Green chile goes to Washington

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., announced Thursday that green chile will make its Capitol Hill debut Monday in the Senate cafeteria in Washington, D.C.

The state's senior senator said he worked with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and the cafeteria that serves the U.S. Senate to help bring the New Mexico staple to the menu for the entire month of March.

"Green Chile Month," he said, will be celebrated by "featuring green chile on the menu and educating customers about the New Mexico pepper."

Declaring that New Mexico green chile has been a well-kept secret, Bingaman said, "Green Chile Month will help introduce this unique flavor to the thousands of people who work in the Senate and the hundreds of visitors who eat in the cafeteria every day."

Meeting set on N.M. 599 interchanges

Interested in interchanges that might be built along Santa Fe's west-side bypass?

A public-involvement hearing on the N.M. 599 Interchange Corridor Study is set for Wednesday evening at Genoveva Chavez Community Center, 3221 Rodeo Road.

The meeting begins with an open house at 6 p.m., then a summary of the recommendations for interchanges at 6:30 p.m.

Albert Thomas of Bohannan-Huston, an engineering contractor on the project, said the presentation will cover all the interchanges recommended since the 1980s and '90s, plus the more recently proposed interchange between Tierra Contenta and the Santa Fe Municipal Airport for Richard Cook's proposed Pavilion business park.

Hosts for Wednesday's meeting include the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Campaign sign complaints resolved

There have been 10 complaints about campaign signs in Santa Fe so far this municipal election and all of them have been resolved.

Sevastian Gurulé, constituent services director, said six of the complaints were about signs not including complete information on who is responsible for the political message.

Three were regarding signs for mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler and three were on signs for District 1 City Council incumbent Chris Calvert, Gurulé said.

He said the other complaints involved signs on public rather than private property or signs being removed or vandalized.

Gurulé told the city Ethics and Campaign Review Committee on Thursday that so far, there have been fewer complaints about campaign signs than in previous municipal elections.

City to dedicate airport projects

A new fire station and other improvements at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport will be formally dedicated today.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark completion of the new Taxiway F, a $1.1 million reconstruction project funded with federal economic-stimulus money and airport improvement grants, as well as state grants and city matching funds.

A ribbon also will be cut at the new East Apron, a $1 million reconstruction project funded by an airport improvement grant along with state and local funds.

Fire Chief Barbara Salas and Mayor David Coss also will dedicate the new Fire Station 10, which provides fire protection for all airport operations and is required to support airline operations such as American Eagle's four daily flights using regional jets.

A bell-ringing ceremony and the playing of bagpipes will recognize firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Then the fire station will be "wet down" with the help of a firefighting truck that will be housed in the new station.

Governor names Welsh to MFA

Sharron Welsh, executive director of The Housing Trust in Santa Fe, will replace Mike Loftin on the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority board of directors.

Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Welsh, who has more than three decades of experience with affordable housing programs.

The MFA is a quasi-public entity that provides financing for housing and other related services to low- to moderate-income New Mexicans. The authority administers more than 25 programs that help families become first-time homeowners, develop new affordable housing and finance housing for the homeless.

Welsh formed The Housing Trust in Santa Fe in 1992. A news release said the trust has created and capitalized more than $25 million to fund loans for affordable home purchase, construction, acquisition and rehabilitation. The organization also provides a homebuyer training program.

Traveling show may pay fine

LAS CRUCES — A traveling show may have to hand over its profits from a week of buying jewelry, coins and other valuables in Las Cruces and pay a $15,000 fine.

Technically called The Great Treasure Hunt but using a sign marked "Advertising and Collectibles Roadshow," the event has earned the scrutiny of Boston public television station WGBH that produces the real Antiques Roadshow. Roadshow is PBS's popular antiques appraisal show whose experts draw thousands to big-city convention centers to value items but not purchase them.

Three months ago, a federal court in Massachusetts ordered The Great Treasure Hunt to stop using the word "Roadshow" in any advertising, oral communications and even Internet key words or face a number of fines and legal fees.

Uranium plant moving ahead

EUNICE — The Louisiana Energy Services uranium enrichment facility in southeastern New Mexico is moving toward going into operation.

Centrifuges at the $3 billion National Enrichment Facility will produce enriched uranium for commercial nuclear power plants.

The head of nuclear material safety for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a meeting in Eunice this week the facility is reaching a critical milestone.

Michael Weber says he doesn't know when the NRC will authorize operations at the site five miles east of Eunice.

NRC staff members have been doing site inspections this week as part of a review that must be approved before LES can begin operations.

LES says three of the five buildings are already occupied, and two others are nearing completion.

Sandia gets new computing center

ALBUQUERQUE — The National Nuclear Security Administration has dedicated Sandia National Laboratories' new National Security Computing Center.

The center will be used for top-secret level work that requires high-performance computing.

National Nuclear Security Administrator Thomas D' Agostino says its the first center of its kind in the nation.

The agency says its capabilities will help solve such national security problems as cyber-defense, assessing vulnerability and space systems threats.

D'Agostino says using supercomputing capabilities for intelligence work demonstrates how the nation's investment in nuclear security also provides tools to tackle broader challenges.

His agency's Office of Advanced Simulating and Computing uses computer models and simulations to understand and predict behaviors of aging weapons.

Two marijuana seizures in N.M.

Patrol agents assigned to the Lordsburg station say they have seized nearly 370 pounds of marijuana in two separate incidents.

Agents were performing line watch operations early Wednesday when they spotted footprints of a group of individuals who were walking north toward Highway 80 through rugged terrain. The group was stopped and their agents say the backpacks they were carrying contained 129 small bricks of marijuana covered in cellophane wrap. The total weight of the load of marijuana was about 144 pounds.

A few hours later in the same vicinity, agents observed another group of smugglers and seized 223 pounds of marijuana. They say the estimated street value for both seizures totaled almost $295,000 and resulted in three arrests. Other members of the group are believed to have fled back to Mexico.

Charges dropped against ex-jailer

SILVER CITY — Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence in their decision to drop charges against a former Grant County jail officer, who had been accused of forcing inmates to compete in boxing matches inside the detention center.

John Paul Amador of Silver City had faced four kidnapping charges and one conspiracy count in the September 2008 case.

"The evidence at this point doesn't support the charges" that had remained against Amador, Deputy District Attorney George Zsoka said Wednesday.

Trial had been scheduled to begin March 3.

Defense attorney Jose R. Coronado of Las Cruces said the lack of evidence shows the investigation was flawed.

Coronado said Amador was "very happy" and called it "unfortunate" that two other officers had agreed to plea deals with the prosecution.

N.M., Texas get broadband funding

ALBUQUERQUE — Communities in eastern New Mexico and West Texas will see expanded broadband Internet access thanks to an investment of more than $11 million by the federal government.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says the Recovery Act funding will help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth and improve education and health care in the region.

State and federal officials say the funding will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 200 community institutions throughout the region, including schools, public safety organizations, health care facilities and government offices.

The effort also will lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to homes and businesses.

The funds will allow ENMR Telephone Cooperative to install miles of new fiber-optic lines.

Mesilla voters to choose mayor

MESILLA — Many Mesilla residents agree the town's government is at a crossroads as municipal elections loom for mayor and two seats on the board of trustees.

Tuesday's municipal election features incumbent Mayor Michael M. Cadena facing a challenge by Nora L. Barraza and Ella Alvarez Nelson.

Barraza currently serves as mayor pro tem. Nelson is a former town trustee who served from 1984-92.

Striking a balance between preserving Mesilla's historic roots while allowing for business growth and prosperity is the town's most obvious challenge. Concerns have surfaced about communications among elected officials, town staff, Mesilla's business community and residents.