigil was upset with City Manager Eric Lujan because the parking spot where the majority of the shopping carts are positioned in the video is reserved for the city manager There are several ways for him to have done that without dumping them in the city manager’s parking space,” LeDoux said of Vigil’s account Both Vigil and Lujan pushed back on LeDoux’s interpretation of the video Lujan said there is nothing to see in the video He said there are only a couple of people working for the city’s “streets department,” noting the bin where loose shopping carts deemed a public nuisance are kept is almost to capacity “There’s nothing there,” Lujan said of the video “The mayor couldn’t get to the streets department because it was shut down [for the weekend] so he put it where he knew [the carts] would be picked up It just so happens it was my parking space and some of it in his parking space.” “It’s just him doing what is best for the community and cleaning up,” Lujan said adding he and Vigil have a “damn good” working relationship LeDoux said in a recent social media post he filed a censure resolution with the city clerk after he learned Vigil has “no intentions of apologizing for disposing and damaging stolen shopping carts in the city hall parking lot on January 26.” But LeDoux a Republican in the heavily Democratic city said he does not believe the resolution will make it on a meeting agenda “Anyone who’s spent time with the mayor the last few years knows that this behavior is sadly normal for him His temper has become infamous,” LeDoux wrote in a social media post While Lujan and Vigil deny there is anything to see in the video it’s apparent on social media some members of the public do not necessarily believe this “All I can do is laugh at this!!!!!” one person wrote in a recent Facebook post “Mayor John Ramon Vigil is trying to say he was helping The City of Española by picking up carts [Expletive] then why you throwing them and having a tantrum making sure they are thrown to the ground!” State police Officers Matt Broom and Alex Rodriguez take a look Tuesday at Joan Medina’s 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix as part of Lowrider Day at the Capitol last month Photo by Gabriela Campos/The Santa Fe New Mexican takes a picture of Steve and Vicki Garcia’s 1963 lowrider Chevy Impala outside of the State Capitol on Lowrider Day Tuesday Andres Valdez’s love for lowriders is a lasting one picking up trash at his aunt and uncle’s drive-in it became a popular spot for lowrider meetups “I would always see the lowriders gathering the more they would catch my eye,” he recalled He started cruising in the 1990s as soon as he was old enough to drive adorning his mini-truck with rims and rocker panels a new sound system and woofers in the truck bed “I was always cruising; I loved it since I was about 17 we’re still doing it,” Valdez said It’s a sentiment shared by many in Española the self-proclaimed lowrider capital of the world Lawmakers this legislative session may take a step toward putting the love of lowriders on display — and not just during weekend cruises ‘No better place’ than Española with support from several other representatives from Northern New Mexico would provide $100,000 during fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to study establishing a lowrider museum in Española “This is a topic that deserves its own museum,” co-sponsor Rep “I think it would attract people from all over the country For a legislative session intent on tackling some of New Mexico’s biggest issues The one-page bill would task the state Department of Cultural Affairs which already oversees state-sponsored museums and historic sites throughout the state to work with the Higher Education Department to complete the feasibility study It would examine the specifics of the museum including property options and governance possibilities as well as solicit input from community members connected to the proposed museum Department of Cultural Affairs Deputy Secretary Michelle Gallagher Roberts said in an interview “There’s no better place to have this museum and it really embodies the amazing culture history of Northern New Mexico,” Gallagher Roberts said The Higher Education Department also looks forward working on the study if HB 239 should pass “Low-rider culture in New Mexico has grown to offer educational opportunities and a place where New Mexicans can show off their knowledge of art and collaboration,” Ortiz wrote in an email HB 239 isn’t the only piece of lowrider-related legislation to hit the Roundhouse during the 60-day session a native son of the Española Valley who now represents the area has filed legislation to create a “lowrider capital of the world” specialty license plate He is also one of the sponsors of a bill to declare the lowrider New Mexico’s official state vehicle The classic cars themselves made an appearance at the Roundhouse on Lowrider Day on Feb 11 and are set to make a few more throughout the session the Santa Fe Democrat’s “dream car” would be an electric lowrider It’s such an amazing pastime,” she said Romero signed on as a co-sponsor of HB 239 to establish a “starting point” for an Española lowrider museum “We’ve wanted this for such a long time but now we have the real emphasis to actually get it done,” she said HB 239 is the first step in the right direction the heads of a legendary lowrider family from Chimayó my heart just leaped for joy,” Joan Medina said craft and community earned them a spot as one of the Santa Fe New Mexican’s 10 Who Made a Difference in 2022 display their private collection of lowriders and memorabilia in an at-home museum because it’ll be neutral — not favoring any single car club “It’s open for everyone to have that chance to display I can hardly wait to show what we’ve done as a family.” The Medinas envision Española’s lowrider museum as a gathering place to teach lowrider traditions and techniques to the next generation Nothing grabs a teenager’s attention like a lowrider — and Arthur Medina said that’s a way in really nice thing to show what we build and what we do,” he said It’s not far from reality; some educational programs in Española already incorporate lowriders into their afternoon enrichment activities Joan Medina hopes her 5-year-old granddaughter — who is already learning the basics of pin-striping — will one day get to visit the museum and see her family’s history in its halls our grandparents were a part of getting this done for our generation so we can see how the culture was run and the old ways,” Joan Medina said they’re going to have greater and grander ideas.” faces an open count of murder in the death of his 79-year-old mother An Española man is charged with murder in the death of his mother in a mobile home where they both lived Police wrote in charging documents Steven Dobberowsky admitted to killing his 79-year-old mother but officers did not disclose details about the cause of her death Española police were dispatched to Dobberowsky’s mobile home at Cook’s Mobile Home Park on Monday night in response to a report of a possible overdose they found Dobberowsky lying on a bed in the living room Coatney-Larkin was found deceased under a pile of clothes and blankets just feet away her son Police wrote Dobberowsky told officers he had “blacked out” and did not remember what happened In an interview with an Española police detective afterward Dobberowsky said he had been caring for his mother — who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease — for about five years and in the past six months she had grown more “mean” toward him she kicked him in the genitals and he “snapped” and “freaked out.” Officers wrote Dobberowsky’s knuckles were red and that he had “cuts and scrapes” on his forearms but he told them he did not remember hitting her Dobberowsky told officers he had taken “a bunch of” Tylenol and drank vodka after killing her “He didn’t want anyone to hate him for something he did on accident,” the detective wrote Española police Chief Mizel Garcia said investigators are awaiting a report from the state Office of the Medical Investigator to determine the circumstances of Coatney-Larkin’s death “There is other evidence that we’re following up on,” he said but we don’t know exactly how she received those injuries.” Garcia said Coatney-Larkin appeared to have been killed 24 to 48 hours before officers arrived at the residence around 9 p.m Española police have not had any prior interactions with Dobberowsky or his mother Dobberowsky doesn’t appear to have a recent criminal history in New Mexico according to a search of the state court records database He was convicted of a drug dealing charge in 1987 When coach Ryan Cordova looks back at the 2024-25 season he might look at the past two weeks as the turning point for his Pojoaque Valley Elks After a three-game losing streak that included District 2-4A loses to Española Valley and Taos Pojoaque righted its ship and took a huge step toward making the race for the district title a lot tighter than expected Thanks to 14 points from guard Mario Baros and the stellar play of forwards Luke Pacheco and Deondro Lopez in Edward Medina Gymnasium on Friday to pull within a game of Española The win was the fourth straight for the Elks who overcame the absence of junior forward Serafin Mendez as he tends to an ailing knee to put themselves into the conversation for not just the district title That didn’t seem possible after a humbling 75-55 loss at Taos on Jan That was especially true on the defensive end 4-1) only had three baskets in the fourth quarter and two came in the final 2 minutes as Pojoaque (16-7 thanks to a crucial 9-0 run that broke open the game In a back-and-forth battle in which neither team had a lead larger than five points the Elks clamped down on the Sundevils during a key 1:47 stretch Española missed three straight shots and turned the ball over once the duo of Pachceo and Lopez were effective at getting position in the low post and finding the open man when the Sundevils collapsed on them Lopez scored seven of his 12 points during the run His scoring included a three-point play off a layup with 1:59 left in the game for the 10-point margin Cordova said the forwards’ good decision-making opened the floor up for their teammates The duo combined for 12 of the Elks’ 21 points in the final period “We were trying to get it into the paint for Deo and Luke,” Cordova said “And they did a good job of dishing it out when they needed to.” The Sundevils battled their way back from an early 10-5 deficit and took a 26-25 lead at the half Matthew Lovato’s corner 3-pointer with 6 seconds left in the second quarter got the lead The lead grew to 31-27 on Josiah Fesquez’s 12-foot jumper at the 5:41 mark in the third The Elks battled their way back behind three free throws from Mario Baros and a 3-ball from Lopez that gave the Elks a 36-34 edge with 3:24 to go in the quarter Jordan Lopez scored 13 points in support of Baros while Española will try to bounce back against Moriarty the same day ESPANOLA, ON, April 10, 2025 /CNW/ - BMI Group This strategic subsidiary has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement with Domtar to acquire the former Espanola pulp and paper mill The closing of the sale is subject to customary regulatory approvals Domtar will retain ownership of the assets This acquisition, which establishes a northern counterpart to BMI's award-winning Bioveld Niagara hub in Thorold marks a new chapter for the historic industrial site while expanding BMI's network of industrial multimodal sites across Ontario and Quebec—from Iroquois Falls to Niagara and east to Baie-Comeau on the Atlantic The comprehensive agreement includes a 16MW hydropower plant and dam that currently supply Ontario's power grid BMI Group will invest in these energy assets to ensure their long-term viability and continued contribution to the region's sustainable energy resources BMI specializes in "ready-stating and re-futuring," a process that has successfully remobilized idle industrial properties across Ontario and Michigan by retooling valuable infrastructure for new uses "We look forward to working closely with the Town of Espanola as well as Federal and Provincial governments to realize the competitive advantages of this remarkable region," said Paul Veldman 32 of whom continue to manage and maintain the site "The knowledge and skills of the people here are second to none Their expertise will be critical in shaping the next chapter," added Veldman BMI looks forward to creating opportunities to put valuable infrastructure back to work honouring the area's papermaking legacy while embracing innovative new possibilities Olga PatronikExecutive Project Coordinator, BMI[email protected]1-888-264-4258 The BMI Group transforms strategic properties into high-impact With a focus on enhancing social and economic potential through multi-sector collaboration BMI delivers new opportunities for investment For more information, please visit: www.thebmigroup.ca  Olga PatronikExecutive Project Coordinator, BMIolga@thebmigroup.ca1-888-264-4258 Do not sell or share my personal information: Española Valley’s Josiah Fresquez covers his face in the final moments of Thursday’s Class 4A state basketball semifinal against Artesia in The Pit The Bulldogs advance to Saturday’s championship game against Albuquerque Highland in The Pit Fans in Española Valley’s student section cheer on the Sundevils after a 3-point shot against Artesia during Thursday’s Class 4A state basketball semifinal in The Pit Artesia advances to Saturday’s championship against Albuquerque Highland Española Valley’s Isaiah Dominguez attempts a shot against Artesia during Thursday’s Class 4A state basketball semifinal against Artesia in The Pit Española’s Josiah Fresquez makes his way towards the basket while being defended by Artesia’s Charlie Campbell during a Class 4A semifinal game at The Pit on Thursday Española Valley cheerleaders take a moment to touch up their hair and makeup during halftime of the Sundevils' game against Artesia at The Pit on Thursday Española Valley’s Jerek Duda leaps for a shot against Artesia during Thursday’s Class 4A state basketball semifinal in The Pit Española Valley fans react from the bleachers as they watched the Sundevils face off against Artesia at The Pit on Thursday Artesia made nearly 90% of its shots in the second half of a dominating 72-51 rout of Española Valley ALBUQUERQUE — Mike Mondragon had to do a double-take at the stat sheet as he stood at the interview podium Mondragon knew his Artesia Bulldogs were getting the kinds of shots they wanted in Thursday night’s Class 4A semifinal against Española Valley in The Pit — the “85% Or 89.5% shots which is what Artesia shot in the second half in a dominating performance that produced a 72-51 win The win was a production of their execution never left the paint area against the Sundevils what are we getting?” Mondragon said of his team’s incredible shooting performance Getting the ball in the paint because those are all high-percentage shots.” Artesia did that with aplomb for the entire second half Even when it appeared the Bulldogs were going to miss When Charlie Campbell went for a dunk in the final minutes of the game hit the backboard and settled back into the basket Every bucket by Artesia (20-9) was within 10 feet of the basket except for one — a 3-pointer by Braylon Vega to open the second half Española only managed one rebound off a missed field goal and that came in the final minute when the outcome was moot but he made up for it by grabbing the offensive rebound and putting it back in for a 44-35 lead Even though the Sundevils (24-7) had more offensive rebounds (10-7) Artesia outrebounded them 40-21 on the night the Bulldogs point guard and architect of carrying out the game plan said his team could get any shot it wanted He finished with a game-high 21 points with eight assists “Knowing we got big boys like [Clay Kincaid] and Trent [Egeland] and Jack Byers it’s easy for us guards to get into the lane and build those little bunnies out,” Campbell said “We know even if we do miss those rollouts we got our bigs to finish and clean it up.” With Española severely outmatched in the paint its only option appeared to be to press Artesia full-court Shot-making was not in the Sundevils’ lexicon including a 6-of-28 performance from the 3-point range It was a stark contrast to their effort in Wednesday’s 69-60 quarterfinal win over Silver as they were 8-for-20 from 3 and 26 of 54 from the field we didn’t shoot the ball like we did yesterday,” Española head coach Joey Trujillo said There was a sliver of hope the Sundevils could execute well enough to win as they ended the first half When Trent Egeland scored off the glass on an inbounds play with 1:14 left Española responded with a Josiah Fresquez steal and layup and Isaiah Dominguez hit a corner 3 to end the half and cut the margin to 25-21 But the warning signs were flashing everywhere The Bulldogs held a 23-9 rebounding advantage while the Sundevils needed 29 tries to make nine buckets Mondragon said keying on Española’s trio of Fresquez Matthew Lovato and Jerek Duda because they were the lifeblood of the Sundevils’ attack The program recorded its highest win total since the 2017-18 team reached the 4A championship game a remarkable turnaround since Española won just six games in his first season “I told them to enjoy the journey,” Trujillo said “There are a lot of teams who wish they could be in our position right now Only one team is going to walk out happy [at the end of the season] How many teams in 4A wish they could be us right now?” gets a chance to be that one team to walk away from this week with a smile on their face congratulates teammate Malakhai Ely as they are crowned the district champions after a nail biting game and narrow 62-59 victory against Española Valley in Española Friday (Feb Taos’ Roman Quintana is pressed by Española Valley’s Miguel Orozco during a district basketball game in Española Friday (Feb The Taos varsity basketball team snatched the district title from the Española Sundevils in front of a packed house Friday night (Feb 28) at Española Valley’s Edward Medina Gym The victory marks the Tigers' fifth district championship and a strong comeback against one of Taos' toughest opponents this season The Tigers had lost every previous meeting with the Española team whether on their turf or in Tigers territory This game also looked bleak for the Tigers in the opening quarters with the Sundevils torching the Tigers to lead by 16 points halfway through the second quarter Española had the three-point line on speed dial as the Sundevils sunk seven threes in the contest's first half Junior Sundevil Jerek Duda and senior teammate guard Josiah Fresquez remained particularly threatening against the Tigers with Fresquez getting a hot start with 8 points and Duda taking over in the second with 12 But there were a few signs that the Tigers still had a fighting chance Taos junior Malakhai Ely scored 8 of the Tigers’ 12 points in the first half and the Tigers made a balanced contribution in the second man-to-man defense to get the Española team out of their comfort zone The visiting Tigers were down by 10 points in the third quarter but had enough time to make the comeback happen junior guard Roman Quintana and junior Robert Trujillo and their luck only improved from that point on The Tigers’ defense also began to take effect disrupting the Sundevil’s offensive rhythm and keeping their opponents to 25 points in the second half compared to 29 in the first but that small draft turned the game around for the Tigers Ely also rebounded nicely over the hosts and proved a reliable inside scorer for the Tigers in the second half  The Tigers defense also held the Sundevils to a 12-point fourth quarter and only sunk one three from Duda the Tigers kept attacking the paint and kicked out to the Taos shooters to keep up the offensive pressure “We went down a little bit early but we just kept our composure played how we know how to play and made it a game,” Taos senior forward Trevor Tibljas said Despite missing his first few shots against the Sundevils Salazar got back in form and buried four three-pointers Trujillo added two threes of his own in the second half and Salazar scored 15 points exclusively from the three-point line and junior guard Roman Quintana had 7 for the night Fresquez had a strong 16-point performance Salazar recounted the importance of staying focused in the second half and my teammates helped me out,” Salazar said you’re wide open,’ I practice my shot every day Taos head coach Hernando Chavez said he knew his players could overcome the early-game deficit by staying disciplined and focusing on fundamentals “Even though they don’t have much post-play and we didn’t play as well as we should have with the idea of only being down 10 in the first half We just wanted to chip away in that third quarter to bring us closer in the fourth I’m just incredibly proud of my kids,” Chavez added “For them to have the heart and desire they showed to come back in the that second half and we ended it with what I believe to be our greatest strength: our defense I can’t say enough about the character I saw out of those young men tonight.” the Tiger boys will play the Pojoaque Valley Elks on Saturday (March 8) in the first round of the 4A state tournament The Elks hold the higher seed and will host Taos at the Ben Lujan gym at 6 p.m all subsequent games of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union boys Basketball State Championships in the 4A will be held at the University of New Mexico’s The Pit arena Taos' Roberto Trujillo attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds as Española’s Nathaniel Sauzo defends Friday in Edward Medina Gymnasium Taos won the District 2-4A boys basketball championship 62-59 Taos’ bench celebrates as the Tigers take the lead for good Friday against Española Valley on Friday in Edward Medina Gymnasium is comforted by teammate Aaron Quintana after losing 62-59 to Taos on Friday in Edward Medina Gymnasium.Taos won the District 2-4A boys basketball championship tries to receive an inbounds pass as he is defended by Taos' Mario Rodriguez on Friday in Española Taos' Malakai Ely drives to the basket against Española Valley on Friday in Española Taos (16-11) might be the team that benefits from its late-season spurt and could play its way into a top-eight seed in the state tournament Ninety seconds proved to be the lifeline the Taos Tigers needed Friday night The Española Valley fans inside Edward Medina Gymnasium were rocking — and the Tigers were reeling — with every made 3-pointer the Sundevils hit in the first half It reached a crescendo when Jerek Duda drained a sideline 3 with 2:47 left in the first half for a 33-17 lead in the District 2-4A boys basketball championship game Just when it appeared Española was about to deliver a knockout blow With the score reaching 34-17 heading into the final 90 seconds of the first half A seven-point spurt to end the first half extended into an 18-2 run into the second half and keyed a 62-59 Tigers win and their fourth win in the last five games Taos’ comeback put a damper on the Sundevils’ postseason hopes as they had a path to no worse than the second seed of the Class 4A State Tournament with a win Taos (16-11) might be the team that benefits from its late-season spurt and could play its way into a top-eight seed when the bracket is announced Sunday And in a class in which as many as 12 teams can harbor dreams of hoisting the blue trophy March 15 sometimes catching fire at the right time can make a huge difference they can point to the last 90 seconds of the first half as the start of a historic run Mario Rodriguez started the comeback with a putback off his own miss and 6-foot-6 junior post Malakhai Ely ended the second quarter with a bucket in the paint to make it 34-24 The break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers “Those 2 minutes that led to that 7-0 run made the second half an extension of that,” Taos head coach Hernando Chavez said “We got a little bit more organized defensively and we had a couple of shots that fell for us early on but our shots weren’t falling and theirs were.” Ely said the enthusiasm in the locker room was infectious as the Tigers saw what needed to be corrected “We knew we had to rebound and play a little less selfish,” Ely said After Española (22-6) hit seven 3-pointers in the first half to fashion their 17-point edge Taos gave the host team a taste of its own medicine Leave it to senior Mateo Salazar to deliver it After missing three of his first four attempts from deep in the first half Salazar made four of five after the break as Taos connected on six 3s especially when you’re down 17 to a great team like Espa’,” Salazar said “We just kept our composure and kept shooting.” Most of the perimeter shots came off of good ball movement especially from Ely when the ball was in the paint and the Sundevils defense collapsed “I love to see when they’re double-teaming me and I see [Salazar] open,” said Ely Salazar’s 3s on consecutive possessions capped the 18-2 spurt and brought Taos within 36-35 with 4:02 to go in the third quarter Not even a quick 10-2 burst by Española could dent the Tigers’ confidence it took a pair of 3s — by Roberto Trujillo and Salazar — to erase a 51-45 Española lead When Ely followed that with a layup at the 5:13 mark of the fourth The Sundevils struggled to find the consistency they had in the first half and made just six of 19 shots the rest of the way The Tigers extended their defense to take away the open 3s but Española struggled to take advantage of the driving lanes for layups “I gotta give my guys credit for coming back when Taos made that run,” Española head coach Joey Trujillo said We missed some layups and some free throws that we normally don’t miss And when you miss free throws and layups against a good team like Taos Perhaps what Trujillo lamented more was the end of the first half He said the plan was to hold on to the ball for the last shot after Rodriguez’s make so they went into the locker room with no worse than a 15-point lead but Josiah Fresquez and Emilio Samaniego both missed shots that allowed Taos to cut the deficit we took two bad 3s that we didn’t need to shoot The good news for Sundevils and the Tigers is that the state tournament awaits both of them Española looks primed to get no worse than a 3-seed while the eighth seed and a home game are not out of reach for Taos Chavez feels his team is starting to play its best ball after Taos fell as low as fourth place during the 2-4A season and flirted with missing the postseason “We’re just happy that we have a seat at the table and we’re dancing in March,” Chavez said Taos High junior Evan Salazar (right) brings the ball up the court for a dribble-hand-off while Española junior Jerek Duda guards him in the first half Friday night (Feb Taos would go on to lose the game in a close match to end the 2024-25 season 26) to start their district tournament against the Pojoaque Elks Taos High School's varsity basketball team lost their final home game against the invading Española Valley Sundevils Friday night (Feb Facing a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter the Tigers stormed back to cut the Española lead down but ultimately failed to sink a final three-pointer to break even and force overtime the Tigers ends their regular season 14-11 and third at the district standings with a 4-4 record 26) to Pojoaque Valley High School for the start of the district tournament and face the Elks A view of a homeless encampment established in the parking lot of the Española Pathways Shelter and Goodwill on Sept An agenda was proposed of a partnership to aid in a housing transitional service between both cities gets some help from Raymond "Rayray" Valdez putting up a tarp for a makeshift porch outside her shelter at the 10-unit Pallet community next to Christ Lutheran Church on June 14 The Santa Fe City Council will receive a presentation next week about next steps for creating more Pallet shelter communities The city of Santa Fe is in discussions about lending some of its Pallet shelters to the city of Española for a temporary site while it works to find locations for shelter communities in Santa Fe though officials with both cities emphasized no formal agreements have been entered into yet “We’re really thinking of this as a very temporary thing to support Española while they work to purchase their own units,” said Henri Hammond-Paul Santa Fe’s Community Health and Safety director In a report submitted to the Española City Council for its Feb Española Social Services Department Director Michelle Fraire wrote the department would be partnering with the city of Santa Fe to create a six-month transitional housing pilot program adjacent to the Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico The agenda documents included a letter of support from Celina Montoya-Garcia “We believe that providing transitional housing is a vital step towards alleviating the current struggles faced by the unhoused and offering them the opportunity for a more stable and hopeful future,” Montoya-Garcia wrote Fraire clarified her department had reached out to the city of Santa Fe about the idea but that no official contracts had been initiated “It’s just a discussion at this time as to what would benefit the city and the residents,” she said Fraire wrote her department “will go through the correct channels in order to ensure that the residents of our city and their safety remain our main priority.” “Progress continues in the city alongside a deep commitment to mental and behavioral health,” she wrote Hammond-Paul said the discussion involves lending six of the Pallet shelters the city of Santa Fe has in storage to Española for a maximum of six months Española would need to make a formal request to the city to start the official process The city has 29 pallet shelters in storage and is in the process of ordering several dozen more with $2 million in funding the City Council approved at its Jan While councilors approved money for additional sites they appeared hesitant about where they will be located and said the city will need to conduct extensive community engagement If things move faster than expected or the city needs the Pallet shelters for another emergency use “we would definitely feel like we could recall them if we needed to deploy them quickly,” Hammond-Paul said The Santa Fe City Council will receive a presentation at its March 12 meeting about the city’s site selection process and plans for community engagement for potential new sites as well as the specific target populations it is seeking to house Hammond-Paul was previously scheduled to deliver a presentation to the Quality of Life City Council Committee on Wednesday about the city’s homeless emergency action plan but was called away to help with city preparations for potential power shutoffs from the Public Service Company of New Mexico Youth and Family Services Director Julie Sanchez said the city has been in conversation with two nonprofits about the potential of becoming future host sites Hammond-Paul said he viewed potentially lending out the Pallet shelters as similar to other aid Santa Fe has provided to other municipalities such as providing water to the city of Las Vegas and sending firefighter crews to the Los Angeles wildfires Providing support to other municipalities also helps to build goodwill in the event Santa Fe becomes in need of outside assistance in the future and not something that affects individual municipalities in a vacuum “What happens in Española affects what happens in Santa Fe and what happens in Santa Fe affects what happens in Rio Rancho,” he said our neighboring jurisdictions ultimately helps the goals that we’re trying to achieve here in the city.” The city is also in conversation with Santa Fe County about homelessness issues and Hammond-Paul said he would “love” if one of the micro community sites could be located in the county and serve both city and county residents faces a charge of second-degree murder in the killing of Christopher Serrano in Chimayó in May 2024 An Española man on parole for a murder in 2009 was arrested this week in connection with a slaying in Chimayó after a monthslong investigation by New Mexico State Police Fabian Gallegos — known to others by the nicknames Suave or Suavecito — is accused of beating 41-year-old Christopher Serrano to death outside Serrano’s home Police had arrived at the Chimayó residence May 14 to arrest Serrano on charges of kidnapping criminal sexual contact and aggravated battery alleging he had brutally beaten and raped his girlfriend a week before Court documents do not indicate the fatal beating was connected with the alleged incident involving Serrano’s girlfriend Witnesses told police Gallegos had arrived at Serrano’s home with two other men to collect items he had purchased from Serrano and ended up beating him to death with a pipe An arrest warrant affidavit says state police officers discovered Serrano’s body hog-tied and face-down in the dirt with tape over his mouth and a large pool of blood around his head Police allege Gallegos threatened at least one other man involved in the incident saying he would kill the man if he told anyone what happened faces felony charges of second-degree murder and bribery of a witness according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court Gallegos was arrested by state police Monday and booked into the Santa Fe County jail Police wrote in an affidavit Serrano’s autopsy report said he died from asphyxial injuries and blunt-force trauma to his head State police issued a news release about the incident a week after Serrano’s death but provided few details on the slaying and investigation State police officials have declined to answer questions or provide further information about the incident The arrest warrant affidavit indicates the investigation had several starts and stops in the months after Serrano’s death as police tracked down at least five other people they believed were at the Chimayó house at the time of the killing Investigators in August found two people they believed had been inside the house when the killing occurred The two were sitting on Serrano’s couch when there was a knock at the door and Serrano “opened the door and walked out and never walked back in,” both told officers The witnesses said three men walked into the house wearing masks and that one of them — believed to be Gallegos — washed blood from his hands at the kitchen sink Police in November and December tracked down the two men they believe accompanied Gallegos that evening They wrote in the affidavit the men said they had gone with him to pick up a television and a gate he had bought from Serrano One of the men said Serrano met the three outside The witness said he punched Serrano after “he thought Chris said something disrespectful to Suave,” the affidavit says Gallegos rushed them to leave and drove away erratically telling him shut the [expletive] up or I’m going to kill you.” The man told police Serrano “had no business getting hurt like that.” Police did not find a metal pipe or any other weapon covered with blood at the scene Gallegos was on probation and parole with the New Mexico Corrections Department when the killing occurred after serving time for a previous murder He appears to have been released from prison as recently as November 2023 He pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery for killing a man while robbing him of marijuana in Albuquerque in 2009 He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and five years of probation He also had past convictions of robbery and motor vehicle theft Gallegos was scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges Wednesday was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 38-year-old Jonathan Cordova in Chimayó on Dec Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan clasps his arms across his chest before being led away in state District Court in Santa Fe after his trial in 2021 Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan was released from prison in 2023 after serving 18 months Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan is suing the city of Española a former police chief and several former officers accusing them of conspiring against him during criminal proceedings that resulted in his conviction in 2021 for aiding a felon and intimidating a witness Lujan was released from prison in 2023 after serving 18 months former Española City Councilor Phillip Chacon evade police in 2017 after Chacon had led officers on a chase He also was convicted of intimidating then-Deputy Cody Lattin by directing him not to tell anyone The former sheriff’s complaint alleges Lattin who was working at the Española Police Department during the 2021 trial perjured himself by giving false testimony at the behest of former Police Chief Roger Jimenez Jimenez was “upset and retaliatory” because Lujan had spoken at a City Council meeting in opposition to his appointment as chief “Lattin was facing claims against him which threatened the loss of his officer certification,” the suit alleges He “changed his under-oath testimony” in exchange for Jimenez writing a letter on his behalf to what was then the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board The complaint also names former Española police Officer Ernest Saucedo as a defendant alleging Saucedo lied when he testified he was with another officer at the time of the pursuit and that Chacon had tried to ram their police vehicle “In fact he was not in the same vehicle or present at the alleged pursuit,” according to Lujan’s lawsuit The complaint filed last week in state District Court accuses Jimenez and the city of failing to train supervise and investigate officers’ behavior depriving Lujan of his right to due process and other civil rights under the state constitution Lujan seeks an unspecified amount of actual and punitive damages plus legal costs Lattin originally testified he didn’t know if Lujan knew — while helping Chacon leave his home after the chase — that Chacon was wanted in connection with a felony charge testifying Lujan knew about the felony allegations and intimidated him into feeling as if he couldn’t say anything about what he had witnessed because Lujan was his boss The city of Española did not respond to requests for comment Friday Saucedo and Lattin did not respond to messages seeking comment Lujan tried to raise these issues during both of his trials — the second one in 2021 resulting in his convictions was held after an initial one ended with a hung jury he was threatened with incarceration if he attempted to file complaints against the officers or pursue perjury charges against Lattin while he was still on trial The lawsuit says the prohibition on filing complaints against the officers also made it impossible for the former sheriff to defend himself in a related case in which he was charged with three counts of resisting evading or obstructing and officer after he arrived drunk at a SWAT standoff at Chacon’s home and refused officers’ commands to leave Lujan said in a phone interview Friday he had filed a report with New Mexico State Police regarding the officers’ alleged perjury after he got out of prison and was told it had been forwarded to the New Mexico Department of Justice The former sheriff maintained his innocence Friday saying he was wrongly convicted in part due to the officers’ false testimony against him and limits placed on him by the court to combat the perjury The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld his convictions in August Lattin was working for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office as recently as August it was unclear Friday whether he is still employed by the force A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office didn’t reply to an email seeking comment When I heard the Mayor (Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil) wrote an article in response to my criticisms of his proposed plastic bag ban in the Los Alamos Daily Post I was hoping to find a well-reasoned and researched disagreement where we could have a substantive conversation about something that would impact our entire community the mayor took criticism of a policy proposal personally and wrote an angry screed filled with personal attacks I usually don’t answer the Mayor’s attacks on myself or my family but because I think it speaks more broadly to how out of touch he is on this issue I think it warrants a response the Mayor takes a shot at me for not participating in his taxpayer-sponsored trash clean-ups where he shuts down city services for a day and has city employees pick up trash from the side of the road with volunteers These clean-up days are hosted during the middle of the working week I am not a single 28-year-old independently wealthy “real estate agent” from a political dynasty As someone who has had many educators in his family I would’ve thought the mayor would have sympathy and understanding for those of us who put countless hours into making sure our next generation can succeed In his rant about my inability to attend these events despite attending the majority of city-sponsored events since running and taking office he questioned the sincerity of my public service and my understanding of the issue litter poses on our community I could be like him and list my entire biography and point out how I have basically dedicated my entire adult life to public service I understand that our personal issues aren’t what is important It is understanding the struggles of the average Españolan I understand that public officials are people and have other things going on this is why I didn’t put him on blast when he couldn’t attend the EVHS clean-up earlier this year The Mayor dismisses inconveniences that would be caused by his proposed ban as minor maybe this is because he doesn’t have to regularly buy groceries for anyone but himself It seems like the Mayor has difficulty scaling the impact of his policies and understanding that not everyone is as privileged as he was growing up His bizarre need to attack homeless people for supposedly causing the litter problem and laying the need for a plastic bag ban at their feet speaks even more to this Let’s look at the more systemic causes of the rise of litter in our community how about the fact that our litter laws are not enforced The Mayor knows that citations for littering are at an all-time low Why not work with me on my idea of breaking away from the Municipal League’s standards of fees that clearly aren’t enough of a deterrent and propose my idea to raise them How about backing me up during the budget hearing about not cutting the police budget so that we would have more officers so they aren’t overwhelmed and could enforce these ordinances Then why not dedicate more resources towards the maintenance of litter clean up If the Mayor attended Public Works committee meetings he would know just how overworked the City staff is Maybe we wouldn’t need to completely shut down city services for a clean-up if things were regularly maintained and our public works were properly staffed these ideas require some personal or political sacrifice from the Mayor Whether it is putting his chance at moving up in the Municipal League in jeopardy because he would be breaking with their guidelines or being forced to help the council make hard cuts to other programs to support tackling this problem The Mayor makes decisions based solely on his own instinct and rarely takes the time to do the research necessary to make good decisions This is why he went against the conventional wisdom of most experts in the field and built a homeless encampment and when he finally admitted that was a mistake Many advocates warned him not taking the proper time to dismantle the encampment responsibly and humanely would lead to dramatic increases in crime and litter and here we are Now he wants to try to act impulsively again wielding the power of government wildly to address an issue he caused to treat everything as if it were a nail.” The reality is Government cannot solve these issues and most of the time only makes them worse It is hard to understand how someone thinks it’s better to inconvenience everyone he knows and loves for a negligible if not non-existent reduction in litter As I cited in my letter to the Mayor and my colleagues on the council the Environmental Protection Agency says in their “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures,” study that “plastic bags and sacks” account for 0.3% of municipal solid waste and other plastic bags that aren’t grocery bags the trash the Mayor is talking about is probably a fraction of a fraction This ban will do nothing other than make the Mayor feel like he’s doing something