Small fire at SFCC affects classes

A small fire in Santa Fe Community College's fitness center Thursday afternoon shut down the center for the rest of the day, but it's expected to reopen today.

The fire came from a clothes-dryer motor, said college spokesman Todd Lovato. "I just went in the area and the smoke smell is completely gone, so tomorrow it should be business as usual," he added.

An alarm sounded around 1:30 p.m., about the time a college employee smelled smoke. A Santa Fe County firefighter discovered the fire had started in a dryer duct.

The fire went out on its own, Lovato said.

However, he said, the college canceled classes in the fitness center for the rest of the day because of the lingering smoke smell.

Only fitness classes were affected, and classes on the main campus took place as scheduled.

Taos paper names editor in chief

TAOS — Joan Livingston, a longtime community journalist and writer, has been named editor in chief of The Taos News, the weekly newspaper reported Thursday.

Livingston replaces editor Gerald Garner Jr.

"With over 250 applicants, it was a very tough decision," said publisher Chris Baker, adding applicants came from as far as Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada and all over the U.S. "Robin Martin and I are excited about hiring from within."

Martin owns The Taos News, The Santa Fe New Mexican and Sangre de Cristo Chronicle.

Livingston moved two years ago from western Massachusetts, where she worked 21 years at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, one of the oldest dailies in the U.S. There she was a reporter, columnist, special sections editor and copy editor.

In September 2006, she began freelancing for the Taos weekly. In June 2007, she became copy editor and by July 2008 was named assistant editor, just weeks before Garner announced his departure. Livingston has served as the interim editor.

Football game to help police officer

The Santa Fe Sting, a semipro football team, will play a game against an Albuquerque team to raise money for Santa Fe Police Officer Jason Hill.

The benefit football game will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Santa Fe High School's Ivan Head Stadium. Admission is $5.

Hill was recently diagnosed with leukemia and will travel to Dallas for treatment. He formerly played with the Sting and was the team's starting defensive back.

All proceeds from the game will go to Hill to pay his travel expenses.

Opera to hold youth auditions

The Santa Fe Opera will hold auditions for its 2008-2009 Young Voices Program from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14.

The program is open to high-school students in New Mexico who are interested in voice study, whether or not they have previous experience. The program offers voice lessons, music coaching and diction as well as other activities, with a final recital in May.

Auditions will also be held Sept. 13 in Albuquerque.

For more information or to schedule an audition, contact Alvaro Quintanar at 946-2402 or aquintanar@santafeopera.org.

Two men injured in plane crash

ALBUQUERQUE — Two 56-year-old men were injured when the plane they were trying to land at Albuquerque's Double Eagle II Airport crash-landed Thursday.

Airport manager Mike Medley says the pilot of the single-engine Cessna 172 came in too low for the landing, and the plane's right wing hit a light pole, which spun around the aircraft.

Medley says the plane arrived from Tucson, Ariz., and was en route to Illinois.

State Police Lt. Eric Garcia says Marty Nedza of Arizona and Lawrence Muldon of Indiana were taken to University of New Mexico Hospital. He says they were in stable condition.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Court corruption trial set for Oct. 28

ALBUQUERQUE — A federal judge has scheduled Oct. 28 to begin the multidefendant public corruption case linked to the construction of the Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque.

The trial is estimated to last six to eight weeks before U.S. District Judge William "Chip" Johnson.

Former Metro Court Administrator Toby Martinez, his wife, Sandra Mata Martinez, engineer Raul Parra, former state Sen. Manny Aragon and contractor Michael Murphy are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors allege the defendants collectively skimmed $4.2 million from the $83 million courthouse construction project through inflated invoices.

Payments based on false vouchers were made to Design Collaborative Southwest, an architectural firm, or by inflating contracts for installation of audiovisual equipment, prosecutors said.

As the case has progressed from the initial March 2007 indictment, Johnson has ruled evidence of similar conduct from other construction projects, including the Metropolitan Detention Center, can be presented at trial to show motive, intent or common scheme or plan.

Police: No charges in student's death

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Police say they do not plan to charge anyone in the death of 19-year-old Middlebury College freshman Nicholas Garza, saying all evidence points to his simply getting drunk, falling into Otter Creek and drowning.

And Addison County State's Attorney John Quinn agrees, calling the Middlebury Police Department's investigation thorough and complete.

The 19-year-old Garza, an Albuquerque resident, was captured on videotape Feb. 3 using a fake identification to buy alcohol. He disappeared after a campus party on Feb. 5, and his body was found in the creek May 27 after extensive searches.

Foster father guilty in death of boy, 2

FARMINGTON — A jury has convicted a Farmington foster parent of smothering to death a 2-year-old boy in his care.

Michael Wilson, 32, was convicted this week of first-degree child abuse resulting in death. He faces a mandatory life sentence with at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

During the trial, the jury watched a video tape in which Wilson demonstrated to police how he suffocated Tyler Westbook in 2007. The victim and his sibling were in Wilson's care for less than seven months before the death.

A sentencing hearing has not been set.

Public Defender Ron Brambl had argued the videotape came after Wilson began taking anti-psychotic medication for depression that impaired his judgment. "Michael told the biggest lie of his life on that video. That's what happened here," Brambl said.

He said the boy had acute pneumonia at the time of his death, and police responding to the incident struggled to clear an obstruction in his throat, and either one of those things could have killed Westbrook.



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