La Cienega placed under boil order

La Cienega's mutual domestic water system tested positive for E. coli bacteria Monday, and the state Environment Department advises water customers to boil water before drinking it or cooking with it.

Water should be boiled for five minutes before use.

La Cienega is about 15 miles south of Santa Fe. The state is working with La Cienega mutual domestic board members to disinfect the water system and find the contamination source.

E. coli in water can indicate contamination from sewage or animal wastes. E. coli exists naturally in the intestines of humans and animals, but some strains can cause severe illness. Children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk.

The state Environment Department also advised customers Monday on the La Pasada mutual water system in San Miguel County, 35 miles southeast of Santa Fe, to boil water because of E. coli contamination. For more information, call the state Environment Department's Drinking Water Bureau at 476-8629.

Brawl doesn't slow Española's Cobras

The Cobras, an Española soccer team, won the Liga Hispana championship Sunday at the Municipal Recreation Complex in front of more than 400 spectators with a 5-2 win over Izabal.

Luis Rodriguez scored 3 goals, and team captain Juan Chavez scored the other two for the Cobras. A total of 15 yellow cards (including 5 reds) were issued for minor infractions.

With 20 minutes left in the second half, a brawl, mainly involving the spectators, held up the match for about a half-hour.

Bombones beat Pachuca 1-0 in the contest for third place.

Still no ID on man killed in rollover

A 64-year-old man who died early Sunday morning in a one-car accident on Interstate 25 still wasn't identified Monday because sheriff's deputies couldn't reach his next of kin, Sheriff Greg Solano said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene after his car drifted, then rolled onto the median, according to a police report. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, the report says.

The man lived in Santa Fe and worked in Eldorado, Solano said.

Qwest, pueblo reach Internet deal

Qwest on Monday announced an agreement with Pojoaque Pueblo that secures right of way for Qwest facilities.

"The agreement ensures communications services for thousands of residents and businesses in parts of Northern New Mexico," a statement from Qwest said.

The agreement allows Qwest to continue to expand its high-speed Internet and advanced communications technology to benefit customers in Pojoaque Pueblo and elsewhere.

Pueblo Gov. George Rivera said in the statement, "By working together, the entire Pojoaque Valley becomes the winner."

The agreement is for 15 years with an option for renewal for another 15 years.

Rivera and Loretta Armenta, Qwest New Mexico president, will formally announce the agreement today in the junior ballroom of the Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort in Pojoaque.

Hydrogen cars stop in Albuquerque

The Hydrogen Tour, a national series of events highlighting 11 hydrogen-powered vehicles, will visit Albuquerque on Wednesday.

The tour is sponsored by the California Fuel Cell Partnership, National Hydrogen Association, Department of Energy and Department of Transportation. It features vehicles from BMW, GM, Honda, Toyota and other automakers.

Visitors can see the cars from 2 to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Ktech Building, at Eubank Boulevard and Gibson Avenue S.E., in the Sandia Science & Technology Park.

The cars are visiting 33 cities nationwide, with Albuquerque as the only New Mexico stop.

Visit hydrogenroadtour08.dot.gov for information.

Pearce to attend GOP convention

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce will be attending the national GOP convention in Minneapolis next month, a Pearce spokesman confirmed Monday.

Pearce's attendance at the convention has been in question since last month, when the National Journal reported Pearce among Republican Senate candidates who were "on the fence" about going to Minneapolis. After that, Pearce was included in several Internet reports about GOP Senate candidates who aren't attending.

"I told the National Journal we were still working out the schedule and hadn't made a decision yet," spokesman Brian Phillips said. "The left-wing blogs were the ones that said we weren't going."

The Republican National Convention begins Sept. 1.

St. Bede's to celebrate Navajo liturgies

St. Bede's Episcopal Church will celebrate a Navajo liturgy at both its 8 and 10:30 a.m. services Sunday. The Rev. James Leehan, retired vicar of Good Shepherd Mission on the Navajo Reservation at Fort Defiance, Ariz., will celebrate the services. Both services will incorporate hymns in Navajo, prayers adapted from Navajo ceremonies and some written specifically for Episcopal ministry in Diné Bikeyah.

The church is at 1601 S. St. Francis Drive.

Cathedral to celebrate liturgy in Tewa

Drumbeats, flute rattles, bells and chants will be heard Saturday in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi as Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan celebrates the annual Native American liturgy.

The readings will be in the Tewa language. Kevin Newman will play the Native flute. And music will be provided by the cathedral choir and the San Juan Singers. The service begins at 6 p.m., and everyone is invited to attend.

LANL, Sandia win wind-power grants

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories were among seven labs awarded a total of more than $4 million in federal money last week to solve challenges in integrating wind energy into the U.S. electric grid.

The money was awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program. The labs will use the money to fund research and industry collaboration on wind-energy integration. The major areas of research are how large amounts of wind energy would impact the operations, reliability and economics of operating the grid; studies on how wind generation is impacted by turbine hub heights and improving wind forecasts; and addressing environmental concerns with wind-turbine siting.

Other labs include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.

Groups get money from Buckaroo Ball

• The Buckaroo Ball Committee announced its 2008-2009 grants. Recipients include:
• Las Cumbres Community Services, infant program, $24,000
• Bienvenidos Outreach, Milk Money program, $7,500
• New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project, youth suicide prevention, $9,000
• Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, Diabetes Center Health Habits for At Risk Children program, $11,250
• National Dance Institute of New Mexico, Dancing to Excellence, $11,250
• Santa Fe Mountain Center, Anti-bullying Initiative, $22,500
• Wings for Hope, Clothing for Kids, $15, 000
• Youth Shelters and Family Services, First Contact Street Outreach program, $15,750
• Boys and Girls Club of Chimayó, Power Hour, $10,834
• Partners in Education Foundation for Santa Fe Public Schools, Teacher Grants Program, $17,280

The mission of the nonprofit Buckaroo Ball Committee is to assist at-risk children in Santa Fe County.

Orienteering group will host meet

New Mexico Orienteers are hosting a meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Los Alamos' Rendija Canyon with beginner, intermediate and two advanced courses. The start and finish lines will be at the Pajarito Trailhead parking lot on San Ildefonso Road.

Orienteering is a way to learn map- and landscape-reading skills. Cross-country courses are laid out by volunteers with flags marking specific points on a course. Participants are given maps with flag locations. They run or walk the course looking for the markers. Various levels of difficulty challenge all levels of map readers.

Compasses are available for a fee, or participants can bring their own. Directions to the meet are on the group's Web site, www.nmorienteers.org.

S.F. businessman finalist for prize

Santa Fe Greenhouses president David Salman is among five finalists for a national water-conservation prize.

He is a finalist for the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award, sponsored by Rain Bird, a manufacturer of commercial and consumer irrigation systems.

Salman is chief horticulturist at Santa Fe Greenhouse. He's pioneered Xeriscaping methods and promoted low-water-use plants in the community.

The five finalists were selected based on projects with demonstrated water savings, landscape preservation, innovation and overall impact on the community.

The winner of the $10,000 prize will be announced Oct. 11 at the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition. The other finalists for the award are: Christopher S. Gray Sr. of Kentucky; the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association; The Council on the Environment of New York City; and the Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden in Arizona.

Ex-Navajo officer faces murder trial

GALLUP — San Juan County Magistrate Stacey Biel ruled Monday that a former Navajo police officer accused of shooting his live-in girlfriend will stand trial.

Harrison Largo faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence in the May shooting death of Frieda Smith, who was found at the couple's mobile home in Thoreau. She later died at an Albuquerque hospital.

According to court records, neighbors heard the couple arguing and saw Smith run from the home before three gunshots were fired.

Biel heard nearly four hours of testimony before deciding Largo will stand trial. She also denied a defense motion to set bond for Largo, who remains in the Gallup-McKinley County jail.

Largo is expected to be arraigned in state District Court within the next couple of weeks.