Garage builder sues for payment

A Texas construction company is suing the city of Santa Fe and the Railyard Co., alleging it was not paid promptly for work on the Santa Fe Railyard's underground garage.

Thos. S. Byrne LTD of Fort Worth says in the complaint that it entered into a contract with the Railyard Co. to build the 400-space garage beneath the Market Center in April 2005. But despite requests for payment, the Railyard Co. "has failed and refused to pay Byrne the amount due under the Construction Contract," the complaint says.

Marco Gonzales of the Railyard Co., which developed the Market Center with REI, the Flying Star Restaurant and retail shops on city-owned land, said Byrne had filed a lien against the firm, but that "long since has been resolved."

The lawyers who filed the complaint Friday in state District Court, Larry Maldegen and Michael Moffett of the Comeau, Maldegen, Templeman & Indall law firm of Santa Fe, were not available for comment Tuesday. City officials declined comment, saying they had not seen the complaint.

Grant provides recycling containers

A major distributor of bottled water awarded a $10,000 grant for placement of recycling containers in Santa Fe city parks and buildings.

The nonprofit Keep Santa Fe Beautiful applied for the grant from Nestlé Waters North America, which was used to purchase the containers.

The company distributes 15 well-known brands such as Perrier, San Pelegrino, Arrowhead and Calistoga, according to its Web site.

A city announcement said the containers have been placed in the following parks and buildings: Salvador Perez Park, Alto Park, Municipal Recreation Complex, along the Santa Fe River Walk, Railyard Park, Frenchy's Park, Fort Marcy Park, Santa Fe Plaza, City Hall and the Transit Division at 2931 Rufina St.

Governor: Budget deal possible

ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Bill Richardson on Tuesday called on legislators to reach a consensus and send him one deficit-reduction plan before he negotiates with them ahead of a special session Saturday.

Legislators last week submitted three options to the administration.

The options included a proposal to cut spending by 3.5 percent for schools, colleges and state agencies and reduce salaries of educators and government workers by 2.5 percent.

The governor says he opposes cuts to education to solve a state budget deficit estimated to reach at least $650 million. Richardson also says he will not support tax increases to balance the budget.

The governor says he's confident he and legislators will reach an agreement before the special session starts.

Isleta Casino becoming Hard Rock

ISLETA PUEBLO — Central New Mexico's Isleta Casino and Resort is becoming Hard Rock Casino.

The casino south of Albuquerque says it has entered into a licensing agreement with Hard Rock Hotel Holdings LLC to become the first Hard Rock branded casino in New Mexico.

A news release from the company says the New Mexico casino will include decor, memorabilia and merchandise related to rock music to match the new Hard Rock name.

The announcement said the Isleta property will undergo a multimillion-dollar improvement project and is scheduled to open under the new name in the second quarter of 2010. The property will continue to operate without disruption during the renovation.

Darren White takes Albuquerque post

ALBUQUERQUE — Albuquerque Mayor-elect Richard Berry has appointed Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White as the city's public safety director.

White, a Republican, headed the state Department of Public Safety from 1995 to 2000 under Gov. Gary Johnson. He has served as Bernalillo County sheriff since 2003.

White was among several appointees Berry, a Republican, announced in a news release Tuesday.

White will be in charge of the police and fire departments, homeland security and emergency preparedness. He ran for Congress in the Albuquerque-area 1st District last year, losing to former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich.

Berry won last week's election and takes office as mayor Dec. 1.

Late Tuesday, the Bernalillo County Commission named retired Air Force Col. Jim White, a Republican, to complete Berry's unexpired term in the state House of Representatives.

Casino party books 'Eddie Munster'

Butch Patrick, the actor who became known to millions as little Eddie Munster on the TV show The Munsters in the mid-1960s, is scheduled to make a Halloween appearance at Camel Rock Casino.

Patrick, now 56, is scheduled to sign autographs from 8-9:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at the casino on Tesuque Pueblo. The appearance is part of an event that will include a costume party and live music.

Patrick appeared in 71 episodes of The Munsters from 1964 to 1966. He also appeared in such shows as Gunsmoke, Mister Ed, My Favorite Martian, Daniel Boone and My Three Sons.

A news release said that while the event is free, participants must be 21 and over.

Machine helps safeguard stockpile

ALBUQUERQUE — Sandia National Laboratories' Z Machine conducted 51 test shots in the last three months toward the goal of safeguarding the nation's nuclear stockpile.

The National Nuclear Security Administration says the test shots more than doubled that of the same period the previous year.

Information from Z Machine firings are used to help supercomputer simulations of the effect of nuclear weapons.

NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino says the Z Machine is an integral part of maintaining a safe and reliable stockpile without nuclear testing.

It's also used in other research.

Sandia says it has created temperature and pressures that allowed astronomers to better estimate aspects of the core of Jupiter, the surface of Neptune and X-ray patterns around black holes.

Air Force says laser test succeeds

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — The Air Force and Boeing Co. say an airborne test last month of an advanced tactical laser damaged a moving ground vehicle.

A Boeing spokesman says the Sept. 19 test was aimed at damaging, not destroying, the vehicle.

A C-130H aircraft took off from Kirtland Air Force Base and fired a high-power chemical laser above White Sands Missile Range, about 200 miles south of the Albuquerque base.

The Air Force and Boeing say the test completed the project's first air-to-ground, high-power laser firing at a mobile target.

They say the beam control system guided the laser's energy to the unoccupied target, putting a hole in a fender.

They say the test demonstrates the project's ability to aim and fire a high-energy laser beam at a moving target.

Eclipse Aerospace wants free rent

ALBUQUERQUE — Eclipse Aerospace is asking the city of Albuquerque for free rent for five years.

The company bought the old Albuquerque-based Eclipse Aviation for $40 million and reopened Sept. 1 after Eclipse Aviation had entered bankruptcy proceedings. Eclipse Aviation is the manufacturer of a very light jet, the Eclipse 500.

In addition to the $5 million worth of rent, Eclipse Aerospace wants the city to forgive an additional $2.5 million in back rent from the former operation.

In return, the company would give the city a 42,000-square-foot building at Double Eagle Airport.

City Councilor Ken Sanchez says the building is worth about $8.2 million.

Navajo Nation honors fallen N.M. soldier

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. has ordered flags on the reservation to be flown at half-staff from today to Saturday to honor a fallen soldier from New Mexico.

The Department of Defense says Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook died Oct. 7 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

The 41-year-old Westbrook was injured Sept. 8 when insurgents attacked his unit in Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan.

Westbook grew up in Shiprock and joined the Army after graduating from Shiprock High School in 1987.

He lived with his wife and three sons in Fountain, Colo., and his family says he planned to retire from the service in November after a 22-year career.

Westbrook's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Farmington Civic Center.




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