The westbound “San Juan Express #216” passenger train outbound from Antonito struck an Antonito track “tie crew” motor car occupied by two Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad employees shortly after noon Tuesday.

It wasn't all that long ago when the Antonito football team was considered everybody's punching bag, but now Antonito's football team rides rocket to respectability.

There's a potato bug going around, but it didn't affect the San Luis Valley so bad.

Saguache County commissioners will host an informal meeting in Center Sept. 14 regarding a proposed solar project. SolarReserve, a California company, hopes to build a pair of 100-megawatt solar plants on roughly 3,000 acres northeast of Center in the San Luis Valley and needs to secure the county's approval.

Read why Virginia Sutherland, a second generation rancher in her 80's, feels that Tessera Solar (or anything similar) must not be allowed to be built in the San Luis Valley!

It’s 5:59am, and today is my day. I’m in shape, there’s no rain in the forecast and the sun won’t set for fourteen hours. I have five quarts of water, a ridiculous amount of food and a topo map. When I sign into the Liberty Trailhead register at the southern edge of the Baca Grande, images of ghost towns flicker across the page. When I look to the south, mirage-like dunes beckon.

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MAC to host SLV Talent Show in September
The Monte Arts Council is excited to introduce the SLV Talent Show this fall. MAC is recruiting performers for both youth and adult categories for the Sept. 25 show at Richardson Hall on the Adams State Campus.
Auditions will be held Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Valley Christian Fellowship church at Third Avenue and Broadway in Monte Vista. For information, call Mary Richards at (719) 580-0164. The youth category will consist of all performers under 14. The adult category will be all performers age 14 and over.

All varieties of talent are encouraged to for this showcase of performers from all over the San Luis Valley. A panel of judges will award cash prizes for the best performers in each age group. If you would like to sponsors this event, call Mary at 719-580-0164. Call now to reserve your spot at the auditions!

Traditional Folk Music With Modern Twists Coming To Alamosa
Traditional sailors’ songs from the days of wind-powered ocean travel might be a surprise to hear in a mountain valley at 7500 feet elevation, but Missincinatti are a band that delights in providing the unexpected with their unique take on sea shanties and other old-time music. They are sure to stimulate interest during their concert this Sun., Sept. 5 at 7pm in Adams State College’s Leon Memorial Hall, on Richardson Ave. near 2nd St. in Alamosa, CO, presented by the Alamosa Live Music Association (ALMA). Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for ALMA members, and $12 for the general public.

Missincinatti cultivates songs with roots in the pre-industrial era and branches that point to a variety of contemporary musical practices. Undiscovered wonders of the world, maritime ghosts, and work in the mines are brought to life through sonic retellings that dim the lights on old melodies, while allowing their inherent drama to emerge from the shadows. Through lo-fi sound design, improvisation, and harmonically rich instrumentals, Missincinatti creates new work from old in an act of sonic reuse and repurposing.

Inspired by storytellers, this trio uses history to illuminate the present - provoking thought, often poking fun at ourselves, and reminding us of a time when there were bare spots on the map of the world, when folks told tales of mystical creatures, and when history was cobbled together through the spoken word.

More information about supporting ALMA and about upcoming concerts is available at http://www.almaonline.org.

Marksmanship Classes
Hunters who are interested in sharpening their shooting skills and improving their chances of harvesting big game this fall are encouraged to sign up for one of three upcoming marksmanship classes.Rick Basagoitia, area manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in the San Luis Valley, is teaching three classes during the next month: Sept. 7-9, one evening classroom session and two evening range sessions; Sept. 23 and 25, an evening classroom session and a morning range session; Oct. 4, a full-day class. “Good shooting is not a natural skill,” said Basagoitia. “By learning more about your rifle and ballistics you’ll be a better shot and a more effective hunter.”

There is no charge and each class is open to 10 people. Class participants should bring their rifles and know the caliber, barrel length, action type; specifications of their rifle scopes; and the type of ammunition that will be used while hunting. For the range session, participants should also bring 30-40 rounds of ammunition; appropriate clothing, lunch and water; shooting sticks, backpacks, bipods or sandbags — whatever is normally used to shoot off of in the field. Participants will not use the shooting benches. For more information or to register for the class, please call the Monte Vista DOW office at (719)587-6900.

Discrimination wasn't the primary topic of conversation at Friday's workshop about livestock industry competition, but several Hispanic farmers from Colorado said they attended the event at CSU to raise their voices about being disenfranchised by the federal government. Gomez worked for the Farmers Home Administra-tion and the USDA's Rural Development Administration in Alamosa for 30 years, serving for a time as the agency's district director. He said he witnessed within the agency routine and systematic discrimination against Hispanic farmers. Gomez said in a court document:

I observed that Hispanic farmers were not being given loans because they allegedly didn't have sufficient experience or because they had other nonfarming jobs.

The case, known as GUADALUPE L. GARCIA JR. v. TOM VILSACK, is a class action lawsuit which seeks to remedy years of massive and admitted discrimination against Hispanic farmers and ranchers who were denied access to United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") loan programs in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act ("ECOA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1691, et seq. The lawsuit also seeks to remedy discrimination against Hispanic farmers and ranchers in the administration of USDA farm benefit programs.

There's a reason much of Southern Colorado feels like home to many New Mexicans [and vice versa]. Many of the Spanish settlers who colonized New Mexico went on to do the same in places like the San Luis Valley, where a Spanish/Mexican land grant fueled much of the area's development.

A preliminary report indicates that repairing the burned trestle on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad line will cost around $2 million — more than five times the amount of insurance coverage carried on the structure.

The northern leopard frog was gone for 40 years. It's a mystery why they disappeared and how they came back. But this month, hikers led by park Ranger Patrick Myers stumbled upon a surprise: a colony of northern leopard frogs at the western edge of the park near the lakes, an area leased by The Nature Conservancy.

Trout Unlimited has signed a draft agreement with the federal government that would shield the group from liability in the cleanup of Kerber Creek in Saguache County. The agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would cover the group in its efforts to reclaim scattered tailing piles and waste rock on private land in a 17-mile stretch of the creek.

Blanca Fest
Blanca Fest is a FREE event, Aug. 21, in Cole Park, Alamosa, Colo hosted by Colorado Mountain Club (CMC), which is a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving Colorado’s beautiful outdoors and connecting hikers, climbers and adventure enthusiasts. Blanca Fest is a FREE all-day event with hiking tours followed by food and beverages and live music. A portion of the proceeds are donated to the reconstruction of Como Lake.

Summer of Live Music in the SLV Still Going Strong
There’s plenty of great live music coming up in the San Luis Valley. The Alamosa Live Music Association (ALMA) is doing its best to help. Blanca Fest is an all-day communal get together for hikers, families, and nature enthusiasts organized by the Colorado Mountain Club, Sat. Aug. 21 in Alamosa’s Cole Park. After a day of hiking, attendees can kick back and relax with an evening of entertainment including food and beverages provided by the San Luis Valley Brewing Co., live acoustic musical performances by singer/songwriters Emily Robinson and Alison Kitchen and master fiddler Matt Schildt presented by ALMA, and more between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Admission is free, and any Blanca Fest proceeds will benefit the restoration of trails and the natural environment of Como Lake and Blanca Peak. To sign up or get more details about Blanca Fest, visit http://www.cmc.org. Featuring great artists like Boulder Acoustic Society, Drew Emmit (from Leftover Salmon) and his band, Mountain Standard Time, and The Grant Farm featuring Benny Galloway, among many others, Rhythms on the Rio returns to a beautiful outdoor venue on the Rio Grande in South Fork Sat. Aug. 21 and Sun. Aug. 22, courtesy of the South Fork Music Association. Admission is only $5 plus a canned good for the SLV Food Banks, and music runs from about 11:30am until 10pm on Sat. and 10:30am until 7:30pm on Sun. More information is at http://www.rhythmsontherio.com/.

Blending the heartiest world rhythms with jam-band passion, while muddying the lines between Americana roots music, disco, funk and bluegrass, six-piece band the Last to Know, from Taos, electrified the Fri. night crowd at the Crestone Music Festival in 2009. This year, they help welcome back Adams State College students during a free luau Thurs., Aug. 26, 6pm, on the corner of First and Stadium on the ASC campus. The general public is cordially invited to join the ASC community at this concert, which ALMA is partnering with ASC Student Activities to present.

The Valley Farmers’ Market, organized by the Alamosa Uptown and River Association, at Centennial Park, between Main and 6th streets and between State and Hunt avenues in Alamosa presents live music with support from ALMA. Michael Brill plays acoustic country blues, guitar and vocals, Sat. Aug. 21 from 10am until noon.

Moira Smiley and VOCO wowed an Alamosa audience last spring, and now the cellist from that band, Jessica Catron, brings her band MISSINCINATTI to Alamosa. This trio tells seasoned stories through chamberesque compositions, field recordings, and timeless arrangements of old melodies. The show is Sun., Sept. 5, 7pm in Leon Recital Hall, at Richardson and 2nd, on the ASC campus. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for ALMA members, and $12 for the general public. More information about supporting ALMA and about upcoming concerts is available at http://www.almaonline.org.

Faith Hinkley, 23, was buried with full military honors for her service in the United States Army, but her burial was riddled with drama. Westboro Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist church and hate group known for its anti-homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag, planned to protest her burial. A plea on reddit.com from one of her friends stationed in Iraq to counter this protest resulted in 1700 comments and the participation of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group initially formed to shelter and protect the funerals from protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church.

Jigar Shah, the Founder of SunEdison, chimes in about a Denver Post op-ed that claims that because of "uncertainties involved in Xcel's attempt to expand solar power generation, now isn't the time to press forward" and Shah says the Post screwed up again.

Almost one year to the day after kicking off the first round of the Building Excellent Schools Today (B.E.S.T.) financing, Colorado State Treasurer Cary Kennedy announced the completion of the first of several new schools in the San Luis Valley funded through the B.E.S.T. program.

A survivor of a car accident that killed three people Saturday in Capulin improved Monday at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. Pamela Maestas, 17, of Manassa, was listed in fair condition Monday afternoon.

Alcohol and drug use are suspected in the crash of a pickup truck that killed three people early Sunday and left two others hospitalized, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Ermidia Gonzales, 17, of Sanford,and Derek Martinez, 28, of Capulin, were pronounced dead at the scene, and Joshua Rousey, 29, of Capulin, died later at the Conejos County Hospital in La Jara.

Frida Troyer, Ferman Troyer and their friend Jacob Byler play on a one of the Troyer's wagons in their barn near Monte Vista, CO, in the San Luis Valley. (Judy DeHaas | The Denver Post)

After generations spent in the East and Midwest, Amish families have put down roots in three communities in and near what locals call "the Valley" — the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado — during the past eight years. "We had been wanting a little more room, a change in the environment," said Magdalena Troyer, who moved to the Monte Vista area three years ago from Missouri. "There was a pull to move to the wild West, I guess you'd call it."


Amish women prepare pies in the Miller Family Bakery south of Monte Vista, Friday, July 30, 2010, for the Alamosa Farmers' Market that following Saturday. (Judy DeHaas | The Denver Post)

Light filters through large windows, spotlighting floury hands that knead dough for breads, roll out crust for pies and create cookies and cakes. The Miller Family Bakery, a year-old endeavor, is perhaps the most visible Amish business in the San Luis Valley. As is typical of Amish businesses, the bakery is a family affair.

Learn the secrets of charcoal as a drawing medium with Rita Roberts August 28 & 29, 2010, 9-4PM. Create beautiful, vibrant drawings in any style you choose -- from speedy action drawings to fully rendered, carefully planned compositions. We’ll experiment with different tools, paper, and subject matter. Many art forms start with drawing. From seasoned painters to budding artists, we all can benefit from improving our drawing skills. Bring your color work to a new level of success by understanding the importance of lights, darks, and how to use contrast in your compositions. Tuition: 165.00 Register online, call 850-2082, 480-2255 or come in to Wildethyme Art, 1631 Grand Avenue, Monte Vista, CO 10-5, tues-friday, 11-4 sat