Deadly I-40 crash remains a mystery

Investigators still don't know why a Santa Fe woman drove the wrong way on Interstate 40 the day before Thanksgiving and must wait three to four weeks for a screen of the woman's blood, Lt. David Knowles, a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department spokesman, said Monday.

Katherine Cullen, 56, drove her Jeep Cherokee east in the freeway's westbound lanes about 8 p.m. Wednesday, and collided head-on with a Ford Expedition driven by Judith Bjorkman, 56, of Edgewood. Both women died at the scene. A 2-year-old in Bjorkman's car survived. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and the child was in a car seat, Knowles said.

There were no indication of drugs or alcohol being involved in the crash, he said. A toxicology screen of both women's blood should take three to four weeks, he said.

An obituary referred to Cullen as Susie Katherine Cullen, and said she was interested in religion, athletics and art. She had an associate's degree in theology, played tennis and other outdoor activities and enjoyed traveling, the obit says. Cullen also loved "all animals" and had dogs, cats and horses on her property in Santa Fe, the obituary says.

Cullen will be buried in Houston today. A memorial gathering will take place in Santa Fe within two weeks, and arrangements will be announced later in The New Mexican, according to the obituary.

Mobile speed trap to begin ticketing

The Santa Fe Police Department's new mobile speed trap becomes fully operational today.

That means speeding drivers who are caught by the red, white and blue sport-utility vehicle now will receive actual tickets in the mail instead of the warnings that have been sent out in the last month or so while officials worked out the bugs.

The city contracted with an Arizona company, which oversees the program in exchange for a cut of the revenue the SUV generates.

The vehicle — which is labeled "photo enforcement" — snaps a picture of a driver's license plate, an officer reviews the violation and the company sends out a ticket for $86 for a first offense and $100 thereafter.

The vehicle's location is published weekdays in The New Mexican's police notes section.

City studies river park improvements

Designs for improvements to the park along the Santa Fe River from Palace Avenue to St. Francis Drive will be presented at a community meeting Wednesday at the downtown Public Library, 145 Washington Ave.

Initial plans include upgrades to irrigation systems and walkways, new plantings, storm water management improvements and other renovations.

The purpose of the 5-7 p.m. session, the second public meeting on the project, is to present initial design concepts and hear questions and considerations from the public.

The work is among about $30 million in parkland improvement projects in the Parks Bond Implementation Plan authorized by the City Council in early 2008.

"While implementing basic repairs, upgrades and beautification, the work should also enhance the pedestrian environment for people moving about in downtown Santa Fe," a city news release said.

Kepler to ride scooter on Cerrillos Road

Mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler plans to learn about wheelchair-access issues first-hand by riding a specialized scooter up Cerrillos Road on Wednesday morning.

Her campaign issued a statement saying she will join a Santa Fean with disabilities, Linda Jobe, to experience the difficulties faced by anyone who cannot walk unaided.

She is scheduled to meet Jobe at Able to Scoot, a handicap-equipment shop on Cerrillos Road, then attempt to navigate sidewalks and streets on wheels in an area where there is a lack of cuts in sidewalks for wheelchair access.

The statement said the candidate, a former city manager, was alerted to transportation problems for those with disabilities, including budget cuts for transportation.

Fire destroys GOP campaign bus

A fire has destroyed the campaign bus of Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh, and New Mexico investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blaze.

Weh's campaign says the bus and several other vehicles were parked at a gated storage facility in Belen when the fire broke out late Friday. The flames engulfed the bus and the rest of the facility.

Twisted, charred metal and ashes are all that remain of the bus, which was known as "Freedom1." It was once wrapped in red, white and blue graphics and the words "Veterans for Allen Weh."

The loss of the bus and campaign materials inside has been pegged at around $250,000.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the blaze. A campaign spokesman says it hasn't been determined whether the bus will be replaced.

McCarthy to auction typewriter

The Olivetti manual typewriter on which Santa Fe author Cormac McCarthy typed every book he has ever written — including three not yet published — will be auctioned off Dec. 4 by Christie's in New York to benefit the Santa Fe Institute.

McCarthy purchased the typewriter (serial No. 2143668) in the fall of 1958 from a Knoxville, Tenn., pawn shop for $50. Over 50 years, he figures that he has written about 5 million words on it, including drafts and correspondence. That includes his four early Tennessee novels — The Orchard Keeper, The Outer Dark, Child of God and Suttree — as well as the Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain), Blood Meridian, his two most recent books, No Country for Old Men and The Road, as well as two plays and one screenplay.

In an accompanying letter, he wrote, "It has never been serviced or cleaned other than blowing out the dust with a service station airhose and by the fall of 2009 it was beginning to show serious signs of wear."

His friend and colleague at the Santa Fe Institute, John Miller, offered to buy him a new one, then suggested he auction the old one off and give the proceeds to the institute. "I thought that was a good idea," McCarthy wrote. The typewriter includes the original blue carrying case. The estimated selling price is $15,000 to $20,000.

To bid on the typewriter, go to www.christies.com.

St. Mike's selects new principal

St. Michael's High School announced Monday that it has named a new principal. Sam Govea, principal at Cathedral High School in El Paso, will begin his new duties July 1, 2010.

Govea earned a bachelor's degree in education from the College of Santa Fe in 1984 and began his career as a history teacher and varsity basketball coach at Cathedral, which like St. Mike's, is a Lasallian institution. He went on to become dean of students, then vice principal.

Govea earned his master's degree in education from the College of Santa Fe in 1999 at the Doña Ana campus, and was appointed principal at Cathedral that year. He is an El Paso native and graduated from Cathedral in 1980.

As Cathedral's principal, he managed a multi-million-dollar budget for the school and implemented a program allowing juniors and seniors to take college-level classes that fulfill their high-school credit requirements. He is steeped in Lasallian traditions and has designed methods for integrating these practices into the classroom environment.

Acting principal Bill Armijo plans to return full-time to the classroom when Govea takes over.

Concert to benefit S.F. High

Some of the top vocal talent in Santa Fe will perform in a weekend a concert to benefit the choral music program of Santa Fe High School. The concert features Kirsten Lear, Marilyn Barnes, and Doyle Preheim as soloists, accompanied by Robert Tweten and Mary Jo Preheim. There also will be participation by the Santa Fe High School choir. The program will include works from opera/operetta, Broadway musical, and songs of the Holiday Season.

The concerts are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 107 W. Barcelona Road, at Galisteo Street.

The suggested donation is $15.

Marching bands to play in parade

Marching bands from Ortiz Middle School and Capital High School will march in the Las Vegas, N.M., Christmas Winter Wonderland Light Parade on Saturday.

The annual event begins at 5 p.m. in Las Vegas. Students will each wear a 10-foot strand of blue Christmas lights and instruments and banners will be decorated with bows, lights and streamers. Students will play, among other songs, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Steven Iliff is director of the Capital High Jaguar Regiment and William Korte is director of the Ortiz Middle School Marching Band.