News in brief

Staff and wire reports |

12/8/2007 -

Man arrested in credit-card theft

A man was arrested Friday after he allegedly stole a woman's purse then got caught using her credit card at Kmart.

City police say Adrian DelCastillo, no age or address given, followed a woman into her apartment in the 1300 block of Rufina Lane. The woman knew DelCastillo's first name and told police what kind of car he was driving.

Later, investigators found DelCastillo at Kmart, where they say he struck an officer in the face and tried to run away from police. He is charged with resisting arrest, battery on a peace officer, tampering with evidence, residential burglary and possession of a stolen credit card, among other charges. The man also had two outstanding warrants out of Socorro and Santa Fe counties.

Group nominated for Grammy

A Santa Fe group has been nominated for a Grammy Award for its recording with the Smithsonian Chamber Players of Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde/The Song of the Earth."

Santa Fe Pro Musica was nominated for a Grammy in the classical category of Best Small Ensemble Performance on Thursday. It was the first Grammy nomination for the group.

The recording — released in 2006 — was a collaboration between the chamber group and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, known for exploring master instruments from the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

The performance was conducted by Kenneth Slowik, artistic director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. The awards will be announced Feb. 10.

Councilor opposes mayor's proposal

Proposed rules governing short-term rentals still need a lot of work before approval, Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger said Saturday.

Wurzburger stands behind her proposed ordinance to legalize vacation rentals in neighborhoods, a measure with strict rules and a permitting process that would raise money for enforcement. She said earlier this fall that she would support a competing proposal by Mayor David Coss, but on Friday she said that she is not supporting the mayor's idea.

The major difference between the proposals, she said, is that Coss wants a five-year phase-out of residential vacation rentals.

"I have never and will never support an ordinance that gives a date specific for the termination of short-term rentals," Wurzburger said.

The issue was scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday, but the mayor announced Friday that he was postponing that debate until January.

Udall welcomes Chávez's support

Congressman Tom Udall, who was campaigning for presidential hopeful Bill Richardson in Iowa on Saturday, issued a statement saying how much he appreciates Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez's decision to withdraw from the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate.

Chávez's announcement that he's bowing out of the Democratic contest clears the way for Udall, whose only remaining opponent in the primary is Leland Lehrman, a political newcomer.

Although Chávez had been attacking Udall for a vote on cutting the Los Alamos National Laboratory budget, Udall welcomed the decision, saying, "I am honored by Mayor Martin Chávez's support and very much appreciate his decision to unite and move forward together to ensure New Mexico sends a Democrat to the United States Senate next November."