New Mexico
Heart of New Mexico: The Water Train
Thoreau is home to fewer than 3,000 people. Many of them, and those that live on the surrounding Navajo Nation, know the struggle for water.
THOREAU, N.M. – Thoreau is home to fewer than 3,000 people. Many of them, and those that live on the surrounding Navajo Nation, know the struggle for water.
“There’s an existential crisis for water out here,” said Chris Halter, executive director of St. Bonaventure Indian Mission School. “We have food pantries, we have mental health services for people, but I think the most amazing thing we do is provide water.”
For years, they have provided water access for people and have been the source of water for Darlene Arviso’s water deliveries.
“They’re my people, so they need me,” Arviso, dubbed the Water Lady, said. She has been delivering water to homes on the Navajo Nation for 18 years. “They’ll be happy to see me.”
A ‘loco’ idea
The well and water tank at St. Bonaventure Indian Mission School had to come offline for mandatory maintenance and upgrades last year. It left the community in dire need of solutions. Chris Halter got with his brother, Drew, to brainstorm. The idea for Jacob’s Well was born.
“I think the idea still seems a little bit… loco,” Chris said.
Drew, familiar with transporting goods via rail and wondered if it’d be viable to move potable water to the water-starved west.
“It just kind of all came together at once,” Drew said.
Jacob’s Well, named after a bible passage, is the name of the soon-to-be nonprofit that takes water from Helena, Mississippi and Liberty, Missouri and transports via rail to Thoreau.
They have shipped more than half million gallons of water to the Navajo Nation and hope to expand the water-by-rail delivery system.
“The more we move, the more the price is going to keep coming down,” Drew said.
The clean, drinkable water is pumped from the rail car into Arviso’s truck and delivered to different homes across the Navajo Nation five days a week.
Showing up for her people is something that runs in Arviso’s family.
“My grandfather was a medicine man, and he was doing the same thing,” Arviso said. “Helping other people.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A successful University of New Mexico Lobo athletics season and the athletics director’s departure has culminated in players and coaches making moves.
The moves follow a successful 2025 season and the departure of athletics director Fernando Lovo.
Running back coach John Johnson, special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato and wide receiver coach Colin Lockett are all leaving the Lobos after just one season. Johnson is headed to Iowa State while Da Prato is expected to join Minnesota and Lockett is headed to UCLA, all for the same jobs.
Johnson’s Lobo running backs ran for more than 1,400 yards. Da Prato’s special teams finished top-five nationally in kickoff returns.
Running back D.J. McKinney entered the portal, he confirmed on social media the day the portal officially opened. McKinney rushed for 464 yards and seven touchdowns with the Lobos.
Two players who received all-Mountain West Conference recognition also made moves. All-Mountain West tight-end Dorian Thomas, who caught for touchdowns for the Lobos, entered the portal. Meanwhile, all-Mountain West honorable mention punter Daniel Hughes is set to leave.
Others set to leave include:
- Cole Welliver, backup quarterback who played in one game
- Landon Williams, defensive end who graduated from La Cueva High School
- Randolph Kpai, senior linebacker who is at the end of his college football career without a waiver
After Lance St. Louis served as the starting long snapper for the Texas Longhorns for four seasons, special teams coordinator Jeff Banks landed an experienced replacement when New Mexico Lobos transfer Trey Dubuc pledged while on a visit to the Forty Acres.
The pledge from Dubuc ensures that Texas has experienced replacements for three specialists despite signing high school prospects at each position — with the SEC expanding to 105 scholarships in 2026, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian can afford to develop high school recruits at those positions behind experienced transfers like Dubuc.
The Fort Lauderdale product started his career at USF after playing on two state championship teams at Cardinal Gibbons. A 6’1, 209-pounder, Dubuc redshirted during his freshman season in 2023 before appearing in one game as the backup long snapper the following year.
After transferring to New Mexico, Dubuc served as the starting long snapper while making two tackles for the Lobos.
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