Cowboy to chase off Bandelier cattle

Stray cows are startling hikers and upsetting park rangers at Bandelier National Monument. So the park has hired a professional cowboy to round up the 15 to 20 errant bovines and get them out. The cowboy will herd the cattle up Falls Trail beginning Tuesday, and the trail will be closed to residents and visitors possibly through Nov. 21.

"The cows are trampling our riparian vegetation and startling hikers along some of our trails," Superintendent Brad Traver said.

Traver said staff had worked with the New Mexico State Livestock Board to resolve the wandering cow problem. "We are hoping this problem does not recur in the future. Having cattle anywhere in the park is a conflict with our mandates to protect park resources and provide for enjoyable hiking experiences. We have been repairing fences with the intention of keeping them out."

Local Domenici office closes today

The Santa Fe field office of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici will close today for good.

Field offices in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Roswell will also close. Domenici announced last year he's retiring after being diagnosed with an incurable brain disease.

People who need constituent help should contact the offices of U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Domenici's office said.

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall will replace Domenici in the Senate next year.

"Friday will be a sad day for me as my field staff moves on to different work," Domenici said in a statement. "I salute them for all their efforts on behalf of New Mexicans over the years. They have been pivotal to my work as senator," he said.

Law center gets grant to monitor hospital

The Southwest Women's Law Center has received a $5,000 grant to investigate how Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center treats gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender patients.

The grant, from the Santa Fe Community Foundation, is part of an effort to ensure that religious and ethical directives from the Catholic organization Christus Health, which partnered with St. Vincent this spring, do not interfere with New Mexico's nondiscrimination laws, said Ryan Carbon, SWLC's office manager.

"We don't know that any discrimination is evident yet at St. Vincent, but other hospitals that have partnered with Catholic health care groups have denied claims to GLBT couples," Carbon said.

Details of how the grant will be implemented are still sketchy, since the grant is new, but SWLC should have a concrete plan ready sometime in mid-January, he said.

Parking project wraps up in April

The state's new parking garage just west of the Capitol will be done in April, according to the Property Control Division.

That means parking around the Capitol — including during the upcoming legislative session — will be at a premium.

Property Control Division manager Bill Taylor advised those going to the Roundhouse to ride together.

"Government employees are urged to vanpool to the Capitol during the session," he said.

The session starts Jan. 20.

Hearing scheduled on uranium plan

The state Mining and Minerals Division will hold a public hearing Thursday on Neutron Energy Inc.'s proposed application to conduct uranium exploration drilling in Marquez Canyon, 32 miles northeast of Grants. The hearing will be held at 5 p.m. at the Cibola County Convention Center, 515 West High Street in Grants.

A copy of the Marquez Canyon Exploration Project permit application is available at the Grants Public Library and in Santa Fe at the Mining and Minerals Division's office. This permit application, and any other associated supporting documents, also are available at www.emnrd.state.nm.us.

The public may present oral testimony at the hearing or submit comments in writing to the Mining and Minerals Division at Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, 1220 South St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe 87505.

Comments may also be sent via e-mail to Bill.Brancard@state.nm.us.

Paid parking returns to Railyard

The temporary parking-fee reprieve at the Santa Fe Railyard is coming to an end beginning Saturday morning, according to Parking Division Director Bill Hon.

Paid parking kiosks that had malfunctioned last week have been fixed, and persons who park on Manhattan Avenue, Chile Line Road, Camino de la Familia and Alcaldesa streets must now pay the meter with cash or coins and must display their ticket on their dashboard to avoid citations.

The Railyard underground parking garage remains open for business and can be accessed from Paseo de Peralta turning north on Camino de la Familia, or west on Manhattan Avenue turning north on Camino de la Familia. The garage is open seven days a week, from 5:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

City gallery seeks program ideas

The public art gallery at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center is seeking submissions for theme ideas for future programming. The call is aimed at helping the city Arts Commission create and feature exhibits that appeal to residents of Santa Fe in 2010 and beyond.

Exhibits will run for three months from January to March, April through June, July through September and October through December. Themes should include contemporary and traditional arts in all media, from jewelry to furniture to ceramics. Exhibits should also coordinate with significant local cultural or social events, offer educational opportunities and collaborate with a minimum of two local community organizations.

Submissions, accepted through Dec. 31, should be mailed to City of Santa Fe Arts Commission, P.O. Box 909, Santa Fe 87504-0909, attention gallery manager, or e-mailed to rdlambert@santafenm.gov.

AG joins beef antitrust case

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King has joined attorneys general from 16 states and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division seeking to block the acquisition of National Beef Packing by Brazil-based JBS, the world's largest beef packer.

NBP, the fourth largest beef packer in the world, and JBS currently compete in the purchase of fed cattle and sale of USDA-graded beef products to grocers, food-service companies and U.S. consumers.

Attorneys general contend a merger of JBS and NBP, would reduce competition, potentially leading to higher priced beef for consumers, a lower price-per-head for New Mexico ranchers and a limited market for meat packing.

The federal complaint filed against JBS on Oct. 20 describes the acquisition as completing a "fundamental restructuring of the United States beef packing industry."

Other states joining New Mexico in the antitrust lawsuit include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

Man falls 125 feet into collapsed cave

CARLSBAD — Authorities said a construction worker was driving a heavy loader when a natural cave collapsed, plunging man and machine 125 feet into a pit on the New Mexico-Texas border.

Burnell Booker, 41, of Carlsbad was "slightly injured" in Wednesday's accident and treated at a hospital emergency room, Eddy County Sheriff's Capt. Leon Newman said. He didn't have details on the man's injury.

Witnesses told investigators the loader driver was working at a pit that provides crushed material for a construction project on U.S. 62/180 when his machine broke through the earth.

"When my loader hit the bottom of the sinkhole, it lost all power and there was no cell-phone service down there," Booker said. "All I could do was yell for help and hope they would find me."

The site is a mile north of the highway near Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

The hole was about 8 feet by 20 feet across. The man was trapped for more than three hours before rescuers rigged a rope and lifted him to safety.