The Taos News

Community mourns lives lost in immigration crackdown

Taos community members gathered for a “Vigil for Justice and Community Healing” Tuesday (Jan. 13) at Taos United Community Church to “mourn and honor the life of those lost [at] the hands of ICE,” including Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three...

Taos swears in new mayor, councilors

From left, Taos municipal Judge Richard “Dickie” Chavez, Mayor Dan Barrone, Councilor Tetsuro Namba and Councilor Billy Romero address the audience assembled in the Town of Taos Council Chambers for their swearing-in ceremony. All four were sworn in to...

Year in Review

From courtroom battles and cultural turning points to heartbreaking losses and moments of collective resilience, 2025 reminded Taos County what it means to be a community shaped by history — and still very much in motion. This year brought major...

‘Gimme a Q!’

After a year’s hiatus, the Questa High School varsity cheer team held its third cheer competition at the Mini Pit Arena, with four visiting teams competing: Española Valley, Cuba, Pojoaque Valley and Thoreau.

» Kit Carson Road gets festive!

For Fresca Griddino of Sanctuary Artistry Gallery, the celebration is deeply personal. “I’ve lived on Kit Carson Road for 41 years, so it’s special to honor the road, the venue, and the history of artists and welcoming entrepreneurs,” she shared. Newer...

Forest Service, Olguin’s donate plaza Christmas tree

Having acknowledged it owns the Taos Plaza in historic downtown Taos several years ago, Taos County has also assumed Christmas duties from the Town of Taos, which for years has acquired a tree, decorated it and held a lighting ceremony. Taos County...

Giving thanks

Armed with plenty of turkey jokes, Master of Ceremonies Leslie Trujillo got Taos Pueblo families and visiting tribal members moving on the evening of Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) at the Giving Thanks Powwow. The annual event “brings families, friends,...

UNM-Taos breaks ground on Cielo Centro

gathered last week to break ground on the first phase of Cielo Centro, an observatory that will house the largest publicly-accessible telescope in New Mexico. “Today, we gather under these wide Northern Mexico skies to mark a milestone, not just for...

International circus troupe delights Taos

The humble City Star Circus pitched its big top in Kit Carson Park — subsequently renamed Red Willow Park — for a two-week engagement that concluded Sunday (Nov. 16). Ringmaster Gaston told the Taos News the circus had a “loud” turnout on its first...

State funds SNAP through new year

The federal government appeared set to reopen this week, ending the longest shutdown in the country’s history, but local food pantries likely haven’t seen their last surge of clients. Cheri Lyon, director of Shared Table and associate pastor at El...

Barrone elected Taos mayor

Dan Barrone will be Taos’ next mayor, according to unofficial election results from the Taos County Clerk’s Office and the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office. All candidates’ terms in office begin Jan. 1 and extend four years, except for the El...

A journey of miles and mentorship

Bruce Gomez, tireless advocate for Taos High School’s cross country and track program, retired after 40 years mentoring and coaching student athletes. His daughter, Marielle Gomez, reflects on his legacy and spirit in a story this week, with...

No Kings in Taos

A “No Kings” protest Saturday (Oct. 18) drew large numbers of demonstrators in Taos, where an estimated 2,500 people gathered in Kit Carson Park and along Paseo Pueblo del Norte to rally against the actions and policies of President Donald Trump’s...

Ninety-two years strong

Firefighters’ boots filled quickly with donations during Taos Fire Department’s 92nd annual fund drive Friday (Oct. 10). Firefighters stood at intersections and storefronts around Taos, smiling as drivers slowed to drop in dollar bills. Donations help...

‘Reciprocal relationship’

Indigenous and Hispanic youth gathered at the Rio Grande in Pilar last weekend (Oct. 4-5) to share traditional knowledge and build community through fly fishing. Children and teens with varying skill levels and experience patiently waited under the...

‘Raise the Rails’

After a shocking string of suicides at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in September, Taos County youth, parents, law enforcement and local government officials are again calling on the state to take action — and the state appears to be listening this...

Streamside El Salto: 'Mountain Living' edition of Enchanted Homes

Northern New Mexico is steeped in history — and haunted by it, if you believe the many locals and visitors who’ve encountered things that can’t quite be explained. From saloon girls searching for lost loves to spectral miners, ghostly governors and...

Throwing mud

A familiar sight appeared at San Francisco de Asís Church in Ranchos de Taos this week as volunteers plastered fresh mud to the church’s adobe walls. It’s a centuries-old tradition called an enjarre, but it faced an unexpected challenge earlier this...

‘Tierra, Agua y la Gente’

A fiesta at the Martinez Hacienda was inspired by a scene in “The Milagro Beanfield War,” which was screened in front of a capacity crowd at the TCA last month as part of an ongoing film series. The movie’s fiesta scene reminded Judy Torres, executive...

‘The backbone of Taos agriculture’

From pie-eating contests to a lively Junior Livestock auction, the annual Quilt of Valor presentation to veterans by the Taos Quilt and Fiber Guild, local food and music, champion-quality baked goods, vegetables, and more, the Taos County Fair (Aug....

Annual Asís enjarre postponed

For over 200 years, faithful volunteers have gathered to plaster fresh mud to the adobe walls of San Francisco de Asís Church in Ranchos de Taos. This year, the annual mud plastering tradition — the enjarre — was unexpectedly called off. In a letter...

Breaking broncs or getting broke

Hundreds of spectators turned out to the Rodeo de Taos last weekend (Aug. 9-10) where the Taos County Sheriff’s Posse marked the death of one of its longest-serving members; crowned Jayden Salazar 2025 Rodeo Queen; hosted youth roping, barrel racing...

Costilla to Bataan and back

In a lengthy procession escorted by the Taos County Sheriff’s Office, World War II veteran Valdemar DeHerrera made his final circuit home to Costilla in northern Taos County from Taos last week. Hundreds attended a service Thursday (July 24) honoring...

Biff, bail or buttery

Picuris Pueblo’s newest addition to its All-Wheel Park, which already features a skateboard park and several other extreme sports opportunities, opened its doors to the public Saturday morning (July 19). The grand opening kicked off a full day full of...

Taos Pueblo Pow Wow and Hand Game

After shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taos Pueblo Pow Wow has grown again in size and attendance. This year’s pow wow Friday-Sunday (July 11-13) featured several dance categories for all ages, several specials, a drum contest, and other...

Red, white and boom

From Eagle Nest to Dixon, the Enchanted Circle celebrated the Fourth of July holiday with fireworks, cookouts, parades and with the music of Junior Brown in Kit Carson Park. About 500 residents also took the street to participate in the national “Free...

Wurlitzer revives dormant Los Pandos Acequia

The Los Pandos Acequia, an irrigation ditch fed by the Acequia Madre del Rio Pueblo that once emptied into the Rio Fernando, was dry through the Helene Wurtlizer Foundation property in Taos for over 30 years. The ditch, which had long fed agricultural...

La Reina de las Fiestas de Questa

Questa Fiestas were held Saturday for the third year since the community celebration was revived in 2023 after a 15-year hiatus. Maria Gonzalez, Questa resident and the community officer for the LOR Foundation, one of the event’s sponsors, said the...

‘NO KINGS’

Between 1,300 to 1,500 people took to the street at noon on Flag Day (June 14) for a “No Kings Day Nationwide Day of Defiance” against President Donald Trump’s policies. Waving flags and beating drums, crowds stretched from Taos Plaza to the corner of...

FBI mum on Taos Society of Artists paintings

Looking at both works back on the wall, former Harwood Museum of Art Curator David Witt said the theft of two Taos Society of Artists paintings in 1985 had weighed on him heavily. “It was a blow to me personally,” he told the Taos News. “For 20 years,...

Graduation, Enchanted Circle style

The purpose of a water storage tank is for management of water distribution. Storage tanks hold a reserve of water for those times when the demand for water is greater than can be supplied by the trunk line or by the pumps. They also provide water for...

NM Bull Fiesta goes big

The second annual New Mexico Bull Fiesta drew a massive turnout at the Roadrunner Tours Arena over Memorial Day weekend in Angel Fire, and organizers say next year’s event will be an even bigger production.

» Alison Krauss brings ‘Arcadia’ tour to Kit Carson Park

Barrels, poles, keyhole and flags

Children, youth and adults competed in the first of five events in the Taos County Sheriff’s Posse Gymkhana 2025 Summer Series at the Taos Rodeo Grounds Saturday (May 10). A test of riders’ horsemanship and of the speed and responsiveness of their...

When it rains, it pours

Miguel Martinez didn’t let a little — or even a lot — of rain get in the way of a fly-fishing session on the Rio Grande near the John Dunn Bridge Tuesday (May 6), when livestock and the landscape alike were soaked with much-needed precipitation...

‘A different kind of adventure’

On a high-definition bluebird day, Big River Raft Trips owner and guide Billy Miller paddled hard against a strong wind and low water. Navigating between rocks, he passed a basalt boulder looming 8 feet above the water’s surface, its edges smoothed by...

» Celebrating Taos Art Museum’s new expansion

After his mother died, Paul McCartney awoke one night with the words, “It will be alright, just let it be.” He scribbled them down. Years later, those words became one of the Beatles’ most beloved songs. Decades later in San Francisco, two broke...

This too shall pass

According to the communications firm representing the state and federal departments of transportation and El Terrero Construction, the NM 68–U.S. 64 Roadway Project is expected to wrap up in late April or early May. Crews may be working outside of...

Hands Off! rally draws at least 500

Taos was one of hundreds of communities across the country and internationally that participated in a coordinated rally Saturday (April 5) at noon, when at least 500 people gathered along Camino de la Placita to protest a litany of actions and policies...

Perceptive, faithful and charismatic

After a five-year hiatus, and just in time for spring, Stuart Wilde is once again bringing humans, llamas and nature together through Wild Earth Llama Adventures, which offers guided outdoor excursions with llamas as pack animals. “It was strictly a...

Math struggles persist, but reading improves at Taos Schools

Data from the 2023–24 NM Vistas report card shows schools in Taos Municipal Schools District fell short of state averages, while demonstrating signs of growth elsewhere, especially reading. Each year, the New Mexico Public Education Department...

Council considers Taos film office

Folks around the world might recognize Taos from such films as “Natural Born Killers,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” or the Danny DeVito–Arnold Schwarzenegger buddy flick, “Twins.” Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s “Easy Rider” was partly filmed...

Feeling the love

The Taos News hosted the seventh annual Taoseña Awards March 5 at El Monte Sagrado. The event was broadcast live on taosnews.com and on social media. To watch a recording of the evening, see “Taos Woman: Taoseña Awards 2025” on YouTube. A photo gallery...

Man linked to double homicide had recently been released

A Taos man charged in a fatal stabbing in Española who is also suspected in the murder of two women in El Prado last month had been released from Taos Magistrate Court in another stabbing case days prior the string of killings, court records show. On...

Staying sharp in an emergency

Pilots say helicopters don’t fly — they beat the air into submission. On Saturday (Feb. 22), the blades of a Careflight medevac helicopter chopped through the air as it descended into a meadow near the Amole Canyon Trail south of Taos. The landing was...

Taos saw fewer visitors in 2024

Tourism plays a critical role in Taos’ economy, with nearly half of local businesses relying on tourism for over 60 percent of their revenue, according to a Taos Destination Stewardship Network community survey. But visitor trips to Taos dropped 7.1...

Valdez land grant decision not expected till spring

Defendant Priscilla Rael was the final witness to take the stand in 8th Judicial District Judge Emilio Chavez’s courtroom Thursday afternoon (Feb. 6) in what is shaping up to be a precedent-setting land grant case. She explicated nearly a century’s...

Valdez land grant case could set state precedent

It may have started in 2019 as a property dispute between neighbors, but the resulting civil suit joined by the Arroyo Hondo Arriba Community Land Grant Association in 2022 could have significant implications for land grant law in New Mexico. Six...

Taos teacher receives presidential science award

Heather Harrell, a third grade teacher at the Taos Integrated School for the Arts, has been honored as a 2025 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching — the highest award K-12 math and science teachers can...

‘You live in uncertainty for everything’

Elsa Bernal is cautiously optimistic she won’t be separated from her family in the coming months or years, but the politics playing out in Washington, D.C., has many immigrants in Taos on edge. “There’s a lot of people afraid to go to work; they’re...

Interconnected, distinct, sovereign

America’s Indigenous tribes occupy distinctly liminal spaces of the U.S. in modern times — communities at once sovereign yet interconnected over millennia and embedded within a country that forced them from much of their ancestral lands. Within this...

Firefighters rescue 10 dogs from Taos mesa fire

On Dec. 22 around 2:51 p.m. the Carson Volunteer Fire Department and supporting departments responded to a house fire on Taos mesa at the corner of Flag and West Rim roads. “The homeowner was cooking on his charcoal grill,” said Ricky Garrison, fire...

Red River Ski Patrol director gets $2K avalanche-education scholarship

When Saylor Rogers was 12 years old, Red River ski patrollers asked her to join the junior ski patrol after noting her skills on the slopes. At the time, Rogers said she agreed because she was allowed to help train a ski patrol dog named Digger, but...

The year in focus

From the ongoing affordable housing crisis to construction and parking controversies, planned projects at Taos Ski Valley and protests against a proposed subdivision in Upper Las Colonias, the Taos News covered many stories this year that reflected the...

Home for the holidays

Some people leave Taos this time of year in search of warmer weather or to visit loved ones far away. Some are content to stay at home for the final stretch of the winter holiday season with loved ones who live close by. For those remaining in Taos...

Cyberbullying training held at Taos High

Taos High School students attended a cyberbullying prevention training Friday (Dec. 6) aimed at helping them understand the long-term impacts of online behaviors and ways to seek help. The event was coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Justice...

How Stray Hearts helps fearful animals find forever homes

Whenever a dog arrives at a shelter’s doorstep, hopes are high their stay will be brief, but fearful behaviors wrought from years of neglect or abuse often prevent that. Mia, one of the longest residents at Stray Hearts Animal Shelter, might’ve met the...

Portals and archetypes at The Valley

LAURA BENSON’S “WHERE THE VEIL THINS,” on view at The Valley through Jan. 4, 2025, is a mesmerizing journey into spaces where the ordinary and the extraordinary converge. A multidisciplinary artist and jewelry maker based in Birmingham, Alabama, Benson...

Eyes to the skies

Around 100 kids and their parents attended the annual Taos Youth Flight Rally on Saturday (Nov. 16) at Taos Regional Airport. Some 74 young Taoseños took flight — some for the first time — with local aviators who volunteered their time, aircraft and...

Gov. vows to fund Taos County Veterans Cemetery

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday (Nov. 11) she and local state lawmakers would be stepping in to fund the operation of the long-awaited Taos County Veterans Cemetery, which was denied incorporation into the...

‘Hard work goes a long way’

The Taos Tigers varsity football team has had its ups and downs this fall but ended the regular season on a high note Friday night (Nov. 1) with a win against the much-favored Bernalillo Spartans. The unlikely victory at Anaya Field in Taos provided a...

Taos Men’s Shelter closing its doors

By the light of day, the Taos Men’s Shelter may appear as no more than a small, empty trailer on Albright Street, but every evening around 5 or 6 p.m., the doors open, the lights flicker on and the parking lot comes alive with chatter. It’s a familiar...

‘A kind of madness’

Inside a nondescript metal building somewhere in Taos, an environment not unlike a stage set serves as the backdrop for a neverending film straight from the imagination of artist Bruce Williams. “It’ll keep me busy ‘til I check out,” Williams said,...

Taos Countians flood the polls

Taos County could be on track to break early voting records this general election. A steady stream of county residents has flowed into the county commission chambers — currently the only early polling site — every day since early voting opened Oct. 8....

» Artist Bert Greer Phillips’ life in Taos

Most people who lived in Taos around the turn of the 20th century farmed, raised livestock, and followed the tenets of their spirituality, be it Christian or Native American beliefs. They hunted for game in the mountains, fished the rivers and creeks,...

» PASEO’s inflatable solar turnaround

The Hermit sat down on a hill to write in his journal. He was now very near to Owl Mountain. This was the very spot where he had spent his first night in New Mexico so many months ago. He could see his cave in the next cliff, just beyond the chasm that...