Associated Press New Mexico – The Durango Herald

New Mexico candidate ends gun giveaway tied to $100 donations

SANTA FE – New Mexico’s Republican nominee for secretary of state has removed an online campaign flyer that offered the chance to receive a firearm in return for $100 donations to her campai...

DATE: Sep 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Electric demand to outpace capacity for New Mexico utilities

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico regulators are concerned about the ability of the state’s largest electric providers to meet demands during peak seasons in 2023 and 2024. The Public Regulation Comm...

DATE: Sep 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New Mexico braces for exodus from Medicaid insurance

SANTA FE – New Mexico is bracing for a rapid exodus of up to 100,000 people from subsidized Medicaid health care next year as the federal government phases out special pandemic-era spending ...

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Climate-fueled wildfires worsen danger for struggling fish

AMALIA, N.M. – Biologist Bryan Bakevich unscrewed the top of a plastic bucket and removed a Rio Grande cutthroat trout that squirmed from his grasp and plopped onto the grassy bank of Middle...

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New Mexico previously bused migrants during Trump years

SANTA FE – When migrants overwhelmed cities and shelters in New Mexico in 2019, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham moved several dozen of them by bus from border communities to Denver, w...

DATE: Sep 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Cowboys for Trump co-founder appeals ban from public office

SANTA FE – A New Mexico politician and Trump supporter who was removed and barred from elected office for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, is attempting to appeal that deci...

DATE: Sep 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Dwindling Colorado River Basin key to New Mexico agriculture

SANTA FE (AP) – Glen Duggins, who grows chile, alfalfa and vegetables, found himself praying for rain in June and feeling grateful to receive some water from the Colorado River Basin. A La ...

DATE: Sep 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Northern N.M. ranch wants to use wildfire to educate children, people with disabilities

CLEVELAND, N.M. – Lessons from the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire could soon be taught to people with disabilities and students at a ranch that was saved by fire suppression efforts. Collins ...

DATE: Sep 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Official: New Mexico horse racing still in the ‘dark ages’

ALBUQUERQUE – Easing rules around online betting would help ensure the survival of New Mexico’s horse racing industry as it faces intensifying competition for attention from gamblers in the ...

DATE: Sep 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Increasing pressures on Colorado River water in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) – Colorado River tributaries in New Mexico bring water to the alfalfa fields in the Four Corners and the forested hills of the Gila wilderness in the southwestern part of th...

DATE: Sep 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Moth outbreak stresses trees in New Mexico forests

ALBUQUERQUE – An insect outbreak is believed to be causing conifer stands in some central New Mexico forests to lose their needles, further stressing trees amid an ongoing drought. Officials...

DATE: Sep 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Inspections of chile imports heat up at New Mexico border

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico’s green chile season is in full swing as the aroma of fresh roasted peppers permeates the air, but growers and exporters in Mexico are just as busy and that’s causin...

DATE: Sep 12, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

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Fort Lewis College football takes on Arizona ChristianFLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

FLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

Pride parade and festival

Photos: Family fun at the La Plata County Fair

La Plata County Fair is off and running

La Plata County Fair schedule of eventsThursday8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding swine, market swine. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging open class home economics, horticulture, floriculture, creative arts.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA and open class fleeces.9 a.m.: 4-H poultry judging followed by open class.1 p.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA goat show, all classes followed by open class goat.5 p.m.: Fair Royalty speeches and modeling.7 p.m.: Talent contest, patio.7 p.m.: Livestock verification swine, poultry, goat, general project cards due.

Friday9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA rabbits.10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA breeding beef, beef showmanship.1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA market beef, grand champion and reserve grand champion market beef, champion selection.2 p.m.: Dairy cattle, all classes.3:15 p.m.: Pee wee showmanship.4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock round robin, all-around showmanship.7 p.m.: Asleep at the Wheel concert.7 p.m.: Livestock sale verification rabbit and beef cards due.

Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public. 9 a.m.: 4-H dog show.9 a.m.: Judging open class beef all classes.10 a.m.: Rooster crowing contest.10 a.m.: FFA showmanship.11 a.m.: Open class dairy cattle, all classes.12 p.m.: Demolition Derby.12-4 p.m.: Community 4-H barbecue cook off (senior center lawn).2 p.m.: Rabbit costume contest.2 p.m.: Poultry costume contest.5 p.m.: Silver steaks, silver loin and silver chop award presentation.5:45 p.m.: Fair Royalty crowning.6 p.m.: Junior livestock sale pavilion.9 p.m.-midnight: Fair family dance.

Sunday8 a.m.: Cowboy church. 8 a.m.: Carcass animals loaded.9 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.1:30 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Catch-It contest.2-3 p.m.: Payment of premiums. 2-3 p.m.: Exhibits released in all departments. 2-5 p.m.: Booths taken down.2-5 p.m.: Poultry and rabbit exhibits released.2 p.m.: Animals released.Beer garden is open Thursday through Saturday.

La Plata County Fair schedule of events Thursday 8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding s...

Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com

About 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

Photos: BurroFest in Mancos

Fun times at the Ute Mountain Roundup rodeo in Cortez

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Hobby Horse Community Bike Ride

Photos: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Sprite Kids Race

New Mexico candidate ends gun giveaway tied to $100 donations

Electric demand to outpace capacity for New Mexico utilities

New Mexico braces for exodus from Medicaid insurance

Climate-fueled wildfires worsen danger for struggling fish

New Mexico previously bused migrants during Trump years

Cowboys for Trump co-founder appeals ban from public office

Dwindling Colorado River Basin key to New Mexico agriculture

Northern N.M. ranch wants to use wildfire to educate children, people with disabilities

Official: New Mexico horse racing still in the ‘dark ages’

Increasing pressures on Colorado River water in New Mexico

Moth outbreak stresses trees in New Mexico forests

Inspections of chile imports heat up at New Mexico border

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