Dick Lunceford, a member of the newly formed district's board, said official results of the election were 481 in favor, 449 opposed.

Voters by a slim margin approved the creation of the La Plata Archuleta Water District, which aims to establish a rural water system where residents currently depend on wells or trucked-in water.

U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Matsch summoned lawyers on both sides Tuesday to help him understand the issues in a lawsuit the San Juan Citizens Alliance filed against the federal Forest Service in ...