ABOUT US

As a long-time Raton resident, and community activist, I try to promote Raton in everything I do. I created The Ratonian because I often learned about an activity or event in Raton after it had occurred. The Ratonian provides a “one-stop shop” of information about our community that is “free press” to anyone with internet access. There are no subscription costs to the public.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Deb made Raton her last “home” in 2018 after 10 years in Colorado Springs. She has a medical background (the last job in that field being as a circulating nurse for a plastic surgeon in the late 90s), and became interested in herbalism about a decade ago. She is an Herbalist now and the former owner of Namaste Wellness Center in Raton. Also a self-described closet computer geek, she spent several years as the copy editor for the Hawaii Rifle Association’s monthly newsletter and is excited to use that experience to assist with The Ratonian. Deb and her son Bryan live in the most beautiful area imaginable near Sugarite State Park and love the close-knit, kind and caring community of Raton which welcomed them so graciously and continues to be exactly the type of community they are proud to call home.

Melanie, a Raton native, decided to come back home after spending eight years away. During her time outside of Raton, she graduated from West Las Vegas High School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of New Mexico. In 2022, Melanie and her husband, Justin, moved back to Raton and have since fallen in love with their community all over again.

Melanie is passionate about the arts—she’s an actress, singer, musician, and creative spirit. She’s also a big fan of literature; she enjoys a variety of works from the likes of Shakespeare to Otessa Moshfegh to Manga. She has a deep love of all things spooky; horror movies and novels are her bread and butter.

When she’s not exploring her creative side, you might find Melanie haunting her favorite coffee shops, journaling, making playlists, or traveling to new places with her husband. She’s also an enthusiastic admirer of Dave Grohl.

With a long-standing love for writing and English, Melanie is excited to join The Ratonian and dive into new creative endeavors.

Connie Martinez is a native Ratonian and a 1978 graduate of Raton High School.  Connie has extensive experience in selling broadcast advertising for both radio and TV stations, plus digital and print advertising.  Since her fulltime return to Raton in 2020, Connie has worked promoting Raton tourism and local businesses with City of Raton and Colfax County Lodger’s Tax Boards and provided media buying services for the 2023 Raton Supercross.  Connie’s other interests include home renovation, design and construction, jewelry making and gardening.  Contact Connie at advertising@theratonian.com if you’re interested in promoting your local business and services through The Ratonian. 

Frank Mahannah is a life-long resident of Raton, New Mexico and is best known as the community photographer. He has worked at the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library since his teen years, and recently celebrated 50 years as a City of Raton employee.

He has been a member of the Raton Lions Club where has served as the President and has represented the Lions Club at many conferences throughout the United States and other countries. Frank has also been a life-time member of the Raton Ambassadors, serving as their official photographer. He has been a member of the First Baptist Church and has served as a Sunday School teacher for many years.

Sally has many years of experience in laboratory science and medical research in infectious disease and anti-infective agents. She currently is an adjunct professor for three colleges and universities. She holds degrees in Microbiology, Biomedical Science, and a doctorate degree in Public Health Policy. She and her husband, AJ, reside in Raton and enjoy community activities, hiking and camping.

My name is Madi and I am 12 years old. I love to cook and bake! I take online cooking classes with Cultured Kids Cuisine and frequently prepare the CKC recipes for family dinners—especially potato latkes and lavash bread! My baking has won ribbons at the County Fair through 4H, and I have also placed third at the Trinidad, CO Green Chili Competition. I am a Skateguard at SkateLand in Trinidad, and have held fundraising bake sales for Southern Colorado Kids Clubhouse, who they sponsor. I also love to knit and create my own patterns, in addition to my own recipes. 

My name is Pat Walsh, but you may remember me as “Ranger Pat.” I’m lucky to have worked for New Mexico State Parks for 17 years before retiring in 2022. And I’m lucky to live here in Raton, where I moved in 2005. These days, I enjoy almost daily trail hikes with my guy and our two dogs, while the cats guard the house. I’m also working (voluntarily) to promote communication about the earth, including solutions to current challenges. We’ll celebrate successful local solutions to some of those challenges on the Earth Corner page

Jari Thymian is a comic artist, writer, poet, and avid nature journaler. She grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm near the South Dakota border and attended a country school for six years. Jari and her husband Greg lived and traveled in a 5^th wheel RV for 10 years while they volunteered in 13 different national parks, national forests, etc. in the western US. (In NM, their favorites were Gila Cliff Dwellings and Mora National Fish Hatchery.) They had visited and enjoyed Raton many times in their RV before deciding to settle here where there are friendly people, interesting history, entrepreneurial spirit, great hiking trails, and the mountains.

Jari got hooked on comics briefly in the 1960s then again a few years ago while reading a science comic book called Two Heads: A Graphic Exploration of How Our Brains Work with Other Brains by Frith, Frith, et al. A couple months later, she jumped into the comics community and took a year-long intensive course through the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) in Gainsville, FL. Now everything, even her poetry, comes out in comic form. 

• Pen name – Vixie Zorra
• My favorite musician is Michael Jackson, while my favorite band is Imagine Dragons.
• My favorite color is blue.
• My favorite movie is Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
• My idols include Michael Jackson, Mark Hamill, Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, and more.
• My favorite song is either “Thriller” or “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson, but I also love a lot of one-hit wonders, such as “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head and “Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring.
• I am currently writing a series called “War of the Phoenix”, which is something I love with all my heart.

Bryan moved to Raton in 2019, having spent half of his life in Hawaii and the other half in Colorado previously. He has been attached to a computer since the day he mastered using a mouse (around 15 months of age) and truly enjoys helping his fellow Ratonian’s solve their technical issues. In his free time, he enjoys online gaming, his pet chihuahua Tito as well as helping rescue, foster and care for cats, including helping bottle feed abandoned newborn kittens.

Niko Ibañez has dedicated 12 years to technical illustration and writing with a focus on universal design. He initially planned to be a famous fiction author at age 13, but realized his passion for bug-based superheroes held sparse audience at the time. He has since collaborated with humanitarian organizations like Imagine!, The Trevor Project, and The Gathering Place for outreach campaigns. His background in ghostwriting and journalism was shaped by the cultural zeitgeists of Colorado during the 2010s: the legalization of recreational cannabis, civil disputes over same-sex marriage, Black Lives Matter marches, COVID-19 healthcare crises, the 2011 and 2016 Verizon workers’ strikes, and 2018-2019 education workers’ strikes.

Residing in New Mexico for over a year, he funds his passion for espresso and avocado by designing advertisements, murals, and technical documents for small businesses. He enjoys producing media and events that cultivate a local engagement in politics and the arts. As a consumer, he enjoys media that makes you think about death and get sad and stuff.

He really wants you to join his Dungeons & Dragons group at the youth center.

Faith is originally from Texas but moved to New Mexico when she was in 6th grade. She first lived in Clayton and then moved to Raton when she was in 10th grade. Faith’s interests include art, sewing, and reading manga (comics or graphic novels originating from Japan). After moving to Raton, she participated in the Fashion Fling, a sewing workshop sponsored by Patchwork Phoenix, where she designed, created, and modeled her own outfit, showing her tenacity and dedication to learning a new skill. She plans to attend either UNM or University of Colorado after high school and one day would like to attend law school.