CONEJOS — Due to a fire in the Conejos County Courthouse on Aug. 29, the courthouse offices will be closed until further notice. In the meantime, the county is diligently working on getting temporary offices set up.   

MONTE VISTA – The San Luis Valley Potato Festival is less than a week away. This year’s festival will be held on Sept. 7 at Chapman Park in Monte Vista. 

ALAMOSA — Alamosa County Clerk and Recorder Mari Felix appeared in court on Wednesday where she entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of accessory to a crime. The charge against Felix is related to her alleged connection to a case involving her husband, Martin Felix-Lopez, who stands accused of sexual abuse of a child by a person in a position of trust.  

ALAMOSA – In the second year of what is certain to become a much-anticipated annual tradition, the Alamosa/Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey Campground Chili Cook-off is happening on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. 

ALAMOSA – After notifying the next of kin, Alamosa County Coroner Joe Dzuris has identified and released the name of the victim whose body was discovered after crews extinguished the flames engulfing a house located at County Road 105 and 6 South.

FORT GARLAND — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet visited the San Luis Valley on Tuesday, including a stop at the Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center where, thanks to his advocacy, the museum received $164,000 to put toward expansion of the site’s existing geothermal heating system. 

ALAMOSA — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet met with over 25 San Luis Valley leaders on September 3 to discuss electric transmission lines in and out of the Valley.

LAKEWOOD — Along with 500 organizations representing a diverse range of stakeholders in conservation, agriculture, nutrition and other related sectors, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) is strongly urging Congress to pass the 2024 Farm Bill before the end of the year.  

ANTONITO — During the Labor Day weekend festivities in Antonito on Saturday, Aug. 30, Natalie Brown with History Colorado was in town as part of the Antonito Community History Collection. 

ALAMOSA – A body was found in a burning home Monday morning, Sept. 2, at County Road 105 and 6 South, according to Alamosa Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Devin Haynie. 

SAN LUIS VALLEY — “The Milagro Beanfield War” will be performed on Sept. 5 at the SLV Federal Bank Main Stage Theater at Adams State University in Alamosa. Millie Duran will direct the play, originally a novel written by John Nichols in 1974. The novel became a movie in 1988. 

ALAMOSA —The new Little Free Library in Alamosa at the Colorado Welcome Center, 610 State Street, is jam-packed with books. 

COLORADO SPRINGS – Fifteen non-profits and government agencies in the San Luis Valley have been awarded grants from the El Pomar Foundation, totaling $114,000.  Thirteen of the grants were awarded based on recommendations from El Pomar’s San Luis Valley Regional Council, which recommends grants in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties. Council members are regional leaders in the business, nonprofit, and public sectors and provide first-hand information about current needs in their own communities. 

ALAMOSA — About 40 people attended the second public meeting regarding the Alamosa Riverfront Project held by the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project on Aug. 27.  The meeting was a casual affair, with dinner served and presentations made regarding the plan. The project proposes to increase recreational opportunities along the Rio Grande at Cole Park and restore and maintain river habitat. 

ALAMOSA– Longtime San Luis Valley newspaper publisher Keith R. Cerny has announced his retirement after 32 years here. Cerny, 68, has overseen newspaper and digital media operations for the daily Valley Courier and the six weekly newspapers and Lifestyles shopper during his SLV tenure. He previously managed newspapers in Wyoming and Nebraska and served as a division manager for News Media Corporation over papers in Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona and Oregon.

CENTER – From an electronic bull, to thrilling children’s rides, facepainting, water gun fights, vendors, and food trucks, Center’s first-ever Mardi Gras all began in the morning with a colorful parade on Aug. 24.

Last week, Mineral County Search and Rescue (SAR) with the help of Saguache SAR hiked San Luis Peak to assist an injured hiker.

DEL NORTE – The Kent Rominger Airport in Del Norte has had a successful year, first rolling out the red carpet for their new fueling system and then launching a new program that helps track airport traffic 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

CENTER – An accident involving a semi-truck into a power pole on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 28, caused parts of Center to be without power and internet, according to Facebook posts by the Center Consolidated School District and the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. 

ALAMOSA – Society Hall is excited to bring back Irish singer-songwriter Pat Byrne to Alamosa. Now making his home in Austin, Texas, Byrne has rapidly been making a name for himself in Americana …