United Way wants to tap gift funds

The United Way of Santa Fe County wants to use a $323,148 gift to its endowment for operating funds.

Carl Luff, chairman of the charity's board of directors, filed a petition in state District Court on Wednesday, seeking a judge's approval to drop the restrictions on the gift from the estate of the late Johnny Marie Kayajian.

"Due to the current recession, United Way of Santa Fe County, Inc. has suffered a significant decline in donor contributions," says the petition. "As a result of this reduction in unrestricted funds, it has been necessary to borrow money in order to maintain the organization's programs, which are entirely focused on the Santa Fe Children's Project."

The petition says the money is "not generating a significant amount of income due to the current market situation and the size of the gift, which is not large enough to be materially beneficial as a revenue base."

State law allows modifications of restrictions on charitable gifts if the restrictions are deemed "impracticable or wasteful" or impair management of the fund, the petition says.

Solid Waste to collect unwanted electronics

The city of Santa Fe, Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and Albuquerque Recycling Inc., are co-sponsoring an e-waste recycling dropoff day Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1142 Siler Road. Most electronic items will be accepted for free; however, there will be $10 disposal fee for televisions and a $5 disposal fee for old-style CRT computer monitors.

Acceptable items include: computers, servers and laptops, flat-screen monitors, printers and scanners, fax machines, telephones and cell phones, Palm Pilots and other hand-held electronic devices, lead acid batteries, computer back-up batteries, UPS batteries, TV satellite equipment, VCRs and CD players, stereo equipment, computer and TV game assemblies, cameras and video cameras.

Items that are not acceptable include: coffee makers, alkaline batteries, hair dryers, bread machines, light bulbs of any kind, cardboard or paper appliances including microwave ovens and household hazardous waste.

Woman charges fraud over sale of Corvette

A Santa Fe woman claims in a lawsuit that she turned over a Corvette to a Los Angeles man to sell in California, but he never paid her.

Diana Chadwick-Jones accuses Robert Schnitzer of fraud in a complaint filed in state District Court this week by attorney Randolph Felker.

According to the complaint, when Chadwick-Jones put the 1994 Corvette up for sale, Schnitzer traveled to Santa Fe to say he could get a better price for it in Southern California.

She signed over the car's title to Schnitzer and let him take it to Los Angeles, where he sold it for $8,000, although it was worth at least $12,000, says the complaint.

The complaint says that despite payment demands, Schnitzer has "falsely claimed the right to a 'generous and substantial' commission, and refuses to pay (Chadwick-Jones) anything."

Schnitzer responded that the charges are unfounded. "The sale was part of a broader services agreement, which is now in dispute," he wrote in an e-mail. "On a personal level, this is deeply disturbing, since Diana and I have been business associates and close friends for several decades."