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Vol. 139, No. 33
Monday
February16,2015
FEBRUARY 16
HOLIDAY CLOSURES:
In observance of Presidents’ Day
the following businesses will be closed
on Monday:
*The Chronicle-News Office
*The City of Trinidad and the
Landfill
*The County Offices at the
Courthouse
*SCCOG and Affiliates
Aguilar Schools
MONDAY (4:30 p.m.) Board of Ed-
ucation will hold a workshop followed
by the regular session at the school,
420 N. Balsam. Information: Natalie
Grubelnik, 719-941-4188.
Town of Starkville
MONDAY (6 p.m.) Board of Trust-
ees public meeting in the Fisher’s Peak
Fire Department boardroom, 8361
County Road 69, Starkville. Informa-
tion: Crick Carlisle, 719-680-7199.
Today’s Quote
“I hope I shall possess
firmness and virtue
enough to maintain
what I consider the
most enviable of all
titles, the character of
an honest man.”
~George Washington
FEBRUARY 17
Las Animas County
TUESDAY (9 a.m.) Board of Coun-
ty Commissioners meeting is in the Las
Animas Courthouse, 200 E. First St.,
Room 201. Information: 719-845-2568.
Beautiful Quilt Raffle
TUESDAY (2 p.m.) DON’T MISS
THIS! The Sayre Senior Center at 1222
San Pedro will raffle off the new Senior
Quilt Club creation. Tickets can be pur-
chased at the center. Info: Anna Risley,
719-846-3336. Proceeds help support
the Center’s senior projects.
Writers’ Group
TUESDAY (2 p.m.) The Trinidad
Writers’ Group will meet at 109 E. Fifth
St. Info: Dana Miller, 719-422-8352 or
danamiller65@gmail.com.
Annual Pancake Supper
TUESDAY (4-6 p.m.) Holy Trin-
ity Academy’s Maundy Tuesday Pancake
SupperwillbeheldatHolyFamilyHall(The
SoupKitchen)onChurchSt.Info:719-846-
4522.Proceedsbenefittheschool.
Primero Schools
UESDAY (5 p.m.) District Board of
Education will meet in executive ses-
sion with regular session to follow at 6
p.m. in the Primero School Cafeteria,
20200 Highway 12. Information: Tina
East, 719-868-2715.
THS SPORTS
TUESDAY (6 p.m.) The Spring
Sports Parent/Athlete meeting will be
held in the THS Cafeteria. All required pa-
perwork will be handed out at this time.
Info: randy.begano@trinidad.k12.co.us
Trinidad City Council
TUESDAY (6 p.m.) A special ses-
sion followed by the regular session
will be held in Council Chambers, City
Hall, 135 N. Animas St. Information:
Audra Garrett, 719-846-9843.
PUBLIC SERVICE
GET ‘EM WHILE THEY LAST!
The Chronicle-News 2014 Collec-
tor Mugs with beautiful artwork by
Trinidad Artist Paula Little are here
and waiting for you to come pick
them up, 200 West Church St. Info:
719-846-3311.
Calling all ARTCAR Volunteers!
Volunteers are needed for the
Prison Art Car Project for the 2015
ArtoCade Festival. Must be willing to take
training class workshop for prison admis-
sion. Info: Rodney Wood, 719-334-0087.
COOKIES FOR READERS!
WEDNESDAY (4:30-6 p.m.) The
adult community is invited to bring
2-dozen favorite cookies and recipe for
a pleasant afternoon Cookie Swap and
fun social time at the Carnegie Library,
202 N. Animas St. Info: 719-846-6841.
Republican Women
FEBRUARY 21 (5:30 p.m.) The
community is invited to the Las Animas
County Republican Women’s Lincoln
Day Dinner “Stand Your Ground” that
will be held at the Holiday Inn on Santa
Fe Trail Drive. Guest speaker will be
TheFinePrint
WeatherWatchWASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY: Snow,
mainly after 2 p.m. High near 37. Light and
variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 10
mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation
is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 1
to 3 inches possible. Night: Snow, mainly
before 2am. Low around 13. North northeast
wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north northwest
5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precip-
itation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation
of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of snow
before 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near
33. West southwest wind around 5 mph be-
coming calm in the afternoon. Night: Mostly
clear, with a low around 17. West southwest
wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 47.
West southwest wind around 5 mph Night:
Mostly clear, with a low around 25. West
southwest wind around 5 mph.
RiverCallPurgatoire River Call as of:
02/13/15. Chilili ditch: Prior-
ity # 7 --- Appropriation date:
04/30/1862.
Trinidad Reservoir Accounting:
Release 0.77 AF
Inflow 43.16 AF -- 21.76 CFS
Evaporation 0.39 AF
Content 16,724 AF
Elevation 6,178.79
Precipitation 0
Downstream River Call / John
Martin Reservoir: (Conservation
Storage) 05/31/1949.
TheChronicleNews
Continued on Page 4 ...
PRESIDENT’S DAY
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Mon-
day in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of Presi-
dent George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birth-
day” by the federal government. While several states still have individual
holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and
other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to cel-
ebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
DISTURBING TREND
Homeless surveyed during National Awareness Week
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
The first step in helping home-
less people is to find out how many
folks don’t have a home to call
their own. That was the point of a
recent survey of Trinidad’s home-
less population, which was being
conducted by Advocates Against
Domestic Assault (AADA) staff
members during the lunch hour
at the Fisher’s Peak Soup Kitchen.
The last week in January was
National Hunger and Homeless
Awareness Week, and each year
there’s a national survey of the
homeless that’s conducted by the
federal Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD).
AADA’s Director Charlene Tor-
torice said that this year’s count
was a point-in-time survey of un-
sheltered people living in poverty.
AADA has the only shelter operat-
ing in Trinidad and on the night of
Tuesday, January 27 – 28 it housed
15 homeless people at the shelter
plus three other homeless persons,
a man and his two children, it had
placed in a local motel. The soup
kitchen survey was intended to
find out how many other people in
Trinidad had no shelter Tuesday
night. The capacity of the AADA
shelter is 20 people.
Besides those 18 sheltered peo-
ple, the soup kitchen survey re-
vealed that there were 18 unshel-
tered homeless adults and three
unsheltered homeless children in
Trinidad the night before the sur-
vey, according to Andrea Galasso,
a case manager at AADA. Galasso
said the numbers of homeless peo-
ple in town had increased greatly
Continued on Page 2 ...
SPECIAL VALENTINE’S MEMORIES
Photos by Eric John Monson / The Chronicle-News
An evening to remember for
area fathers and daughters
The Lord’s Chapel in Segundo hosted a Valentine’s Father, Daughter Dance
at the Mt. Carmel Community Center on Friday evening. Girls came with their
dads, grandpas, uncles or just a fatherly friend for an evening full of fun, food,
games and a Chicken Dance dance-off. The popular Community Center was
packed to the rafters with happy Valentine’s Day party-goers while the Center’s
staff members made sure there were plenty of treats for everyone to enjoy.
Pictured clockwise from top left are: Douglas Coberly with Sidney (left) and
Brooklyn (right), Bill Thurston with his daughters Grace (left) and Faith, and Zoe
Revas dances the Chicken Dance with father Robbie.
PRESENTATION & STAR PARTY
NASA Mission
program slated
at TSJC on
Wednesday
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
Fascinating information about
a NASA mission to Pluto and a
good hard look at the nighttime
sky will be the highlights of an in-
formational program at Trinidad
State Junior College. “New Hori-
zons Mission to Pluto” will begin
at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February
18 at Trinidad State’s Massari The-
ater, featuring an address by Fran
Bagenal, University of Colorado-
Boulder professor and mission co-
investigator.
After Bagenal’s presentation,
attendees are invited to a “star par-
ty,” an investigation of the night
sky with various telescopes led by
the CU Science, Technology and
Astronomy Recruits (CU-STARS).
Tickets cost $4 for adults and $3 for
children, and can be purchased at
the door on the night of the event
or in advance from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Monday through Friday at the
offices of the Trinidad Commu-
nity Foundation, located at 134 W.
Main St., Suite 24. Proceeds from
the event will go to benefit the col-
lege’s Southern Colorado BEST
Robotics Competition.
NASA’s New Horizons
spacecraft is scheduled
to reach Pluto on July 14,
2015, after decades of plan-
ning and a nine-year space
journey, and Bagenal will
discuss the pioneering mis-
sion to investigate Pluto, its
moons and beyond. She’s a
CU-Boulder professor of as-
trophysical and planetary
sciences, and team leader
of the plasma investigations
on NASA’s New Horizons
mission to Pluto and the
Juno mission to Jupiter.
Her main area of expertise
is the study of charged par-
ticles trapped in planetary
magnetic fields. In her ad-
dress, she’ll explain how the
New Horizons mission will pro-
vide us with our first close-up view
of the Kuiper Belt Object, which is
Photos courtesy of CU-Boulder Outreach (NASA) and New Horizons Encounter
This artist’s rendering shows the New Horizons spacecraft. University of Colo-
rado Boulder professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences Fran Bagenal
will speak about the New Horizons mission to Pluto at TSJC Wednesday, Feb.
18. Fran Bagenal, left, is professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at
the University of Colorado in Boulder.
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
City police are investigating an
incident in which a local man suf-
fered severe injuries to his head.
County Sheriff’s Deputies were
called to a residence along State
Highway 12 west of Trinidad at
approximately 12:45 a.m. on Fri-
day, February 6. Jason Menapace
told deputies that he had been
“jumped” at the Trinidad West-
ern Apartments, located at 411 E.
North Ave., and had been either
beaten or shot.
Due to the large amount of
blood, personnel at the scene
Man claims attack at
local Western Apartments
POLICE INVESTIGATION
Continued on Page 2 ... Continued on Page 2 ...

Monday, February 16, 2015 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
General Manager
Allyson Sheumaker
asheumaker@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Advertising
Sales-Adam Sperandio
advertising@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Classifieds, Memorials, &
Circulation- Joey Loewen
classified@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Design & Legals- Lauri Duran
ktoci@trinidadchroniclenews.com
News Room
Editor: Eric John Monson
editor@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Features Editor & Fine Print
Catherine Moser
cathy@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Reporter: Steve Block
news1@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
USPS #110-040
200 West Church Street
P.O. Box 763, Trinidad, CO 81082
(719) 846-3311 • Fax (719) 846-3612
Member: Associated Press, Colorado Press Association
Periodicals Postage Paid For At Trinidad, CO.
Published Monday - Friday
w w w.thechronicle-news.com
Subscription Rates
Effective Aug. 1, 2013
Home Delivery Trinidad
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Tickets:
$25.00 per person
Drink tickets:
2 for $10.00
For tickets call
845-0300, 845-9544
or purchase from
C&S Outdoors
Given by the
Las Animas County Republican Women’s Club
“Stand Your Ground”
February 21, 2015
Holiday Inn • Trinidad, CO
Social Hour & Silent Auction
starts at 5:30 with wine, beer, and appetizers
Dinner at 6:30
Guest Speaker: Peter Ide
Senior Field Representative for the NRA
LINCOLN DAY DINNER
62 Memorials
In Loving Memory of
Michael J. Martinez
7-29-1989 – 2-16-2013
I only have a picture now,
A frozen piece of time,
To remind me of how it was,
When you were here, and
mine.
I see your smiling eyes,
Each morning when I wake,
I talk to you,and place a kiss,
Upon your lovely face.
How much I miss
you being here,
I really cannot say,
The ache is deep
inside my heart,
And never goes away.
I hear it mentioned often,
That time will heal the pain,
But if I'm being honest,
I hope it will remain.
I need to feel you constantly,
To get me through the day,
I loved you so very much,
Why did you go away?
The angels came
and took you,
That really wasn't fair,
They took my
one and only Son,
My future life. My heir.
If only they had asked me,
If I would take your place,
I would have
done so willingly,
Leaving you this
world to grace.
You should have had so
many years,
To watch your life unfold,
And in the mist of this,
Watch me, your
Mom grow old!
I hope you're
watching from above,
At the daily tasks I do,
And let there be
no doubt at all,
I really do love you.
RIP Son
Sadly missed by,
Mom, Michelle, & Jacob
Sepulveda
In Memoriam
Floyd A. Chavez
Correctional Officer
"8" Year Anniversary
2-16-07
Another year has
come and gone.
That brisk February morning,
the Lord called you home.
Our memories of good times
hold us strong.
Time is a clock that only
God can control.
Our thoughts tell us that
losing you was wrong.
We know that God's love will
bring us together some day.
You're in our hearts forever,
we will never forget you
Floyd, our son.
Love,
Mom, Dad, & Family
62 Memorials
63 Card of Thanks
The family of Betty Dalton
would like to acknowledge
with deep appreciation, the
love and support shown to
us during our recent loss. To
all who sent cards, made
calls, sent flowers, and
traveled to be with us to
celebrate Betty's life, a deep
heartfelt thank you! A special
thanks to JoElla Valdez for
all she did to pull together
the hall, the food, and
necessary items at the last
minute. Thanks to Brother
Harry for making the service
special with such short
notice. Thanks to Tom
Murphy for his assistance
with all the arrangements.
Also , thank you to Dr.
Valerie Borsa, and Marco
Teri, for their delicate
handling of Betty, when it
was most needed. And to
Donna and Nicole Mestas for
doing all they did to help
make Betty comfortable in
her final days. We can go on
and on, mentioning all the
folks that helped Betty in
many ways, please let it be
known, that her family
appreciates the continuing
s u p p o r t y o u a l l h a v e
provided over the years. God
bless you all.
The Dalton family
Homeless surveyed during National Awareness Week
... Continued from Page 1
over the 2014 survey figures.
“I don’t know exactly, but I do know the numbers have
more than doubled over last year’s survey,” Galasso said.
“It’s a very disturbing trend and I was kind of shocked.”
Galasso was asked if she felt the legalization of mari-
juana here was a contributing factor in the big increase
in the numbers of homeless people here, and she said she
thought it was probably a factor.
“I think that could be one of the reasons for the in-
crease,” she said. “Some people come here because of le-
galized marijuana, but then they find that they can’t find
any jobs and they get into a difficult situation.”
The survey protects the identity of the homeless by
only asking them to fill out the first three letters of both
their first and last names on the survey form.
“One of the reasons the survey is being done at this
time is that January is one of the coldest months,” Tor-
torice said. “It’s also towards the end of the month be-
cause, even if you do have some financial resources, it
gets pretty slim by the end of the month. If you stayed
somewhere that isn’t considered habitable, then we’re
asking you to fill out the survey form.”
The survey asks individuals and families whether
they have been in shelters and / or on the streets continu-
ously for a year or more. It asks respondents if they’ve
had to stay in a shelter or on the streets four or more
times in the past three years. It asks for a household de-
scription of whether there are both adults and children
in the household, just adults or just children.
Respondents are also asked their gender, age group,
whether they’re Hispanic or Latino, their race and
whether they’re a military service veteran struggling
with a disabling condition, and what that condition
might be.
From 2012 to 2013, a period of continued slow recov-
ery from the Great Recession, overall homelessness de-
creased by 3.7 percent and homelessness among every
major subpopulation, in families falling by 7 percent, and
in the chronically homeless and veterans dropping by 7.3
percent. But nationwide trends don’t tell the whole story.
Therewere31statesthatsawadecreaseinhomelessness,
while 20 states saw increases in overall homelessness.
The national rate of homelessness fell to 19 homeless per-
sons per 10,000 people in the general population, but the
rate in individual states ranged from 106 in Washington,
D.C. to 8 in Mississippi. The rate of veteran homelessness
fell to 27 homeless veterans per 10,000 people in the gen-
eral population, but the rate in individual states ranged
from 28 in Wyoming to 156 in Washington, D.C.
In a report issued on Oct. 7, 2014, HUD reported that
therewereatotalof578,424homelesspeopleintheUnited
States. That total included all states, territories, Puerto
Rico and the District of Columbia. The report is available
on the website: www.hudexchange.info/reports/.
The report says that there were a total of 10,028 home-
less persons in Colorado on that date.
Man claims attack at local Western Apartments
NASA Mission program slated at TSJC on Wednesday
the disc-shaped region of icy objects be-
yond the orbit of Neptune.
“Since Clyde Tombaugh discov-
ered Pluto in 1930 there have been rare
breakthroughs in our knowledge of
this small icy object on the edge of the
solar system: detection of a large moon
Charon in 1975, detection of an atmo-
sphere in 1988 and measurements of a
few atmospheric constituents using the
largest telescopes on Earth,” Bagenal
said.
“Hubble Space Telescope pictures
show just a fuzzy blob. New Horizons
willstartobtainingbetterpicturesthan
Hubbleinspring2015.Itwillflythrough
Pluto’s escaping atmosphere, measure
its comet-like interaction with the solar
wind and take detailed pictures of the
surface of Pluto and its moons.”
The program is part of “CU in the
Community,” a series of events led by
CU-Boulder faculty. Trinidad State
Junior College, Trinidad Community
Foundation, Trinidad & Las Animas
County Chamber of Commerce and
the CU-Boulder Office jointly sponsor
the program for Outreach and Engage-
ment. 2014-15 marks the seventh year
of the Trinidad collaboration with CU-
Boulder.
CU in the Community is an educa-
tional community partnership that
features a variety of public programs
including the latest in faculty research,
arts and humanities, and science from
CU-Boulderthroughpubliclectures,in-
teractive special events, and classroom
presentations. By collaborating with a
local community, CU-Boulder faculty,
staff, and students provide communi-
ties with academic and cultural re-
sources while gaining valuable oppor-
tunities to engage with and learn from
Colorado citizens.
couldn’t determine the exact cause of
injury. Menapace was transported by
ambulance to the Emergency Room
at Mt. San Rafael Hospital, treated for
the injuries to his head, and then trans-
ported to Parkview Hospital in Pueblo.
Interviews with eyewitnesses and
medical information from Parkview
Hospital indicated that the injuries
are more consistent with blunt force
trauma, rather than a gunshot wound,
as was originally believed, according
to police.
The case is still being investigated
by the Trinidad Police Department.
Anyone with information about the
case can call the department at: 719-846-
4441, or the TIPS line at: 719-845-8477.
Fireworks —
mischief cause
for confusion
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
Fireworks being set off were mis-
taken for an explosion and fire at
approximately 7:15 p.m. on Wednes-
day, February 11. Police, fire and
emergency crews were called to a
building at 512 State St, after receiv-
ing a dispatch call of an explosion
and fire at that location. Police cut
off part of State Street and residents
were evacuated from the building.
The responding police officer did
smell smoke, possibly of a chemical
origin, but a thorough search of all
three levels of the building revealed
no smoke or fire. Several residents
of the building said they’d heard an
explosion on the building’s third
floor, but the police were unable to
corroborate those statements.
Several residents in the area of
the Prospect Plaza Apartments said
they’d heard an explosion and seen
a large plum of smoke in the area.
Police then heard a report of kids in
big diesel trucks parked under the
Nevada Avenue I-25 overpass who
were setting off fireworks. Police
checked that area but found no one
parked there.
False or mistaken reports of dan-
gerous incidents are a serious waste
of emergency resources.
Steve Block / The Chronicle-News
Advocates Against Domestic Assault (AADA) conducted a survey
of homeless people from the Fisher’s Peak Soup kitchen recent-
ly. Left to right are Andrea Galasso, Stephanie Van Matre and
Director Charlene Tortorice.
POLICE CALL

Monday, February 16, 2015 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
COLORADO LEAP PROGRAM
NOVEMBER 3,2014 – APRIL 30, 2015
CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
204 SOUTH CHESTNUT
TRINIDAD, COLORADO 81082
(719) 846-2276 EXT 7145
APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AND PROCESSED BY LAS ANIMAS
COUNTY DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. BENEFITS ARE THE SAME
REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU APPLY DURING THE PROGRAM.
LEAP IS DESIGINED TO HELP WITH YOUR WINTER HEATING
COSTS. LEAP IS NOT INTENDED TO PAY THE ENTIRE COST OF
HOME HEATING.
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
MAXIMUM
MONTHLY INCOME
(FOR 2014-2015)
1 $1,459
2 $1,967
3 $2,474
4 $2,982
5 $3,489
6 $3,997
___________7____________
8
_______ __$4,504 _______
$5,012
EACH ADDITIONAL
204 SOUTH CHESTNUT
(719) 846-2276 EXT 7145
HOME HEATING.
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
MAXIMUM
MONTHLY INCOME
(FOR 2014-2015)
1 $1,459
2 $1,967
3 $2,474
4 $2,982
5 $3,489
6 $3,997
___________7____________
8
_______ __$4,504 _______
$5,012
204 SOUTH CHESTNUT
(719) 846-2276 EXT 7145
HOME HEATING.
CRISIS INTERVENTION PROGRAM
THE CRISIS INTERVENTION PROGRAM (CIP) PROVIDES
ASSISTANCE FOR LEAP ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS WITH
FURNACE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT.
Call HEAT HELP @ 1-855-469-4328
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
MAXIMUM
MONTHLY INCOME
(FOR 2014-2015)
1 $1,459
2 $1,967
3 $2,474
4 $2,982
5 $3,489
6 $3,997
___________7____________
8
_______ __$4,504 _______
$5,012
EACH ADDITIONAL
PERSON $508
MAXIMUM
MONTHLY INCOME
HOUSEHOLD SIZE (FOR 2014-2015)
1 $1,459
2 $1,967
3 $2,474
4 $2,982
5 $3,489
6 $3,997
7 $4,504
8 $5,012
EACH ADDITIONAL PERSON $508
SPANISH PEAKS INNTavern Grill & R.V. Park � Gulnare, Co.
Celebrate! Mardi Gras
Tuesday, February 17th
Serving Gumbo &
Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
Drink Specials all day long!
SPORTS
Tourney champs
rake in awards
Reported by Kellie Armijo
Dylan Armijo, pictured with wrestling
coach Rich Lopez, competed in the PPWL
Southern Regional Tourney and placed first in
the 15-under, 123-pound bracket. He then com-
peted for a Championship belt on Jan. 30 in a
Regional North vs. South Dual Tournament.
He represented Trinidad on the South side of
the dual and won by pin in the second period
to receive the Championship Belt.
Also in youth wrestling news, on Jan. 31,
Jesus Diaz, Dylan Armijo and Jacob Armijo
completed the Dan Gable Challenge. Each
wrestler earned 30 points or more in the ad-
vanced bracket tourney. Jesus Diaz was 1-of-
6 to have completed the challenge with 33
points. All three wrestlers earned a Dan Gable
Singlet and trophy for their accomplishments.
The next youth tournament will be the
Pikes Peak Wrestling State Tournament on
February 28.
TRINIDAD STATE BASKETBALL
Trojan men hitting
stride down the
home stretch
By Mike Salbato
Correspondent
The Chronicle-News
With just two games remaining on the
2014-2015 regular season schedule the Trini-
dad State men’s basketball team seems to be
firing on all cylinders. They are getting hot
just in time to make a run in the Region IX
standings and into the region tournament.
Following a tough home loss to Western Ne-
braska the Trojans picked up back-to-back
conference wins over Eastern Wyoming
and Laramie County moving their record
back up to 12-14 (6-8) and jumping them to
fifth in the standings.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the Trojans battled
hard but fell to the visiting Cougars 101-88.
Elijah Valdez had a huge game for the Tro-
jans hitting ten 3-points and finishing the
game with 44 points. Joe Smith, who had
a 45-point performance a few weeks ago,
added 21. Preston Bungei pulled down 15
boards and guards Elijah Kess and Chris
Williams had five assists apiece to go with
seven and nine points respectively.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Trojans jumped
up to a huge twenty point lead over the
Lancers of Eastern Wyoming only to see
it disappear late. A three-point play by
Bungei tied the score at 94-94 in the closing
seconds. The Trojans came up with a steal,
which led to a Lancer technical foul. Four
points later the Trojans escaped with the
98-94 win. Five Trojans hit double-figures
in the game led by Smith (21), Bungei (20),
Valdez (19), Treyvon Andres (18) and Na-
than McAnally (13). Andres and Bungei
each pulled in ten rebounds and McAnally
had seven assists.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the Trojans got
a huge win over Laramie County. The
Eagles took an early lead but Trinidad re-
sponded to take a 45-32 halftime lead. A
late barrage on dunks by Bungei, Andres
and Smith, and a pair of threes from Valdez
sent Trinidad to a 102-70 win. Valdez led
all scorers with 32, Smith had 16, Antonio
Parker had 12 and Bungei had his second
straight double-double with 18 points and
13 rebounds.
The Trojans traveled to to Goodland,
Kansas for a non-region game against
Northwest Kansas Tech this past Saturday
before finishing up the regular season with
games at home against Otero on Saturday,
February 21 and Lamar on Tuesday, Febru-
ary 24. The final game against Lamar will
be booster club appreciation night as well
as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at
Scott Gym.
Photo courtesy of Emmy Gazaway / TSJC
Hot shooting Elijah Valdez has been torching the baskets from behind the line the past few weeks.
He is averaging over 16 points a game and has 85 3-pointers on the year.
LETTERS OF INTENT
Rodarte signs with
Trinidad State
By Mike Salbato
Correspondent
The Chronicle-News
Trinidad State Junior College Softball
Coach Steve Swazo is proud to announce
the signing of Vanessa Rodarte, a player
from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in
Eastvale, California.
“Vanessa is a player myself and my as-
sistant coach had the pleasure of watching
play in Denver this past summer, and then
she came out for a visit in the fall,” Swazo
said. “What was most impressive about her
is her willingness to work hard and battle
for a spot. She is also a good student in the
classroom.”
Rodarte hit .455 this past summer with 15
hits, 10 RBIs and two homeruns. She is the
daughter of Debbie and David Kramer.
Photo courtesy of TSJC
Vanessa Rodarte, left center, signs her letter to play softball for Trinidad State.
Power Hitter —
coming to TSJC
By Mike Salbato
Correspondent
The Chronicle-News
Trinidad State Junior College Softball
Coach Steve Swazo is proud to announce
the signing of Chelsey Runyon from Bloom-
field High School in Bloomfield, New Mex-
ico to his 2015-16 recruiting class. Runyon
will contend for a spot at both corners of the
infield and in the outfield.
“What impressed me about Chelsey
when she came down for a campus visit is
that she had some long ball power,” Swazo
said. “She is a tall player that can move
very well for her size and once we shorten
her long swing, we believe she will hit the
ball even further than what she can now.
She is coached by former TSJC softball
player Cassie Davis who is now an assistant
coach at Bloomfield High School.”
Runyon was one of New Mexico’s lead-
ers in homeruns last year hitting 14 bombs
as a junior. She had 48 RBIs and a fantastic
.459 batting average. Following her stellar
junior season she was named First-Team
All-State, along with being All-District her
previous three seasons. She is the daughter
of Allen Runyon and Rebecca Runyon.
Photo courtesy of TSJC
Chelsey Runyon, above, signs her letter of intent to play softball for TSJC this fall.
Photos courtesy Kellie Armijo
Dan Gable winners (far left L-R) are Dylan Armijo, Jesus Diaz and Jacob Armijo. Southern Colorado
Dual Champion Dylan Armijo and coach Rich Lopez.
YOUTH WRESTLING

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