Top stories of 2020
Anew coronavirus upended life through most of the year, but there were some other notable events and headlines. Women made a strong foray into local politics, Taos Pueblo marked an important anniversary and a con man with a national reputation showed up in Taos. Here are our picks for the top local stories of the year.
COVID-19 upheaval
Not since the Spanish flu of 1918 has a virus so disrupted life in Taos. Within a few weeks after the first positive case in March, schools and businesses shut down. Local governments went to reduced hours and virtual meetings. Parks were closed and all public events were canceled. Businesses closed, opened and had to close again. People
lost jobs. The impact was immediate and devastating. The pandemic dominated headlines for months.
The community pulled together. A coalition of local governments, the hospital and businesses formed a group to marshal resources more efficiently. Staff and volunteers pitched in to package and deliver breakfasts and lunches to students around the community. The local utility, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, worked to ensure students had internet connections. frontline workers in all kinds of jobs kept showing up to keep things running smoothly.
A vaccine now gives hope that the end of the pandemic is near.
Women win local offices
In a historic first, Taos County voted more women than men into key offices.
Kristina Ortez was elected to represent District 42 at the state Capitol in January, becoming only the second woman to hold the seat. She will be sworn in Jan. 19. Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales who had held the seat for decades, was appointed and then elected to the Senate, taking the place of the late Sen. Carlos Cisneros who died of a heart attack in 2019. Ortez is the executive director of the Taos Land Trust.
In another first, the Taos County Commission will have a majority of women on the board when Darlene Vigil and AnJanette Brush are sworn in along with other newly elected county officials at 9 a.m. Thursday (Dec. 31). Vigil, a former county assessor, will represent District 3, replacing outgoing commissioner Gabriel J. Romero. Brush will represent District 4, the seat currently held by Tom Blankenhorn.
Biden elected
It took a few days for the final vote tally to indicate Joe Biden had won the Presidential election over incumbent Donald Trump. Once it seemed certain, Taoseños, at least Democrats, celebrated with a noisy, if small, drive-by parade around the downtown Taos Plaza. It took weeks more before Republican leaders in Congress acknowledged Biden’s victory and Trump was still claiming fraud in the final week of the year.
Haaland nominated
On Dec.17, in an unprecedented move, President-elect Joe Biden nominated New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior Department. Haaland, who was set to begin her second term in Congress in January, will be the first Native American Cabinet Secretary, in addition to being the first Native American to head up the Interior Department.
The selection of Haaland for Secretary of the Interior was met with applause from environmentalists and decried by the oil and gas industry for her strong conservationist record and support of the Green New Deal.
Haaland, 60, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and has first-hand knowledge of life on tribal lands. Now she will oversee the Departments of Indian Affairs and Indian Education, in addition to over a half-billion acres of public land.
That is, if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate next year.
If Haaland is confirmed, a special election will be held to fill her congressional seat, which represents New Mexico’s 1st District.
50th anniversary of Blue Lake
A half century ago in December, the United States returned legal control of Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo. It had taken more than half a century for the pueblo to regain its sacred land, which had been designated part of the Carson National Forest without consulting the tribe. When Pres. Richard Nixon signed into law the bill giving Blue Lake back, it was a watershed moment in Indian Country, where Native Americans have fought for years to regain their sacred sites.
Pancake con man
He’s gone by more than a dozen names – Max Gomez, Frederick Esparza, Max DeMaria and others. He’s held a lot of jobs using false identities – bank teller, courtappointed psychiatrist, Catholic priest, American Red Cross fundraiser, orchestra conductor and a staffer at UCLA medical school among others. He’s been on national television, talking about his adventuresome past and time in prison.
Born Freddrick Brito, he told a reporter in April he’s changed his con man ways and now he’s content to manage the iHOP in Taos.
Luna Canyon fire
On Oct. 17, a blaze was spotted coming from Luna Canyon – an area eight miles northeast of the village of Chacon, on the border of Taos County, Mora County and Colfax County. What started as a small fire grew to scorch a total of 10,142 acres, and came within two miles of Chacon. With residents forced to evacuate, a fire team from California was brought in and a full scale effort was put forth to stop the fire from growing. Aided by an early season snowstorm, the fire finally petered out nearly one month later.
Though there were local reports of a plane and a sudden flash followed by a smoke plume, officials say a plane crash wasn’t the cause – which still remains officially (and unusually) under investigation. In response to an information request, officials said in November they could not release any more information.
Heroes of the pandemic
For most of us, 2020 came out of nowhere and knocked us to the ground. Luckily, 2020 was also filled with heroes who stepped up, putting their own health and lives at risk to help their communities. The heroes behind those masks largely belonged to our first responders and frontline workers.
In June, Holy Cross Medical Center named its 13 “Super Star Hospital Heroes” for special recognition. Though hospital CEO William Patten and the hospital’s board of directors state they firmly believe their entire staff deserves hero recognition, the number of nominees for the award was even
tually whittled down to 30 of the Medical Center’s 420 employees. In the end, 10 individuals and 2 groups were given the Super Star Hospital Hero Award. The winners included doctors, nurses, administrators, IT support, housekeeping, the COVID-19 Physician Team, and the entire Emergency Department.
Prep sports upended
One of the many things that was completely turned on its head in 2020 was prep sports. On March 27, the New Mexico Activities Association announced the cancelation of all spring sports, including the 2020 cheer competition. The decision followed a series of postponements and cancellations related to prep sports, which saw fans barred from games and the implementation of strict COVID-19 guidelines.
Despite optimism for the coming 2020-21 prep sports season, the decision as to whether or not high school sports will resume is yet to be made. Executive Director Sally Marquez says the NMAA is “not ready to throw in the towel right now.”
At the moment, the prep football season is scheduled to begin Feb. 1, with pre-season basketball on tap next, with a late March start date. The remainder of spring sports are planned to begin April 5.
Missing skier found
The remains of a skier who went missing while skiing out of bounds at Taos Ski Valley were recovered on May 27. John McCoy, 72, of Maryland – who had been missing since Jan. 2 – was found by hikers months later. His body was outside of the ski area boundary somewhere beyond Chair 2, one of the highest lifts on the mountain. Authorities suspect that McCoy broke his leg while skiing in the area and was unable to call for or receive help, due to the fact he was not technically inside Taos Ski Valley. McCoy was an avid skier and outdoorsman who frequented Taos Ski Valley while staying at his seasonal home in El Prado.
Melissa Crabtree disappears
Missing since Feb. 29, Melissa Crabtree was a well-known local musician. The Taos County Sheriff’s office began looking for her after her car was found parked by the Río Grande Gorge Bridge, suspecting that she may have jumped to her death. However, after an exhaustive search of the area by multiple agencies, her remains were nowhere to be found. In 2014, Crabtree had been diagnosed with Lyme’s disease – an infection that can affect the nervous system. According to friends, she may have been suicidal and was apparently struggling with mental health. Information regarding Crabtree’s disappearance should be reported to Taos Central Dispatch at (575) 758-2216.
Hotel St. Bernard sold
In November 2020, following the death of Jean Mayer in October 2020, the Hotel St. Bernard announced the sale of Mayer’s iconic hotel to Taos Ski Valley Inc.
Known world-wide as a founding pioneer of Taos Ski Valley and owner/operator of the St. Bernard, according to the statement from both companies, Mayer approached his “friend and owner of Taos Ski Valley,” Louis Bacon, in 2019 to say “the time had come to unify” the hotel and the ski resort.
Bacon acknowledged Mayer’s intent for the hotel in the statement. “I’m humbled to have Jean Mayer’s confidence and trust. Jean and I spoke at length about his vision of how the St. Bernard and Taos Ski Valley are bound by the same founding principles. The hotel will remain a vital and integral part of Taos Ski Valley.”