It has been an eventful year as The Independent concludes its first year under new ownership restoring regular newspaper service to the East Mountains and Torrance County. So with the end of the year at hand, it is customary to take a look back on the previous 12 months to remember the good, bad and […]
Pat Davis
Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of City Desk ABQ. In a prior life he served as an Albuquerque City Councilor.
Posted inEstancia, Moriarty, Torrance County, Uncategorized
Best Sports Stories of 2023
During 2023, The Independent worked to restore and improve its sports coverage and it was quite a year in sports around the East Mountains and Torrance County, particularly on the high school end of things. Here is a look back on what we believe are the top sports stories of 2023. 10. Mountainair Football Team […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Education, Placitas
Placitas Art and Music Students Benefit From Local Winery’s Gift
With an interest in art, Placitas, and community, stained-glass artists Barb Belknap, owner of Placitas Winery, stopped by Placitas Elementary School in December to deliver $1,000 earmarked for children’s art and music supplies. It’s money raised by Placitas Winery’s raffle during the third annual Placitas Holiday Market; the winery is one of seven stops in […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Placitas
“The Crane” at Wild Hearts Gallery
Starting off 2024 on a high note, The Crane by artist Judith Roderick will be at Wild Hearts Gallery in January. The exhibit is a tribute to the crane, both the Sandhills and the endangered Whooping Crane, featuring silk art quilts, watercolors and a newly revised book of poems and artwork depicting their grace and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Community Briefs
Comprehensive Plan Update The Town of Edgewood has kicked off the planning process for an update to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. As part of the planning process, the Town’s consultant, Consensus Planning, has created a community survey that asks a wide range of questions regarding the future of Edgewood and community aspirations. The results of […]
Posted inCorrales
Village Wants Collaboration with APS on School Redesign
The agenda for the Village Council’s last meeting of the year was light with just four action items, including routine resolutions done annually to set the meeting schedule and employee holiday schedule for the next year. But the Dec. 12 meeting went on for more than two hours with much of the time spent on […]
Posted inUncategorized
County Hires New Fire Chief
After going five months without a fire chief since Don Dirks resigned the position in July, Torrance County has a new head of the department. James Winham was selected from a pool of eight applicants to be the fire chief, leading a department with nine firefighters/emergency medical technicians, three Emergency Medical Service lieutenants, a deputy […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Polk Family Farm: Rescuing an “Endangered Species”
As grocery store’s shelves emptied during COVID it suddenly highlighted New Mexico’s growing dependence on out of state corporate agriculture for food. For decades there has been widespread consolidation of farms and a recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows there were 200,000 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2007. In an effort […]
Posted inUncategorized
Recycle Your Tree!
PNM and the City of Rio Rancho are offering free Christmas tree recycling. More than 10,000 trees are expected to be recycled at the New Mexico sites, saving valuable landfill space, and generating water-savings and protective mulch. Crews from PNM Vegetation Management and Rio Rancho’s Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Division will grind the trees into […]
Posted inUncategorized
Opinion: Who should decide who gets on the ballot?
Commentary by Darrel M. Allen, East Mountains The recent decision of the Colorado Supreme Court disqualifying Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot in Colorado is, well, unusual. Such a thing has never happened before in the history of the United States. The decision is not necessarily wrong, but it is unusual. What is far more […]