1. 50Cents
Trinidad
Colorado
Proudly Serving Southeastern Colorado and Northeastern New Mexico • www.thechronicle-news.com
~
Vol. 138, No. 83
APRIL 25-27
FRIDAY (10 a.m.) & SATURDAY (1
p.m.) Join the Trinidad Tree Board to learn
about planting trees and tree care. Informa-
tion: Karen Wolf, 719-846-9843 ext. 136.
~Student Homework Help
FRIDAY (10 a.m.-Noon) Free Math and
Science homework help for middle school
and high school students at Trinidad State
Junior College, Library 308, 600 Prospect.
Information: Jenn Swanson at 719-846-
5670.
~Prayer Support Group
FRIDAY (6:30 p.m.) Everyone is invited
to join the prayer support group at the Inter-
national House of Prayer, 520 W. Baca St.
Refreshments will be served. Information:
719-845-7815
Today’s Quote
“Don’t count the days, make
the days count.”
― Muhammad Ali
~ Community Men’s Breakfast
SATURDAY (8 a.m.) Bring your sons
and join us for food, fellowship and fun every
4th Saturday at the First Christian Church,
402 E. First St. (basement fellowship hall).
Information: Tom Berry, 719-846-0879 or
719-846-3843. This monthly event is free
and everyone is welcome to attend.
~Comcast Community Clean-up
SATURDAY (8 a.m.-Noon) The Trinidad
Community Foundation and Comcast will
host the annual Comcast Community Clean-
up project. Participants to meet at Cimino
Park. Information: Margaret Apodaca, 719-
846-3943.
~Livestock Meeting
SATURDAY (12:30 p.m.) The Southern
Colorado Livestock Association will meet in
the Hoehne Community Building for a pot-
luck lunch and presentation on “National
Heritage Areas” by Dr. Norman Kincaide and
Elizabeth Erickson-Noe. Everyone is wel-
come to attend. Information: 719-469-4048.
~Philosophy Discussion Group
SATURDAY (12:30 – 2 p.m.) Join this
free discussion group at the Lava Yoga Stu-
dio, 828 Arizona. RSVP: 719-846-2325 or
email: www/lavayogastudio.com. Everyone
is welcome.
~TSJC Hall of Fame Event
SATURDAY (6 p.m.) The Trinidad State
Educational Foundation invites you to the
annual Fun & Friendraiser dinner and silent
auction at the Scott Gym. Information: 719-
846-5649.
~Community Chorale
SUNDAY (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) A fundraiser
pasta luncheon will be held at the Primero
Café in the Mt. Carmel Health & Wellness
Center on Robinson St. Proceeds benefit
the Community Chorale.
~ Meditation Group
SUNDAY (11 a.m.) You are invited to
experience what meditation can do for you.
This free group meets at the La Quinta Inn on
Toupal Drive. Information: Noah Simpson,
719-680-0109 or 224-430-4322.
~Fiesta Dinner
SUNDAY (11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.) The
Mount San Rafael Hospital Auxiliary is host-
ing their annual fundraiser “Fiesta Dinner,” in
the hospital cafeteria, 410 Benedicta. Infor-
mation: Sylvia Lackey, 719-846-6497. Take
out is available and proceeds benefit the
auxiliary’s hospital equipment projects.
APRIL 28
~Holy Trinity Academy
MONDAY (5:30 p.m.) School board
meeting at the school, 613 Prospect St. In-
formation: Andrea Jimenez, 719-846-4522.
~Community Chorale
MONDAY (6:15 p.m.) Rehearsals for the
annual Spring Concert under the direction
of Jireh Thomas are being held at the First
United Methodist Church, 216 Broom St.
Information: 719-846-3720. New members
always welcome, no auditions necessary.
PUBLIC SERVICE
~Help Save the Veteran’s Post
URGENT: All interested parties who
would like to help the veterans save Trini-
dad’s local VFW Post 984 from closing,
please contact Commander John Rios at
719-846-6094. The Post is in desperate
need of caring individuals to champion this
organization that provides so many honor-
able benefits to the community.
~Mammography Project
APRIL 29 (5:30 p.m.) A public meeting
will be held in the boardroom at the Mt. San
Rafael Hospital, 410 Benedicta Ave. to dis-
cuss this project and grant submission to the
USDA Information: 719-846-8053.
~Latin Golf Scholarship
APRIL 30 DEADLINE: Applications may
be picked up at all Las Animas County high
school counselor’s offices and at Chacon
Insurance, 125 E. Main St. High school and
college students are eligible. Sponsored by
the Trinidad Latin Golf Association. Informa-
tion: 719-846-9253.
~Free Disposal Day
MAY 3 (7 a.m.-4 p.m.) The City of Trini-
dad Landfill, 2401 N. State Street will accept
residential refuse without charge. Tires will
be assessed normal fees. Electronic waste
is excluded. Information: 719-846-2538.
~9Health Fair
MAY 3 (7:30 a.m.-Noon) Annual
9Health Fair will be in the lobby of the Mt.
San Rafael Hospital, 410 Benedicta Ave. In-
formation: 719-846-8051.
TheFinePrint
WeatherWatchFriday: Sunny, with a high near 78.
Breezy, with a SW wind 10 to 15 mph in-
creasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Breezy, with a SW wind 10 to 20 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near
76. Windy, with a S-SW wind 10 to 20 mph
increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon.
Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Night:
A slight chance of showers and thunder-
storms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Windy, with a W-SW wind 20 to 30 mph, with
gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipi-
tation is 20%.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of show-
ers. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Breezy,
with a west wind 20 to 25 mph. Night: A
slight chance of rain and snow showers.
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy,
with a west northwest wind 15 to 25 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday: A slight chance of rain and
snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near
57. Breezy, with a N-NW wind 15 to 20 mph.
RiverCallPurgatoire River Call as of
04/24/2014. Highland Canal
ditch: Priority #27 -- Appropria-
tion date: 05/31/1866.
Trinidad Reservoir Accounting:
Release 120.89 AF
Inflow 214.23 AF -- 108.01 CFS
Evaporation 16.34 AF
Content 18,783 AF
Elevation 6,181.93
Precipitation 0.13
Downstream River Call:
Highland Canal: 05/31/1866.
TheChronicleNews
“WeekendEdition”
Friday,Saturday
&Sunday
April25-27,2014
TRANSPORTATION
City Council approves funds for
Southwest Chief rail upgradeBy Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
The effort to save Amtrak’s
Southwest Chief is rolling into
high gear, and Trinidad’s City
Council agreed to join in the fight
at a Tuesday special meeting.
Council approved a resolution and
authorization to commit $10,000 in
matching funds to the total pool
of $250,000 required for a federal
Transportation Infrastructure
Generating Economic Recovery
(TIGER) grant application for $15
million from the U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT).
The City funding will come
from the 2015-16 General Fund
budget. City staff recommended
approval of the resolution.
The City’s Tourism Board
approved an additional $4,000
in funding for the TIGER grant
match at its Wednesday meeting,
upon the request of City Manager
Tom Acre.
The Las Animas County Board
of Commissioners will consider a
resolution at next Tuesday’s board
meeting to contribute $10,000 out
of next year’s budget to the effort,
and pending commitments have
been proposed of $10,000 each from
Bent, Otero and Prowers counties
and the city of Lamar.
The resolution allowed Trini-
dad to join many other Colorado
counties, communities and pri-
vate donors committed to saving
the Southwest Chief. The effort
is being spearheaded by Garden
City, Kansas, which is one of the
stops along the Chief’s route from
Chicago to Los Angeles. The Bur-
lington, Northern and Santa Fe
Railroad (BNSF), which owns the
railroad tracks, has pledged $2
million in funding if the TIGER
grant is awarded by DOT. BNSF
will repair approximately 50 miles
of the Chief route in Colorado and
Kansas if the grant is approved.
Amtrak has pledged $4 million for
the project, and the Kansas De-
partment of Transportation has
pledged $3 million. State legisla-
tures in Colorado and New Mexico
have not yet approved any funding
for the project.
The railroad tracks along
much of the Chief’s route in Kan-
sas, Colorado and New Mexico
are very old and in need of repair
or replacement. The total proj-
ect funding would be $24 million,
including the matching funds, if
the TIGER grant is approved. The
funding is expected to cover ap-
proximately 50 miles of railroad
right-of-way refurbishment, in-
cluding installation of new rails,
replacement of ties and ballast as
needed, surfacing and alignment
of the track and restoring it to
Federal Railroad Administration
Class IV status with a passenger
train speed of 80 mph. In addition,
BNSF has committed to maintain-
ing the route at Class IV status if
the route is fully rehabilitated, ac-
cording to the website colorail.org.
BNSF has no particular segment
of the route targeted for the refur-
bishment. Instead, the company
will select track portions most in
Photo courtesy of Amtrak Continued on Page 2 ...
TRINIDAD STATE GALA
‘Hats off to the Past, Present
& Future’ to honor legacies,
feature keynote speaker
By Greg Boyce
Special to The Chronicle-News
The Trinidad State Educa-
tional Foundation will hold its
annual Fun & Friendraiser & Hall
of Fame event on Saturday, April
26 at 6 p.m. in the Scott Gym on
the Trinidad State Junior College
Campus. The evening’s events in-
clude a recep-
tion and social
hour at 6 p.m.,
a silent auc-
tion and din-
ner at 7 p.m.,
with the key-
note speaker
and the Hall
of Fame induc-
tions to follow.
This year’s
theme for the
Fun & Frien-
draiser, “Hats
off to the Past,
Present & Fu-
ture,” honors
those who pos-
itively affected
the college to
such an extent
that their lega-
cies live on
today and will
continue to
impact future
generations
at Trinidad
State. The key-
note speaker
for the event,
Tim Sim-
mons, is the
son of legend-
ary Southern Colorado basketball
coach Harry Simmons — known
as “The Chief” — who coached the
Trinidad State basketball team in
the early 1940s.
Tim Simmons specializes in
sports media and special events
as an independent event-service
consultant. Prior to his consult-
ing career, Simmons worked from
1981 to 1992 at the Coors Brewing
Company, where he managed
sports promotions, special events
and entertainment marketing.
Since then, he has taken on sev-
eral sports-
media roles
with various
organizations,
including the
Atlanta 1996,
Sydney 2000,
Athens 2004
and Beijing
2008 Olympic
Games; Heart
of Dallas Bowl;
Armed Forces
Bowl; and the
Women’s Pro-
fessional Vol-
leyball Asso-
ciation.
Following
the keynote
speaker, Don
and Kather-
ine Berg, Ben
Johnson and
Fidel Romero
will be post-
h u m o u s l y
inducted into
the Trinidad
State Educa-
tional Foun-
dation Hall
of Fame. The
Trinidad State
Educational
Foundation Hall of Fame honors
individuals who contribute to
the betterment of Trinidad State
Junior College through service,
commitment and dedication. The
legacies of the 2014 inductees con-
tinue to this day and will be hon-
ored and remembered as a part of
the “Hats off to the Past, Present &
Future” event.
Don Berg served as President
of the Trinidad State Educational
Foundation during the Foun-
dation’s restructuring in 1973.
He served in that capacity until
1980 and remained on the Board
of Directors until 1983. The son
of Albert V. Berg, for whom the
Berg Building at Trinidad State
is named, Don and his wife,
Katherine, continued his father’s
commitment to the College by es-
tablishing the Albert V. Berg Me-
morial Scholarship.
Ben Johnson, a founding mem-
ber of the Trinidad State Educa-
tional Foundation in 1968, also
served on the College Advisory
Council for more than 35 years,
from 1939 to 1975. Johnson was
a member of the Foundation un-
til the early 1990s. The residence
hall, Johnson Hall, was officially
dedicated in April 1963 in honor
of Johnson’s service to the insti-
tution. Fidel Romero served the
Trinidad Campus as a custodian
for 36 years, through 1976. For-
mer Trinidad State President Roy
Boyd referred to him as the “Rock
of Gibraltar,” not only for his de-
pendability on the job, but also for
his ability to touch the lives of stu-
dents and give them the determi-
nation to finish their education.
Romero’s family honored his com-
mitment to education and Trini-
dad State by establishing the Fidel
Romero Scholarship. The families
of Don and Katherine Berg, John-
son and Romero will accept the
awards on behalf of the inductees.
The Fun & Friendraiser gala is
open to the public. Individual tick-
ets for the event are $50 per per-
son. Corporate sponsorship levels
of $5,000, $2,500, $1,000 or $800 are
also available.
Pieces donated for the silent
auction include a hand-carved
powder horn with a map of the
Santa Fe Trail, created by gun-
smithing student and historical
author Gary Yee; handcrafted
pens, made by a gunsmithing
alumnus; and art prints and pho-
tography prints by local artists,
among other unique items.
Proceeds from the event benefit
the Trinidad State Educational
Foundation in its mission to pro-
mote the growth and development
of Trinidad State Junior College.
The Educational Foundation is
a private, non-profit corpora-
tion founded in 1968 to raise and
manage private gifts for Trinidad
State.
Tickets for the event must be
purchased in advance. For ticket
reservations or more information,
contact the Trinidad State Educa-
tional Foundation at 719-846-5649.
Photo courtesy of Greg Boyce
A hand-carved powder horn with a map of the Santa Fe Trail, created by gun-
smithing student and historical author Gary Yee, will be featured among many
other unique items in the silent auction at the event.
Photo courtesy of Tim Simmons
Tim Simmons, sports media consultant
and son of legendary Southern Colo-
rado basketball coach Harry Simmons,
will be the keynote speaker at the Fun &
Friendraiser event at TSJC’s Scott Gym
on April 26.

2. “Weekend Edition” Friday, Saturday & Sunday, April 25-27, 2014 Page 5The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
COMMUNITY
4-H AgFest celebrates
farm life, future of
food, leadership
AGRICULTURE
By Scott Mastro
Correspondent
The Chronicle-News
Founding Father George Washington
said, “I know of no pursuit in which more
realandimportantservicescanberendered
to any country than by improving its agri-
culture.” To that end, Las Animas County
4-H’s AgFest at the County Fairgrounds last
week was a celebration of agriculture and
how it enriches the nation, and the event
emphasized citizenship, healthy living, sci-
ence, engineering, technology, leadership,
responsibility and life skills.
The 4-H motto states, “I pledge my head
to clearer thinking, my heart to greater
loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my
health to better living,” with the group’s 4-H
name being derived from the four italicized
words in the above motto.
These ideals and edicts were exempli-
fied by the attendees at this year’s AgFest.
Mick Livingston is the northeast Colorado
CSU Extension Agent for 4-H Youth De-
velopment, and he said, “Now in its fifth
year of enlightening students and teachers
about the science of food production, Ag-
Fest brings youth a positive message about
wholesome, safe, sustainable food.”
Dean Oatman is a Las Animas & Huer-
fano Counties 4-H Extension Agent, and he
said, “We have about 200 students from five
Las Animas County schools and one from
Huerfano County. We’re excited to be part
of AgFest and to have the opportunity to
bring this informative program to fifth- and
sixth graders in our area.”
Livingston said, “Food production needs
to double by 2050 to feed our expanding
population. American agriculture depends
on current public policy decisions that will
guide food production for the next 40 years.
It’s crucial we make informed decisions
and accept new science and technology.
Our future depends on these kids.” AgFest
students moved from makeshift classroom
to makeshift classroom, enthusiastically
participating in all of the event’s features.
Las Animas County 4-H Director Lorri
Arnhold talked about chickens and the
parts of an egg, then ended her presentation
by showing students day-old chicks. In the
next booth, students learned about machin-
ery and pulleys.
Oatman spoke about range ecology, say-
ing, “Three things that define rangeland are
soil, plants and animals. It’s everything, the
insects even, that make the grasses grow to
feed cattle. Your yard is a little-biddy piece
of rangeland.”
He noted the symbiotic relationship of
humans and plants. “We give them carbon
dioxide, and they give us oxygen.”
Kit Carson County Extension Agent
Ron Meyer talked about genetically modi-
fied BT corn. He explained, “It kills bugs,
but does not harm humans.” Fellow Kit
Carson County Agent Kelly Witzel told a
class of Hoehne fifth graders about pollu-
tion, saying, “Point-source pollution means
we know where it comes from. Non-point-
source pollution means we don’t know, like
the recent Washington State landslides.”
At another station, Prowers and Bent
County agent Lacey Mann talked about
agri-tourism, stating that the Colorado tech-
nology industry nets $8 billion a year, and
tourism brings in $14 billion, but agricul-
ture is the best, with $27 billion.
Crowley and Otero Extension Agent Bar-
ry Acton showed Ms. Maes’ Fisher’s Peak
fifth-grade class how to make butter in a jar,
allowing students to take turns shaking the
jar filled with cream. “It’s simple,” he said.
“By shaking the cream, we add oxygen to it.
That’s all it takes.”
Des Moines, Iowa native and Denver res-
ident Amy Gossman works for the Colorado
Department of Agriculture. She pointed out
that, “Some of the top commodities grown
here are corn, wheat, beef and sheep,” add-
ing, “everything we eat and wear comes
from farmers and ranchers.”
Hoehne students Shania Casados, Jackie
Jolly, Aubrey Garcia and Jeremiah Varela
spoke with Mick Livingston. Jackie said,
“Farm kids do chores. We have cattle, hors-
es, alfalfa and rabbits. I show the rabbits at
4-H.” Aubrey said, “I have horses, rabbits
and quail. We started with two quail, and
now we have 200. We feed them, but they’re
free to fly around. My rabbits are California
rabbits. They get huge.”
Arnhold said, “This was our first year
with AgFest in Trinidad. We had kids from
here, Primero, Hoehne, La Veta, Branson
and Kim. Next week we’re in Hugo, Lamar
and La Junta.”
Mick Livingston had a final thought
about AgFest and 4-H’s role in the future of
food. He said, “Last year a Genoa-Hugo fifth
grader said to me, ‘If we didn’t have agri-
culture, we’d be naked and hungry.’” Mick
shook his head. “Smart kid.”
To find out more about 4-H, contact
Lorri.Arnhold@ColoState.edu or Dean.Oat-
man@ColoState.edu, or phone 719-846-6881.
They’re located at 2200 North Linden Street.
Scott Mastro / The Chronicle-News
A one-day old chick, above, was part of Lorri Arnhold’s AgFest presentation about poultry produc-
tion. Hoehne students, lower left, left to right, Shania Casados, Jackie Jolly, Aubrey Garcia and
Jeremiah Varela pose with AgFest organizer Mick Livingston last week at the County Fairgrounds.
Kit Carson County 4-H Instructor Ron Meyer, below, talked about food production at last week’s
AgFest.
Trinidad State shooter to
attend Olympic camp
By Greg Boyce
Special to The Chronicle-News
James Norin, a gunsmithing student
and a member of the Clays Shooting Team
at Trinidad State, has been accepted to a
summer camp for shooters at the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The two-day camp will take place at the
Olympic Training Center and at Fort Car-
son in Colorado Springs at the end of May.
“The national coaches come and coach
you,” said Norin, while working on the bar-
rel of a rifle in a machining class. “I think
it’s brand new. I don’t think they’ve ever
done it before.”
Norin, of Fort Collins, is an experienced
shotgun shooter who qualified for Junior
Olympics competitions three times while in
high school. He shot 99 out of 100 in Ameri-
can Skeet at the Association of College
Unions International Clay Targets Tourna-
ment in March in San Antonio. He finished
sixth in the country in that event while
competing with the Trinidad State Clays
Shooting Team.
Photo by Greg Boyce
James Norin, who is working in a machining class in this photo, will take part in a two-day shooting
camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs at the end of May.
Photos by Steve Block / The Chronicle-News
Progress on Main Street . . .
These construction workers, above, were building a covered
walkway in the 100 block of East Main Street, next to First Na-
tional Bank. The former buildings at the location had to be torn
down because of their deteriorating condition. The walkway is
being installed for pedestrian safety, while the bank, which owns
the property, works on a more permanent solution. The result-
ing development is expected to be an attractive addition to Trini-
dad’s downtown area.