Taos News

Taos-area news this week covered several public safety and community concerns, including crews containing the Piedra Fire in Taos Canyon [1] and an ongoing investigation into the death of a Los Alamos National Laboratory worker, with her husband seeking a restraining order against a private investigator hired by her family [2]. On the local governance front, a recount is pending in the Taos County magistrate judge race after a razor-thin Democratic primary result [3], while New Mexico's Universal Childcare program — now eight months old — continues to face demand that outpaces available capacity [4]. Community and cultural highlights included the announcement that Arroyo Seco's July Fourth parade will return this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence [5], and the passing of longtime Taos resident and Backpacker magazine founder Bill Kemsley at age 98 [6]. Three men were also charged in a yearslong elk tag fraud scheme targeting out-of-state hunters [7].