2024 Top Stories in Valencia County

The last 12 months have been eventful, with news coverage ranging from unimaginably tragic to cautiously optimistic. The News-Bulletin has covered sewage spills, the completion of long-awaited projects, changes in leadership and more in 2024. This is a look back at some of our biggest stories of the year.

Quadruple homicide

The year neared its end with a heart-wrenching occurrence — a 16-year-old boy accused of killing his entire family.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 14, Diego Leyva dialed 911. He told the dispatcher he’d shot and killed four members of his family — his parents, father, Leonardo Leyva, 42, and mother, Adriana Bencomo, 35; and brothers, Adrian Leyva, 17, and Alexander Leyva, 14 at their home on Camino Escondido, southwest of the city of Rio Communities in Rio Grande Estates.

During the 911 call, Leyva told the dispatcher he shot his parents and brothers in the head. The dispatcher asked him what happened, if he’d ever felt like hurting his family before. Leyva said he’d never felt the urge to hurt them.

“Something bad possessed me. I don’t know it just happened. I just felt possessed,” Leyva said on the recording.

On Monday, Dec. 16, 13th Judicial District Court Judge Cindy Mercer ordered Diego Leyva held at the juvenile detention facility in Albuquerque.

According to information released by New Mexico State Police, Leyva has been charged with four open counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of his family members.

Hospital ground-breaking ceremony

Thankfulness was in the air the week before Thanksgiving, as local and state officials gathered to break ground for a county hospital, an event that many doubted would ever happen.

On Nov. 20, shovels turned dirt at the northeast corner of Main Street and Sand Sage Road in the village of Los Lunas, the location chosen by Brazos — the joint venture between Texas-based Community Healthcare Corporation and Albuquerque’s Lovelace Health System — which will operate the Valencia County hospital.

Plans for the 40,000-square foot, single-story facility include 11 inpatient rooms in the first phase, with four more in the second phase, a 24/7 emergency department, an imaging department, pharmacy, labs, surgical services and two endoscopy suites — with room for two additional operating rooms if needed in the future — a critical care unit, as well as an area for diagnostics and therapy.

Flood authority approved

Another decades-long problem is at the beginning of a possible solution with the voter-approved formation of the Valencia County Arroyo Flood Control District.

The formation of the flood district was put to the voters on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot, passing 23,029 to 7,427.

Since flooding has traditionally come from the arroyos running down off the east and west sides of the county, rather than from the Rio Grande in the valley, the flood control district will only address flood abatement of the arroyos.

Jarales railroad bridge

After decades of advocating for the safety of their community, Jarales residents finally saw a bridge built over the triple railroad tracks crossing Jarales Road south of the city of Belen.

The triple-track at-grade crossing was a frequent source of delays and safety concerns for the residents of the rural community. With 90-plus BNSF freight trains traveling through the corridor a day, some two to three miles long, the crossing was frequently blocked by trains coming into and out of the Belen fueling yard to the north. N.M. 109 — a.k.a. Jarales Road — is classified as a major collector by NMDOT and carries about 2,200 vehicles a day.

The railroad provided $13,889,106 to the project with the state contributing $34,938,872, the majority of which came through a legislative appropriation in 2022.

Los Lunas Schools superintendent fired

Los Lunas Schools and its board of education was in the news repeatedly in 2024 as it put its superintendent on paid administrative leave in July and finally fired him in November.

The Los Lunas Schools Board of Education unanimously voted to terminate the employment of Ryan Kettler as superintendent at a special Nov. 14 board meeting.

Kettler, who was hired in July 2023, was put on paid administrative leave on a 3-2 board vote pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct on July 16.

After he was put on leave, no details were released by the board about the allegations, however, at the Aug. 20 BOE meeting, board president Michelle Osowski told the News-Bulletin it was “nothing about the safety of children or staff. There is nothing felonious, no sexual misconduct or moral turpitude. Absolutely none of those things.”

Following the vote to terminate, Kettler told the News-Bulletin his firing was retaliation for him being a whistleblower.

According to Kettler, he filed a complaint with the New Mexico Public Education Department after a board member asked him to fire another district employee.

Kettler explained the school board has one employee, which is the superintendent. It does not have power over any other district personnel, he said, so directing the superintendent to terminate someone is unlawful.

Kuhn Hotel demolished

After more than a year of trying to work with and waiting for the owners of the property to start renovating the dilapidated Kuhn Hotel, city of Belen officials decided the waiting was over.

After an asbestos abatement of the hotel, the city had the building demolished in November, along with three other structures on the property.

Joan Artiaga, who bought the property in 2003, used her life savings to rehab the building but depleted finances and failing health prevented her from continuing.

Last year, Dave and Julia Parton, owners of Stepping Stones Investment Properties signed a $300,000 real estate contract, put a $50,000 down payment on the property and paid the property taxes.

The city council approved a resolution in June 2023 to demolish the hotel because of safety concerns, but gave Artiaga and the Partons additional time to come up with a plan to secure and eventually renovate the property into a apartment complex.

The city filed a lien against the property on Oct. 28 for $200,680, the cost to demolish the buildings and for the remediation work.

After the demolition, the property was listed for sale at $225, but Dave Parton says he’s not sure the now empty property is worth that. Parton said the city stopped communicating with him about the property months prior to the demolition.

Batty in Belen

A video showing hundreds of bats being displaced as a sign is taken off a building has gone viral and is causing a lot of havoc for one Belen city councilor.

In September, Rudy Espinoza, who is also a local pastor, said as he removed the sign above the chamber of commerce’s front door to make room for a new one, a colony of bats came flying out. Unfortunately, six of the bats didn’t survive when the sign fell on top of them.

The city councilor is married to Rhona Espinoza, the executive director of the Greater Valencia County Chamber of Commerce. The sign, he said, which still said “Belen,” was being replaced to depict the current name of the organization.

Espinoza said while he was aware there were bats living behind the sign, he didn’t know how many and was focused on removing the sign.

Darren Vaughan, the communications director with New Mexico Game and Fish Department, said the department is still trying to confirm what type of species the bats in Belen were, and said there are six bat species in New Mexico that are protected as well as one that is federally protected.

Belen baby box used for first time

The first surrender occurred in the Safe Haven Baby Box at the Belen fire station at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The infant is said to have been full term and in good health at the time of his surrender.

The box is designed to prevent infant abandonment as it gives parents who feel they can’t care for their newborns a safe place to anonymously surrender the baby.

In New Mexico, parents can relinquish a child at a hospital, fire or police station within 90 days of birth without penalty. New Mexico is one of only 14 states that also allows infant surrender using a Baby Box; surrenders in all other states must be done face-to-face to be considered legal.

Along with Belen and Hobbs, there are Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Carlsbad and Espanola.

Valencia County deputy shoots, kills man

In September, three separate 911 calls took Valencia County Deputies out to La Ladera Road in late September, with the third ending in the fatal shooting of a man.

Deputies were initially dispatched to 116 La Ladera Road, south of the town of Peralta, after Michael and Rebecca Gabaldon reported Thomas Rodriguez, 46, their neighbor, was shooting a gun from his backyard.

Rodriguez had reportedly been using drugs and been awake for several days at that point. Deputies spent more than an hour trying to call the man out of his house, but were unsuccessful. They left with the intent of filing a petition for a protection order to have Rodriguez’ guns removed from the house.

Deputies returned a second time after a confrontation between Rodriguez and Michael Gabaldon.

Deputies made a second attempt to call Rodriguez out of the house, but after two hours left the scene. Ten minutes later, dispatch received a call that shots are being fired at the location. At 10:25 p.m., Rebecca Gabaldon tells a dispatcher her husband went outside, armed, to protect their home.

Body camera footage shows a deputy arriving at the home on La Ladera, and before exiting the unit he advises the dispatcher, “neighbor has a gun.”

When he exits his patrol car, the deputy repeatedly yells at someone to “drop it” and eventually fires his rifle once.

In body camera video released by the sheriff’s office, Gabaldon is seen laying facedown on the ground, a large wound on the back of his right shoulder.

Deputies begin CPR and request the Lifeguard helicopter. Gabaldon is transported by ambulance to the Albertson’s to meet the helicopter, but by the time it arrives at 11:04 p.m., Gabaldon is dead.

Bosque Farms wastewater spill

Last year started with a sewage spill at the village of Bosque Farms wastewater treatment plant.

The spill on Jan. 29 did not reach the clear ditch behind the wastewater treatment plant or the Rio Grande. It was caused by a lift pump station failure, but the plant was never offline.

An estimated 30,000 gallons of wastewater was spilled due to the failure.

The spill was cleaned up and water quality monitoring in the area continues.

During the spill, it came to light the village needs a higher certified operator as plant director. Due to the type of system the village operates and the population served, the village needs someone certified at a level 4 for wastewater.

The director at the time, David Chavez, was certified at a level 2. He was put on administrative leave the day after the spill, but former village clerk/administrator Vernon Abeita said that decision was not in regards to the spill itself, but rather to Chavez’s inability to obtain the needed higher certification after two years as director.

Chavez was eventually terminated in February, which he appealed to the village’s personnel board in March. The board recommended the village council uphold the termination, which it did on a 2-1 vote in April.

More water for Niagara Bottling

Despite years of opposition and contentious meetings, the Los Lunas Village Council gave the go ahead to Niagara Bottling to significantly increase its water use after it amended the agreement with the company on a 3-2 vote.

In addition to outspoken opposition from Valencia County residents and water advocates, leaders from the Pueblo of Isleta, Peralta and Bosque Farms expressed concern to the village council on multiple occasions about how the decision will affect neighboring communities.

Most recently, Niagara requested access for up to 782 acre-feet per year versus the 700 AFY they were originally requesting in 2022 and the 650 AFY in 2021.

At the Dec. 7, 2023, meeting, it was revealed Niagara was consistently exceeding its allowed water use. The permit approved by the state engineer allowed Niagara 285 AFY of consumptive use. However, it was diverting 340 AFY.

Councilor Gino Romero made a motion to deny Niagara’s request to increase pumping, saying the company has continually chosen to over pump and violate the contract it had with the village. His motion was defeated 3-2, with he and Councilor Cruz Munoz supporting the motion for denial. Councilors Chris Ortiz and James Runyon voted against the motion, leaving Los Lunas mayor Charles Griego to break the tie with a no vote.

The split went the other way when Ortiz made a motion to approve the request, allowing Niagara to pump a maximum of 600 AFY instead of the 782 as originally requested.

Bosque Farms Mayor Wayne Ake resigns

In a surprise announcement at a village council meeting in February, Bosque Farms Mayor Wayne Ake — who’s most recent term as mayor began on Jan. 1 — cited health concerns as he announced his resignation from the position, effective Friday, March 1.

After 20 years in office — two terms as a councilor and three as mayor — in March 2020, Ake announced he was getting out of the elected office gig. However, after sitting on the sidelines for four years, Ake ran again in November 2023.

The newest mayor for the village — Chris Gillespie — was sworn in at a special meeting in April. Gillespie was one of six village residents who were interested in filling the vacancy.

Amazon fulfillment center becomes operational

In July, the 1-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in the village of Los Lunas began operating, where employees pick, pack and ship items to customers.

Amazon manager of economic development policy Sam Bailey said the facility has more than 1,100 people employed at the Los Lunas location, and the majority of the new hires are locals, or live within 30 minutes of the facility.

Notable deaths

In March, Eliana Alderete died at age 20.

At 6 months old, the 2023 School of Dreams Academy graduate was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. The condition causes high blood pressure in the lungs, which constricts the pulmonary artery and all the vessels in the lungs. After her diagnosis, Eliana wasn’t expected to make it to her first birthday; the average lifespan for someone with PH is about five years.

“If she was here, she’d tell us to enjoy life, don’t stop fighting,” said her older sister, Eliyah Perales. “She didn’t take things for granted. She was also very bold in her faith. She was not afraid to ask people if she could pray for them.”

Vietnam veteran James Garley, 77, died in April, after a lifetime of service to his nation and community. A lifetime member of the Daniel D. Fernandez Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9676, Garley held every officer’s position prior to becoming commander, a position he held with the exception of a few years, from 1987 until his health forced him to step down in 2018.

As post commander, James led local veterans in community service projects, taught numerous packs of Cub and Boy Scouts how to properly fold, present and dispose of U.S. flags, fundraised for scholarships for local students and was a fixture in local parades. During his time in the Army, James earned the Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Sharpshooter (with M-14 Weapon). He was a motor pool sergeant of a transportation company and responsible for 125 trucks.

In 1994, James was the recipient of the Jefferson Award. Presented by the American Institute for Public Service, the award was established in 1973 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and U.S. Sen. Robert Taft to identify and honor outstanding public service that has generally gone unrecognized.

That same year, James received the Profile of Courage from the New Mexico Legislature, acknowledging his service to his country and community.

The longest serving mayor in the history of Los Lunas, Louis Huning, died in June at the age of 74. Huning was elected seven times, serving as mayor of Los Lunas for 27 years from 1982 until 2009. He retired from office as he was suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Huning is credited for much of the economic development and growth of his hometown. Along with being mayor, he also helped run the family’s hardware store and then the cattle ranching and land development business, Huning Limited Partnership. The business played a pivotal part in the economic development of Los Lunas.

A passionate supporter of newspapers, Sammy Lopez, 69, died in October. The Jarales native was the executive director of the New Mexico Press Association since 2019, the industry representative for member newspapers throughout the state, and treasurer of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, whose mission is to ensure government transparency.

Lopez graduated from Belen High School in 1973, and served as a publisher for newspapers in Las Cruces, Farmington, Carlsbad, Ruidoso, Deming, Fort Sumner and for the Valencia County News-Bulletin.

He also was an executive with World West, where he was group manager for eight newspapers in three states, and with Civitas Media, where he managed six daily and two weekly newspapers.

In 2008, Lopez was presented NMFOG’s Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award, and in 2010 he was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame. He was also a lifetime Rotary Club member.