State offers shingles vaccine for adults

The New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico Pharmacy Association will provide free shingles vaccine to adults age 60 and older who are uninsured, underinsured or cannot afford to pay the co-pay.

Shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash associated with the varicell-zoster virus that causes chickenpox.

The vaccine will be provided at various locations around the state on a first-come, first-served basis.

The vaccine clinic that will be offered in Santa Fe County will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Edgewood at First Choice, 8 Medical Center Road.

The Health Department is paying for the 5,670 doses of the vaccine through one-time federal stimulus funds.

Federal economic stimulus funds are being used to pay for the vaccine.

The Health Department recommends a single lifetime dose of the vaccine for all people age 60 and older.

Mayoral forum to focus on economy

Mayoral candidates have been invited to answer questions about economic development during an event at The Forum at the College of Santa Fe from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23.

The public forum is sponsored by Creative Santa Fe, Santa Fe Alliance, the Santa Fe Area Homebuilders Association and the Santa Fe Complex.

Santa Fe Reporter columnist Zane Fischer will be the moderator.

"Those concerned about the future of Santa Fe's economic development and our local government's commitment to it should attend this event," says a news release.

The statement said each of the three candidates will be asked the same questions. Seven questions will be given to each candidate in advance of the forum, and the audience will be able to submit questions in writing during the forum, the release says.

County GOP plans 'Lincoln Day' event

A national security expert and Fox News contributor will be the keynote speaker at the Santa Fe County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day Dinner, scheduled for Feb. 13 at the Buffalo Thunder Resort.

Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland, who created "DEFCON 3," her own hour-long video blog for FOXNews.com, will speak on likely national security flash points, an announcement said.

McFarland held national security posts in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations and served as a key member of Henry Kissinger's National Security Council staff in the 1970s.

The benefit for the county Republican Party also will feature cocktails, dinner and dancing with Syd Masters and the Swing Riders band and a silent auction with art, jewelry and travel packages valued at over $15,000, a news release said.

Complimentary shuttle service to Buffalo Thunder from downtown Santa Fe at 130 Lincoln St. (adjacent to Blue Rain Gallery) will be available starting at 5:15 p.m.

Ticket prices start at $100. For information and ticket purchases, e-mail lincolndaydinner@gmail.com or js.morrissey@hotmail.com.

Water releases begin at Elephant Butte

The federal Bureau of Reclamation begins releasing water from Elephant Butte Reservoir today in preparation for the start of the 2010 Southern New Mexico irrigation season March 2.

Reservoir managers will release about 700 cubic feet per second of water from the dam to flow 20 miles down the Rio Grande into Caballo Reservoir for storage. This water will be readily available to help meet agricultural and other Rio Grande Project demands through the irrigation season.

Releases from Elephant Butte are expected to remain constant through approximately March 1. After that, the releases will increase to about 1,400 cfs.

Under the 1938 Rio Grande Compact, New Mexico must guarantee a certain amount of water is available to Southern New Mexico and West Texas farmers each year. The compact divided up the waters of the Rio Grande between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Claims to the water rights are currently undergoing court action and settlement negotiations.

Elephant Butte Reservoir at the end of January was barely at a fourth of its total 2,200 acre-feet of water storage capacity and well under half the 30-year average.

Earth science awards to be presented

Attorney General Gary King and Bruce Thomson, director of The University of New Mexico's water resources program, will be honored at noon today at the Capitol with New Mexico Earth Science Achievement Awards.

King, who holds a doctorate in organic chemistry and a law degree, worked to establish New Mexico's first mining reclamation law during his 12 years in the state Legislature, according to information about the award. He has served as assistant secretary for environmental management at the U.S. Department of Energy. King will be honored for advancing earth science in public service and public policy.

Thomson is a professor in UNM's civil engineering department. His research focuses on the treatment of inorganic contaminants, such as arsenic and uranium, in groundwater. Thomson will be honored for advancing earth science in education.

The awards are co-sponsored by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resource at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Farmington man wants White History Month

FARMINGTON — A Farmington man has proposed a White History Month, but the Farmington City Commission rejected the idea.

Zang Wood says it's not so much that he wants White History Month, but he doesn't want cultures promoted over each other. Wood says everyone should be treated equally, and that promoting one culture or race over any other is a bad thing.

Farmington City Commissioner Randy Joslin says Farmington piggybacks on federally designated cultural awareness months. It recognizes Native American Culture Month in January, Black History Month in February and Hispanic heritage in the fall.

Joslin says he hopes those would be a cause for celebration, not division.

Farmington commissioners voted against the White History Month on Monday.

Obama budget proposes millions to bases

ALBUQUERQUE — Military installations in New Mexico would get more than $263 million under the 2011 budget President Barack Obama has sent to Congress, with the bulk of the money going to the rapidly expanding Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis.

Cannon in Eastern New Mexico would receive more than $150 million, including funds for hangars and other aircraft needs, and an operations and training complex.

Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo would get $37.9 million for maintenance hangars, while Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque would receive more than $24 million for an armament shop and a fuel system maintenance facility.

Southern New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range is in line for nearly $52 million for medical clinics and barracks.

The breakdown was announced by Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman.

N.M. child dead of swine flu

A 3-year-old Otero County boy has died of complications from swine flu.

The state Department of Health says the child had chronic high-risk conditions that made him vulnerable from complications from the flu.

He died in mid-January. The last previous swine flu death in a New Mexico child occurred in mid-November.

New Mexico has reported 53 deaths and 1,014 hospitalizations related to swine flu since April 2009.

Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil says people with chronic medical conditions are particularly at risk for serious complications.

Swine flu vaccination clinics are being held across the state, and the Health Department has distributed about 750,000 doses of vaccine statewide.

The agency says children younger than age 10 need two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart, to be fully protected.

MVD contracts with firms

The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division has licensed three companies to provide services for commercial vehicle customers.

State Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans says they will provide services to auto dealers, commercial trucking companies and state businesses. MVD is part of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

The companies have been licensed as so-called "super" title service companies because they are able to directly access data on MVD computers and print out vehicle titles and registrations.

The MVD has licensed Complete Compliance Services, New Mexico Independent Auto Dealers Association and New Mexico Auto Dealers Association to provide commercial services.

The agency plans to call for proposals this spring for companies to bid on the right to open private retail MVD agent offices in 29 counties.

Albuquerque voters approve APS bond

ALBUQUERQUE — Voters have approved giving Albuquerque Public Schools $616 million in bond issues and a property tax mill levy to fix up schools and build a new football stadium.

With all precincts reporting, the bond passed with 72 percent of the 32,000 votes cast.

The district plans to issue $225 million in general-obligation bonds for construction, maintenance and technology, as well as to match capital outlay funds.

The mill levy to make up the rest passed with 68 percent of the vote.

Big-ticket items for the money includes $26 million for Rio Grande High School and $38 million for a new sports complex and football stadium on Albuquerque's West Side.

Bingaman: Fight cross-border car thefts

ALBUQUERQUE — Sen. Jeff Bingaman is asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to crack down on criminals who smuggle stolen cars from the United States to Mexico.

Bingaman says seven of the 10 metropolitan statistical areas with the worst motor vehicle losses are on or along the U.S.-Mexico border.

He says the thefts raise car insurance premiums for everyone.

Bingaman has asked the Department of Homeland Security to deploy license plate readers at outbound inspection stations at all the international ports of entry in New Mexico and El Paso.

He also wants the department to increase its use of cameras and computer systems, boost intelligence sharing with local and state law enforcement and work with Mexico to recover more stolen vehicles.

Partiers recovering from poisoning

FARMINGTON — Life is returning to normal for 25 people exposed to carbon monoxide poison during a birthday party Saturday afternoon in Farmington.

The most critically impaired patients were taken to the Hyperbaric Medical Center of New Mexico located in Santa Fe.

Nine people including three women and six children were placed inside an air chamber used to treat patients with carbon monoxide poisoning.

The other 16 people were treated locally and released.

Hyperbaric Medical Center operations manager Gregory Thomas said their color returned, their headaches were gone and their general mood was much more elevated.

San Juan County authorities said the 25 people were poisoned by an outdoor propane heater used to heat a closed and unventilated garage.




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