Huerfano County - BlogFlock

Dotsero - Events from December 17, 2023 – May 24, 2024 | Spanish Peaks Country

2026-07-26T01:00:00.000Z

This nationally renown group delivers high-energy contemporary jazz with a signature blend of sax-driven melodies, soulful vocals and groove-heavy rhythms. Known for their electrifying live performances and chart-topping radio hits, Dotsero captivates audiences nationwide with their infectious sound and world-class musicianship.
Led by powerhouse saxophonist Stephen Watts, Dotsero delivers an electrifying fusion of contemporary jazz, funk, and soulful grooves that move both the heart and the crowd. This 5 piece group ignites the stage with their tight musicianship, infectious grooves and signature horn-driven sound.
Dotsero always brings their big-stage concert energy, (always with fire and feel good fun) to every performance. You can count on them, Dotsero won’t let you down!

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Bear Dance Workshop and Bear Dance with Bear Dance Chief Matthew Box and members of the Southern Ute Tribe - Events from December 17, 2023 – May 24, 2024 | Spanish Peaks Country

2026-07-18T17:00:00.000Z

Matthew Box will be presenting a Bear Dance Workshop on Saturday, July 18th. The Bear Dance will be performed after the workshop in the Plaza at the Francisco Fort Museum, and all community members are invited to participate with members of the Southern Ute Tribe. The event is free and open to the public. More details will be shared in the new year.

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http://twitter.com/Adams_GOP/status/2076122453378761091 - Talkwalker Alert: 0 results for [Huerfano Colorado]

2026-07-12T01:52:20.000Z

Police investigate July 8 shooting death on a West 7th Street sidewalk - The World Journal

2026-07-09T17:01:02.000Z

By Mark Craddock

WALSENBURG — Walsenburg Police are investigating the murder of a Walsenburg man who was found shot on the sidewalk in the 800 block of West 7^th Street Wednesday.

According to a WPD report, dispatch received a call about 10:17 a.m. of a man who had sustained a gunshot wound.

“Officers with the Walsenburg Police Department responded immediately and located an adult male with an apparent gunshot wound,” the report reads. “Despite lifesaving efforts, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel.”

The victim was later identified as Samuel Vallaster II, 49, of Walsenburg.

“The Walsenburg Police Department Investigations Division has assumed responsibility for the investigation,” according to the report. “The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is assisting with investigative efforts.”

The WPD says this remains an active and ongoing homicide investigation. “No arrests have been made at this time, and no additional information is being released to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”

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E-Edition for July 9, 2026 - The World Journal

2026-07-09T10:11:00.000Z

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Elizabeth “Lita” Ulibarri - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:48:00.000Z

The Other Side of the Pass by Raton Museum staff Auntie Lita’s building is currently being renovated. Courtesy Raton Museum RATON— Elizabeth “Lita” Ulibarri was born on Nov. 19, 1909, and passed away on May 12, 2005. She spent most of her life in Raton and was preceded in death by her husband, Octaviano. In […]

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Raton celebrates the 4th in style - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:47:00.000Z

It was an almost perfect morning for balloonist as they inflate their balloons and prepare for flight Friday morning July 3, 2026 at the International Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally held at the La Mesa Airfield in south Raton. Photo by Marty Mayfield

by Marty Mayfield, KRTN Multi-Media

RATON — Raton celebrated Independence Day this year in a manner befitting the nation’s 250th birthday. Things kicked off on July 3 with the 2026 International Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally at the La Mesa Airfield, with 16 balloonists taking to the skies while spectators noshed on pancakes and sausage provided by the Raton Elks Lodge. High winds Saturday morning prevented the balloons from flying, but they were back Sunday morning for competition day. Sunday’s food was a bake sale put on my the cheer teams from both the middle and high schools.

July 4 featured the annual street parade and later in the evening a fireworks display. The parade stretched almost the entire length of historic First Street and featured everything from vintage cars to class reunions.

Later in the evening First Street once again came alive with fireworks spectators who were treated to a display that included a big 20×30 foot American flag held aloft by the Raton Public Service north of the display itself on Roundhouse Road. Scott Johnson’s Do It Right Pyro Pulled off an amazing fireworks display. The fireworks were synced with music that could be heard if you were close by or on the Pyrocast app. Raton is fortunate enough to have a rather large grassless area along the railroad tracks that can be used for such an event. The Raton Fire Department was on standby, and a couple of firefighters were even patrolling the area.

All in all, an amazing weekend.

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Mt. San Rafael Hospital named among Colorado’s top 10 rural healthcare facilities for second consecutive year - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:46:00.000Z

courtesy Kim Lucero, CEO

TRINIDAD — For the second consecutive year, Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Clinics has been recognized as one of Colorado’s Top 10 Rural Healthcare Facilities for Overall Performance by the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC).

The honor was presented during the Colorado Rural Healthcare Conference, where CRHC recognized a select group of rural hospitals and clinics for their commitment to quality care, innovation and service to their communities.

“Now more than ever, having care locally is vitally important for rural communities,” said CRHC Chief Executive Officer Michelle Mills. “We are proud to recognize these 10 facilities that exemplify a spirit of service while delivering high-quality care close to home. These standout facilities represent a year of hard work, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to excellence across our rural communities.”

Now in its second year, the Top 10 Rural Healthcare Facilities Award is based on data from two nationally recognized performance measurement tools: the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX® and the Stroudwater Associates Rural Health Clinic Financial Dashboard.

The Chartis Center for Rural Health uses Overall Performance INDEX data to identify the Top 5 Rural Hospital award recipients. Now in its 16th year, the INDEX provides a comprehensive evaluation of rural hospital performance and is used nationwide by hospitals, health systems, hospital associations and state offices of rural health to assess operational and financial performance.

The Top 5 Rural Health Clinic award recipients are determined through Stroudwater’s Rural Health Clinic Financial Dashboard. Facilities are evaluated using five key criteria: preventive care and vaccination efficiency, overhead and administrative efficiency, clinical throughput, staffing stability and investment, and revenue cycle and reimbursement.

“We are thrilled to receive this distinction from the Colorado Rural Health Center for the second year in a row,” said Kim Lucero, CEO of Mt. San Rafael Hospital. “Being recognized among the state’s top rural healthcare facilities is a tremendous honor and reflects the dedication, teamwork and compassionate care provided every day by our physicians, nurses and staff. This recognition belongs to every member of our team who works diligently to serve our patients and their families.”

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Eagle Nest approves utility increases, advances multimillion-dollar project plans - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:43:00.000Z

by Ruth Stodghill EAGLE NEST — Eagle Nest residents can expect higher utility costs following action by the Village Council on June 23, as officials approved rate increases across multiple utility systems while also advancing long-term infrastructure plans. Councilors approved Resolution 2026-20 covering water and wastewater rates, Resolution 2026-21 addressing connection and impact fees, and […]

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Osprey nesting boxes go up at Lathrop - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:39:00.000Z

by Ruth Orr WALSENBURG — Birders and nature lovers rejoice, for Lathrop State Park is now home to two new osprey nesting platforms. For those of you who aren’t already jumping for joy and are confused about why you can hear the rest of us squee-ing in the distance, allow me to explain. Ospreys […]

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Triggers turn Central Park into a hit parade - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:37:00.000Z

by Ruth Stodghill HEEEERS JOHNNIE! Trinidad’s Johnnie Nicholson made the tag on Alpine base runner, Eric Ferguson as Ferguson made a leaping attempt to steal third in Friday’s faceoff between the Alpine Cowboys and the Trinidad Triggers. TRINIDAD — The Fourth of July wasn’t the only time fireworks lit up Trinidad last week. The Triggers […]

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At Walsenburg Post Office, a modicum of normalcy for fire-tossed refugees - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:25:00.000Z

by Mark Craddock

The line at the Walsenburg Post Office was almost out the door on Monday, as evacuees from the Rye area line up for their mail. Photo by Brian Orr

WALSENBURG — “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…” Any schoolchild would recognize that as the preamble to the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service.

But in the smoke-choked shadow of the Aspen Acres fire, it should perhaps be amended to include “…nor wildfire at the door.”

Since the earliest days of the fire, which as of Wednesday had burned more than 96,000 acres, the postmaster and staff from the tiny Rye Post Office moved south — lock, stock and mailbags — to set up shop at the Walsenburg Post Office.

And it was there that the diaspora from the heart of the savage conflagration, those who for more than a week had been evacuated from their homes in the small mountain hamlet of Rye, flocked to pick up their mail, to perhaps enjoy a chance reunion with a neighbor, to experience a modicum of normalcy in a world suddenly turned upside-down.

Many were bivouacked with friends and family in and around Walsenburg. But many others made the 50-mile trip from hotels and emergency facilities in Pueblo to pick up their mail.

In lines that often snaked around the hallways of the Walenburg facility, they swapped anecdotes of their flight from the looming flames and snippets of information they’d picked up along the way.

And the big question resonated again and again:

“When will they let us go back?”

Bryan Boyer said he, like all his neighbors, received evacuation orders June 29, the first day of the fire, as the unpredictable, wind-tossed southern flank threatened San Isabel, Rye and parts of Colorado City. But Boyer thought he might be able to ride it out. He stayed put. By Friday, July 3, however, the fire was moving alarmingly close and he said it was clear that “it was time to get out.”

He showed cellphone pictures of several large cinders that had drifted out of the sky onto his deck. But as of Wednesday, a doorbell cam confirmed his home had been spared.

As he spoke, a woman with a walker, donning a 250th Anniversary Independence Day hat and all the sass and attitude a long life had given her, embraced Boyer like a long-lost friend. In Rye, Mary Finley and he are neighbors. They’ve known each other for years.

Having escaped in the first wave, long before the fire arrived at the town’s doorstep, she said the most unsettling part of her ordeal was “not knowing from day to day where I’d be.”

Finley spent the earliest days of the evacuation with her son and daughter-in-law in Walsenburg, before going to Pueblo. She said she may return to her son’s home in the coming days.

But her broad smile and the twinkle in her eye belied the nature of her immediate circumstances.

“Might as well make lemonade,” she winked. “When what you have are lemons.”

Rye Postmaster Tori Kenyon said she got the word the evening of June 29 that the Rye post office would be closed and the mail rerouted to Walsenburg.

“So we’re doing what we can out of here,” she said. “Basically, we’re all in the same situation.”

She said that, in coming days, the crew may move operations to a building in the Belmont area in Pueblo, which would make sense, given that most of the fire’s evacuees fled north.

Update From the Fire Line

As of Wednesday morning, the Aspen Acres Fire had grown to 96,031 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, making it the seventh-largest wildfire in Colorado history.

But slightly more-favorable weather conditions have allowed firefighters to beat back the flames in several key hot spots, including the southern flank around Rye and Colorado City, Operations Section Chief Zach Fleming of the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team reported.

“Back towards Rye and Colorado City, the area is looking really good,” he said in his Tuesday evening briefing. “For the first time, we’re getting deeper and deeper in structures, mopping up hot spots.”

As of Tuesday evening, the fire was 15% contained, he said.

He said firefighters encountered less-favorable weather conditions on the northern and western end of the fire than was originally forecast for Tuesday.

Fleming went into greater detail at Wednesday morning’s briefing.

“On Tuesday afternoon, the fire made a surge to the northwest that threatened Greenwood and Wetmore, leading to a firefight that lasted for several hours,” he said. “Winds out of the southeast pushed the fire downhill toward dozer lines that had just been completed on Monday. Firefighters were poised and ready to spring into action. With the support of engines, dozers and aerial resources, they added a check line along the flank of the oncoming fire to keep it from moving laterally around the dozer line.”

“Several spot fires ignited nearby, and firefighters pushed hand line and dozer line around those spots. Fire activity started to calm late in the day when winds shifted and light rain began to fall. Overnight crews remained in position to address any flareups and secure the fire line, and that work continues today,” he said.

“Crews on the north and northeast edges of the fire are mopping up along fire lines, seeking out and extinguishing hot spots,” Fleming reported. “Along the eastern edge near the intersection of Siloam Road and Even Roads, crews used a combination of firing operations and direct attack to keep fire coming out of the Galbeth Creek drainage from crossing Siloam Road. Firefighters on Wednesday will mop up following those operations, methodically working to eliminate hot spots near the fire line, homes and other structures in the area.”

Along the southern edge, from Colorado City to Rye, firefighters continue to extinguish hotspots, working well inside the fire’s edge to make sure there are no sources of heat that could lead to fire spread, he said.

On the western edge, fire continues to move to the west near the Lefthand Fork of North Creek,” he said. “There is potential for it to reach highway 165, and work is underway to construct hand line and dozer line to protect homes, ranch buildings and other structures that could be impacted.”

Fleming said the trees, brush and grasses in the fire area “remain historically dry and ready to burn.” Rain showers predicted for Wednesday could moderate fire activity and reduce fires spread.

Evacuation orders remain in place throughout the periphery of the fire, including in Pueblo, Huerfano, Custer and Fremont counties. There is no word yet on when or where residents might be allowed to return home.

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La Veta enacts Stage 4 Water Restrictions - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:21:00.000Z

Board names new trustee and weighs need for utility rate increases. by E.E.Mullens LA VETA — As anxious eyes turn to weather reports and wild fire updates, the La Veta Trustees this week did not let any dried out grass grow under their feet by addressing immediate needs, not the least addressing decreasing water availability. […]

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This Week in History - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:18:00.000Z

For July 9th, 2026 by Nancy Christofferson Walsenburg 1889: Hamilton Pope, president of the Huerfano County Stock Growers Association, reports that while he was out on the round-up some one entered his home on the Huerfano two miles above the railroad crossing and stole just about everything of value including his personal papers. 1895: This […]

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Two die in fiery I-25 hit-and-run - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:15:00.000Z

by Mark Craddock WALSENBURG — Two young men died just after midnight on June 29 in a fiery hit-and-run crash on Interstate 25 just north of Walsenburg. Huerfano County Coroner Vonnie Valdez said Tuesday that the victims’ names have not yet been released, but a family member identified the pair as Christian Mims, age 21, […]

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Huerfano RE-1approves 2026-27 budget - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:12:00.000Z

School board taps Peakview principal Weining as interim superintendent by Mark Craddock WALSENBURG — It is a common occurrence for school boards to convene a special meeting near the end of June, in order to pass the necessary resolutions to approve their fiscal-year budget in advance of the state’s end-of-June deadline. So it was for the […]

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Walsenburg OKs stage-1 water restrictions - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:06:00.000Z

by Mark Craddock Water restrictions mean hoses need to have something like this on the end, no more open-hose watering. Photo from Adobe Stock Photos WALSENBURG — Starting Monday, Walsenburg water customers will be operating under Stage 1 water restrictions — a first step in attempting to conserve water in these dry times. But the […]

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Walsenburg negotiating with nonprofit for $1.1 million Lathrop Youth Camp sale - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:04:00.000Z

Council also sends ‘No Concentration Camp’ zoning ordinance change to November ballot by Mark Craddock WALSENBURG — The Walsenburg City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to swiftly begin negotiating a sale of the roughly 18-acre Lathrop Youth Ranch property to Mission Team Impact (MTI), after a pending sale to Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center has […]

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Fire updates take center stage at commissioners' meeting - The World Journal - Google Alert - "Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition"

2026-07-09T09:00:59.000Z

... Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition as that group applies for a state grant. The only other 'action items' before Commissioners Karl Sporleder ...

Fire updates take center stage at commissioners’ meeting - The World Journal

2026-07-09T09:00:00.000Z

Board approves conditional use permit and authorizes payment of county bills by E.E.Mullens HUERFANO — As wildfires continue to burn in southern Colorado, including the record-setting Aspen Acres Fire, local response to requests for mutual aid and local reports from the now fully contained Big Sheep Fire in Huerfano County topped the priority discussions at […]

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