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Our Community
- MCMC CEO Bo Beames Retires
- Raton Elks Welcome New Members
- Raton Rotary Club Officers Visit Rotary Clubs in Las Cruces and Mesillas
- Raton Rotary Builds Trail Extension in Climax Canyon
- El Raton Media Works Receives Grant to Expand Youth Coding League in Raton, NM
- Raton Rotary Presents Donation for Medical Trip to Guatemala
- Excess and Waste at the Post Office
- Press Release for Colfax County Republican Party – Official Call
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Our Community
MCMC CEO Bo Beames Retires
Posted January 12, 2025
On January 9, 2025, Miners Colfax Medical Center (MCMC) staff and crew celebrated the retirement of CEO Bo Beames.
Bo has been with MCMC for 7.5 years and has been through good times and challenging times as the head of MCMC. He saw the center through COVID and helped the entire team grow during the most stressful time in healthcare. The community appreciates his leadership, dedication, and commitment to MCMC and will feel the effects of his influence and guidance as MCMC goes forward.
Raton Elks Welcome New Members
Posted January 12, 2025
Although one of the coldest days of the new year, the Raton Elks welcomed several new members.
Jr Rotarians for January
Post January 9, 2025 – Information provided by Jari Thymian
Yesterday Angel Garcia and David Valdez introduced themselves at the weekly Rotary meeting. We are fortunate to have these intelligent and interesting students visit us as Jr Rotarians this month. They are eligible to apply for our scholarships. We look forward to hearing more from them in the future.
Raton Rotary Club Officers Visit Rotary Clubs in Las Cruces and Mesillas
Posted January 4, 2025 – Information provided by Jari Thymian
Raton Rotary Club President Jari Thymian and her husband, Rotary Treasurer Greg Fischer visited two Rotary clubs while in Las Cruces in late December 2024. The two Rotary clubs, although they meet only two blocks away, have different energy and culture. The Rotary Club of Las Cruces Rio Grande meets Tuesdays at the Andele Restaurant in the historic town of Mesilla, NM. The other Las Cruces Rotary club meets on Wednesdays, at the La Posta Restaurant. Both were fun and interesting meetings. President Matt Holt of the Rio Grande club exchanged club banners with Jari as did President Jill Grammer of the other club. Both clubs and their members were very welcoming and engaging.
Raton Rotary Builds Trail Extension in Climax Canyon
Posted January 4, 2024 – Submitted by Jari Thymian
Raton Rotary Club members were busy building a trail extension and a foot bridge for crossing over a runoff area this past week. The work was completed across from the KT boundary site in order to allow hikers to get to the Climax Canyon trail. Members who participated were Al Frydryk, John Johnson, AJ Reilly, Pat Walsh, and Greg Fischer. Both the sign and the bridge materials were purchased thanks to a generous donation by John Johnson.
The public is invited to attend the Raton Rotary Club meetings that are held every Tuesday at noon at K-Bob’s Restaurant, 1228 S. 2nd Street, Raton. Previous community service work done by the Raton Rotary Club has been landscape clean-up around the Raton Post Office, the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library, and on Historic First Street.
Press Release: El Raton Media Works Receives Grant to Expand Youth Coding League in Raton, NM
Posted December 23, 2024
Raton, NM, December 20, 2024 – El Raton Media Works is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $5,000 Community Based Grant from The Encantado Foundation to expand the Youth Coding League (YCL) at Raton Intermediate School. This funding will empower 5th and 6th graders in the rural community of Raton to explore coding and technology careers through an innovative after-school program.
As a nonprofit dedicated to building workforce skills in media arts and technology, El Raton Media Works is committed to fostering career opportunities for youth and adults in Colfax County. The organization’s mission to empower the community aligns perfectly with the goals of the YCL, which provides invaluable access to the fundamentals of coding and computer science within a dynamic, industry-informed, and competitive environment. By providing foundational coding skills, this program offers students pathways to high-tech skills and encourages local talent to thrive.
The Encantado Foundation’s Community Based Grant award will allow El Raton Media Works to continue YCL programming at Raton Intermediate after a successful pilot season, which was recently completed by students in the fall semester, with six students ranking in the top half nationally and the team ranking the highest in New Mexico. Stacy Dohogne Lane, Youth Coding League Director, said “Myself and my teammate Liza were thrilled to get to work with El Raton Media Works and their local school community in the Fall of 2024. Their coders and coaches were engaged and ready to excel on day one, and they even helped us generate coder-led educational videos for next season using their unique expertise in video production.”
The Community Based Grant will fund two semesters of the Youth Coding League, covering costs for coaching, team T-shirts, headphones, gear, and prizes for outstanding participants. Students will engage in hands-on coding activities and compete nationally, gaining critical problem-solving and technical skills. “Our goal is to increase access to STEM learning opportunities and build awareness about career pathways in STEM through the Community Based Grant funding program. El Raton Media Works’ partnership with Raton Intermediate School and the Youth Coding League aligns with the goals of the Foundation’s community grant program and helps amplify our digital workforce development mission, serving Central and Northern New Mexico,” said Louis Jeantete, Executive Director of The Encantado Foundation.
Geneva Sandoval, RIS After School/Enrichment Coordinator, said about the fall team, “They did not want it to end and have voiced that they will be returning. I love the ease of how they were able to jump right into the coding concepts, build up their computer skills and work collaboratively with other students and coaches. Students designed and implemented their coding concepts each week as they built their projects. Not only did their self confidence grow but so did their enjoyment of competing. We can’t wait to continue competing and implement what they do in the world of coding!”
“Career options are often limited in rural areas, leading many young people to leave for opportunities elsewhere,” said Ann Theis, Founder and Executive Director of El Raton Media Works. “By expanding the Youth Coding League, we aim to inspire local students to dream big and prepare for careers in technology, and give them remote-work career options as access to technology and broadband in our community grows.”
To learn more about the YCL program at El Raton Media Works and how to sign up your 5th and 6th grader, visit: www.elratonmediaworks.org/youth-coding-league-raton
To learn more about about the organizations listed in this announcement, visit: www.youthcodingleague.com, www.theencantadofoundation.org
About El Raton Media Works
El Raton Media Works (ERMW) is a nonprofit Arts2Work workforce development and career opportunity hub serving Colfax County and surrounding areas. The organization empowers the community to thrive in a technology and media-driven world by providing access to tools, training, and careers in media arts and production. ERMW is committed to promoting community engagement, creative self-expression, and life and career skills for youth and adults, offering a range of community workshops, after-school programs, and Dual Credit Film Certificate classes credited through Santa Fe Community College.
Raton Rotary Presents Donation for Medical Trip to Guatemala
Posted December 20, 2024
Raton Rotary Club presents a “big” check to Dr. & Mrs. Caruana. Dr. Lee and his wife Anna have been going to Guatemala for the past few years to give medical aid in a remote part of that country.
A Rotary Club in Wisconsin collects funds and organizes the trips through the Guatemala Medical Resources Partnership (www.GMRP.org). The Caruanas will go to Guatemala in January and will visit Raton Rotary in February to talk about their medical expedition.
The Raton Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at noon for a luncheon meeting at K-Bob’s, 1228 S. 2nd Street in Raton. Visitors are welcome.
Excess and Waste at the Post Office
Published December 15, 2024. Written by Laura Brewer
One location in Raton that is visited by the public nearly every day is the post office. Recently, visitors walked through thick layers of ice melt on the sidewalk around the post office building. The ice melt had been dumped, apparently by the bag, not just sprinkled on the sidewalks and was being tracked into the building and appeared to be corroding the sidewalks where the ice melt had partially melted, then frozen again.
Ice melt is a vey effective tool when used properly to melt existing snow and ice, and to keep it from reforming. It only takes a small sprinkling. The amount of ice melt dumped on the sidewalks in front of the post office was not only excessive, but extremely wasteful, and could be harmful to the existing landscape. To prevent more harm, two citizens, Al Frydryk and Pat Walsh used brooms, shovels, and dust pans to clean up the excess ice melt and spoke to the postal employee at the counter to encourage a better use of ice melt next time.
Bees Are Fascinating!
Published August 23, 2024. Written by Sally Hoger
Owner Carrie Gonzales and beekeeper Warren Walton graciously treated a group of visitors to a riveting talk about raising bees at Carrie’s Honey & More Store, 613 S 2nd St. The local Rotary Club scheduled the activity as an informative event for its members and the community.
During the presentation Walton explained that anyone can raise bees, but it does take an initial outlay of money to buy or construct the bee boxes and other equipment, such as a bee suit, and the cost of the bees unless a swarm is gathered. But the payoff can be many pounds of honey and the chance to enjoy beekeeping.
Where do you obtain bees?
Bees can be purchased as a “nuc” (nucleus) or “split”, a collection of frames with bees and a queen the hive has already accepted. Alternatively, it is very simple to collect a swarm, Walton explained that a swarm occurs when a colony of bees divides after a new queen is born or if the colony of bees has become too large. Swarms can be collected in a box during the Spring from a tree or under a bridge. Walton suggested that the beekeeper wear a bee suit when collecting a swarm. He also mentioned that it will be obvious if the queen did not make it into the collection box, because within minutes the workers will move out of the box and back where the swarm had been.
Jana Florsheim, one of the observers at the presentation, told the group that she was lucky enough to catch the swarm that occurred at Carrie’s store a couple years ago and continues to keep the hive.
New Queen
Carrie was excited to tell us about the birth of a new queen in the hive that lives inside the store. No one is sure exactly what happens to initiate the birth and development of a queen, but it has to do with the kind of royal jelly she receives as a larva – Carrie calls it “bee magic”. There is a hive in the Honey Store where the bees are able to freely leave and return to the hive. There are also many varieties of honeys for sale in the store and customers are encouraged to bring their own jar for Carrie to fill.
Do you have to feed the Bees?
Walton stated that there are different ways to think about this, such as “A fed bee is a lazy bee” meaning they won’t go collect as much nectar to make honey. However, Walton feeds his bees because he wants to give them every chance for success. He demonstrated how a quart jar can be filled with a mixture of half and half of water and sugar and placed in the hive. Pat Walsh, an experienced beekeeper who raised bees at Sugarite Canyon State Park for educational purposes, was on hand to explain that bees need sugar and water to live through the winter.
What is the Time Commitment?
After the colony is established, a beekeeper does not have to check on the bees very often. In fact, every time box is opened, about three hundred bees get killed. Once established, trays are added to the bee box where the honey can be collected. Walton checks his boxes every few weeks to make sure that the bees are thriving and to see if a new tray needs to be added. Walsh concurred, saying she checked her boxes about every two weeks.
The Raton Rotary Club provides opportunities to learn about our community through field trips to various businesses that has been followed by a social hour at the Gate City Craft Bar. The Rotarians have also provided many volunteer hours cleaning and sprucing up landscaping at the post office, the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library, and the sidewalk areas on Historic First Street. The Rotary meets at K-Bob’s Steakhouse and Restaurant at 1228 S. 2nd Street every Tuesday at noon.
Democrats Distribute Platform Postcards to the Public
August 9, 2024 – By Niko Ibanez
The Colfax County Democrat Party gathered this Friday to distribute postcards to local neighborhoods. Janet Warner from Wheeler Peak Indivisible provided the postcards, which outline the contrasting priorities and policy goals of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Wheeler Peak Indivisible, a grassroots organization, promotes civic engagement, advocates for progressive values, and holds elected officials accountable. Through community organizing, education, and activism, they empower individuals to participate in the democratic process and drive positive change at the local, state, and national levels.
Its members emphasized that, regardless of party affiliation, the fundamental act of voting sustains the representative democracy on which the United States is founded.
Volunteers Provide Landscaping Improvements
July 28, 2024 – By Patricia Walsh and Jari Thymian
Spruced-up landscaping now enhances Raton’s post office and library, thanks to recent efforts by the Raton Rotary Club and many local residents.
Longtime Rotary member Bill Allen sparked the initiatives this June by persuading club members to refurbish the outside of the post office. That project began June 22 and ended just over a month later, involving at least 16 volunteers donating nearly 70 person hours and more than $1,000 of donated supplies.
The area was weeded, handmade wooden planters were placed near the post office entrance, landscape timbers were installed around planted areas, bark mulch was added, and additional bricks were laid in a redesigned walkway.
“It is amazing how many people care deeply about our city and are so willing to volunteer their time, money and energy to keep Raton beautiful,” said Jari Thymian, who became president of the Raton Rotary Club on July 1. Efforts to improve the outside of the post office began in 2012. Area resident David Stafford, working with the non-profit GrowRaton, obtained a tree-planting grant through the New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf Program of the state’s Forestry Division.
Rotarians and local volunteers united again to restore the landscaping at the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library on July 20. Thirteen volunteers provided more than 32 person hours of work to weed and clean the library grounds.
“I was very pleased to arrive on Saturday morning to see all the volunteers working hard on cleaning our flowerbeds,” said Dennie Gum, director of the library. “I would like to thank each of them for giving their time and hard work to make the library property beautiful again.”
The following is a list of donors for the post office project:
- John Johnson: $730 for landscape timbers
- Bill Allen: $350 for wood for planter boxes, plants, and bark mulch
- Pat Walsh and Al Frydryk: $90 for bark mulch
- Greg Fischer and Jari Thymian: $60 for bark mulch
- Steve Anderson: about 100 bricks
The following is a list of volunteers who worked on the post office project:
- Bill Allen, Lisa Camp (designed wooden planter boxes), Tom Ferguson, Greg Fischer (built wooden planter boxes), Jana Florsheim, Al Frydryk, Josh Haaland, John Johnson, Donna Klassen, A.J. Reilly, Anna Marie Ryan, Cindy Scheafer, Jari Thymian, Pat Walsh, and Warren Walton.
The following is a list of donors on the library project:
- Record’s Ace: about $70 of landscape rocks
- Greg Fischer: about $66 of landscape rocks
The following is a list of volunteers on the library project:
Bill Allen, Lisa Camp, Mary Elder, Greg Fischer, Al Frydryk, Deni Hawk, Sally Hoger, Donna Klassen, Connie Martinez, Brad Mauger, A.J. Reilly, Jari Thymian, and Pat Walsh.Death on a Scorched Planet, by Jeff Goodell.
Photos by Jari Thymian
Lost & Found
Posted November 18, 2024.
Please Help! Lost at Raton Dollar General- a money clip with cash. The clip has sentimental value and is railroad themed. I’m hoping the finder is an honest person! Even if the clip is empty, please return. 575 445 3518 There’s a reward.