Farmington Local News
Local NEWS Network
Farmington, NM local news created by locals for locals. We share stories that celebrate our community!
Episodes
Our Shared Currents: Where the San Juan & Rio Grande Meet
Our Shared Currents is a 3-part series exploring human relationships along Southwest Colorado’s waterways. These stories of unexpected commonalities go beyond traditional boundaries and competing demands. In this first episode, we learn how water systems and local wildlife connect the Rio Grande and Colorado River basins. The San Juan-Chama Project, a major transmountain diversion originating in the South San Juans and funneling water underneath the Continental Divide, is a critical lifeline for communities in New Mexico. People and nature are uniquely bound together across the Divide by these shared waters.By Christi BodeWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is supported by the Greater Good Science Center and Colorado News Collaborative.
Road Apple Rally Rolls On as the Longest Running Mountain Bike Race
Before mountain biking caught on, Farmington already had a race. About 25 riders lined up for the first Road Apple Rally in 1981. More than four decades later, the Road Apple Rally is billed as the oldest continually running mountain bike race in the United States.By Tanner Waite Watch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Durango Motor Company and Home2 Suites by Hilton.
What’s Happening Around San Juan County | Week of Oct. 6, 2026
The Aztec Fall Festival and Car Show fills Minimum Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, with a parade, live music and more than 100 cars. Farmington High and Piedra Vista meet in a key district soccer matchup Wednesday, Oct. 7. And, later that evening, singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid performs at the Farmington Library.By Tanner Waite Watch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Sunray Park and Casino and The Big Idea Makerspace at San Juan College.
Weather Tests Pilots at Four Corners Balloon Rally
Every hot air balloon that goes up has to come down, and in Farmington, the neighbors who step off their porches to help pack it away are part of the draw. The Four Corners Balloon Rally returned this fall with ascensions and evening glows. Friday's weather grounded pilots, but balloons took to the sky on Saturday. Learn more at farmingtonnm.gov.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Empire Athletics and Ace Hardware of Farmington.
Christ the Rock Builds a Church Like Family
Welcome to Christ the Rock Lutheran Church in Farmington. Our goal is to share the incredible news about Jesus with all people of the Four Corners. Join us!Sunday Mornings: 10:30 a.m.Education Hour for All Ages: 9:15-10:15 a.m.Wednesday Evening Bible Growth Group: 6:30-7:30 p.m.[LNN Branded Content]
Main Street Businesses: Jaynes Corp. Celebrates 50 Years in the Four Corners
Jaynes Corp. marked 50 years in the Four Corners, celebrating the 1976 opening of its Farmington office with subcontractors, community partners and the local institutions it helped build. The employee-owned commercial contracting business builds schools, offices and retail space. "If you step foot anywhere in this community, there's probably a 50% chance you're stepping on some Jaynes concrete," said Jeremiah Hayes, vice president of Jaynes Corp.'s Four Corners division.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Farmington, Legacy Financial Advisors and Rocky Mountain Safety.And presented by Four Corners Economic Development, the Farmington Chamber of Commerce and the Aztec Chamber of Commerce.
What’s Happening Around San Juan County | Week of Sept. 22, 2026
The Four Corners Balloon Rally runs Friday through Sunday, Sept. 25-27, with morning ascensions and evening glows at San Juan College and the Farmington Civic Center. Farmington High's volleyball team hosts Miyamura Tuesday night. Piedra Vista's homecoming football game against Santa Fe is Friday, Sept. 25. And the Downtown Makers Market closes out its season Thursday, Sept. 24, at Orchard Park.By Tanner Waite Watch this story at LNN.news This story is sponsored by CrossFit EMBR and Mercy Sports Medicine.
Off-Road Nation Descends on Farmington for 4 Corners 4x4 Week
Off-road enthusiasts from across the country filled Farmington for 4 Corners 4x4 Week, a September run of events built around trail rides, a vendor show and a national rock crawling championship. Drivers tackled everything from beginner routes to some of the toughest obstacles in the region at Chokecherry Canyon, while the Four Corners Vendor Show drew Jeep and truck owners, side-by-side drivers and overlanders to the Farmington Civic Center. The week closed with the W.E.Rock Grand Nationals, where drivers and spotters raced the clock to clear gates for a shot at a national title.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Fly High Adventure Park and Quill & Quest Bookstore.
What’s Happening Around San Juan County | Week of Sept. 9, 2026
Four Corners 4x4 Week runs through Sunday, Sept. 13 with competitions, vendors and raffles. The Farmington High School football team faces Cleveland High at Hutchison Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. in what could be their toughest 6A matchup this season. Aztec's Unison Festival brings five days of live music, yoga and wellness events to Tico Time River Resort along the Animas River starting Thursday, Sept. 10.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.news This story is sponsored by Dickey's Barbecue Pit and Fitness World.
Interview With Farmington City Manager Shaña Reeves
Farmington City Manager Shaña Reeves shares her hometown pride and goals for Farmington. Reeves grew up in Farmington, graduated from Farmington High School in 1999 and left on a full-ride academic and athletic scholarship to New Mexico State University. She moved back in 2004 to take a job as the city's aquatics director and became Farmington's city manager on Jan. 20, 2026. Now, Reeves oversees the city's day-to-day operations and aspires to grow both affordable and attainable housing in Farmington.By Tanner Waite Watch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Graff Orthodontics and Express Employment International.
Main Street Businesses: Farmington Commercial Space Turned Into Multi-Sport Complex
A former Farmington grocery store has become a hub for local youth sports, thanks to the Pennington family. The Penningtons have owned the building since the 1980s and began converting it into practice space for their children's volleyball and baseball teams before opening it up to the wider community.Today, Empire Athletics offers batting cages, volleyball and pickleball courts, a yoga studio and a gym, with a new turf field project already underway. Owners say every dollar the business makes goes back into equipment, not a paycheck. Empire Athletics sits near Costa Vida and Nutra Mills in Farmington, with league, camp and clinic updates posted on Facebook and Instagram.By Tanner WaiteThis story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Farmington, Legacy Financial Advisors and Rocky Mountain Safety.And presented by Four Corners Economic Development, the Farmington Chamber of Commerce and the Aztec Chamber of Commerce.Watch this story at LNN.news
Host Families Turn Ballplayers Into Family for Life
For more than 60 years, Farmington has hosted the Connie Mack World Series, one of the nation's top amateur baseball tournaments for players ages 16 to 18. Many of those players go on to compete in college and, in some cases, the major leagues. In 1975, tournament organizers started the foster parent plan to ease the cost of travel for visiting teams. Since then, local families have opened their homes to teenage ballplayers during the tournament. Many of those relationships have lasted decades including Yan Gomes, a 2026 Connie Mack Hall of Fame inductee and Major League Baseball 2019 World Series champion, who stayed with the Campbell family in 2006.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Four Corners Regional Airport and Durango Motor Company.
Aztec Riverside BMX Track Breaks Ground This Fall
Aztec Riverside BMX aims to break ground this October on a two-acre, city-owned lot for a new BMX track, giving local children a home course instead of long drives to Durango or Albuquerque to race. The nonprofit is working with USA BMX to design the track to national standards. Beyond race day, organizers plan a loaner bike fleet, Strider races for the youngest riders and a school partnership teaching children how bikes work through a STEM program.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.NewsThis story is sponsored by Home2Suites and Sunray Park & Casino.
Main Street Businesses: As Durango's Landfill Fills Up, One Business Has a Solution
Table to Farm Compost is a Durango based climate activist business that has been turning food scraps into compost since 2016. Co-owner Monique DiGiorgio was recently named the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year by Southwest Colorado Rocks for her leadership in growing the company to more than 800 subscribers and achieving the highest level of compost certification in Colorado. The company offers curbside pickup of food scraps and transforms them into high quality compost used by local gardeners and agricultural producers across La Plata County. With Durango's Bonded Landfill at 70% capacity and Durango City Council set to decide on composting requirements this fall, Table to Farm is at the center of an important conversation about how Durango handles its organic waste.By Sadie SmithWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Durango, Legacy Financial Advisors and RMW/Tafoya Barrett & Associates. And presented by the La Plata County Economic Alliance and the Durango Chamber of Commerce.
Beyond the Embers
Living in southwest Colorado means the risk of fire and flood is never far from home.First responders and firefighters are currently fighting the Rio Blanco Fire, located 12 miles south of Pagosa Springs. The lightning-caused fire started on Tuesday, July 28, and as of Thursday evening, it has grown to 781 acres with 0% containment. Nearly a year ago, communities just west of town experienced a similar threat: the Oak Fire, fueled by dry conditions, quickly outpaced on-the-ground resources with its extreme behavior. Sixty days later, historic, climate-fueled floods resulted in the third-largest flows on record for the San Juan River. These forests are increasingly defined by cycles of extreme multi-year droughts and wildfires interspersed with catastrophic precipitation in a warmer atmosphere. Beyond the Embers, a new short film produced by local filmmaker, Christi Bode, reflects on 2025 events and expresses the continued need for community preparedness before the next natural disaster. The film was produced with support from the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, Wolf Creek Ski Area and Best of Pagosa Springs Real Estate.By Christi BodeWatch this story at LNN.news
Interview with Aztec's New Mayor, Brett Lanier
Brett Lanier is a born-and-raised Aztec local who was elected city commissioner in 2025 and recently chosen as the city's newest mayor.Under the city's commission-manager government, Lanier and four fellow commissioners set policy and direct a city manager who handles day-to-day operations. His priorities include strengthening infrastructure and supporting local jobs and businesses to keep the next generation in Aztec. Watch the full interview to hear his vision for Aztec's future.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by The Big Idea Makerspace at San Juan College and Boon's Family Thai BBQ.
Former NBA Player Volunteers at Navajo Basketball Camp
Analyss Benally grew up in Shiprock on the Navajo Nation and went on to play Division I basketball at San Jose State before launching her professional basketball career in Europe. Today, her nonprofit, AB Five Basketball, brings free camps and clinics to Native youth across the Southwest.This summer, AB Five returned to Shiprock with volunteer coaches, including former Los Angeles Lakers guard Andre Ingram.By Tanner WaiteWatch this story at LNN.newsThis story is sponsored by Ace Hardware in Farmington and Fitness World.