Randy Barron, Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, instructs Las Vegas teachers and guests at Kennedy Hall, NMHU. The New Mexico Alliance for Responsive Teaching (NMArt) is a unique partnership focused on transforming education through arts integration—a teaching approach where students actively engage in creative processes to deepen their understanding of academic

Mora County residents board the Blue Bus at its stop along Highway 518 north of Sapello on Tuesday morning. The Blue Bus was headed to its newest stop in La Cueva. About a dozen Mora County citizens headed south on Highway 518 in their own cars on Tuesday morning just

The Northeast Regional Crisis and Drug Treatment Center on Tuesday evening. The center held an open house Tuesday, welcoming community members to tour the new facility that will start accepting patients on Monday. A community-led effort to build a drug treatment facility in Las Vegas that began in 2019 will

The Frijoles Fire, currently blazing in the Pecos Wilderness of northern New Mexico, is now the state’s third-largest fire of 2026 as it reaches nearly 13,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon. The fire, which has now been active for more than two weeks after being caused by a lightning strike,

More than 30 volunteers, including some Highlands University students and alumni, spent the weekend building low-tech structures of rocks and logs to reduce erosion along the Manuelitas Creek in Sapello, NM. The project was a collaboration between the private Los Rincones Contentos Ranch, the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation, and the New

A woman died Sunday after falling from a vehicle during an apparent domestic violence incident in Mora County. A man identified as the driver was later shot by police after allegedly pointing a handgun at them during a high-speed chase. Alejandro S. Vigil, 24, is charged with being a felon

This Optic front page is from August, 9, 1999. The date was blacked out on the microfilm image. The New Mexico rifle team broke camp this morning at Camp McDonald and will leave at midnight for Camp Perry where they will compete with all the teams of the United States

After forty-four years, the Las Vegas Arts Council’s beloved annual showcase of local and regional art and crafts is getting a makeover, with a new name, The People’s Festival of Art and Culture, a new location, in the Historic Railroad Avenue District, and a new date, Sept. 26. The Las

Felicia R. Martinez, LCSW, poses with Gameboy, a miniature horse she uses in therapy sessions at Martinez Wellness, LLC, on Tuesday. Described as “majestic” by the therapist who sometimes uses them to help patients, six buffalo are the newest addition to a local ranch and therapy business. Social worker Felicia

Las Vegas’ trees, shrubs and ideas for new water infrastructure following the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire are key elements in a management plan recently implemented by the city. The Urban Forestry Management Plan was discussed and adopted by the city of Las Vegas during a regular city council meeting on

The Las Vegas NM Community Foundation (LVNMCF) is seeking a new Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter of philanthropic service to San Miguel and Mora Counties. The Foundation is conducting a regional and national search for a leader who can build on a decade of community

Music fans from throughout the region are just a train ride away from a weekend of live blues, food, local history and culture. Ride the Rails to the Blues will bring live musical performances, food and fun to the Castañeda Hotel, 524 Railroad Ave., and Buffalo Hall & Cowboy Café

Editor The murder trial for a Wagon Mound man accused of killing three individuals while driving drunk in 2022 got underway Monday, more than four years after the incident took place. Jesse James Blanco, now 26 years old, faces three felony charges of homicide by vehicle, along with misdemeanor charges

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - NOVEMBER 23, 2025: Thaddeus "Tuk" Koslik and his wife Tracie Koslik pose for a portrait inside his home in Albuquerque, NM on November 23, 2025. CREDIT: Adria Malcolm for New Mexico In Depth When Thaddeus “Tuk” Koslik arrived at an Albuquerque assisted living facility one Saturday

Few attorneys enter the profession carrying a peer-reviewed research record, a master's degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a history of co-writing multi-million-dollar federal grants. R. Paola Vargas Daly is one of them. Her path to criminal prosecution in New Mexico ran through academic public health,

Front page of the Aug. 5, 1918 issue of the Las Vegas Optic. Fred Mendenhall was arrested last night and taken off the train at Springer, by telegram from Sheriff Lopez, and this morning Deputy Sheriff Joe Lopez took the train for that place and will bring his man in

Volunteers are invited to pitch a tent and get their hands dirty during a free workshop all about helping the environment and restoring a healthy ecosystem. From Aug. 14-16, the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation – a group dedicated to the conservation of natural resources throughout the state – will conduct an

D.P. Benjamin Monday, July 17, 2023 Amtrak Station Albuquerque, New Mexico Peering at the bus schedule displayed on a faded wall, Addison Peshbrook reckoned it would be two hours until the next shuttle. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate. The bustle of the station seemed to evaporate, and

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse that may be upsetting for some readers. Discretion is advised. Police arrested a Las Vegas man this week and charged him with sexually assaulting a child seven years ago. Michael A. Helm, 36, is charged with felony counts of criminal

From left: Mario Salas, Ava Miller and Elizabeth Caldwell pose for a photograph at The Optic office on July 23. Miller, 16, is a local student accepted to the United World College in Montezuma. Ava Miller may be the first local teenager to attend boarding school in her own backyard.